Considering the crowds, a visit to the historic Tower of London seems to be a “must do” for anyone visiting London. This building complex which dates back to 1066 has been used as an armoury, the Royal Mint, a dungeon, a menagerie, the home of the Crown Jewels and the site of a number of executions. Amongst the executions are some of the wives of King Henry VIII. Here are my tips for a good visit.
Continue readingLondon is gorgeous in springtime. People start to wear lighter jackets and sometimes you even see some shorts and skirts with bare legs! The flowers that sprout up everywhere are simply joyous. These flowers can be observed just doing everyday things around London. No special trip to some pricey gardens required. Just keep your eyes open and feast them on the cherry blossoms, daffodils, bluebells, hyacinths, tulips and all the other plants bursting into life to celebrate a new year of growth.
All across the world when you speak to someone about their home country, you will get a stream of negativity. I have seen this from Australians, Canadians, Germans and now the English. You could argue that there can’t be anything too terrible by this list of countries. They are affluent, high-functioning, first world nations and not war torn, famine-stricken back-waters. In the UK, the most common reaction when a local finds out you have relocated there from the paradise that is Australia is “but WHY!!?? It’s DISMAL here!”
Dismal, what a horrid word and what a sad sentiment to say about ones own country. Defined as causing a mood of gloom and depression. Common synonyms are bleak, cheerless, desolate, dreary, and gloomy.
No country is without it’s problems, big or small. This is the case with the UK. Things are tough for many in the UK. Energy costs are high and inflation is high and yes, the weather is often grey and rainy. In London, the city is grimy, the rental market is insanely competitive and the cost of living vs average earnings makes things very difficult. You could also argue that politicians are lousy people no matter what country you are in. Nevertheless, there is plenty to be positive about.
It could be argued that without having some bad times you don’t appreciate the good times as much. Similarly without experiencing some grey and drizzly weather, you don’t appreciate the gorgeous sunny, blue sky days. Weather reporting in the UK is unreliable (apparently there are good meteorological reasons for why forecasts are more difficult in this part of the world). There have been many a day that have been predicted to be rainy but all of a sudden, the clouds will part and the sun and spectacular blue skies emerge. The side effect of the drizzle and rain is a beautiful shade of lush greenery here in the UK. This is something that someone who has lived in the dry parts of Australia really appreciates.
Anyway, the worst of the winter is over and there are the most glorious signs of spring everywhere. There are snowdrops, crocuses and daffodils. The cherry blossoms have come out and they are so enchanting, that it is impossible to say that London is dismal!
If you are sick of the cold, grey London weather, one of the best things is that London is a major transport hub. From here, there is so much of the globe which is easily accessible. Perhaps a short trip to the south of Spain for some warmth and Moorish architecture!
London is a massive city and the result is a melting pot of diversity. A huge number of people from all over the world live and work here and also plenty of tourists. The result is a dynamic city with lots of diverse, delicious choices to tickle your fancy in food and events.
There are plenty of other advantages of living in a big city. There are plenty of free and paid events, performances and lectures. There is also loads of opportunities to meet interesting people. The population density also means that the apps like Olio, that helps to reduce food and non-food waste work really well.
London is very famous for it’s theatre scene. There are so many shows which are playing that the competition is fierce and the talent and quality of the productions outstanding. Whilst it may seem expensive to go to a big name show, there are plenty of ways to score a cheap(er) ticket.
London is full of iconic sights. It’s hard to feel dismal when you look up and you see something majestic like Tower Bridge.
In addition to the iconic sights are the hidden gems. Walk around, look up, look around and you may see something interesting. Here are some cool places and things in London that I’ve accidentally stumbled across whilst wandering about.
The people in London are kind and friendly people. This has been unexpected. It has not been difficult to meet people who have transitioned from being new acquaintances to being friends.
The public health system in the UK is dysfunctional at times but is free and is very good. The medical staff do their absolute best and are kind, supportive and competent.
When you need to get out of London, the UK is a big country with centuries of history to explore.
No place is perfect. There will always be good and bad. Hopefully you can look around your life and there are some positive things, some joys, however small in size and that things are not dismal for you.
