Southampton and Portsmouth

To take a little break from the city, Gavin and I decided to head to the southern shore last Saturday.  It proved to be a short drive to see the water.  And I like to see water when I go out and about. We didn't do much research into what there was to do in the towns; it was a spur of the moment decision. Which meant we mostly just picked a place to park the car and wandered around nearby.  The next time we head out of town, I think I need more of a plan. 

Southampton is a large shipping port (where is OUR shipment from the U.S.?) and not as scenic as I would have hoped.  The city is also where the Titanic sailed from and funny enough, there was a new cruise ship set to sail from the port.  It was to be officially named Queen Elizabeth by the Queen herself on Monday.  I've never seen a cruise ship (friends who sail, help me out here): are they all THAT big?  It probably had more than 10 levels above water, not counting those we couldn't see.  My pictures can't convey how enormous it actually was.

After walking around the harbor, we strolled a bit around the medieval wall throughout the city.  Like anywhere I've been over here, the new always surrounds the old.  I'm always surprised at how closely the architecture is intertwined. But we wanted to walk along a beach, so we headed to the east, Portsmouth, to end our Saturday.

Did I mention we brought Chewie?

For E (I didn't draw it... :)

Frustrating!

As I'm still waiting to be able to post more pics, let me just complain for a moment.

For anyone thinking I'm leading a life of leisure, I can assure you, it is hardly that exciting.  London is an exciting city to be sure, but most days I'm at home. On the days I have no reason to NOT sight-see and still hang at home, well, I really have nothing to say for myself.  But on the days when I need to be home for various reasons, it is extremely frustrating when I miss those various reasons.  Take today: I had ordered dog food.  Something seemingly easy to order online and get delivered.  But no.  NOT EASY.  I know it's going to get delivered in about 48 hours, but there is no way in this country to track your package.  So, I sit around doing absolutely nothing until Chewie gets restless and demands his daily walk.  Then, we are gone for about a half hour, maybe 45 mins and in that amount of time, someone tries to deliver the package to no avail.  Let me run through this again: We get no confirmation of delivery time/date; there isn't a call to let me know the package is on it's way; they will not leave anything at the door, and; my only option is to let them try to deliver it tomorrow.  I will be held hostage in this house until this stupid dog food comes!

Another annoyance while I'm at it: Our shipment of our US home goods has yet to come. Supposed to come today.  Now they say Thursday. I will believe it when I see it.  Which will just add to the number of days I will be hanging around the house.  Adding to it all, Gavin is traveling for work tonight and will travel again next week.  I can just about handle being alone all day when I know Gavin will be home for dinner.  But I'm on my own tonight.  Ugh.  Frustrating.

p.s. I think this is what it means to "blog."

A Couple of Things

Number One: I'm so glad to hear that my friends and family enjoy reading my blog.  It is the only reason I continue to sit in front of my computer at hours at a time trying to write my thoughts.  It's still a good exercise for me, especially since I'm without a job at the moment.

Number Two: Apparently I've run out of photo space on my blog and have to pay to add more (in fact, they cut off my last post!)  Hmmm. I guess that's why a blog is supposed to be thoughts written down.  But.... I like pictures!  Anyway, bear with me while I figure out how to get more pictures up!

A Walk in the Park

We've had some beautiful weather the past few days.  I just had to take advantage of it by visiting both Kensington Park and Holland Park last Thursday.  The Serpentine Gallery, in Kensington Park, is always a favorite stop for me and every summer they invite a different artist or architect to create their outdoor pavilion.  This year's pavilion, designed by Jean Nouvel, the architect of the Guthrie Theater, is about to close so I popped in for a light lunch.  Afterwards I wandered throughout the park to view the Serpentine's outdoor sculpture installation by Anish Kapoor. The pieces were inspired by and designed to extend the surrounding environment.  I thought they were whimsical (of course, anything I can see myself in is OK in my book!)

