Sun, Jul 30

Today we celebrated the 10th anniversary of the very first email between us, an email that ended with the words, "We'll chat some more" and which led us down a path neither one of us expected, or was even looking for.

After exchanging cards, Paul went out for a morning run in preparation for his charity run in October. The rest of the day we spent with Tiny, until we went to Bombay Spice, a local Indian restaurant, for an anniversary meal. It turned out to be a great choice, as we enjoyed the best Indian meal we'd ever had. We'll definately be going back there again.

Sat, Jul 29

Today we picked Paul's dad and brother George up and headed to Hertford for a few hours, stopping on the way in Hoddesdon to drop off some papers with our mortgage broker so he could hopefully finalise our mortgage application. In Hertford we picked up some fruit and veg, plus a couple of odds and ends in the street market, before stopping at the Duncombe Arms for a pub lunch.

As always, Paul brought his camera and took plenty of photos. The above collage shows (clockwise from top left): fruit & veg stand in street market, 230-year-old doorway in Fore Street, alfresco dining outside Cafe Rouge in Parliament Square, and Hertford Castle.

Fri, Jul 28

It was another sweltering week here in London. On Monday, Paul completed his 3-month probation at work, although it went totally unnoticed by the management. On Wednesday, Dawn got home late as she had to drop by Turnmills (a bar/club/restaurant around the corner from her workplace) with some colleagues. Dawn and the other members of the Christmas Party Committee needed to check it out before arranging the deposit. On Thursday, Paul spent all day on the phones in the Communications Centre at work because the guy he started as Helpdesk Manager called in sick. Friday saw the two of us drop by Kinks for our haircut with Mel, before picking up some Chinese from Peking, Peking on the way home. Still no more progress on buying the house in Hertford. Our solicitors are still waiting on paperwork from the seller's solicitors. And the mortgage company is still waiting on paperwork from our broker, and additional bank statements from us.

Sun, Jul 23

On Saturday we had a ride up to see Paul's dad and brother George for a couple of hours. We couldn't stay too long as we needed to drop into Argos on the way back, and meet our landlord to pay the rent. As it turned out, he never made it and will have to come over later this week.

Then on Sunday we drove over to Hackney to pick Paul's daughter Hayley up and bring her back to our flat. The three of us just idled away the time chatting before ordering a not-so-enjoyable pizza from around the corner from us. Don't mistake the smiles on our faces for excitement over the food. We certainly won't be going back to them for pizza again. And seeing as this was the first pizza we'd had since leaving Florida, it was hugely disappointing after being so spoiled by Bambino's in Dunedin!

Fri, Jul 21

What a week. Monday started badly with Paul having to work late, so late that Dawn got home before him for once and had to order some take-out so we could have some dinner. Then, for three days running we had to endure the hot and humid weather. On Friday we received a letter from our mortgage broker to inform us that they couldn't process our mortgage application until they receive yet another copy of our bank statement. A bank statement, we'll add, that we will not see from our bank until the 1st week in August.

However, the week wasn't all bad. Brady and Jim's birthday present for Dawn arrived...grits and cornmeal. Needless to say, Dawn has had grits for breakfast the last three days.

Wed, Jul 19

Today broke the record for the hottest day in July on record with temperatures reaching 97 degrees. Yes, we know it was quite common to hit the 90s while we were in Florida. But, we don't have air conditioning here. In fact, Paul had to drop into a local electrical store to pick up a tower fan so we could cool down a little. However, that was nothing compared to the heat Dawn had to endure on the train ride home, where the temperature must have been over 110 degrees. In the picture you can see Dawn making the most of the fan.

Sun, Jul 16

Today was Dawn's birthday and she certainly had one to remember. She started the day opening cards and three gifts from Paul and Tiny: a book called 'Hertford's Past in Pictures', a DVD of the movie 'Sense and Sensibility' with Hugh Grant, and a DVD of the Eagles album 'Hell Freezes Over.'

For lunch we drove over to Hackney to pick up Paul's daughter Hayley, who also gave Dawn another birthday card, before heading over to Holloway to pick up Paul's Dad and brother George. We then headed to Islington where we grabbed a burger each with some chips at Fine Burger Co, before popping next door into Waterstone's bookstore where Dawn used some of her birthday money to buy 8 paperback books. They were on sale 3 for the price of 2, so Paul picked one up by Frank Bruno to make it 9 so she could get a third one free.

