Well.....I've arrived.

Can you believe it? We've been in the flat for 1 week now. Wow. I am amazed. Truthfully, I'm extremely tired of camping in the house, but I know I'd feel just as restless in a hotel. We got hooked up to Virgin Media this morning. This means cable, landline (working toward Vonage) and internet. Mike is happy as a clam now. We are getting 65 TV channels, but will probably stick to the usual BBC & ITV, maybe Granada.....No more sneaking around on other people's broadband. Phew, I feel better. At some point I'll have to kick Mike off the laptop so I can post some photos. The ipad can't do that!!
Let's recap  a bit. There were the riots in London for three nights. Stupid really. All this was brought on by the police shooting of a suspected gangster. OK. What people need to know is this-street cops don't carry guns here. A special unit had to be called in for that. SO it wasn't just a trigger happy cop, like in the States. Something big must have gone down, the unit was called, someone didn't surrender peacefully and there was a shooting. This was in NE London. So why the riots, car fires and buildings being torched on SE London, Manchester, Birmingham, etc? My opinion here - cause there are too many youths who are bored and will be stupid over anything. It had little to nothing to do with the actual first violence, protesting a civilian shooting. They riot, just to riot. Like they queue, just to queue. I am ever surprised how a technologically advance people, are so backwards sometimes. OK, it's out of my system.
And what is it about the British and scaffolding. They do it everywhere! Since we've been in the flat, some has gone up across the street ( for we can't see what work) and this morning, next door. I know there is a season for work to be done when the weather is good. But scaffolding is so ugly!!
Yesterday Mike and I explored just north of us in the Holland Park area. What a gorgeous park. It was like being in the country in the city. We came out of the park on the north side and were in Notting Hill gate.

We are having the best time just roaming around, peaking down streets, looking into shops and eating a small eateries along the high street. Found a tiny doner kabob shop yesterday for lunch. Yummy.
But one of the biggest adjustments for me is this. Not only do I have to adjust to shopping away from a military commissary, but I am having sticker shock. You can compare prices $ to £, but then if convert it to $, it's frightening. They give us a cost of living allowance, but it's still scary.

Saw this in a charity shop window - - I guess I have arrived!!