Long story short, for those who might loose interest in the extended trilogy limited release special features version of the story detailed below, Antoinette hates bed bugs, James is not sure about his job, our apartment is shit, we have a herb garden, we drink a lot of really tasty beverages and get to wear shorts only occasionally in the peak of summer.
Time heals all wounds, but does not heal writers block. Saying Antoinette and I have been busy over the last three months is one hell of an understatement and we are only now feeling as though we are beginning to settle into our new surroundings. Arriving in London after a torturous flight with Iceland Air on the 3rd of March we have experienced the whole scope of London life with everything and everything from bedbugs through to sumptuous market food now another element of our new lives. There is much to tell about the trials we have endured during our breaking in time, as it is very common and apparent for the first two or three months of any persons adjustment to living conditions in London to be full of bad happenings, and we are not here to paint a façade with words describing the lives we wish we were living. The last three months have been incredibly difficult, draining and frustrating with little bursts of normalcy and enjoyment scattered through the days and nights of living life in London.
 |
| The main event at Secret Cinema |
London is what you make of it and we have found ourselves repeating the same sentence to people we meet when asked the inevitable “how are you finding London?” We can say we love London, but (and this is a big BUT) we hate where we are living. The music, café and food in London has far exceeded our expectations and the culture on offer here is magnificent for younger people wanting to get out and do something a little less than normal (like paying 35 quid each to see a movie without knowing what movie you will be seeing until it starts after two hours of pre-show interactive entertainment, an event otherwise known as Secret Cinema). Our first London drum and bass gig was nothing short of exceptional as we were privy to a very special album launch party for Icicle’s, aka the Ice Man, Under The Ice Album and after months of sub bass starvation my insides were rumbling warmly indeed.
 |
| Oh Borough How We Love Thee |
We are, however, consistently plagued with problems within our home away from home. House mates who seem to be allergic to the thought of cleaning, the ever present threat of bed bugs and the daily grind all contribute to fatigue during the week, but we always make the most of the time we have off together. We spend most of it eating, enjoying whatever sunshine can be found and catching up with friends (both new and old) in and around London. London’s thriving market scene is always a good morning adventure and we have already named Borough Market as our favourite and James has already worked his way through one too many coffee places. There is always something to keep us on our toes and the next couple of months will be no exception.
We are heading to Barcelona in mid August for some real ‘it is too hot to do anything weather,’ our lease expires on September 10 (insert psyched fist pump here), Antoinette’s contract ends at the end of August and James is on the path to a new career armed with a brand new CV ready for distribution once a new room has been acquired. On top of all this we have Marie, Antoinette’s sister, visiting us at the end of July and we will be celebrating both Marie’s and James’ birthdays at Global Gathering on July 30th and have been invited to attend an Italian wedding in early October. So, as you can tell, all this will be a challenging, intense and fun filled couple of months and we are looking forward to every second.
 |
| Another Sunny Day in Bath. |
The British summer so far has been exactly what we expected, a little bit of sunshine now and then and plenty of overcast days with the mercury rarely topping the tables at over 22 degrees Celsius. After so many months of cold temperatures and rain we are very acclimatised to all types of weather now and are longing for some dry heat, which I am sure we will find in Barcelona in August, but come next April we will be hitting the slopes (hopefully not literally) when we head to Austria for an event we have been excited about since hearing tales of adventure and debauchery in the latter stages of 2010. Snowbombing is, no doubt, the light at the end of a very wet and cold British winter, but after surviving two blizzards in New York and walking around with a foot of snow on the footpaths we should be ready for it regardless.
This entry has taken a very long time to get out in the blogosphere and we’re not going to make any excuses, we’ve just been a little lazy and have not thought too much about it lately. This is something that will be changing as we finally feel as though we have settled into life in London and you can believe us when we say there will be more stories of our escapades coming to a computer screen near you very soon.
La’er Ladies and Gentlemen,
Antoinette and James.
P.S. We've had this entry sitting in it's juices for a while now so it might be a little outdated. Stay tuned for part two.
