After a couple of crazy weeks of packers/movers and visiting with family and friends in Ontario before taking off for London...we're here!
Our flights didn't quite go off without a hitch which was a bit of a hassle for 5 tired kids and our family lugging 17 bags but we did it. Our flights were delayed and when we arrived here and got a car from Heathrow to the hotel in Westminster where we were to pick up the keys to our flats ( my DHs company arranged 6 weeks of temp housing for us) we learned that the power was off at our flats.
We got our keys and hopped in the cars they'd arranged for us and headed over here to our temporary homes. They rented us 2 apartments because there are so many of us! We went on a bit of a walk around since we had no power anyhow. It was wonderful to explore and we were all just loving it until fatigue caught up with us. We came back here and fell asleep for about an hour before the building manager came up and told us that we had to leave. They couldn't let us stay here with no power ( this was about 4pm local time) and that they were sending us by cars to their sister building on Maddox street in Mayfair. Ummm....okay. Pack up and off we all go again.
Arriving at the Mayfair apartments ( again, 2) was exciting! We got settled and DH and I enjoyed the bottle of wine they sent up for our trouble and then we all took advantage of our second wind and walked around a bit more stopping for some snacks and then coming back to curl up and watch a dvd before crashing. The next morning we headed out for our first English breakfast which was tasty and fun!
Upon our arrival back at our apartments we learned that the power was back on and so packed up again, hopped in 2 more cars and got brought back here. That was on...Monday ( gosh, I"ve lost track of days!)
We got settled in on Monday and cooked our first meal here that day. Yesterday we headed out on the Tube up to Muswell Hill and had a bit of an explore, some lunch and looked at a house ( which was great and I LOVED the area but we turned it down...we'll keep looking up there though, I really loved it!)
Today is my baby's 8th birthday. He has no plans beyond NOT WALKING anywhere. The poor kid is so worn out he really just wants to stay home. He's going to play his Wii, walk to the butcher's with his daddy to pick out his steak for supper ( his requested birthday dinner) and play games with us. Once our grocery order arrives ( yeah...finally a stocked kitchen, well actually 2 stocked kitchens!) I'll make him a birthday lunch of pancakes which he's been wanting since Friday.
Tomorrow's plan is to head to Ealing for some house hunting as we've found a few places online out there that we'd like to check out. Dave's boss and his partner live there so we're guessing that the commute and the area must be good or he wouldn't live there.
So we're pretty much settled and happy here! All the kids except the youngest are happy. The youngest one is very grumpy and out of sorts however. He's been on the move since we left out home on Wed Oct 29 and moved into a hotel. Since then he's been in a hotel in Washington for 3 nights, then on Sat Nov 1 we flew off to Toronto and another hotel for 1 night. Then we drove off to the Ottawa area where we put 2 kids with my mum and 3 with my hubby's mum and we got a nice little vacation ALONE in a hotel! It was still 5 days for the poor wee guy and he had only been away from me for that long overnight once. When we were visiting there we were driving around all over the place and visiting tons of people which wears him out. Then the flights and not much sleep and then landing and the craziness with changing apartments here. If he's grumpy and out of sorts...it is no wonder. He says " England is DUMB" many times a day and is adamant that he does not like it here but truly, who can blame him. He's had way too much change in the past couple of weeks!
I must run but I wanted to pop in and say that we'd made it and are loving it!
Our flights didn't quite go off without a hitch which was a bit of a hassle for 5 tired kids and our family lugging 17 bags but we did it. Our flights were delayed and when we arrived here and got a car from Heathrow to the hotel in Westminster where we were to pick up the keys to our flats ( my DHs company arranged 6 weeks of temp housing for us) we learned that the power was off at our flats.
We got our keys and hopped in the cars they'd arranged for us and headed over here to our temporary homes. They rented us 2 apartments because there are so many of us! We went on a bit of a walk around since we had no power anyhow. It was wonderful to explore and we were all just loving it until fatigue caught up with us. We came back here and fell asleep for about an hour before the building manager came up and told us that we had to leave. They couldn't let us stay here with no power ( this was about 4pm local time) and that they were sending us by cars to their sister building on Maddox street in Mayfair. Ummm....okay. Pack up and off we all go again.
Arriving at the Mayfair apartments ( again, 2) was exciting! We got settled and DH and I enjoyed the bottle of wine they sent up for our trouble and then we all took advantage of our second wind and walked around a bit more stopping for some snacks and then coming back to curl up and watch a dvd before crashing. The next morning we headed out for our first English breakfast which was tasty and fun!
Upon our arrival back at our apartments we learned that the power was back on and so packed up again, hopped in 2 more cars and got brought back here. That was on...Monday ( gosh, I"ve lost track of days!)
We got settled in on Monday and cooked our first meal here that day. Yesterday we headed out on the Tube up to Muswell Hill and had a bit of an explore, some lunch and looked at a house ( which was great and I LOVED the area but we turned it down...we'll keep looking up there though, I really loved it!)
Today is my baby's 8th birthday. He has no plans beyond NOT WALKING anywhere. The poor kid is so worn out he really just wants to stay home. He's going to play his Wii, walk to the butcher's with his daddy to pick out his steak for supper ( his requested birthday dinner) and play games with us. Once our grocery order arrives ( yeah...finally a stocked kitchen, well actually 2 stocked kitchens!) I'll make him a birthday lunch of pancakes which he's been wanting since Friday.
Tomorrow's plan is to head to Ealing for some house hunting as we've found a few places online out there that we'd like to check out. Dave's boss and his partner live there so we're guessing that the commute and the area must be good or he wouldn't live there.
So we're pretty much settled and happy here! All the kids except the youngest are happy. The youngest one is very grumpy and out of sorts however. He's been on the move since we left out home on Wed Oct 29 and moved into a hotel. Since then he's been in a hotel in Washington for 3 nights, then on Sat Nov 1 we flew off to Toronto and another hotel for 1 night. Then we drove off to the Ottawa area where we put 2 kids with my mum and 3 with my hubby's mum and we got a nice little vacation ALONE in a hotel! It was still 5 days for the poor wee guy and he had only been away from me for that long overnight once. When we were visiting there we were driving around all over the place and visiting tons of people which wears him out. Then the flights and not much sleep and then landing and the craziness with changing apartments here. If he's grumpy and out of sorts...it is no wonder. He says " England is DUMB" many times a day and is adamant that he does not like it here but truly, who can blame him. He's had way too much change in the past couple of weeks!
I must run but I wanted to pop in and say that we'd made it and are loving it!
