Toodlepip Notting Hill

All of these photos were taken from the window of our fourth floor studio flat overlooking Notting Hill

Last weekend we packed up and moved out of our studio in Notting Hill. It had been coming down the road at us for a while, marking the final countdown to finishing work before moving home to Australia.

Living in Notting Hill was a privilege that we’ll never take for granted – being literally a stone’s throw from the heart of Portobello Road market was a joy that gave us a little tingle down the spine every time we stepped out our front door.

With that said, it wasn’t all peachy. Our flat certainly had a few quirks…a few selected highlights included the coin operated electricity meter that the land lady could arbitrarily adjust at her leisure; no hot running water out of the taps meaning that we had to boil the kettle to wash the dishes; an electric toilet that would grumble and spurt water up out of the bathroom sink day and night when other residents used their plumbing; the flat being so old and wonky (allegedly from World War II bombing damage) that we almost needed to don hiking boots to traverse the slope from one side of the studio to the other; and a bathroom that was so small that the shower door couldn’t be fully opened because it hit the toilet.  

But with all that, we loved it. We made it our own and will never forget our time there. We will definitely miss our little routine of strolling down the ‘bello on Saturday morning to buy fresh veggies from the market before settling in at our favourite coffee shop.

Oh, and after 19 months of living in Notting Hill, we never did get around to looking for the Blue Door from the film, and only discovered the book shop yesterday by accident. Oh well…maybe next time.