Moving to London | Coins

If you live in London, and use cash at least semi-regularly, you will notice just how many coins you accumulate - and quite quickly! We got a fair sized jar to fill with left over coins, and within 4 months it was overflowing. Even with the occasional pound taken out for morning coffees! It was an excellent way to de-clutter and consolidate the leftover coins, but what to do with all that heavy weight money when the jar was full?

A quick google search yielded some excellent tips on what to do with loose British change. A bank here in London, Metro Bank, has these 'magic money machines' in every single branch. You simply take your coins, pour them into the machine, and it will spit out a little receipt with your full balance printed on it. Take that to one of their tellers and you're handed bills to that amount - maybe a few pounds or change back, but still good!

Before you put your money in, you're asked to make a guess at how much you'll have in total. I don't know what the specifics are, but apparently you get a prize if you're estimate falls within 2 pence of the actual amount. Ours was wildly off - in a good way! 38 pounds later, we were laughing all the way to the bank...well, we were already at the bank but you know what I mean....

Weekend Musings | Fresh Beginnings

Hi!

My time in Ontario is over, and I've brought home so many wonderful memories and hundreds of photos from my time with friends and family. I've also brought home a considerable tan, some lingering bug bites and a happy contentment that can only come from seeing and catching up with loved ones :)

I'll admit, I was a little nervous about going back to Canada so early on into my time here in London. I was worried I'd feel extra homesick, that all the groundwork of getting settled in UK would have been for nothing. And, while Canada is home and I miss all my family and friends dearly, I found myself looking forward to getting back to London. The buzz of the city, all the new friends I've made, my boyfriend, our flat, these were all the things drawing me back to UK happily.

It feels like a fresh beginning, Part 2 of my stint living here. If Part 1 was all about finding a flat, finding friends, finding work, finding my way around the city, then Part 2 is kicking off from a decidedly more relaxed and comfortable beginning.

I've started a new job (which I already love!), I'm exploring more of the UK (A weekend in Manchester next month!), and I feel wholly confident in my decision to live in London.

And what better time for a Part 2 kick off than the start of back to school season? The summer in London (or what little summer we had in the past few weeks) is starting to wind down, evenings are cooler, the air is fresher and crisp, and I'm getting caught up in the swell of excitement as everyone takes a collective re-calibration around back to school/back to reality.

On this start of a fresh beginning, I'm feeling so excited to get some more adventures under my belt and share them with you over the coming months!

xoxoxo

London at Night

Over the past little while, I've had the opportunity to see London at night... well, I suppose that's obvious because I live here and spend both day and night here haha.

I suppose what I'm trying to say is that London looks very beautiful at night. And it's always surprising to be drinking in the city centre, looking for a pub that's open past 11pm, and then finding yourself right in front of Big Ben, in all its lit up glory as it overlooks the Thames. Even though I live here, I can shake this feeling that I'm on vacation. The awe I'm struck with every time I see St. Paul's, Big Ben, Tower Bridge or the London Eye hasn't stopped yet. I love it!

Here are some pictures of London at night:

Moving to London | Banking & Phones

In this post a couple weeks ago, I shared some things I learned while flat hunting in London. Carrying on this theme, here is some information on banking and phones that I sent to a friend - at the risk of overwhelming her!

As always, keep in mind that this is what worked for me, and by no means will work for everyone. Just some extra information to help you along in your move, particularly before you leave Canada.

Moving to London | Housing

Hi!

I'm so excited to announce a couple of my friends just moved to London, and a couple more are on their way in the 'Autumn' (no one calls it 'fall' here).

We gave all our soon-to-be ex-pats pals some tips and advice on housing, and how to find a nice, yet affordable, spot to live. I thought I would compile all the information in one place for easy reference - especially as I start convincing more and more of you lovely people to make the hop over here to live!

Without further ado, here are a bunch of random thoughts, hopefully some helpful, that are meant to assist anyone looking for housing (in this scenario a 'flat') in London.

(I am by no means an expert, I urge you to take what you like, drop what you don't, and make your move all about you and what you need)