Some of My Favorite Things...

After a month, still suffering from occasional bouts of homesickness, I thought I would analyze that a bit.  What exactly am I homesick for?  (besides the obvious of Z man and family) What are the things that I miss about the United States?  and what are some of my new favorite things about living in the UK?  so with a wee bit of commentary - here they are - I will think about the homesick bits some more:
1.  The Weather - riiiiight....I mean it.  I love the weather - the coolness, the cloudiness, the rain, the wind - yup I LIKE IT!  After 15 years of living in areas that have more sun than most places in the world, I was so ready to change.  Besides, there is something awesomely decadent about snuggling in bed with a book on a rainy day.  PLUS...I got to wear my cute blue raincoat two times!  I have not, however, had a chance for the pink umbrella - SOON!
2.  Walking - again, Yanks have a hard time remembering that we have legs and feet to walk with and not just to operate the pedals in the car. 
3.  The Culture - it is everywhere here - walking down the street is a frigging amazing cultural experience.  I grew up in the Northeast where I was exposed to culture and history - operas and plays in New York City, history in Philadelphia and Washington DC and MUSEUMS ... Fifteen years in the new NEW colonies of Florida and Arizona removes one from that exposure.  and I missed it.  was starving for it.  and now I am a bit overwhelmed but tickled pink!
4.  teaspoons - yup.  the teaspoons here are really damn cute. little!  not at all like our teaspoons but then that makes sense since tea has not been as popular as coffee. 
5.  Washer/Dryer Combos - I had never seen one, actually had no idea that they even existed - Perfect for me who always forgot to change the wash into the dryer!
6.  TREES - BIG, Wind rustling through the branches real trees - I am a dork but I just don't care :).
7.  Old Things - since 90% of the UK is probably older than the US, it is really funny that something dated 1692 is not old :)
8.  BBC4 - but I like the history stuff - the Big Brother phenomenon is a bit repulsive to me same as in the US
9.  Riding the bus and the tube - I was lucky enough to be given a car at 16 when I got my driving license and as such, unless I was visiting somewhere, I never took public transport and I never got to ride the bus.  The double decker buses are just cool.
And my most favorite thing in the UK .... THAT is easy ... that would be L4.  :)

Hampstead Heath

I can hardly believe that just down the road (5 min) there is an idyllic retreat from the noise and congestion of the city - Hampstead Heath.  Eight hundred acres of meadows and ponds and forest and hills not far from central London. 
We took a walk today and saw the blackberries (I am bringing a bag tomorrow!) and the trees and the meadows.  I know I go on a bit but after a year and a half in the desert and 13 years in Florida - I have not seen vegetation like this since I grew up in the Northeast of the United States.  And the smells!  You can smell summer and the sunshine and the berries and it is gorgeous ....  definitely a daily walk - besides, I still have to climb Parliament Hill!

Get On Your Walking Shoes

Last night, for the first time since I arrived, I actually had a dream about driving a car.  I was a little surprised that I have not had one sooner since I have not driven in a bit and have no immediate plans for the future to do so (hearing Peter sigh with relief :)).  For sure, London is not a driving city.  It is a walking city and I have done more walking in the past 2 weeks then in the past 2 years.  A good thing too, since most of my time is spent admiring the architecture and gaping at the sights, I would have surely crashed into something by now.

I walk every day to the markets of which we have several excellent ones very close by.  Shopping for food daily has been a great experience.  Everything is fresh - veggies, meat, bread - and to cook it that way has made me fall in love with cooking all over again.  No issue with quality at all, except for the beef but the availability of French products has made that a good swap!  

I had to stop converting pounds into dollars tho - it was making me a little nuts.  A pound feels like a dollar even though the conversion rate tells us that a pound is worth 2 dollars.  So - I keep it to pounds and try not to cringe toooo much.

I did find an awesome little veggie store in Belsize Square (right around the corner but off the high street) and their prices were much better than the high street markets. 

The area that we live in is awesome.  It is full of gorgeous architecture and little surprises all over, like the Keats House which is only a 5 min walk away.  Hampstead Heath as well which is an amazing sprawl of green park is only a little over 5 min away as well.  The area has been home to many artists and poets over several hundred years and it definitely still has that artsy and mellow vibe.

We have good access to central London as well - I can be in Trafalgar Square within 15 min by Tube and a bit longer by bus.  

I am going to be loading lots of pics and giving their descriptions as well as keeping up the blog of my adventures in London.  It is a bit late (I was waiting for Zach man to get home) so I will add some more tomorrow and keep up as I go along!