I then visited the Kyoto Garden in Holland Park (after checking out the Kensington Whole Foods - there was a humidor, FOR CHEESE.) I love Japanese gardens - the landscape is created specifically to enjoy pretty views, no matter where you stop on the path. It was relaxing to sit and watch fish swimming in the koi pond and peacocks strutting by.  Actually, for dinner that night, Gavin and I continued the theme by eating sushi, noodle soup and sake at the nearby Japanese restaurant.  ;)

  

Richmond

On the recommendation of a local cooking store employee (she also gave me a few other tips on the area - it's so nice to chat with someone willing to talk up the neighborhood!) I took the bus down to Richmond.  The bus ride was easy and shorter than taking the tube into central London.  AND it's fun to sit on the upper deck ;)  

First this was the scenery:

But it quickly turned into this:

And soon I was in Richmond, a city located on the Thames known for it's wealthy inhabitants and cute shops. I had a great time just walking around and soaking up the sun (I know!)  I may have gone into a few of those cute stores but managed to keep my spending urges to a pot of tea.  It was a nice afternoon diversion.

I innocently decided to get a closer shot of this monument.....

...only to discover the babies have NO FACES! Aaah!

This is the only remaining part of Richmond Palace, residence of various royals:

I think people live here now.  Jealous.

Random Thoughts

• At the grocery store, eggs are not refrigerated yet, potatoes, in small plastic bags are. 
• At the park, dogs are encouraged to run in open spaces and there are small fenced-in enclosures for children's playgrounds. 
• This morning, I heard a child say to his father, "Should we start heading home now?" whereas, I'm pretty sure the statement in the U.S. would be, "I wanna go home now."
• There are people everywhere. All the time. It's a constant that is hard to conceptualize until you've been here. Buses, trains, stores, sidewalks, parks -- anywhere, really -- you can't escape humanity. And yet, the feeling of isolation is never far away.
• People think Chewie is a French Bulldog.  Sometimes I don't correct them.  And all children seem afraid of him.  In fact, two totally random, different children have screamed "Mean doggie!!" in passing.
• I love Veronica Mars. It really makes my day when I can wake up and watch the series every morning. Thanks to my horrible memory, it's like I'm watching it for the first time! 

One Month!

I have been in London one whole month! While I can't say life has been all peaches, it hasn't been the most unpleasant thing I've ever done ;)  I do get lonely much of the time because Gavin works long hours during the week. I want to get out and experience all that London has to offer, but its hard to be motivated when you plan your visits alone.  I think it would be nice to sometimes have a companion (not Chewie) to enjoy my outings with. That being said though, Gavin's focus is his job right now and I am respectful of his wishes to mainly relax at home in his downtime.  I look forward to the end of October when we'll welcome our first visitors and I can fulfill all my touristy needs with them!

AND, I've only been here a month!  I mean, really, I put a ton of pressure on myself to make the most of living here.  But, we need get some of the basics down before we jump on a plane or train. For instance: Chewie. As much as I would love to take him with us on holidays, it's just not possible and we have yet to figure out our boarding or pet sitting options.  We have yet to even get our furniture delivered.  It would be nice to have this all figured out with the snap of my fingers, but alas....

So far, my first month brought: the fantastic Ricky Gervais live (totally hilarious);  a trip to beautiful Oxford with Gavin and Chewie; shopping along Carnaby Street, in Liberty (WISH I could have actually purchased something- anything!), the enormous Westfield Mall and Sloane Square; a visit to the Royal Academy of Arts; an amazing photography exhibition at the Tate Modern; my first excursion on a bus (in a somewhat dodgy area); a long and circuitous drive to the closest Best Buy (thanks a lot, Pope) and; getting to know our fabulous parks while on walks with Chewie.

I think I should start a list of places I want to go.  The obsessive-compulsive in me wants to visually tick things off a list- that way I know I've actually accomplished all that I set out to.  I believe this compulsion comes from my dad's side of the family..?  Off the top of my head: Richmond, Kyoto Garden in Holland Park, Kew Gardens, Hampstead, Natural History Museum, V&A Museum, Brompton Cemetery aaaaand the Imperial War Museum.

I haven't taken too many photos of my excursions and I will try to do a better job of it.  Again, if you can't document it, did it really happen??? ;)  Here's to making the most of future months in London!

Trying to get the Tate Moden in the shot too...