Still In Awe

In the news this week…

I scheduled an appointment with our “GP” (general practitioner, or doctor) at our local NHS (National Health Services) surgery (office).  I’m a little excited to see what this social healthcare thing looks like, and to flash my special paper card with my special number on it and not have to pay a dime. 

At this month’s Community Meal at church, we had a great number of women and girls (and two grown men, one of whom was my husband) sitting around, knitting and crocheting, in preparation for next week’s yarn bombing.  Not sure how much actually got accomplished that will go toward the project, but it was fun to see, anyway.

After some deliberation, I wrote up a list of my current responsibilities in my work, and some potential responsibilities.  This came out of a sense of not knowing exactly what was expected of me, though I knew I had agreed to a good bit.  The clarity was helpful, especially as we’re settling into routines, and I have things I know I should be doing.  As I don’t have a particularly rigid schedule (10-5, like Justin has a couple days a week), it’s hard to know sometimes where to start … Working from home with non-tangible results is a big change for me.

It’s snowing right now.  What’s with this, England?  Apparently, this March has been unseasonably cold.  Not impressed, though life goes on, so whatever.

We still feel a sense of awe that we’re living in London.  Last night as we traveled home by bus after spending the evening with a church member, I caught myself in a sense having to process each storefront we passed.  Turkish delis, corner stores with food from Eastern Europe, lots of fried chicken places, Nigerian, Middle Eastern, Jamaican restaurants …all within a very short period on the bus.  Certainly, we’ve had similar exposure to such things in NYC, Philly, or D.C., but we’re living here and it’s awesome.  Granted, we don’t eat out much so it’s not like we’re gaining first hand experience on the plethora of food establishments, but simply that the option is there -- in most neighborhoods across the city – is the joy of the city, I suppose.  Then, of course, is the accessibility to ancient churches, museums, etc.  Don’t let us ever complain that we’re bored!