We’ve been back in the UK for over a month now and after an incredible homecoming we’ve settled back into life here more easily than I ever imagined we would. As I write this we’re sat at the kitchen table in someone else’s beautiful South-London home while their cute five-month-old miniature schnauzer mills around our feet. We’re house and pet sitting for the first time in our favourite city and even though it’s raining outside, life in London is undeniably great.
“What, is that,” said Andrew, pointing to the bed where we’d just settled down to catch-up on some episodes of The Walking Dead. I peered closer, my breath catching in my throat as I recognised the small, flat insect scuttling across the sheet.“A bedbug,” I replied in horror, my mind spiralling backwards in time to my last horrifying encounter with these disgusting beasts.
It’s finally arrived, my last evening in London. As I type this I’m surrounded by a flat full of stuff that needs to be sorted and packed but all I really want to do is absorb everything. For a few weeks now I’ve had the sensation that everything’s out of my control, like we’re hurtling full speed towards our departure date and I’m most certainly not the person in the driving seat. We may have finished work and said our goodbyes, but I still feel like I’ve yet to come to terms with leaving my city.
Guess what? It’s snowing!One of the things we’re looking forward to when we travel is escaping the dreary British weather; we’ll definitely be glad to see the back of all the lukewarm summers and soggy grey winters. There is, however, one type of weather we love: Snow.
The UK isn’t exactly feeling very festive right now; instead of crisp snow and freezing temperatures we’re being treated to rain, rain and more rain – so much so that there’s severe flooding in some areas and more than the usual dose of seasonal transport chaos. Instead of letting it get us down we headed to the Hyde Park Christmas Winter Wonderland to get in the festive spirit.
December is fast disappearing and it’s only just over a week till our last British Christmas - for the foreseeable future, anyway. In between working, travel planning and ordering the last few items on our packing list ,we’ve been trying to get into the festive spirit and what better way to do that than by checking out all the Christmas lights, decorations and markets in London?
There are only 12 weeks left to go before we jet off to travel the world and this week I finally told my boss that I’m leaving. On Friday evening as we sped through the city in a cab to our work Christmas party I watched all the historical buildings in London whiz by through the window and felt everything catching up with me. Soon my job and this city that I love will become nothing but a memory.

It’s a strange feeling to be so close to the very thing I’ve wanted for so long; to be on the verge of doing something that used to feel virtually impossible. I can’t believe that in 15 weeks’ time we’ll be out there travelling the world after years of dreaming, saving up our money and obsessively planning our travel adventure. I should be jumping-for-joy ecstatic, singing-from-the-rooftops excited – and don’t get me wrong, I am – but why do I also feel so incredibly sad?

One of the reasons I love London is that it has so many great museums – one of the very best is the Natural History Museum. If you’re in London this is one attraction you won’t want to miss; the actual building itself is an incredible piece of architecture well worth visiting. Inside, take a look at all the different animal, reptile and bird sections, visit the Darwin centre and best of all - check out the dinosaur bones.