Sun, May 28

This is a photo of Kenwood House. Below is the view from the house.

Sunday we had a ride over to Paul's dad's flat, picked his dad and brother George up, then went to the Gatehouse in Highgate for some lunch. Afterwards, we drove down the road to Kenwood for a little stroll and to look at the artwork in Kenwood House. Not only was it FREE to enter (except for optional donations), but we also saw a self-portrait by Rembrandt. As you can see from the two photos, the scenery from the house was so relaxing and not what most people would expect from a London park.

Fri, May 26

Paul took the next step towards realizing his dream of running the London Marathon next year on Wednesday when he joined a gym about 10-15 minutes from his office so he could get some much needed exercise in. We had hoped to go out for a walk or run in the evening after work. However, seeing as Dawn wasn't getting home from work until 6pm, that meant that we wouldn't have dinner until at least 7-7.30pm, and worst of all, we would hardly spend any time with Tiny.

Paul's new schedule is leaving home at 5.50am to spend 45 minutes on the treadmill, bike and rowing machine, before spending a full day at the office. As for how the middle-aged fart is coping with being a gym member for the first time, he completed 5km (3.2 miles) on the treadmill his very first day in just over 30 minutes.

Mon, May 22

Today was Dawn's first day at work. And was it a long one, despite not needing to be at the office until 9.30am. If getting dressed for work wasn't a big enough chore, she had to walk 10-15 minutes to Winchmore Hill station so she could catch a train into central London that took another 20 minutes. Once she arrived at Old Street, she then had another 15-20 minute walk to work. What really sucked was that Dawn wore normal dress shoes and all the walking left her poor little feet raw as hell. Her day went pretty quickly as faces without names passed her by. She was told their names, but her retention powers weren't really up to the volume she had to absorb. Relieved and exhausted from all the excitement, Dawn then had to make the return trip home. Only this time her feet were now throbbing, and she had to squeeze onto the train like a sardine in a can. On the way home, she was now sharing the train with all the other commuters that clocked out at 5pm.

Was Dawn glad to join the working force again after three years working for herself? Of course she was. Because even though her head was swimming with all the information she was trying to absorb, her feet had blisters from walking and her body was exhausted after being on the go all day, she knew that in addition to having her weekends back for what she wanted to do, she also knew that she had 26 days vacation plus the 8 compulsory bank holidays to look forward to!

Sat, May 20

Today we popped around the corner to get our hair cut at a local hairdresser's called Kinks, seven weeks since we had it cut last time at Supercuts in Holloway. However, if you remember the photo of Dawn the day after she'd had hers cut before, you would appreciate why she was able to wait another couple of weeks compared to her normal 5 week deadline!!

Later this afternoon we drove over to Holloway and picked up Paul's dad and brother George and brought them back to our flat for dinner. Paul prepared some beef fajitas and refried beans. It was the first time either of them had had it, and they cleared the plates. Either they liked it, or were just plain hungry. Then Paul gave them some photo albums to look at. Thankfully for them, the ones from Florida are still packed away in the shipping boxes.

Thur, May 18

Today and yesterday Paul had to make a special journey to Halford's in Enfield trying to sort out the new DAB(digital)radio/CD player we had installed recently. Unfortunatly, after three weeks of continually losing radio reception, and seeing as Halford's could not fix the problem, we decided to forgo the new digital technology and revert back to the old FM/MW radio.

Sat, May 13

Today Paul caught up with Dawn's age again as he celebrated another birthday. He started the day by opening an e-card from Brady, Jim & Chance, and some birthday cards from Dawn, Kelly & Michaela, Judy, and Marsha, the latter two being friends we met during our time in Florida. Paul then opened a Cream DVD from Brady, Jim & Chance, plus some books and a pedometer from Dawn. Paul also got some clothes at a local sports shop in Enfield, including an England shirt which will surely get some wear during this year's World Cup.

Then, after Paul watched the FA Cup Final on television between Liverpool and West Ham, we picked up Paul's dad and brother George and had a ride over to our favourite Indian restaurant, Anglo-Asian. There Paul opened a card each from the two of them, and received some money. As for the food, it was excellent. Paul really enjoyed being able to spend some time on his birthday with his dad. It really meant a lot to him.

Thur, May 11

Finally something to write about. Today Dawn had to drop in to see her GP to sort out some tablets she needed. The doctor was far from helpful, but at least she was able to get a month's supply. The good news is that the prescription only cost her £6.65. The better news is that when she is able to get three months' supply, it will still cost her just £6.65.

Then Dawn travelled into central London to meet Keith Searle for lunch at Waterloo. Dawn met Keith, who works for London City College, when she was working for Dr Leibrecht at Schiller before we moved to Florida, and has stayed in touch ever since. The two caught up on old times and new gossip around the corner from the campus at the Archduke. Unfortunately for those of you who like to check out our photos, Dawn did not take any pictures despite taking her camera with her.

Tonight we had a ride up to our local vet and are pleased to announce that Tiny now has a passport! We had to order a special scanner so the vet could read her microchip. But, it was worth it. The vet exchanged the paperwork we got in the US that enabled us to bring Tiny with us. Now we can take her with us when we travel around Europe.

Wed , May 10

Well, as you can see, not much going on for the first part of the week. Paul has been getting into the work routine, leaving for work at 6.45am every day and getting home between 5.00pm and 5.30pm, depending on when he leaves the office. The good thing is that the drive to and from Hertford is not taking more than 35 minutes each way, even allowing for the problems with the M25/A10 slip road hassle.

Dawn, on the other hand, has been sorting out where to put the stuff from the shipping boxes we did open last week, doing laundry, and making the most of her last few days of leisure before she again joins the working class.

Sat, May 6

Today we picked Paul's dad and George up and had a ride up to Waterlow Park in Highgate. Paul's parents used to take Paul and his brothers there when they were kids, and it's been Paul's favourite park ever since. It has ponds with ducks that you can feed, rolling hills surrounded by trees, an aviary, and a wonderful view of the city of London in the distance. After a stroll through the park, we made our way to The Flask pub for a sandwich. Highgate has always been special to Paul, and has since become one of Dawn's favourite places, too.

Tiny is one happy kitty!

One of the first things we unpacked was one of Tiny's houses. We had to leave two behind, so we were more than happy to see that this one arrived in one piece. However, there was someone who was more happy about it than us. Tiny was in it in no time to check it out. Since then, she seems to be more relaxed than ever. Like us, she is happy that her home has caught up with her at last.

Thu, May 4

Today was the day we waited over ten weeks for - to see our prized belongings back in our possession. The shipping company here in the UK that was responsible for delivering them dropped them off early this morning. Now we have a job on our hands finding homes for the stuff we unpack, and the 20 or more boxes that we will keep sealed until we hopefully move into a new home later this year.

Tue, May 2

Good news today. This morning Dawn travelled into London today for her second interview for a position as a PA at a local university. By the end of the day, and after over 85 job applications, she got the call to say that she was being offered the job. Earlier in the afternoon Paul also received a phone call, this time from the British half of our shipping company, to inform us that our belongings are scheduled for delivery on Thursday morning. Keep your fingers crossed that all 55 boxes arrive (and in one piece, too).

Mon, May 1

Today we celebrated our ninth wedding anniversay with a nice meal at a Chinese restaurant that we used to frequent over 7 years ago before we left to live in Florida. It was really good, and even better was that it never cost us a cent as Paul's dad paid for it. He also gave us a nice bottle of wine to enjoy at home, too.