What would London be like if development was allowed to proceed without planning restrictions for old buildings? Large areas of London are protected against development because of population density limits, restrictions on views and of course preservation of old buildings. This preserves the historic buildings and neighbourhoods but has the side effect of limiting growth. It keeps the city more low-rise and gives parts of London a grimy, run-down, aged feel. Some areas are charming and historic, other parts, look like they need a good scrub and a facelift (and before London cleaned up it’s act, it used to be a lot dirtier!). Prince Charles successfully advocated for many years that no other buildings could exceed the height of St Paul’s cathedral – which meant some of the most valuable commercial real estate in the UK (the city of London – sometimes called the square mile) could only be built to an amazingly low density. Going to the Docklands area of Canary Wharf is an insight into what London might look like if large scale development was possible.
The Docklands area was once a thriving area by the Thames River for port activities, merchants, industry, warehousing and engineering. Due to the criticality of this area for London, it was the target of severe bombing during the second World War. After the war, it struggled to rebuild as the area was not suitable for larger modern container ships. In the 90s, after a lot of feet-dragging by the government, the area was finally transformed and re-emerged as an area for business. Large corporations (particularly banks) established their offices there. Tall office and residential buildings sprung up and this area become a posh, gentrified part of town.
Now, Canary Wharf is a modern, skyscraper filled central business district of shiny glass and steel. People live in the residential buildings in modern new-build, albeit expensive, apartments. The modernity of Canary Wharf is a massive contrast to other areas of London, so much so that it has something of the feel of an American city about it. Canary Wharf is also trying to become an entertainment and dining precinct. Many famous restaurant franchises have already opened a branch in this area. It’s also very well connected with a number of different commuter trains lines running through it including the recently completed (but wholy un-originally named) Elizabeth Line.
We recently visited the Canary Wharf areas to see their free Winter Lights event. Interesting and artistic light displays were set-up in a circuit around the main area. This free event has been very well attended and there were crowds of people walking from one exhibit to another. This free, public event is quite a smart tactic to draw people into a predominantly business district after dark – in the freezing cold depths of winter. Many of these people will duck into the warmth of a restaurant or shop at some point during their Winter Lights walk. Others may be drawn to Canary Wharf for the first time by this event and be struck by the modernity, the entertainment, the restaurants and other amenities available!
Every year in recent history until Covid struck, there was a parade through the streets of London to celebrate Chinese New Year. This is such an entrenched tradition that all manner of tourist websites etc. were touting this parade despite the fact that the London Chinatown Chinese Association (LCCA) had not confirmed the date and time of the parade for 2023. They finally did confirm, only 2 days before the parade. As it was my first time to this parade, and I found it disappointingly short when compared to the London New Year’s Parade, it is not clear if this is normal or a substandard parade. Perhaps, it was smaller this year due to poor organisation. Perhaps it was small because the parade was held on the first day of Chinese New Year and many of the more professional lion dance troupes were booked up doing blessings of business and restaurants. Nevertheless, the parade was well attended by the public, colourful and diverse. There were also events held in Trafalgar square and Chinatown was absolutely filled to the brim with people with queues out of every open business!
With lots of families both participating and attending, the noisy clanging of cymbals and drums to scare away all the evil spirits and lots of traditionally lucky red and gold everywhere, 2023 is shaping up to be a great year! Happy New Year to all. Wishing you and your loved ones lots of good health, good luck and prosperity!!
Sometimes, it is the unexpected discoveries that turn out to be the best. I didn’t know what to expect when I decided to attend this parade. A hint to the size of it came when the bus route terminated early and we were all asked to walk. Some of the streets in the centre of London were blocked off and fenced in readiness for the parade. The parade started at noon and finished 2.5 hours later. There were hundreds of participants. Aside from the awesomeness of the parade, is the massive logistical exercise of organising this magnificent event! The organisers did a great job!
The parade was dominated by Americans, marching bands, flag/baton twirlers, cheerleaders etc. The grandstand was populated mostly by very proud American families that have made the trip to loudly cheer on their teens marching. So many American schools, from all corners of the country were represented. Each of these school groups would easily average a hundred teenage, high school students. Unlike the polished stereotype of teenagers in American movies, these were real kids, young looking, bare faced, pimply and often concentrating on their dance steps or counting under their breath so they could play their instruments at the right moment.
