I never thought it would be possible to fall so in love with a city where from October to April the skies open up five out of seven days of every week, but there it is. I’m past the lusty infatuation stage and am currently enjoying the ready-to-commit phase of this relationship.

I do know that lately we’re leaving the house at 7am and getting back at 7pm at the earliest. My free time is starting to resemble what it was before we left Canada: borderline non existent. Work is currently a near-perfect combination of demand and reward. I am trying to become a better, stronger person, both physically and emotionally. No easy task for me, but we’ll see how it goes. For the first time in a year I at least have the energy to try.

This is a four-day work week for me, and I love that when I leave the house today I can pull on sneakers instead of heels! We have a very Canuck and food-centric weekend ahead; I’m pulling out all the stops for visiting Canadian friends tonight. Despite my attempt to suppress her, the Martha in me has already developed a grocery list organized by each course, along with first and backup plans for the table centerpiece.

I can’t believe I just admitted that, but anyway.

Saturday night it is Thanksgiving in London with our fellow Canadian colleagues. Should be interesting considering it’s being prepared by my dear friend who subsists mainly on no-cook, grocery store tapas in between her carefully rationed boxes of KD.

(Much like remotely palatable dill pickles or Lady Speed Stick, KD is not available here. Needless to say, friends of friends of acquaintances of colleagues’ mothers come over with suitcases lined with boxes of the stuff. We brand-loyal expats have been known to shamelessly tap into our visiting resources on more than one occasion. Who had 3 sticks of deodarent hand-delivered in Turkey this summer? Oh yes I did.)

Sunday will be here before we know it, and I’ll be grumbling about how I haven’t had enough sleep and I don’t FEEL like doing laundry again. Such is life. Maybe I’ll bring the camera. It’s actually supposed to be nice this weekend. There’s no better time of year to be in London. One sunny day is worth four wet ones.

Have a fantastic weekend.