Sunday Brunch Chez Tennessee Street

Every sunny Sunday morning some neighbors and I meet out front for a coffee and newspapers. This is a picture of last Sunday's group. Missing are Mr. Bob, who's doing hard time as a professor on the east coast, Mr. Rae, who was off attending the Dwell Design event, and Ms. Lisa, who was no doubt still asleep!

We have a great time and that Sunday was particularily nice. Ms. Brynn looks fashionable in her great glasses, Dyana and Richard are on their last Sunday this week, Dan is off to try out his new bike and Ms. Jen is looking wonderful in her fabu new sneaks. Dixi and Pickles are distracted by some passing fancy.

I will miss them when I'm drinking my coffee in London on Sundays.

Driving in Los Angeles

On Monday I had to drive in Los Angeles. I flew in to get to the British Consulate so I could get my work visa stamped in my passport. I also had another meeting outside Los Angeles so I could honestly say I wasn't going there just to get the visa. As if it wasn't scary enough anticipating a rigorous interview--"and why do you want to leave sunny California to go to rainy London?"--I had to drive there!

I landed at LAX at 9, for a 10:30 appointment. I was assured by mapquest that it was only a 6 mile drive. The freeway was packed and we inched along for ever. I took the picture as I sat still for three whole minutes. Makes you want to sell your car and move to a place where there is transit.

I did make the appointment and they did give me a visa - so one more hurdle passed on the trip to London.

Need to cross the ocean

It is kind of crazy making, getting ready to move yourself and your household possessions to another country. First as my friend Lance said you have to decide if that object (book, coffee mug, what have you) really "needs to cross an ocean." That's an interesting way to consider all your stuff. Kind of like that game where you imagine your house is on fire and wonder what you would take as you ran out the door; only you have a couple of months to ponder.

I've decided to take the stereo, though I was dreaming of a new one. But the electric toothbrush, the hair dryer, the coffee maker? They are all at the sale. Sofa - at the sale; bike rack for car - sale; car - sale; strange loud colored pillow - sale. This turns out to be easier than I thought.

SELL IT ALL.

I'll have better taste when I move to England. So obviously, I will do Lance proud and throw off the chains of unbridled possessiveness and take hardly anything, because really most things really don't "need to cross the ocean."

My Dad and his brothers

This is a picture of my father (far left) and his brothers (Roger in the middle and David on the right) from a visit they had earlier this year. Roger lives outside of London and he and my aunt June (along with cousins Rhian and James) will be my closest family once I make the big move.

Now, I am here and its Sunday and I'm at the Sandhurst Llewellyns' house for Sunday lunch waiting for wee David to arrive. Its LAMB!

View of the turning basin

   Not sure why I'm whining about leaving San Francisco, look what I left when I left Florida! This is the view from my parent's back deck, of course when I left they lived somewhere else but hey, I would live here, given the chance. We rudely call that the church in the left hand corner teh church of chicken little, can you see why?

I am shocked

I swore I was going to keep this journal of my adventures in moving and I am shocked, SHOCKED to see that its been weeks since I entered anything. So now I will enter. ahem...

Perhaps I was just not meant to be a confident blogger, perhaps I will be a shy blogger who rarely writes but posts a lot of pictures. Only problem with that is I need to dig up my digital camera. Its here somewhere, but some where could be any where since I am sorta half packed and half getting ready for the big moving sale I'm having on Saturday. So, yes, now I've found the camera but I need to charge the batteries. Oh well, perhaps tomorrow I will have some pictures to post for today - its only words.

This is my living room

In San Francisco, my living room is bright and airy, I live in an old hat factory in an industrial (and sunny) part of town. I've been here in this building for a year now. In that time I've come to enjoy my neighbors and all their dogs, who run up and down the corridor and greet me when I come in the building. I love that feeling, being greeted by a dog; and not really having to deal with a dog. The dogs even get a long with my cats - but more about that later.

Its hard to imagine living in a place without much light. Since there is not a lot of sunny bright light in London, I think I'll need to realy carefully consider aspect (east and south) and windows. or maybe I'll just get really bright lights and tan in my living room...

This is Henry.

He joined San Francisco just after midnight on Saturday.

He has nothing to do with moving to London and everything to do with why its so hard to leave SF. Happy Birthday Henry and way to go Marcia and Bailey - Henry is amazing!