June was a strange month for us in London. For me, the month started and ended far from London and we were focused on work, visitors and hike preparations. Here are some photos and thoughts from this month!
June in London
This spring, it has felt like each week is the peak time for another beautiful flower. London’s florals are amazing and a beautiful contrast to the sometimes gritty and gloomy stone and concrete of its buildings. June saw all types and colors of roses in bloom.
Though the queen’s birthday was a couple months ago, the official celebrations take place in June. Trooping the Colour is held in her honor, full of pomp and pageantry. Tickets are done on a lottery system and can be difficult to get, however in the lead up to that event, there are two nights of the Beating Retreat. We were lucky enough to attend with some friends and it was so cool! The event featured military bands from around the world performing on the beautiful Horse Guards Parade. 
This month, I took advantage of my flexible freelancer schedule and met friends for lunch one Friday at the lovely Pomona’s in Notting Hill. Upon moving to London and uncertain of what I’d be doing for work, I envisioned a lot of time for lady lunches. Fortunately my reality has included lots of work, but it was such a nice break and a great chance to catch up with some of the wonderful women I’ve met here (and in this instance, hear about the businesses they’ve started here!). With just six months left of freelance life in London, I hope to do this more often!
Though we had a lot going on this month, we were able to get together with our friends for a wedding celebration! We took the train from London to Birmingham for a lovely party in the garden of our friend’s childhood home. The cake toppers were too cute!
Work has been busy this month for both of us. I’ve had a bunch of projects going and had an event at the Chartered Insurance Institute. It was quite fancy and also hilarious, as I’ve worked in insurance for years now and don’t think there’s anything like this in the US!
The World Cup is a much bigger deal in London than back home. The pubs have really embraced it, as has Andrew! 
We had a record number of visitors come through at the end of June. We spotted this scene on the way to brunch in Marylebone.
With just six months left of our expat experience, I’ve started putting together some goals to make the most of our time. Visiting more of London’s fabulous museums is high on the list. We checked out more of the National Gallery with some visitors.
We also saw some new (to us) species of ducks in St James Park. The birds there never fail to amaze me!
A beautiful sunset bid us farewell at the end of the month, just before we set off for Switzerland. I can’t wait to share what we’ve been up to here!
Jenn is an American expat living in London, spending her time freelancing, traveling and writing on this here blog. Thank you for reading. Are you planning a trip here? Tell me your plans in the comments!
