You've got to love London for places like this

Which I walked past the other day.

Beautiful London Sunday

Last weekend Pete and I went to Embankment (where Big Ben and the London Eye are) and got on a boat for a ride down the Thames to Richmond, with the ultimate destination of Richmond Park.








It was a gorgeous day, and a nice long boat ride.































.... and, finally there. Ahh.

The Fried Chicken Project

So. Welcome to the unveiling of this weird "project" I've been working on for several months. Most of these pictures were taken from London buses, and for every shot I have, I swear there were at least 3 that I missed.

I must admit, I love this.

Or click here to watch it bigger.

My very own Bob Vila

Pete and I just made our biggest joint purchase to date, bearing in mind so far our joint purchases usually come with medium fries. Actually our respective in-laws have bought us a brand new washer and dryer which arrived on Saturday. I was all talk that I was going to install them, but in the end it was really Pete and his brute manly power that got the job done.



One thing that's different in the UK is that "laundry rooms" are few and far between (I imagine because space is at a premium). So washing machines are most often found in the kitchen. Which, if nothing else, is very convenient.








Yay!! They're in! Thanks Mom and Mum!

World Cupcakes

England vs. USA in the World Cup! Normally I'm the cool, interesting American, but this day I was the hated enemy. I was tempted to put on a fake English accent when I went out shopping.

We went over Pete's parents' house (you know, the in-laws...) and watched the game. His mom made these cupcakes and also decorated the house - and their grandkids - for the event.



Uncle Pete brought craft supplies for the kids to make flags. His 3 year old niece chose to be on the American side, which was great, and particularly funny watching her jump on the couch shouting "America! America!" over and over.

Baby Jonah

My nephew is so super cute! I looove seeing him on Skype. It's bizarre to think this kid is growing up seeing his family on the computer from birth!


Here's my parents with their first grandchild, when they went to Philly to see him recently.

Elisa comes to town: Youth club

Pete has been leading a youth club for 14 years (is that right babe?) which is coming to an end in the next few weeks. On Elisa's last night, she came with us to Club and we just hung out.


They played Guitar Hero and also they had a cake for me and Pete, to celebrate our engagement. Aww.

Elisa comes to town: Leeds Castle

We spent Monday at Leeds Castle which is strangely nowhere near Leeds, but is south of London in Kent.





It was the most beautiful day ever (Elisa did well!) and the castle grounds could only be compared to the Shire in Lord of the Rings! Gorgeous.
















The castle itself however was far less impressive than Hampton Court. We should've done that last because everything else was always going to pale.







Us on this fun tram that took us around the grounds.




















And they had PEACOCKS! Just roaming around!





















What a handsome guy.

Elisa comes to town: Greenwich and Thames boat ride

On Sunday we went to my fave place, Greenwich Market (which I've mentioned in other posts) and then took a boat up the Thames. It's a great view of the city that you can't see from roads and we really enjoyed it.



Flats on the Thames are all luxury and all different. Great views!

Elisa comes to town: Hampton Court Palace

Pete's friend Elisa (the other American woman in his life!) recently came to London on a long-anticipated trip and stayed with Pete. It was great to spend time with her and do lots of touristy stuff. Pete did more than I did but I got to spend a number of days with them too and we had a blast!

We spent a gorgeous Saturday at Hampton Court Palace, which is part Tudor and part Baroque (Baroque renovations to the original Tudor castle were never completed).











































Practicing for the wedding registry ...












They have a really interesting audio tour and everything is really interactive. Including these robes you can wear. (Am I really marrying this guy?)