To round off the day, Dawn got a call from her sister Kelly in Florida and mom Brady in Georgia to wish her many happy returns.

Sat, Jul 15

This evening we headed out to the West End of London so Dawn could enjoy an early birthday dinner, and see Patrick Swayze in Guys and Dolls at the Piccadilly Theatre. Unfortunately, Mr Swayze was a no show as he hadn't been feeling well. We knew this earlier in the week, but enjoyed the musical all the same. As we did the Thai dinner at the Malaysia Kopi Tiam earlier in the evening.

For the second night running, after Paul's late night phonecall from his office the previous evening, we didn't call it a night until well after midnight.

Fri, Jul 14

Another stressful week for the two of us again. This time it was the house move that kept our nails finely trimmed. On Monday, Paul spoke to our mortgage broker and found out that the paperwork he rushed to Hoddesdon on Friday had only just gone out in the mail. On Tuesday, we waited all day for the news the mortgage application had been approved, only to find out shortly before 4pm that the paperwork had still not arrived at the lender's. Finally, around 4pm on Wednesday, after Paul had called the broker yet again, we got the good news that the application had been approved pending surveys. This meant that our lawyer should have been able to authorise these by Friday. However, when we got home on Friday, we had received yet more forms in the mail (this time from the lawyer) that needed to be filled out and returned before they could proceed. All these delays meant that we had lost over a week after making the initial mortgage application on the 4th of the month.

As for work, Paul once again got several late night phone calls from the office. The best of all being around 10.20pm Friday night. The controller at the office in Hertford had locked himself out. This meant Paul had to get dressed and make the 30 mile round trip to let the controller back in. Here's hoping the weekend goes more smoothly.

On a much lighter note, we had a nature show outside our living room window one morning this week. Three foxes were playing with a shoe just feet from our windowsill. Check out some of the photos above.

Sat, Jul 8

Today we drove up to Hackney to meet Paul's daughter Hayley. We picked her up outside the Argos store at the top of her road, then had a ride over to Islington to one of the many Starbucks there, so the three of us could catch up with how things have been. This was the first time we'd seen Hayley since she had stayed with us spring three years ago in Dunedin, FL. To say Paul was thrilled to see her again would be an understatement.

We then had a ride up to Holloway and walked down to The Landseer pub to enjoy some home-made pub food with Paul's dad and brother George. We then had a ride up to Crews Hill for Tiny's monthly cat stuff run.

Fri, Jul 7

The stress continues. Now it has been compounded by our house-hunting. Tuesday Paul met with our mortgage broker and completed the mortgage application. The advisor assured us that we would not have a problem, as we had already received a mortgage certificate. However, come Friday the formality took a strange twist. Paul got a telephone call from the broker's assistant to inform us that the building society would not accept Dawn's US passport or UK residence visa as proof of indentity. Hopefully they'll be happy with the only piece of paper that we have that should be acceptable to them, a tax code notification from the Inland Revenue. Check this space next weekend to see whether our application has been successful, or whether our dream move has been well and truly derailed.

On the work front, Paul is now receiving phone calls late at night from his controllers at the office. Friday night he got a call at 11.45pm, because a security officer could not set the alarm at one of the client's sites.

Sun, Jul 2

Today Dawn enjoyed her second day at home as part of her chilling-out weekend. Partly so that Paul could watch England's World Cup Final Quarter-Final match with Portugal, and partly so that we could spend some time with Tiny after we had left her on her own for the last few weekends.

Paul meanwhile drove up to Holloway and collected his dad and brother George and brought them back to the house for dinner. Paul made some ham with roast potatoes, corn and peas, which we downed with some wine, and Vienetta and coffee for dessert.

Sat, Jul 1

This week was one hectic and stressful week for the two of us. It all started to go wrong on Monday when one of Paul's controllers at work failed to turn up for work, and after a fire near Kings Cross railway station resulted in Dawn having to change her route to and from work for a couple of days.

Paul's week went from bad to worse after he had a meeting with his bosses. However, despite all what was said, he wasn't given complete backing. By Friday he was arriving for work earlier and earlier, resulting in just one single visit to the gym.

