London Riots...Really.

Not the blog post that I expected to be writing, but yes, there has been terrible rioting in various London neighborhoods over the last few days. We have felt safe where we are, although there were two Tooting shop windows smashed over the weekend. There is definitely a weird vibe in the city, with tube stations being closed, sirens blasting, shopkeepers looking wary, and everyone talking about the violence. It is so unfortunate for this country and for the individuals involved. Most people believe that it is primarily youths who see an opportunity to cause some havoc and score some free goods, which is such a sorry state of affairs, but could likely happen just about anywhere. We're keeping informed of the goings on, and will post any changes on our front, but wanted to assure everyone that we are safe (been getting some sweet emails today inquiring).

It's interesting to note that so many blog posts, tweets, facebook notifications, etc. are all egocentric musings to tell the world what fun we are having, assuring everyone that one's own life is wonderful and fulfilling. I don't want this blog to be about that, and Greta and I are not trying to prove that we're having an absolutely fabulous time every day of our London lives. Rather, we want to keep you all informed of what we're up to and have a record of some of our activities, thoughts, and feelings throughout this year abroad. Today we're feeling sad for London, but wanted to let you know that we are safe and sound. Glad to have you with us, through the good and the bad.

The Latest From Ashbourne Road

Our house is finally starting to feel a lot like home! Almost three weeks from the first time we saw 58 Ashbourne Road, we have done a lot of work (and shopping). Dad finished painting in the dining room, and it made such a difference. Not sure about the other rooms, but we are hoping to have most housework done by the start of school (September 6th). On the topic of school, Franny has received confirmation that she will be attending Links Primary School next year. Unfortunately, Graveney is over-enrolled, and they don't have any spots left for me. ):  We're still hoping that I will somehow still be able to go, but it's very unlikely. Nevertheless, we have a couple of other options: Chesnut Grove and Bishopsford Arts College. Still unsure of which have spots, and they're not very close by, but wherever I go it will be a new experience and we'll make the best of it! On a better note, Mom and I tried out Tartine Artisanal Cafe on Tooting High Street. It has a Parisian vibe, and was the perfect place for delicious sandwiches and people-watching, and fifteen minutes from our house. Mom had veggie and hummus on baguette and I had a club sandwich. Both with a side of salad, fries (or should I say "chips"?), and limonada. I think we've found our London Portage Bay Cafe...

Camden Town and a Ride down the Canal.

Today's adventure involved places that none of us had ever been. We took the tube into Camden Town and wandered through the Market and Bazaar, which seemed kind of junky and touristy, really. There were some fun stalls, but the place had the air of having been really cool at one time but that time seems to have passed. Maybe I'm getting too old to recognize its charm? It was still lots of fun to see, and we had a great lunch in the courtyard, sitting and watching everyone walk by. There was an old piano there, so when she finished eating, Franny played "You'll Never Walk Alone" for the crowds, it was brilliant.

There were loads of shops of all different kinds to peek in, but we're not really in need of anything at the moment, and just looking can get a bit tiresome. Makes you realize how many city activities revolve around consumerism. The timing of being there was interesting in that Camden is where Amy Winehouse lived, so there were lots of posters and t-shirts commemorating her life (she died last week), and we spotted a Bansky-ish painting of her which has gotten some notoriety.

After lunch and much walking, we got our tickets for the Jenny Wren (my mother's nickname for me, incidentally) and boarded the old barge for a guided tour down the canal. It was so cool! We got to see the back gardens of amazing houses along the canal, as well as lots of "house-barges," which was very reminiscent of kayaking through the houseboats of Lake Washington. There was also a Chinese restaurant floating on the canal, and apparently an on-water Sainsbury's. We floated along behind the London Zoo and all the way to Little Venice, while we learned the history of the canal system, which runs through London unbeknownst to many. It was definitely a worthwhile activity, and one that we'll suggest to visitors.