Despite their youth, all the American cohorts were a slick bunch. Amazing uniforms, instruments, perfect, well-rehearsed music pieces and choreography! They must have worked very diligently to prepare for this moment. I can only imagine that for many of these kids, this trip to London is a trip of lifetime. It cannot be cheap. One can only imagine the fundraising that would have happened behind the scenes to support this. What an experience for these young people to march down the centre of London with all it’s historic buildings and to play for thousands of people and then to spend a few days visiting London! Memories of a lifetime for these kids!
In addition to the large number of American bands, was a brass band that have come all the way from Congo and a bagpipe group called, Shree Muktajeevan Swamibapa Pipe Band. This bagpipe group was in full Scottish kilts and regalia but was incongruously populated entirely of people of South Asian heritage. They were amazing!!
There was a float competition held between the various boroughs. The boroughs that attended made great effort with various themes being reflected such as love for the environment, science, Kodak and multicultural diversity. The responsibility of judging the best borough float came down to one lone American man who probably did not expect the responsibility he would be given when he put his hand up to judge the display.
Other highlights include the highly energetic bhangra dancers, ladies dancing samba in impossibly high heels and stunningly, beautiful costumes, the South American groups in colourful traditional costumes and dance, the horses and ponies marching, the motorcycle stunt group and the vehicle displays e.g. Mini Mokes, Aston Martins etc. Of particular note is the diversity of heritage, ages and shapes of the participants. This was a wonderfully inclusive parade with the common thread of joy running through all participants.
The parade is an absolute must-do and it’s totally free! The whole parade had a wonderful community vibe. It’s such a heartwarming, happy spectacle and I will be definitely be attending again next year (and dragging everyone I know along with me)!
Often when one speaks to a person from the UK who has been transplanted to another country, they will reminisce about how nice Christmas is “back home”. When asked why, the best they can articulate is that Christmas is a bright spot in a dark winter. This sounds utterly depressing coming from many sunny, summer Aussie Christmases. I was therefore keen to see what the fuss is about!
Christmas in the UK is like Christmas on steroids! There are a LOT of decorations and lights up. All the main shopping streets and fancy shops like Harrods, Fortnum and Masons and Selfridges compete with their Christmas light and window displays. These draw the crowds. Walking around in the evening in prime locations whether on the streets or in these major shops is a desperately slow affair as you have to constantly negotiate the throngs of people. The window displays in particular are really special, interesting and well thought out. Lots of restaurants and businesses will decorate both the interior as well as the exterior, usually with an arch of foliage, flowers and decorations over the entrance. It is all a lot of effort!
There are many Christmas markets dotted around London in the Christmas period. Some of the smaller markets will have crafty, small business type stalls whilst the big Christmas markets e.g. London Bridge, Leicester Square etc. will have what looks to be franchised type stalls selling the same commercialized items at every market e.g. Christmas baubles. In every Christmas markets, you can be assured to get mulled wine, churros, bratwurst in a bun, hot chocolate and the other usual suspects. So although the markets are pretty and well decorated, they can get a little repetitive if they are selling the same kinds of over-commercialized junky things. It was all still a sight to see and added a lot to the festive feel around town.
It seems like many households decorate a real tree. Real Christmas trees (instead of plastic trees) are sold in lots of places and it was not uncommon throughout December to see someone lugging home a huge tree on their backs.
Onwards to the highlight of Christmas, the main Christmas meal! For most families, the usual suspects will be on the table. Roast gammon or ham, roast turkey or chicken, brussel sprouts, roasted potatoes, “snips” (parsnips), swedes, carrots, bread sauce and gravy. A nut roast is a delicious addition to reduce meat consumption. Most of the vegetables will be coated in duck fat for extra deliciousness! The UK classic of “Pigs in Blanket” will also be lurking about during Christmas time. These are tiny sausages wrapped in streaky bacon and are delicious. The Scottish refer to these as “Kilted Soldiers”. A variation is “Devils on Horseback” which are prunes wrapped in streaky bacon. Also very fatty, salty, sweet and delicious! For dessert, the Christmas pudding is brought out after being doused with alcohol and set alight. It is usually served with brandy butter, a strange whipped “sauce” of butter, icing sugar and brandy.
Strangely, the famous UK roast accompaniment of Yorkshire Puddings are not part of the Christmas meal despite the meal being very roast-like.
Following somewhat in the Christmas theme is mention kindness. In our time in the UK, we have found everyone to be warm, welcoming and kind. Worthy of mention are the medical staff working for the NHS. There are constant reports of the system being in disarray and staff being overworked and burnt out. In my experience, whilst the systems and processes could be improved, every single individual I dealt with within the system was kind, professional, competent and did their best for me. This covers doctors, nurses and general staff.