Dawn, on the other hand, was forced to ride on a London bus on her own for the very first time. She had to catch it on Tuesday night after she had to get the Tube to Southgate instead of her regular train to Winchmore Hill. Ordinarily Paul would have picked her up at Southgate. However, he was over an hour later getting out from work that night. In fact, Dawn even arrived home before he did! Normally Paul arrives an hour to ninety minutes before Dawn.

Sun, Jun 25

Today we had a ride down to West Wickham in Kent to visit Margaret and Mavis, both of whom used to work with Dawn at Schiller London. They retired shortly after we moved to Florida, but kept in touch by letter, usually making us green with envy describing their weekly trips and journeys together.

After a chat at Mavis' house, where we downed a nice cup of coffee and biscuit, we headed to a local pub (The Railway) for a typical Sunday roast beef dinner. We had to cut the visit short though, as Paul wanted to be home by 4pm to watch England's World Cup match against Ecuador. Needless to say, he was pleased to see them get the win they wanted, even if the performance left a lot to be desired.

Sat, Jun 24

Today we headed back to Hertford to have a second look at one of the houses we viewed last weekend, before riding over to Harlow to check out a fairly new house in Church Langley. However, the trip to Harlow was a complete waste as we had already decided that we wanted the house in Hertford (see living room above).

We stopped for lunch in a local pub in Palmers Green after calling our mortgage advisor and asking him to do what he could to fast-track our mortgage application, as we wanted to make an offer on the house this coming week.

We then had a ride up to see Dad and George for a while. We obviously chatted about the house we wanted to buy, and England's upcoming World Cup match against Ecuador the next day. However, more important was Paul's brother David's latest health scare. He had just finished his schedule of chemo treatments to find out that he now needs heart surgery because he has a leaky valve.

Fri, Jun 23

This week had a mixture of blessings. On Monday, Paul started a new helpdesk controller in his office and missed out on going to the gym. He did return on Tuesday, but gave it a miss the rest of the week, taking a few days off so he could spend some time at home in the morning before heading out to work.

On Tuesday, Paul met with our mortgage advisor in Hertford and was pleased to leave with a mortgage certificate that shows we should be able to guarantee getting a mortgage in our needed price range. However, due to Dawn's brief period of employment, it also means we would have to wait five weeks before making a mortgage application if we find somewhere we want.

Towards the end of the week we tried to arrange some property viewings in Harlow (Essex) and at a house we liked in Hertford.

On Friday, we a visit to our hairdresser's around the corner from us to get our hair chopped off again.

Sun, Jun 18

Today we had a ride up to St Pancras & Islington Cemetery to visit Paul's mum's grave. Thursday (June 15) was Paul's mum's birthday (she would have been 80), and since we weren't able to get to the cemetary that day, we were pleased to get there today to leave some carnations for her.

Afterwards, we picked up Paul's dad and George and took them down to Brown's in Islington to meet Paul's other brother Phillip and his wife Jean (see above) so we could celebrate Father's Day. The six of us enjoyed a nice meal together and enjoyed catching up with each other, seeing as it was the first we'd seen Phil and Jean since just after we arrived back in March.

Sat, Jun 17

Today we drove back to Hertford to view some properties on the market. The first was a nice three bedroom terraced house. However, the whole house would need to be decorated from top to bottom if we went for this. Then we looked a vacant, chain-free two bedroom house. This had a great kitchen. Unfortunately the rest of the house would need decorating from top to bottom. Besides, we weren't very keen on seeing a mattress on the floor in one of the bedrooms with sheets just thrown back, and two half completed glasses of drink on the windowsill. The third was a very quaint terraced house (one of the houses in the picture above). However, this two bedroom house was just too small for us. Not to mention it too would need major decorating inside. This was a real shame as it was smack in the middle of town and in a perfect location for all the amenities, not to mention Paul's office, the local gym, and Hertford North railway station.

The last place we looked at we could move into without doing any decorating whatsoever. However, this Grade 2 listed, two bedroom maisonette was not for us. Firstly it was right next to a red light and off the main high street. Also, the rooms were connected with a warren of stairwells that would have been great for Tiny as a play area. But not as a home. Even Dawn had to duck down low to get into the dining area. Although the realtor did say we could get planning permission to remove part of the ceiling to make access easier.

