Last of Living like a Local in the 'burbs of London

This is it, folks, the end of our expat era next month. About 99% of our household goods were loaded onto a sea container and set sail from Portsmouth on November 19 for Texas. The husband has accepted a great new position back at company headquarters in the Lone Star State, so we're moving home and couldn't be happier. Of course, we'll always be grateful for the time we've spent living abroad. As luck would have it, the sophomore finishes her last semester exam on Dec. 14 and the college coed graduates two days later on the 16th. 

 

The husband already bought me a new ride back in the US of A, a fabulously boxy SUV with great visibility. That's very important to me, sitting up high with a commanding view of the road when I'm driving in a sea of big rigs and pick up trucks on the interstate.

Our final hostessing duties as UK residents were for my sister and niece. They came over for a visit right before Thanksgiving. As expected, we hit the highlights in and around London. Our first day in the city included a visit to the Tower of London, followed by a general overview aboard the hop on/hop off bus.

Selfie queens, young and sweet, only 15!

On the cattle call tour bus, we passed by some lovely little churches with nice statuary, as seen below. And beneath that is the famous roundabout from a scene in the Chevy Chase European Vacation movie where he says, "Look, kids, Big Ben and Parliament." Like a lot of the rest of us, he just couldn't get left.