Christmas Day

Christmas Day

Our first Christmas away from home. Ken and I did stockings for each other this year, he was awake at 7am asking to open his presents.

Everyone got nicely dressed and we went downstairs and opened a few presents from home. We had a nice brunch and then exchanged secret santa gifts.

I had Lol and I gave her a brooch and a bottle of her perfume. Ken had Paul and he gave him an iPod shuffle, Lol had Becks and gave her a handbag. Nay had Ken and gave him a poker set and a set of magic tricks. Gaz had Bryce and he gave Bryce an iPod shuffle also. Becks had Nay and she got him a Hugo Boss t shirt and Paul had me and he gave me a black clutch.

We had nibbles throughout the day and managed to get a group shot of us all before a late lunch. The last photo shows that there were some tired people around at the end of the day

Ice Skating in Hyde Park

Christmas Market and Carnival

Hyde Park had a Christmas Market and Carnival going on. It also had an iceskating rink so Ken and I and Lol and Nay thought we would head along one night and see what it was all about. We all went on a ride (what a bunch of big kids), we enjoyed some good German food and I tucked into some lollies and then we went iceskating.

Lucky for us there were no spills, we were all quite steady on the ice. Ken and Nay were out to impress us girls showing off there tricks.

Weekend Adventures

Brighton

We decided to head off to Brighton for the day. Lol and Nay caught the train with us too. It just happened that on that particular Saturday we all expereinced the worst weather since we have arrived in London. Brighton was wet and windy.

We caught the train from London Bridge and wandered the cobbled lanes of the shopping area (it was very easy to get lost) but of course Ken was most excited to see the sea. It didn't matter than it was pouring with rain, he went for a wander along the beach.

We stopped in at the famous Brighton Pier and played arcade games, I even bet Ken on the motorbike racing game!!! I will enjoy that victory for a while.

The rain finally stopped just as we were walking to catch the train home.

Christmas Lights in London

The Build Up To Christmas In London

I met Ken after work one Friday and we wandered along Oxford Street and had a look at all the stores lit up for Xmas. The snowmen are in Carnaby Street

Sunday Outing

Sunday Funday

McCarroll (Ken's friend from University) came to London for a weekend from Amsterdam with his girlfriend Sanna. We all took the opportunity on the Sunday of the weekend to get out and about in the sunshine and see a bit more of London.

We wandered along the South Bank and stopped in briefly at Somerset House before heading to St Pauls Cathedral. The bottom photo is Ken getting a history lesson (Ken's not so flash on his geography or history) from Byron (another friend from Uni) who studied Histroy and one of his parents is a history lecturer. 

The Flat

The Flat

The flat is in a really good location. You can walk out of our door and turn right and you are in Kilburn and there is a tube station and a supermarket and lots of shops. Kilburn is very multi cultural. You can go out of our door and turn right and you head towards West Hampstead which also has a tube station and shops.

The photo of Ken is walking towards West Hampstead tube station. As you can also see the surfboard made it safely to the flat and has its own little space.

Danielle Arrives in London

Danielle Arrives in London

After a long three months I finally arrived in London with the awaited surfboards (what a good girlfriend). My first glimpse of London was in the dark and pouring rain but luckily the next day Ken had arranged for the weather to be amazing.

So off we went to be tourists in London. In one day we managed to see Parliament and the Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace (though Ken was far more interested in the lion statues out the front than where some old queen lives) and we went for a ride on the London Eye.

We also walked through St James Park which looked awesome with its autumn colours and I saw my first squirrel. Interesting little creatures and quite tame too!!