Introducing Kensington & Sloane.

Kia ora.

I'm Katie — a Kiwi who swapped the beaches of Auckland for the bustle of London, and then, somewhere along the way, swapped London for a mountain in the Saudi desert.

Life has a sense of humour.

I started this blog not long after I arrived in London in 2013 — partly to keep people back home updated, partly to clear my head, and partly because some chapters deserve to be on the record. What started as a scrappy travel diary slowly turned into something more: a running account of what it actually feels like to build a life somewhere that wasn't built for you.

I grew up in Mt Eden, Auckland — two sisters, a Mum who swore by SPF and Sunday roasts, a Dad who still goes glassy-eyed at airport goodbyes. London was supposed to be a short-term adventure. Eight years later I was a chartered Development Manager with a flat in Aldgate, a serious flat white habit, and a life that felt completely, unexpectedly mine.

And then the desert called.

I'm now based in north-west Saudi Arabia, working on a large-scale development project in one of the most extraordinary landscapes I've ever seen. My commute involves mountains. My weekends involve a different kind of exploring. The coffee situation is improving.

Honest stories. A Kiwi's eye view. The occasional glass of sauv blanc's worth of candour.

I'm still figuring it out. I suspect that's the point.

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