Fri, Jun 16

Well, it's been another hectic and frustrating week for the two of us again. Paul had five days where problems were constantly coming out of the woodwork. He was asked to manage two more systems where procedures had been falling apart. On a positive note, Paul completed another week at the gym and was able to increase the distance he is doing on the treadmill.

Dawn, on the other hand, is still frantically trying to juggle the diaries of the three directors she reports to, while at the same time trying to accommodate the constant schedule of meetings that she is responsible for organizing for everyone. Her bright spot of the week was walking to Chapel Street on Thursday and having some pie and mash for lunch.

Paul's highlight was being able to watch England beat Trinadad and Tobago in the World Cup on Thursday. It was just a shame the perfomance wasn't as good as the result.

Sun, Jun 11

Sunday we drove over to Holloway to pick up Paul's dad and brother George and take them with us for another ride up to Hertford. There we all had a roast beef dinner at the Woolpack pub before driving past some more houses. Many were decked in English flags. However, none came close to the one we saw above in Cecil Road.

Sat, Jun 10

This week was all about work and exercise. We both had a busy week at the office. Paul also completed his first full week visiting the gym, while Dawn did some exercises at home before making her way out of the house in the morning to catch the train to work.

Saturday we had a drive up to Hertford to meet with a mortgage advisor to discuss getting a mortgage. We also drove by several two and three bedroom houses for sale in both Hoddesdon and Hertford to get an idea of what's on the market, and to get a feel for the neighbourhoods. The photo above is a vacant two bedroom house in Hertford. However, it does have three reception rooms and a nice looking kitchen. Then it was back home so Paul could watch England's victorious opening World Cup Final match versus Paraguay on television.

Sun, Jun 4

Today we had a ride up to Queen Elizabeth II race track in Enfield so we could do some laps around the track as part of our quest to run the marathon next year. However, when we arrived, we found out that it was closing down and that we couldn't get in. Instead we jogged (and walked) around the park opposite. The rest of the weekend was spent keeping Tiny company as she clearly misses us when we're at work all week.

Sat, June 3

Today our landlord paid us a visit, and we discussed our plan to move out and buy a house in the next couple of months. He was very helpful and agreed to allow us to stay a little longer if we couldn't tie it up by the end of the 6 month tenancy.

We then had a ride up to the Angel in Islington so Dawn could get some of her much loved Pie & Mash from Manzies in Chapel Street Market. This was followed by a walk around Borders bookstore before popping into Sainsbury for some groceries and then up to spend a couple of hours with Paul's dad and George.

Fri, June 2

Well, this was a pretty uneventful week. Monday was a bank holiday here in the UK, so we made the most of it by just chilling out with Tiny. Dawn and Paul had some hectic days at the office. Above is a picture of Paul's. Nothing out of the ordinary. Although Paul did have a full day of training on the TABS FM facilities management software on Friday.

Paul now has the morning gym as part of his normal routine. We wake up about 4.30am, and Paul leaves home about 5.45am and drives to his office before taking a ten minute walk to his gym. He then spends 30-45 minutes doing exercises, most of which is on the treadmill.

Paul also went to the doctor on Thursday to get his blood pressure checked. It was 138 over 104. Now he needs to have some blood work done. At least all these visits to the doctor and blood tests are free of charge!!!

We ended the week with a nice Chinese take-out. Well, to tell the truth, Paul ordered some from "Peking Peking" around the corner and it was delivered just as Dawn arrived home from work.

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.

Cutty Sark

The four of us then walked down the hill towards Greenwich, where we had a walk around Greenwich Market before having pie and mash in Goddards. The local pie and mash shop has been selling the little pot pies, mash and jellied eels with green liqour since 1890. From there we walked to Greenwich Pier on the Thames, passing the Cutty Sark along the way. This majestic clipper had won the annual clippers race from China to London back in 1871 in a time of 107 days.

Nat West Tower & Swiss Reinsurance Building

If the walk to the Royal Observatory wasn't pleasant enough in the spring sunshine, the view from the crest of the hill was definately breath-taking. To the east of us we could see the towering shape of the Millennium Dome towering over, to the north (straight ahead) we could see Canary Wharf with the Canada Tower (the tallest building in London), and to the west (in this photo) the previous tallest building, the Nat West Tower, and its new shadow, the cucumber-shaped Swiss Reinsurance Building.

