I felt a lot better about getting to work once I saw how small of a town Camberley is.  My commute really isn't bad at all:  It takes about 40mins on the first train, 10 min layover at Ascot, then less than 10 mins (2mins) till Camberley. And since I'm going against traffic in the mornings I always get a seat and can read, relax and listen to music (but mostly try not to fall asleep.  I blame those around-the-block-car-rides, mom & dad, as the reason I fall asleep in moving vehicles!!).  After we finished my 'trial run to the office' Lloyd and I had a quiet lunch at Wagamama in the mall and then headed back to London.  

As the roommate of two dudes I've discovered that boys don't have as many useful cooking tools as girls do, and I had to remedy that quickly.  Cooking is one of my favorite things to do here because it is one thing that I feel like I know how to do!  Everything is more difficult here:  figuring out my new bank account, dialing the phones, paying with pounds (and figuring out all the different coins!) riding trains and buses, the metric system!, different brands of stores, different clothes/shoe sizes, different electrical plugs, even the light switches are different!, the oven degrees and settings, the list goes on & on.  Cooking, though, cooking is something familiar...and I overcome the measurement problem by guessing all the ingredient measurements.  And I also cheated and brought some american measuring cups - thanks Mom! <3  ;)

I've made all sorts of yummy foods so far: 

* Chick pea & spinach stuffed sweet potatoes

* Taco Soup

* Cauliflower, carrot & mince (that's British-speak for 'ground beef') stuffed peppers

I have had the HARDEST time finding jalapenos here!! Until finally Martin & Arlyn found some at Fortun & Mason, a department store similar to Harrods. I was so excited I had to make up a batch of Dustye's salsa!

In one cooking experiment I made Lindsie's famous East-Texas 'Bomb-Ass Enchiladas' for Lloyd's South African friends and they were totally blown away!  They had never tasted Queso before and the whole platter was gone and we were all stuffed in no time.  I've been told that was the 'trial run' for Mexican Food and that I need to have a 'Main Event' (and invite them all over) sometime in the very near future.  I'm planning on making some good southern cooking soon (read: chicken fried steak - a curious concept to the Brits & South Africans) and will be sure to post all the pics.  

One of my favorite things about living in London is the scenery and the shopping - buildings are ridiculously old & historic-looking and if you let your imagination wander you almost forget that you're standing out in front of H&M or Zara...till you snap out of it and go inside.  :)

Lloyd and I needed several things for the kitchen, some new bedding and a variety of other home furnishings and our favorite store is John Lewis, a posh department store located in the city at Oxford Circus.  It is a multi-level department store and the best part is, they have a restaurant in the top of the store that affords great views and an afternoon tea service! I'm am officially a fan of scones & clotted cream!! Mmmm its divine. 

 

Another thing I enjoy about London is the outdoor markets that seem to be hidden away all over small pockets of the city.  We were on our way to Covent Garden a few weeks ago and we stumbled upon a fresh foods market near Waterloo station, lured in by the spicy smell of curry cooked in huge open skillets. Mmmmmmm.  And of course the scenery near Waterloo and the market does not suck either :)

 In the landscape photo you can barely make out the white dome of St. Paul's Cathedral, the jagged building at the very right is called the 'Shard', which is the tallest building in Europe, and the rest of the London skyline over the Thames.  

We eventually walked over to Leicester Square, a buzzing area with lots of fancy movie theatres where do they do the big fancy film premiers.  In the center of the square is a park that houses a statue of William Shakespeare surrounded by dolphins, and we enjoyed some Haagen Daas ice cream while we people watched.   

  

Till next time....Jen