Still enjoying our adventures in London, and there is clearly enough to keep us busy for the year! We've been hearing a lot about the rioting and looting of last weekend, which was awful, and really scary. We're truly hoping the incidents won't be repeated. Another reminder that no place is perfect. All for now.

New Norms.

It's a rainy day in London (sounds like an old Robyn Hitchcock song, doesn't it?), so we're staying in and being cozy. The girls are sitting on the couch playing games on Franny's ipod, Steven is painting in the kitchen, and I've been on-line planning our October holiday to Italy.

We do have some new norms now, and are getting used to things in our 'hood. The ice cream truck driver has met the kids and now parks in front of our house most days. They buy soft serve cones with choc flake, which is where most of their money is going thus far. We've had our first curry take-away, which was excellent; Greta declared that it was the best Indian food she had ever tasted. We've discovered that the take-away menus for most things (dinner, lattes, etc.) are considerably cheaper than sitting in to eat. Franny chose her bedding for her new room- see the attached photo. It's starting to feel more familiar.

The house projects have begun in full force: the plumber comes back next week to replace the upstairs toilet and we're planning to put in the new bathroom floor up there. Steven patched a bunch of holes, and is currently priming the walls of the dining room/kitchen. Our brand new vacuum cleaner (hoover) arrived, so we're able to clean the floors finally, which makes a huge difference in itself!

Yesterday we took the bus (a double-decker of course) to Wimbledon, which is only about 20 minutes away from us. It has a completely different feel, much more upscale, than where we live. It brought to mind again the huge discrepancies in Londoners' lifestyles given how much money they have. Of course, this is true in Seattle, Boston, Montreal, everywhere, but we had forgotten some of it. Our area offers such cultural diversity and the opportunity to find things from all over the world for cheap, but Wimbledon is much more polished and pretty. We saw young girls riding horses right through the village and then playing on the lawn. Different world, indeed. Taking the bus there, you see the neighborhood change in a matter of blocks. I'm trying not to worry too much about the financial extravagance of taking this trip, trusting that it will all work out and we're able to pull it off. But it is hard to see so many people who are struggling just in the day to day.

Had another interesting experience yesterday: as we were walking home from the bus (all of us tired and hungry), we saw a car brake quickly to avoid hitting a little boy of about 2 years. He was walking across the street crying, with no shoes on, and clearly looking lost. We ran over and picked him up, trying to ask where he lived and where his parents were, but he had no answers for us. After knocking on many doors and trying to find his home, we ended up calling the police to report a lost child. Two nice women officers came right away and took over, calling me later in the evening to report that they found his home. Apparently, he'd been playing in the front garden with his dad while his mum cooked dinner, then when dad left for the shops, he followed without anyone knowing. He was lost but his parents didn't even know he was missing, as both thought he was with the other! It's the kind of thing that could easily happen anywhere to anyone and makes you realize how precious your children are. I am so glad that we took that route home and grabbed that adorable little guy to help; we were in the right place at the right time.

Life goes on, and every day won't be a wonderful tourist adventure, but will hopefully be a positive experience for our family of challenging ourselves to do something very different from our old norms. So far, so good.

Covent Garden for the Day.

It's a bit strange to chat at dinner about what we want to do the next day, and have our options include things like going to Notting Hill or Covent Garden on the tube; and to feel like we can do what we like but not need to cram everything in to one short week in the city. I like these options.

Today was Covent Garden to wander around, poke through the shops and stalls, and enjoy an excellent vegetarian lunch at Food for Thought- http://foodforthought-london.co.uk/

We also got in some great culture when Steven and Franny headed off to the London Transport Museum and Greta and I marveled at the Courtauld Institute in the Somerset House. It was amazing to see so many famous paintings by well known artists in this beautiful little Gallery, and we loved the building itself. It's free on Mondays, and well worth a visit.

