A sneak peek

Hello!

Wanted to post a rare nearly photo-free one as daily city living is not quite as conducive to constant picture taking, and believe it or not I've actually been quite busy getting us settled! We know there are a few of you out there still reading, so thought we'd post an update.

Most importantly, we found a flat! The search was challenging, but we landed in a studio in Notting Hill, coincidentally just across the street from our good friend Megha. Though it's very small, it's exactly what we were looking for and its fantastic location has enabled us to truly immerse ourselves into city living. Pictures to come!

Nicholas has started his classes at University of London and is finding them really interesting. His courses range from Environmental EU Law to International Human Rights law, and his only complaint is the commute between campuses (from Fleet Street to Mile End, with only 30 min. in between). His roughest day was making his 12 PM class yesterday, after arriving at 10:30 AM from Amarillo.

I've started one of my courses at the V&A. It's a salon-style drawing course in collaboration with the Prince's Drawing School, and I am absolutely loving it. I wouldn't say I possess any great talent, but I've learned so much and have enjoyed watching my work evolve each week. The biggest bonus is getting to take in the V&A at my own pace, which to me is truly heaven. I start another course at the Chelsea College of Art & Design next week. Stay tuned for some posts on these!

A few things we've learned:
-Don't leave home without your Oyster card and keys (Nicholas might stamp this to my forehead)
-Environmentally efficient laundry machines are neither cost nor time efficient. Outsource whenever possible (have wasted entire days on one load of laundry).
-Celebrities turn up when you least expect them
-Oxford street: hell any time of day. Avoid.
-Take off your coat before getting on the tube at rush hour
-No pumpkin spice lattes (or gingerbread, etc.) at UK Starbucks. V. sad.
-You can get by with one pan, two plates, four glasses, no freezer and a hotplate
-How to decorate your flat on £20 or less
-The upside of studio flat living: cleaning it top to bottom in under 10 minutes!
-Without Thanksgiving as a buffer, the Christmas season kicks off in October (mince pies already on shop shelves and a tree up on Portobello!) much to my delight

We are having the absolute time of our lives and are both learning, seeing, and doing so much to make the most of every minute. Thank you to whoever is out there reading for coming on this journey with us!

I'm preparing to take a number of pictures this week, so stay tuned-

Lisa & Nicholas