May

May 1
Sabrina and I traveled to Europe together in 1979 the year she graduated from college. We spent May 1 in Athens. The first of May brings back a lot of wonderful memories.

I got an ebike! So exciting to be able to easily go someplace without trying to figure out how to get there on some combination of tube, walk, bus! It does feel a bit humbling to have this as my main mode of transportation.. On one of my first rides I rode down the hill towards town, part way there I realized I had not actually turned on the power which required me to have the key that I tap on the controller. Riding an ebike uphill without power is really difficult!

Our neighbors in the Mew came over for dinner. It’s a wonderful group.

We flew home to Michigan on May 6. We had not been home since we left in September. Our renters kindly moved out for 2 weeks so we could return home. Some impressions:

How lovely to see family and long term friends, the easy laughter, kidding each other about stuff. Telling them how I brag to our friends in London about our train in Ann Arbor!
It is nice to have a car. I drove to the hardware store which I normally walk to. I stopped at Tim Hortons. I’d have to say the baked goods at Tim Hortons (donuts and muffins) did not stand up well against the treats at Gail’s in London of scones, croissants, etc.
We got the lake set up for the summer. So great to have my nephews help put in the dock and boats!

Everything feels so different here. Wide streets, lots of space. This certainly continues to feel like our home but London does too. It will be interesting to see what it feels like when we get back to London.

All of us gathered for Rebecca’s and Jeremy’s wedding!

May 20
We returned to London on an overnight flight from the wedding in Boston. We had some extra bags with things we wanted from home and elected to take a taxi…this was a classic mistake. I would not take a taxi from Heathrow unless I arrived on a weekend. 1 3/4 hours later we were home.

A long nap, took Mabel for a walk, swam in the Heath Pond which is now 17! Nice to be back in London. Great to have my e-bike to get around.

Sabrina emailed Thames Water that there was a leak with water seeping up through a water cover on a street we walk into town. I was pleasantly impressed that it was being fixed the day we arrived home. Thames Water has been getting bashed quite a bit in the press of late.

Peeling the Onion
Living in a new place and experiencing it fully feels a bit like peeling an onion. At first you are very much on the surface. It comes off pretty easily. Then you have to make the decision about cutting it up and accept that you may cry a bit. We are not crying but we are starting to cut a bit deeper into experiencing London life. This morning I resolved to experience the Regents Park cycling crowd. I ride in Ann Arbor with a group of friends 2 mornings a week. We used to break 10 mph as an average speed for our hour ride.. we may be slipping from that. There are many groups of serious riders that are doing the Regents Park loop year around. It is nicely paved, closed off to traffic until 7 am and is a 2.7 mile loop. The Pelton’s of anything from a handful of riders to perhaps 15 or 20 whip around the loop, Individual riders rarely top 22 mph as an average speed in the park’s Outer Circle but as part of a peloton this can rise to 26-30mph. There were both men’s, woman’s and co-ed groups, I’d have to say it is a younger crowd..

One of the other parts of peeling the onion is seeing a city when it is waking up. After a few laps around Regents Park I headed down into the city. I am finally getting more of a feel for getting around, how the neighborhoods connect with each other etc.

As a result of this ride I also now have a goal of getting over to Richmond Park which is I think the other premier riding destination in London.

Chelsea Flower Show
I had heard about the Chelsea Flower Show quite a bit and decided we should see if we could go. To my surprise it was literally sold out…how can a flower show be sold out? It turned out that I could get tickets if we joined the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS of course) and then bought them from a member who couldn’t go through Twickets, The most popular way to trade unwanted tickets with other genuine fans.

Sellers sell for free and buyers never pay more than the original face value of the ticket. No scalping, etc.

Sabrina’s comment at the show, best thing we have done yet. I’d have to agree, it was wonderful. The displays were so great. Rather than drone on I’ll just share some photos.