The Royal London Hospital is a maze and as I was negotiating the various turns and signage to get some blood tests done, the signs stopped. I stopped too, looking around confused, clutching my blood test request stickers. I didn’t even have to ask when a kindly staff member just told me where I needed to go as if he read my mind. I wonder how many times he has done that and they really need an extra sign in that spot! Unfortunately, the blood test signage led you straight into the area where the samples are being taken without directing you first to the required sign-in station. The nurse there re-directed me to the sign-in area. I suspect she has to give the same redirection to almost every new patient. Despite how annoying that must be, she was patient as it was quite a complicated route to find the sign-in area. At the sign-in area, there was someone to assist people with the sign-in touch screen and various directions. Her job must be incredibly repetitive but nevertheless, she did it with patience and good cheer. Potentially, there could be some small improvement in the signage but to be honest, considering how maze-like the place is, confused people are unavoidable.
This is not saying that the system is perfect because it is far from perfect. For example, the wait for medications at the hospital pharmacy was at least an hour. Waiting was not an issue for some but I felt for the mother of the young disabled toddler. An hour was just too long to wait. They would return the next day for their medications but with a disabled toddler in tow, this was no small ask. However, considering the sheer volume of people that they service, I suspect that the pharmacists behind the counter rarely get moment to sit or eat during their shift. The NHS has it’s problems but despite all the many frustrations that these problems cause, the individuals working within the system still work everyday maintaining, as best they can, a good level of service, kindness and professionalism. It is to be applauded.
For those wishing for a white Christmas in London this year, it was not to be. The snow came a week or so before Christmas. It was quite a lot of snow and it lasted for a few days. It was really rare and magical! You can hardly believe these photos are of London!
Hope that you and your loved ones have enjoyed a lovely Christmas and 2023 is good year for all.
Well, after about 6 weeks of living in London, there is plenty to report back on this blog. Plenty of random observations and interesting titbits! Here they are vaguely grouped together into similar categories.
This topic deserves a section on it’s own. Currently the rental market in London is insane. There is a severe supply shortage and each potential new rental property is inundated with people wanting to rent it. Real estate agents often take the advertisement offline after 2 days because they are flooded with more interest than they can field. Prospective tenants offer more than the asking price or make their application more attractive by locking in much longer lease durations.
Viewing a rental property in London is quite inefficient and frustrating. Rental agencies rarely reply to online enquiries. If you call them, 90% of the time, the person you need is out of the office. So you leave your details for a call-back which 95% of the time never happens. When you finally, get a viewing time locked in, 60% of the time it will fall through. If you are lucky, you will be given a few hours of advanced notice of the cancellation. Perhaps the property has been taken off the market or perhaps access has not been properly organised with the current tenant. There are those unfortunate times when the viewing is cancelled at the time it is supposed to be held and you are already at the front door having wasted time and money getting there. Finding a rental took a huge amount of time. I shudder to think how someone with an ordinary job can manage it.
Strangely, rental viewings are generally done one interested party at a time. Doing a block viewing with multiple interested parties would seem more time efficient for the tenants and the agents yet this is not the done thing in London. So an agent could show a tenanted property 12 separate times on any given day. What hell for the current tenant trying to work from home! Various unconvincing reasons were given for this inefficiency such as the prospective tenants don’t like to be herded through like cattle. Well, as a person who was a prospective tenant in a hyper competitive rental market, our position in the pecking order is pretty apparent….cattle would be too complimentary a term!
Looking for a rental property, we used the major sites of RightMove, On The Market and Zoopla. Facebook Marketplace should not be avoided as it is clearly littered with scams. Gumtree could be used with significant caution as there are plenty of scams on there too. We also used OpenRent to look at properties being rented directly by the owner. This was often better as it helps to talk directly with the owner.
Several reasons were given for the supply shortage of housing. Covid caused a lot of job losses and combined with the rise of working from home, this created an exodus from London in the last few years. Now. the people are returning to London, including plenty of students. It does appear that London is limited by their housing regulations. There are plenty of suburbs full of low rise housing. If permission was given to build high rise apartments, far more people could be accommodated. New build housing would also help to house people in more comfort and reduce heating costs.