Franny was impressed by the old London buses and trams at the London Transport Museum, and Steven liked the Museum so much that he became a member! So I guess that we'll be going back to that one over the year, and it sounds like it was a hit.

Walking up from the Tube station at Piccadilly Circus is almost overwhelming, with people rushing everywhere, tourists snapping pics of everything, and the huge billboards overtaking the skyline. Once we got our bearings, we loved walking around the area and there was so much to see. We spent hours wandering around SoHo, too, and had the most amazing gelato (perhaps even better than D'Ambrosio!). The sun was shining bright all day, and it got quite hot- it definitely feels like summer has hit London. It was a really fun day, but I'm sleepy tonight, so will have to add more later.

Notting Hill

Add Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant to the scene, and our Notting Hill outing is complete. The pastel colored apartments, colorful fruit and veg stands (everyone says "veg" here...), racks of vintage, designer, and costume clothing, and many different people made up Portobello Road Market of Notting Hill. Although we were worn out and tired by the time we reached the famous market, it was still impressive. We didn't reach Portobello Road until late afternoon; Dad wanted to walk through Hyde Park. It was another beautiful day- warm enough to wear shorts, breezy enough for a sweater- and it seemed as if everyone on the West End had come out to enjoy the sun. We rented bikes from Barclays Cycle Hire (inexpensive way to get around London- register your credit card, take a bike out of one docking station and return it at another one, pay by the hour) and rode around the park. Now lunchtime, we wander through the beautiful residential streets near Hyde Park featuring large white houses with courtyards and black painted gates. Eventually, we are seated at Suzan's Cafe. Mom, Dad, and I all have falafels, while Franny orders a toasted cheese and bacon sandwich. It worked out fine, but I wouldn't eat there again- or at least wouldn't have the falafel or cheese and bacon sandwich. Walking some more, we passed Whiteley's, London's first-ever department store (now a mall). Stopping in for a quick look, Franny decides to try bungee trampolining in the lobby! (cannot explain any further- the pictures tell all). Franny said later that it was the best 6 pounds she ever spent, so it was clearly worth it. After more walking, walking, and walking, we see a sign for Portobello Road. After a bizarre encounter by a woman on the sidewalk to keep our bags close and valuables away while at the street market. The rest is a happy blur of exotic clothing, good food, and many many people. But although I love street markets, as I am sure you can tell, what struck me this Friday were the periwinkle, pale yellow, light pink, and lavender colors of the apartments above the antique furniture and stalls selling Scottish wool. Although the words do not refer to a neighborhood, Hugh Grant's character in Notting Hill aptly describes this colorful part of London: "You can stay forever."

Finding Our Routines

Above is a pic of our house and the street where we live, as well as a photo of the local school, where we will be walking regularly. Got great news today that Franny was accepted at Links Primary, the "outstanding" elementary school that is right behind our house. http://www.links.merton.sch.uk/
We can hear the kids on the playground from our back garden, it's so close. There are train tracks, however, between us and the school, so you need to walk around the corner and up a bit to get there. Our next door neighbor, Vicki, takes her daughter to Nursery school there and she said that it's a really nice school. It's a 100 year old brick building "with a warm and welcoming atmosphere," sounds a bit like Loyal Heights!

They haven't decided whether Greta has a place at Graveney School yet, and we're really hoping that this works out. I've been in touch with the Council Admissions team as well as the school directors (squeaky wheel and all that) numerous times, but it's a very popular school so we just need to wait to see if there are any openings...fingers crossed!

We have now been shopping at Sainsbury's, Lidl, and some of the neighborhood food stalls, and are eating very well. The kids have already gotten into the habit of having tea (and biscuits!) every day, which was an activity that Steven and I have participated in for years; hence the fact that we are planning to join the local Leisure Center (gym). The garbage and recycling go out on Fridays, and the Library is closed on Wednesdays (we've taken numerous books out on things to do in London). It's safe to say that we are settling in to some semblance of a routine...and we're liking it very much.