Monkey Puzzle Cottage

I never imagined that I’d be living in a cottage at this stage of my life, but here I am. No, it’s not on the edge of a lake, surrounded by mountains and wilderness, as I had played it out in my dreams. Instead, it’s out in semi-suburban London and, while it’s quiet, doesn’t have the same tranquility to it. Nor is it a weekend getaway…

We’re living in the West Ealing neighbourhood, which is in the leafy inner suburb of Ealing, on London’s west side. We moved into the flat in early August and we are now finally now all settled in… well, almost. Our cottage (which is simply a small house) was built in the 1890’s and is set out on 3 stories. There are 2 reception rooms with original hardwood and a modern kitchen on the first floor, a bathroom and 2 good sized bedrooms on the first level, and an attic on top. Out back, there’s a nice patio with a garden that boasts lots of lavender, green beans, and rosemary (no Araucaria arucana trees, however… although we have a little one who does respond to ‘monkey’… and we like puzzles. Another aside: Monkey Puzzles were named in Britain, although they are native to the southern Andes).

Monkey Puzzle cottage.

Maë’s reading corner.

The reception room.

Where yumminess happens.

An oasis of calm in the city.

The flat is about a 5 minute stroll to the high street, Uxbridge Road (the historical road to Oxford that was lined with inns and public houses), where there are plenty of international restaurants (from Greek to Pakistani to Piri Piri joints), food stores and fruit stands, and second-hand shops. Of course, there are some pubs too (more on that in a later post!), as well as Ealing’s weekly Saturday morning farmer’s market on the main street. Maëlle’s daycare is a few blocks away, and there are 2 parks nearby for her and Happy to play in.
It’s a very diverse area: while there are long time residents of the area, you often hear several languages being spoken when you walk around. There are many people from Eastern Europe, as well as the Middle East, Caribbean, Africa, and Indian subcontinent.

The Uxbridge Road.

The hustle and bustle of the Ealing Broadway.

The area has decent transport links, as we’re only 2 minutes by overland train to the bustle of the Ealing Broadway (or a 6 minute bus ride), where there are plenty of big name stores, restaurants, and night life to be found. From the Broadway are good connections to Paddington station or two tube lines that take you into central London (District and Central). While West Ealing isn’t as affluent or polished as the Broadway (which is known as “the Queen of the Suburbs,” as it flourished at the end of the 19th century when London’s wealthy moved to the area in large, Victorian mansions [most of which have now been converted to flats and which were once home to these famous people – recognize anyone?]), it’s still a nice neighbourhood.

And while it’s not a huge place (but what cottage is?), it’s kind of what we thought it would be like in London. We sort of feel like real people now.