The National Maritime Museum

Today we picked Paul's dad and brother up and had a ride over to Greenwich in South London. Parking the car at Blackheath, we were able to enter Greenwich Park and enjoy a incredible panoramic view of London with the National Maritime Museum in the foreground.

Sat, Apr 29

Today we had a ride up to Hertford. Paul wanted to pop into the office to install a lock box, so we used the excuse to check out the town and enjoy a pub lunch. Luckily Paul's trip took but 30 minutes, so we were able to enjoy the local shops together. Hertford is a nice quaint town with a small maze of streets with dozens of little shops. At the weekend, there is a farmer's market, so locals can pick up anything from fresh produce to cheese and fresh fish. The town even has its own castle. We'll probably check that out another time.

Wed, Apr 26

Today Dawn had to get the train and tube on her own for her trip into town, as Paul was at work. She had two interviews sandwiching a lunch date with a couple of ex-work colleagues from Schiller in London. The first interview was a University just around the corner from where Paul worked for over 17 years at the Angel. The second was for the National Health Trust, who called Dawn later in the day to tell her she had been very good, but they preferred someone with NHS experience.

As for Dawn's lunch date, she met Margaret and Mavis at Charing Cross station and walked the short distance to St Martin-in-the-Fields and enjoyed a light meal in the crypt of the local landmark that overlooks Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square.

Mon, Apr 24

Today was Paul's first day at work as Systems Support Manager, and almost seven years to the day after he left Bowers. His drive to Hertford, a town 15 miles north of us, took him about 30 minutes. So that wasn't too bad. It took twice as long for him to drive to Bowers when we lived in Enfield.

St George's Day

Today was St. George's Day. Paul gave Dawn a card and furry lion to celebrate our 1st St George's Day back home. Later in the day we drove over to Holloway and took Paul's Dad and brother George up to Highgate, where we had lunch at the Gatehouse again.

Fri, Apr 21

Over the last two days we have been tying up a few of the outstanding jobs. We registered ourselves with a local NHS doctor, opened a new joint bank account, transfered some of our US dollars still sitting in our account back in Florida, and (probably most importantly of all) registered Tiny with a local vet. All we need to do now is sort out her pet passport so we can take her abroad with us whenever the need arises.

Wed, Apr 19

Once again we left the car at home and headed into the city. This time Dawn had an interview with an enviromental consulting firm at the back of the Law Courts. If they're interested, they will get back to Dawn to arrange a second interview. Needless to say, we're keeping our fingers crossed, again.

Tues, Apr 18

We couldn't resist posting this picture of our neighbourhood fox. We have seen this cute little creature wandering around our cul-de-sac several times already. Hopefully Paul will be able to get a better photo in the coming weeks and months.

Tues, Apr 18 - Good News

Today we drove to Hertford, because Paul had been invited back for a second interview with the company he interviewed with last week. Nearly four hours later, he left the offices having been offered the job and now starts work as the Systems Support Manager next Monday.

Obviously, with this good news, we had to go out for a celebratory meal, so we popped around the corner from where we live to enjoy our first Indian meal since arriving home at Spice of India in Green Lanes. It was pretty good, so we can definately confirm that we will be going back there.

Sun, Apr 16

After Paul dropped his Dad and brother George off home, he picked up a bunch of flowers to thank Dawn for helping him accomplish one of his goals for the year.

Easter Sunday

Today we drove over to Holloway to collect Paul's dad and brother George, and brought them back to our flat for dinner. One of Paul's goals for this year was to cook a meal for his dad on Easter Sunday. Needless to say, we all enjoyed the roast turkey and potaoes, brussel sprouts, carrots and home made gravy and Yorkshire pudding that Paul dished out. Dawn then called her mum Brady and and sister Kelly while Paul took his dad and George.

Fri, Apr 14

Today was Good Friday, and Paul got great pleasure toasting some hot cross buns for breakfast.

Thur, Apr 13

Good and bad news regarding our shipping today. Paul called the UK company that is dealing with delivering our possessions and they confirmed that they are scheduled to arrive in Felixstowe this weekend. The bad news is that even if they arrive on Saturday, we will not see them for at least another three weeks at best. They advised us that instead of receiving them within 2 days as advised by the company we paid in the US, it will take at least 7-10 days to get through customs, and then another 14 days before it will be delivered.