Exit a tube station and you are often confronted with a different vibe, a different architecture, a different mix of people. London is a city of contrast and diversity.
According to the Office of National Statistics, the 2019 census, 85% of people in England and Wales are ethnically white. When looking around in London, this is impossible to believe. Many parts of London are far more ethnically mixed than this. There are lots of Carribean people in Brixton. There are lots of African people in Dalston. Areas like Whitechapel and Shepherd’s Bush is home to loads of Bangladeshi Muslims, many of whom wander about in traditional long robes for men and face veils for women. Yet, many would give themselves away as long term British residents when they open their mouths to speak.Â
Some areas are full of low rise, stately, historical homes whilst areas like Canary Wharf are reminiscent of modern Singapore with its skyscrapers of shiny glass and steel. Rich and poor rub shoulders in London. We were at a free lecture in the City of London, an area usually considered the central business district. Most attendees at this lecture were white men in sharp suits and leather shoes. Head over to the Watney Market, near Whitechapel and there are no suits to be seen. Instead stalls cater to the Muslim crowd selling modest clothing and headscarves of every colour for women, cheap homewares, fruit and vegetables.
In some areas, the rich and poor collide. Well off people and tourists traipse up and down the Oxford street which is lined with all the big name brands whilst on the sidewalk, in a suspiciously even frequency will be a beggar woman. Due to the demographic similarity of these beggars and their even placement on Oxford street, it does look suspiciously like an organised begging syndicate.Â
Over the weekend, we visited the Nine Elms Sunday Market. There are a few food stalls but mostly, the market is dominated by the sale of second hand goods, in particular, clothing, hand tools, power tools and homewares. This is the market to go to if you want to find a bargain. It was crowded with people hunting through the goods for what they need. What a contrast it was to walk over to the next suburb to find the newly renovated and opened Battersea Power Station. This old power station has been refurbished into a high end shopping and dining destination. It has the prices and clientele to prove it. Lots of luxury, modern apartment buildings have sprung up around the power station, making this an expensive, fancy precinct to live in.Â
As expected, the diversity of people means that there is a huge price variation in everyday goods. If you are well-off, you can shop at Waitrose or M&S. Mid-range supermarkets includes Sainbury, Morrisons and Tescos. For the more budget, conscious, there is Lidl and Aldi at the low end. Whilst you might think, surely, there can’t be much difference in the cost of the basics e.g. fruit, vegetable, bread, flour, you would be wrong. The prices of individual groceries items between these shops can be multiple times different. With the current inflation rates in the UK, every bit adds up!Â
From my experience in other countries, a Chinese restaurant would have only Chinese people working in it. Similarly for Indian restaurants etc. This has been surprisingly not the case in London. We were served by a lady with a strong Eastern European accent in a traditional Indian restaurant. There are all kinds of people working in the kitchen of a Japanese restaurant. This story is repeated over and over in London. It was surprising to me but a reflection of how diverse London is.Â
Often when people ask, why choose London, the underlying concern is the miserable weather in London. It is currently autumn in London and it is not bad at all. There is a chill in the air, but it is beautiful with the trees changing colour and the leaves falling. The unlucky street sweeper has a futile job trying to sweep up the leaves from the sidewalk at this time of the year.
Yes, it is cold, grey, foggy and rainy at times but sometimes, it does clear! The grey clouds do move on to reveal blue skies and lovely sunny periods. The contrast only makes you appreciate the good weather periods more. It does rain but it is more of a drizzle. It isn’t the type of heavy rain that makes you miserably and irretrievably drenched, just slightly damp.
Lack of standardised garbage system – for a big city, London is marred by a lack of system for dealing with garbage. As a result, there is a hotchpotch of different bins and a lot of random types of garbage bags on the street. I found this issue in New York city too. It attracts vermin and it really brings the tone of the city down. Fancy being a tourist, stepping out from a fine dining restaurant or a West End theatre show to be confronted by garbage bags of all description on the sidewalk as you make your way home. London should learn from Ljubljana in Slovenia whose streets are spotlessly clean and garbage free!
A grimy city – it seems like really big cities are grimy and dirty. There is litter on the streets, the sidewalk looks like it could use a good, pressure wash. In contrast, I have been to many small towns that are neat and clean. Why is this? Is it the sense of community pride in a small town? Is it that a high population density makes it impossible to keep the place clean due to a few bad apples? Is it due to systemic issues with local councils? Whatever it is, this is the way it seems to be in a big city. They are grimy, noisy and crowded.
