Family Stacation Day 2

Woo hoo! Staycation is officially in full swing! London goes in swings weather wise, so we got out to enjoy the sunshine while it's here.

The first stop was our favourite greasy burger joint-- the kind of place where everything comes in styrofoam boxes and you don't ask too​ many questions, but get a sloppy burger dripping with garlic sauce that only costs £3.90. Its pretty goid, especially when it sits on a main street right next to a posh burger joint where a simple meal costs £15!

Takeaway burgers and chips (fries) in hand, we made our way down to Regents Canal, where we walked the towpath, watching the narrowboats and dodging cyclists.

Our destination: a doughnutterie in Shoredirch. Recently, my mom sent me an article highlighting 6 London Desserts You Have to Try, and since I have a pretty serious sweet tooth, and hadn't tried any of the treats on the list, we decided to make it a crazy week and see how many we can get to.

So we headed to Dum Dum Doughnuts, for a sample of their famous cronuts- a baked blend between a croissant and a doughnut. I chose a Zebra-- a mix of chocolate and vanilla pastry filled with chocolate creme and topped with ganache, while the hubs picked Salted Caramel & Lotus (Biscoff), and Fishy nabbed a White Chocolate filled mini doughnut. It was denser than I expected but a yummy treat! And don't worry about the calories- the walk the was about four miles, so I think we balanced out!

Stay tuned for where we are headed next! More deliciousness is on the way!

Just Normal Life

So life has settled down a bit lately. Our travels have subsided till baby girl makes her appearance in June. But we're still very much enjoying life in London, whilst occasionally venturing outside the city limits. I thought I'd compile a bunch of the random photos that have been filling up my phone lately. 

“It was true, she thought, that the big things awe us but the little things touch us.”

Bess Streeter Alrich,  A White Bird Flying

We spent a morning at the Tate Britain museum, and found this little gem in its galleries. I can't tell you how often college friends, and I mused over this photo and the stories of its time.

A few weeks later, we went down to Brighton for the day with some friends. While I've been in England long enough now to not expect the quaintness of Jane Austen's Brighton, I didn't expect it to be a kind of Jersey Shore of England. I saw more blue/green hair than I've ever seen before. I also didn't see Brighton beach. The mist from the sea floated inland about 10 minutes and stayed all day. It was bright and sunny farther in, and back in London, but not on the beach. We briefly saw the outline of the pier, and saw the waves along the shore 20 feet out from the pebbles. That's it.
But I have now been to Brighton. :-)

The other week, I opened my curtains one sunny morning to this stunning view, and it's reminder that yes, I do live in one of the biggest, and busiest cities in the world.

A bit of excitement in our routine was the chance to go to a rugby match! We saw the Saracens vs Harlequins (for those of you that know rugby), and I thoroughly enjoyed it! It was similar enough to American football that I could appreciate the basics, though I know I didn't get it all. And I enjoyed it MUCH more than the football (soccer) matches we've been to. Way more chilled and fun!

But I was amazed at the crowds going into Wembley Stadium. Apparently there were about 70,000 fans-- a record for the Rugby league. It was crazy!

  

And then we left the stadium afterwards and hightailed it for the tube, trying to beat the rush. The crowd going in had nothing on the crowd leaving after.

Here's a small perspective from the stairs going into the tube...

and if you can see it.... the path on the other side of the bridge is completely packed with people. About 30-40 people across... for half a mile. Just crazy!!!

But spring is on the rise, and with it, London is showing off its flowery side! I love it!
I actually found this amazing tree (tree? massive bush?) last summer, but forgot about posting it. Two stories of wisteria! And the property was for sale. I wanted to buy it on the spot!

In March, all the crocuses burst out, defying the cool temps with their bright colour!

And these beauties have popped up in the park near us! I love spring, and was so happy to find London's parks full of it, not just cement and concrete!

So thanks for stopping by and sharing some of our little moments. We're enjoying them, and I hope you are too!

English Miscellany (with Danielle)

Once again, I'm looking through old photos I've taken and trying to get caught up on my picture posting. So today has less of a theme- but does include quite a few shots from the time when my friend, Danielle, came to visit in October! But it's mostly a hodgepodge collection. I kind of like it- quirks and oddities in our daily lives!

