A perfect (and productive!) day in the Smoke…

Family,

And a good evening to you from across the Pond – what a PERFECT DAY!

We slept in until around 11, which was a must given that a) we chatted with the Aussies last night (GREAT catching up with you guys), b) Jenny chatted with Christa for about 40 minutes, and c) it was our first chance to have a proper sleep in almost 5 weeks. In fact, this is my first full weekend in London since mid-August (ridiculous, I know).

So we popped up, got showered, and made the move for the Prince Regent, the site of our first meal upon moving here in July. The goal – Full English Breakfast. We got there at 12:15, upon which they told us Breakfast was done. However, when they saw we were about to walk out, they magically announced that they’d whip up brekkie for us. Ten minutes later, we had bacon, eggs, beans, toast, coffee, mashed potatoes, black pudding (organ sausage – my FAVORITE PART), sausage, coffee, and orange juice. That’s right, boys – I’m as svelt as ever…or as spry as Tait’s ever seen me.

After that, we hit Waitrose (the “fancy” grocery store) for some shopping (CP – think of Gooding’s on O-town, only MUCH smaller), and then we dropped our stuff at home before heading to Bond Street for some shopping (a perfect activity on such a gray and blustery day).

After 90 minutes of shopping, I’m happy to report that we now have a camera for Skype! Hitman – you’ll be happy to know that I dropped 10 quid and bought the ABSOLUTE CHEAPEST P.O.S. they had, but it works fine and dandy. Also, Jenny picked up some proper FMB’s at Clarks that are HOT.

JT then crossed off a CRITICAL to-do for the weekend – her first haircut in the Mother Country! Okay, the name of this place was Percy & Reed, and they were NOT cheap. JT got the cheapest stylist you could get (they have 5 tiers), and it was 48 pounds! However, this place was awesome. For example:

1. They had a full bar – you picked what you wanted, and they brought it to you in your chair.

2. She got the full consultation before they kicked off.

3. She got a scalp massage.

4. You have full access to the internet whilst there, so you can do facebook, email, whatever you need.

The end result is that my wife is Smokin’ Hot – check her out – I present…..NEW HAIRCUT JENNY!!!!!

For the record - I finished "The Night Listener" during JT's haircut. Whilst I thought it was a brilliantly written book, I'm NOT going to recommend it due to some fairly graphic material. If you aren't squeamish in any way, shape, or form, then I would say it was VERY well written, but be prepared for some fairly explicit material.

After that, we rolled down to Putney (this REALLY CUTE neighborhood in Southwest London) to meet our friend Catherine and some of her girls out for dinner and drinks. We had dinner at this GREAT spot called Mezza, a Lebanese joint with very tasty food, free desert, good wine, and a free coffee ground reading with every meal.

We then hit the Duke’s Head, a little pub famous for promoting no name artists who hit it big. I drank 1 beer (a Kronie), and Jenny finished off a glass of Malbec. Puma, you continue to be right – there’s no such thing as a bad Malbec.

It was SO GREAT seeing Cath and catching up, and it was also meeting her “girls” from Sydney, almost all of which were actually English but lived there for a bit. Key lessons learned from the evening:

1. Polk County, Florida is apparently THE PLACE to go for a holiday if you’re tired of Disney. After all, they have the real “Southern Belles.”

2. If your grandmother starts hoarding Kit-kats or accusing you of peeing on her carpet, you might want to have her looked at.

3. Men do NOT play Netball – period.

4. The pencil museum is a MUST DO activity for any visitor to England.

5. The Stone Circle is NOT a must do activity for any visitor to England. However, the two hour walk to get there is apparently quite lovely.

And now we’re back at the flat, ready to turn our clocks back (we do it a week earlier than the states) and call it a night.

Okay, that’s all the news that’s fit to print. Chat tomorrow!

Love,

Sam and (super hot and trendy) Jenny