The smell of Lidl – Lidl is one of the budget low end supermarket chains in London. It’s main competitor for price is Aldi. The most striking thing about Lidl is the amazing smell whenever you go in. Lidl always seems to be baking fresh croissants. Every time you go in, your nostrils are assailed with the smell of fresh baked, buttery goodness! It really makes the baked good fly off the shelf at Lidl!
Plant Based Meats – For some unknown reason, London is currently inundated with billboards and advertisements for plant based meats! Plant based bacon, chicken, burgers, sausages etc. made of who knows what Frankenstein concoction of soy or vegetable protein or some such ingredients. Big business are trying to corner another niche of the market by providing a new overly processed food group!
An Able-ist City – London is an old city so in a way, it can be forgiven (a little) for not setting a high standard when it comes to being accessible for all types of people. London is not a friendly city for people in wheelchairs, crutches, frail old people, people with mobility issues etc. There are stairs in most subway stations. The more modern ones are slightly better. The gaps between the platform and the trains can at times be treacherously huge even for an able bodied person, let alone an older person. It would be dangerous or impossible to attempt the gap with a wheelchair! As a result, you hardly see anyone in the city in a wheelchair. I see older people struggling when going about their everyday tasks such as getting their shopping home on foot. It seems to me that to live in London, it is strongly preferable to be able bodied and be able to walk comfortably for reasonable distances.
London is huge or maybe the public transport is really slow – it takes ages to get anywhere. When heading to a destination, we usually have to allow an hour to get there. It just seems like a lot of the day can be eaten up just getting to your destination. The buses are always either cancelled or delayed. When you finally get on the bus, the traffic is usually busy so it crawls its way along to your destination.
Royal Mail vs Australia Post – Coming from Australia where the Australia Post branches all seem newly renovated, clean and bright, it was quite a shock to go into the Royal Mail outlets. They are really dated, sad and grimy. Their systems are also not at the standard of Australia post. We were looking on their website for a post box but the results were out of date. Their website was down for days so parcel tracking and re-scheduling parcel delivery was impacted. It just seems a much more rundown postal system compared to Australia.
Living car-free – It is a different existence. In many places, you would drive to the shops, buy everything you need and load your car from your shopping trolley and drive it home. Then you can unload your car at your leisure. When living car-free in a big city, anything you need at home has to be carried, often quite a long way on foot, depending where you buy it from. It is a pretty good way to reduce consumption as you always have to consider whether you want to lug your stuff all the way home!
Cycling in London – London is not a cycle friendly city. It is trying to improve. There are some segregated cycle paths and more infrastructure being planned. The issue is bigger than that however. Bicycles are only allowed at certain times and only on certain Tube lines. This is limiting and to be honest, I have never seen anyone with a proper bike on the Tube. Only a few folding bikes. Bike theft is also rife and there is an ongoing antagonistic friction between motorists and cyclists. London needs to learn from its European neighbours to make the city more bike friendly for all types of people. It would improve congestion and a bicycle would be a lovely way to get around the city.
Seeing a Doctor in London – It is not easy! Calling the local GP clinic is a bit like calling a big bank. You will be confronted with a really unwelcoming recorded phone system which tries to discourage you from holding on by redirecting you elsewhere. Once you make it through the various options, you will be put on hold where you have to wait sometimes up to an hour or more before finally speaking to someone. Contradictory advice is then given depending who you speak to and if you want to make an appointment to see a doctor, you are told to call back ta 8am the next morning.
It turns out, that the appointments for any given day are only made the morning of that day. You cannot make an advanced appointment, not even if you are standing at the reception of the clinic the day before. So again you have to navigate the unwelcoming phone recordings and the long time on hold. How do people manage their work commitments if they have to see the doctor? I also feel for the people who do not have English as their first language. They will struggle to advocate for themselves and their families in such a system. The system is designed to put obstacles in the way, all in the name of efficiency but I have seen advice from various online forums that tell people to phone the emergency number to get more timely help. Surely this just creates a worse problem!
Where are the flat sheets? – onto the big issues! Seems that Londoners don’t use flat sheets on their beds. There are fitted sheets and doona (duvet) covers sold everywhere but flat sheets are very hard to find! Bizarre!
