Y’all, it has been such a long time since I managed to write and publish a blog post! When last I wrote, we were still in the month of June, celebrating London Pride. As we head into covering what I did in July, I’m going to try to be a bit more concise to push through and get myself writing about more recent things. For this week, we’ll dive into our two year anniversary celebration, as well as a trip to Camden Market!

The first week of July was all leading up to July 6th, our two year dating anniversary. Monday was a chill, work from home day. On Tuesday, I got to see People, Places, and Things for the second time, this time with my friend Laurs, who was visiting from the US. We also had an incredible meal at Pizza Pilgrims – so, so yummy.

Wednesday was a rough day at work, so I went to Buns From Home to ply my coworkers with delicious sugary treats. It definitely helped end the day on a better note, I highly recommend sugar as a solution for all problems.

Thursday (July 4th) was better, not just at work but because I got to see Heathers before it closed in London! I was so excited to see Jenna Innes, but unfortunately she had to leave after the first act. The understudy, May Tether, was amazing, and I’m always in awe of a mid-show put in! 

We had a company-wide holiday on July 5th, so I slept in, worked out, and went to Westfield Mall in Stratford for the first time. It’s absolutely huge, and I only managed to go to two stores before I was all shopped out.

Finally, we made it to anniversary day! I worked out, then went shopping for a fun outfit to wear to the Lawrence concert. We had booked the tickets months ago, and had been looking forward to this ever since. Q booked us a reservation at The Parakeet Pub, where we had an unbelievable dinner, and then we headed to the concert. Lawrence puts on a fantastic show, and seeing them live with my guy was an absolutely perfect night.

We had a cozy recovery day on Sunday, where we tried a new coffee shop in our town, bought groceries, did some meal prep, etc. I also ordered a paint by numbers kit off Amazon. I’m really it loving as a way to add some creativity/art into my life again in a low pressure way.

Week two

The next week was pretty low key. Monday through Wednesday were very chill; working, working out, eating home cooked meals, etc. The biggest highlight was my first bubble bath in the apartment!

On Thursday, I went out for a quiz night with some coworkers. We had a great time, but when we left the pub, it was pouring down rain. We had quite a walk to the station, and I was woefully unprepared. I had no raincoat, my shoes were crocheted Toms that I’ve had for years w/ no tread, and we were in a part of the city I don’t know yet.

We made it to the tube stop, at which point I promptly slipped and bashed my knee. My friends went to catch their trains, and as soon as they did, my tube line stopped running. I had no clue how to get home, I was soaking wet, and I definitely had a moment of loneliness, crying on the street corner in the rain.

Then (because what else could I do), I pulled myself together, figured out a bus route that would get me to a tube stop where I could get on the Elizabeth Line, and forged a path home. It definitely wasn’t the most efficient, but I got there eventually.

My knee was messed up for over a week after, but especially the next day, so we took it easy. But I can’t resist a little weekend adventure, so on Saturday we had a jam packed day!

We had tickets to see Fuerza Bruta that day. Q realized it was right by Camden Market, so we decided to make an afternoon of it. We had been to Camden Market once before, in December, but it was so fun to be there during summer. As usual, we did a food extravaganza and tried a bunch of things! Our favorite bite was a Chicken Tikka Cheesy Naan wrap – seriously so good.

From there, we went to the Roundhouse Theatre to see Fuerza Bruta. It was so much fun! The show is a really engaging, joyful celebration of movement. It’s a quick one, only about an hour, so it was still early when we got out. I have a friend who works at Howling Hops Brewery in Hackney Wick, so we swung by there for a beer before heading home.  It was truly a perfect date day – delicious food, engaging theatre, and yummy beer.

We try to keep Sundays as recovery days, so it was a lot of cozy coffee on the couch, meal prep, and the football (UK) game at our favorite local pub, Jono’s. It was the Euro 2024 Final, where England went up against Spain. Watching a match that mattered so much to everyone around us was very fun, and even without any understanding of the rules, I got swept up in it. Sadly, we lost, but it was one step closer to London feeling like home for me.