Our flat in Marylebone

It's no longer new to us, but most of you have never seen our flat in Marylebone. We moved in October 2008, although it's such a perfect fit that we feel like we've always been here. I've already described the process of finding the flat, which was serendipitous. It's a studio flat like the one in Enfield, but the main room is much, much bigger, and the ceilings are much, much higher. We're talking 14 feet or so, and we've got three windows that are about 13-feet high and lead out onto a little balcony. The center point of the main room is a (non-working) fireplace with a beautiful carved mantel, and there are carved plaster decorations on the ceiling, too. We're on the second floor of a building that was constructed in 1815, which is delightful but comes with its own special features such as sloping floors and, a few times, a mouse in the kitchen. We've gotten rid of him, fortunately, and we haven't had any other problems since we've been here.

Our landlords are wonderful, which, I gather from talking to other Londoners, is rare. We lucked out with BJ and Preeti in Enfield and the folks at Bryanston here. We even got to go to the property developer's 80th birthday party in December at one of the fanciest hotels in London. Not quite on par with the great time we had at BJ and Preeti's daughter's wedding, but still not too bad!

So in our main room we have our bedroom area in one corner by the windows, separated from the entryway by a tall, wide bookshelf turned on its side to form a short wall that holds our clothes in bins between the shelves. In the other window-facing corner is our dining table and chairs, and on the other side of the fireplace from that, leading towards the kitchen and bathroom, is our living room area, with our little sofa and our TV/game/music/computer setup. The kitchen is small but not overly so, with all new appliances, including a surprise larger-than-usual refrigerator, a gas stove, and a DISHWASHER! You have no idea how happy this last item has made us. The bathroom is quite spacious, with a nice deep bathtub and plenty of counter space. Finally, there is lots of storage space, including two built-in wardrobes, or closets, as we Americans call them, not appreciating how rare and special they are in this country.

All in all, we will be very sad to say goodbye to our flat. It has been a very comfortable home for us for about a year and a half now, and we're happy to spend a few more months here making the most of London!

For a few blurry pictures, see: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=57499&id=509253462&l=a4305a64a2