Paul also got some good news regarding the interview he had on Tuesday in Hertford. He was called and invited back to go meet with the MD and Ops Manager next week. Hopefully, that's a good sign and he'll be successful. So don't forget to check this blog next week to see how it goes.

Wed, Apr 12

This back and forth week continued with today being Dawn's turn for an interview. This time we headed over to Muswell Hill for Dawn to meet with a Keystone recruiter. Dawn filled in an application form and gave her details and left being told that she would be contacted if they had any jobs that would suit her. They have since called Dawn back and will be sorting out an interview for her next week at a company in Crouch End.

Then we had a dentist appointment each to register with the dentist and have a check up. Dawn's went well and she won't have to go back for another 3 months. Paul, on the other hand, needs to go back at the beginning of May. The best news of all is that the visit (which included 2 x-rays each) cost us just £15.50 each. For all the criticisms made against the NHS, it won't hurt our pockets as much as the healthcare back in the US.

Tues, Apr 11

Today it was Paul's turn to have an interview. This time we had a 15 mile drive to Hertford, the county capital for Hertfordshire, the county north of us and just outside the M25 (orbital motorway around London). As with Paul's interview the previous week, he felt the hour long interview went well and left being told that the company still had some other people to see and should he be shortlisted, he would be contacted and would need to come back for a second interview. It was left with Paul being told he would definately hear something next Tuesday.

Mon, Apr 10

Today was one long day for Dawn. I drove down to Wood Green and dropped Dawn off at the London Borough of Haringey's office in Station Road at 8.45 for a two and a half hour test, that was to be followed by an interview at 2pm. In between we did some shopping and had some lunch. However, the interview was delayed over an hour. We eventually made it home about 4.00pm. Like I said, it was a long day for Dawn. As for Dawn's job interview, she got a phone call about 5.30pm to tell her she had been unsuccessful.

Fri, Apr 7

Today we drove over to Holloway again to see Paul's dad and brother George. This time we stopped at a Fish & Chips shop in Crouch End on the way to pick up lunch. So much for us watching our diet. This was the second time we've had fish and chips in the last two weeks. While we were there, Paul took a couple of photos from his Dad's balcony. As you will see, the view is a lot different from the one we had in Florida looking out at the Gulf of Mexico. Although, given the choice, we are more than happy with this one!

Wed, Apr 5

Today we travelled into central London by train and tube so Dawn could attend an interview for a PA position to the owner of a property investment company in London's West End. In fact, it was located just behind Oxford Street. Then we caught the tube again and headed to Red Lion Square, where Dawn met with a recruiter. It wasn't all hard work though. After Dawn's interviews, we headed to one of our favourite restaurants (Auberge in Waterloo) for a pot of mussels each.

Tues, Apr 4

Today we both had interviews. First we headed into London, where Dawn had another interview for a PA vacancy (this time in Kentish Town). Then this afternoon Paul had an inteview for an accounts support role at a local software company in Enfield. As we post this blog four days later, we have yet to receive any feedback (positive or negative) on either position.

Mon, Apr 3

Today we took our job searching to the next stage by starting our interviews. We drove the short distance to Middlesex University in New Southgate, where Dawn met a panel of three to apply for a PA vacancy. She felt the meeting went well, but on Thursday she got a letter that basically said ... thank you for applying for our job; however, there were too many able candidates and you weren't the one we wanted.

Sat, Apr 1

Today we drove over to see Paul's Dad and George, before taking them with us down to Bethnal Green for some much needed (or wanted) pie and mash. While we were there we also searched out a laundry basket. The three astute people in the photograph found some cheap ones (just £3.99)hanging outside a hardware shop just two doors away. Then it was back to Holloway to take Paul's Dad to his local grocery store before spending a little time with them back at their flat.

Fri, March 31

Today we drove up to Holloway to get our haircut at Supercuts. We were scalped. First the hairdresser removed more hair than was neccessary. We're not spring chickens anymore and need it as a distraction from all the lines forming on the faces below. However, it was worse when we got back to the car. With a minute past the expiry time on our ticket, a warden was writting out a £50 fine. And, that's if we pay it within 14 days. Otherwise it'll be £100. Then we popped into our local Morrisons to do our weekly grocery shopping. Luckily that only came to about £22. Dawn doesn't look too happy though. She kept on saying, "I've got no hair!!"