Why did they butcher the spring onions and where is my yoghurt lid? – more hard-hitting issues from the grocery store! The green tops of spring onions are always removed. Perhaps this is for efficient packing and transportation but it does waste a lot of food. Also, perhaps in an effort to minimise plastic waste, yoghurt containers do not come with plastic lids. This is annoying because the yoghurt tub is then unsealed once opened! To reduce plastic waste, there are no plastic produce bags for loose fruit and vegetables in the supermarket. Hilariously or sadly, instead, a lot of the produce are packed in plastic bags or containers in “easy to grab” quantities so there is plenty of plastic anyway!
London is an expensive city. The cost of everything is particularly amplified when coming from a different country. There is always a long period of transition when you are constantly doing currency conversions in your head. The inflation is also high. Costs given by articles written at the start of 2022 can be up to 20% less than the costs today! Even the Tube is expensive so the cost of this has to be accounted for if you are travelling for a bargain. There are some great ways to save money if you are willing to take the time.
My favourite way is using the OIio app. This app is all about reducing waste, both food and non-food waste. Shops such as Planet Organic, Tescos, Iceland or Pret pass on food that is about to expire to Olio Food Heroes.. These awesome folk are volunteers who pass it on to anyone who wants it in the community. Through Olio, we have gotten cumulatively about 4 full days of food thus far, a shelving unit, power board, plates, bowls, hat, saucepan, hangers, immersion blender, keyboard, mouse and bike helmet. All this perfectly good stuff for free and all of it saved from being put into the rubbish bin. The best part of all is the Olio community itself. It is filled with really lovely people who hate waste and can see usefulness in all manner of things that others would not hesitate to throw away. The only downside is that the food is often given out late at night and at this time of the year, it is pretty cold to go get it.
Just tonight, we picked up 2 wraps and 5 sandwiches from our lovely local Food Hero. These are from Pret and are worth 35 pounds full price from the shop, but as they were about to expire, we got them for free! We only asked for 3 items but got 7 because they would otherwise go to waste. The Food Hero was apologising to us for giving us extra free food. How crazy! There is absolutely no need to apologise for being out in the cold night handing out food to strangers for free to save perfectly good food from being wasted.
Other ways to save money include finding free events on EventBrite, getting food from TooGoodToGo and eating at a restaurant at a big 50% discount using SoftLaunch or TheFork.
The saddest thing about the winter ahead is the concern everyone shares about the price of energy in the UK. Heating coats are expected to soar. We will try to minimise heating as much as possible by using more clothing, a hot water bottle and an electric blanket.
If money is no object, you can visit Harrods, Selfridges or Fortnum and Masons! These London institutions are all a consumerist paradise, all designed to separate you from your money! They are really crowded and busy in the run-up to Christmas but are beautifully decorated for the festive season. Harrods is decorated in a gingerbread theme, sponsored by Dior, of course!!
Thus far, everyone we have dealt with has been lovely. Sure, they are not openly chatty people as you might get in a small country town but everyone has been decent, helpful and kind.
We needed some paperwork certified and was struggling to find someone to do it without charging an exorbitant fee. The Australian Embassy are happy to certify your documents but only during a limited window of time that you attend with an appointment pre-booked and at a cost of about 40 pounds per signature. Wow! I miss the times that I wandered down to the local Aussie shopping centre to get my stuff signed by a Justice of the Peace volunteer! Luckily, I found an Australian lawyer from the Aussies in London Facebook group willing to take a minute off work to do it for me for free. This awesome guy actually certified my documents on two separate occasions. How kind and helpful! A busy lawyer, a total stranger to me, dashing out of their busy work day to certify my documents for nothing!
As we have no friends in London, we used Meetup to join up with a group of people socialising in a pub. Everyone we spoke to was welcoming and open. Actually, this Meetup group demonstrated to me that there are plenty of lonely people in the city and some of them are willing to step out of their comfort zone to befriend strangers. It was a lovely afternoon at the pub chatting with a diverse and international bunch of random, interesting people. Plus we learned about a UK institution, a chain of pubs called Wetherspoon and its eccentric CEO!
Everywhere direction you walk in London, there is something to draw your interest. The are so many different areas to explore and each with their own vibe and mix of architecture and people. As long as you are willing to do a little research, you will find so many things to do in London. Here is a small list of some of favourite things so far.
The London explorations will continue……