Lets see what we have...

For starters: the hubs and I discovered this awesome little car... parked on the sidewalk... right in front of a sign that says "No Parking". Oh, I love London!

And on a walk, I looked down a side alley to see this. Where else in the world will you see a random piece of artwork larger than a car (ok, a SmartCar, not a real car) hanging on a building above a dumpster?!

Oh yeah-- does anyone remember this beauty? On Facebook, I posted this article that boasted the 'world smallest home' selling for £275,000 (that's about $420,000) in Barnsbury, about a 10 min walk from our place. It looks better in their pictures. And I cannot believe the price of real estate around here!

Change of pace: I LOVE this view! It's  on a bridge in the middle of St. James' Park, between Buckingham Palace and Victoria Embankment. You can see the London Eye on the right, and a gorgeous palace-type place, that is apparently, the Royal Horseguards Hotel.

Buckingham Palace... and the flag is up, which means the Queen was in residence in that day!

Another of our favourite nights out... walking from the Southbank, through Borough Market, along to the Globe Theatre, and across Millennium Bridge to this spot in front of St. Pauls!

The view from The Millennium Bridge towards London Bridge and the Shard.

And the view from the Southbank (on an evening we happened to be attending Julius Caesar at the Globe!)

All right... back to a bit of reality. Here in England, we have Primark- the clothing equivalent of Walmart. Hence, a wall full of adult footie pajamas. Seriously, people?! Do you wear these?

Oh yeah- a bit of a theme to some of these pics! I realised I haven't posted many pictures from Danielle's visit. Danielle came in October to squeeze in a bit of a girls trip before wedding the love of her life just a few weeks ago! They're now settled in marital bliss, but I get to remember her 'back when' she was just a fiancee roaming the streets of England!

We took a couple day trips: the first to Oxford. I posted previously about The Eagle and Child (and the Inklings who met there), as it was the highlight of our day, but the rest of the town is worthy of sharing too!
The Radliffe Camera (camera meaning 'room' in latin).

I love all the winding passages one finds throughout Oxford.

And kind of cringe at seeing banks and coffee shops in such amazing old buildings! (Though this could theoretically just be a reconstruction to look old!)

I want one of these!

And this spot signifies the place where Ridley, Latimer, (Oct. 16 1555) and later Cranmer were burned at the stake for opposing Catholicism. It is here Latimer spoke the famous words of encouragement: "Be of good cheer, Ridley; and play the man. We shall this day, by God's grace, light up such a candle in England, as I trust, will never be put out."

On another day, Danielle and I took a bus journey out to Bath (pronouced with a long ah... or so I've been told!)
The Bath Cathedral.

The Royal Crescent... famous for its groundbreaking curved architecture. (I tried to make it panorama, but couldn't get it to work, so you get two pictures.)

The Weir under Putney Bridge

I loved these sweet rooftops sticking out through the trees. And, if you look closely, up in the hills, you can see bits of the mansion at the Prior Park Landscape Gardens.

The first half of our day was grey and dreary, but the clouds parted just in time for sunset, and we realised that the Bath limestone was made for the golden hour.

Sally Lunn's... which is famous for... wait for it.... its bunns. Considered the oldest house in Bath, it dates back to 1482, though Miss Sally Lunn, a French Huguenot baker, didn't take up residence until the 1600s, when she brought with her a recipe for these large buns.. half bread, half cake, usually cut in half- but eaten in a variety of ways- for savoury sandwiches, to a morning toast, to cinnamon-sweet!

Just to give you some perspective on how old that is: this is artwork taken from the late 1400s.

And being French in the 1600s, Sally may have worn something like this:

Or this:

When I walk these streets, I lose perspective on how much history has happened here. How many shoes, sandals, bare feet have walked the same streets? What peasants, tinkers, merchants, servants wandered the same alleys? What careers have been built and lost? What families have been grown in times of piece and scattered in times of war? What swords have swung and bombs have dropped? Ultimately, what lives have lived here? What souls walked this path? And how many died knowing Christ?

I love how small I feel in the history of England. I love how small I feel in modern England- with its mix of slow country life and the urban multi-cultural worlds (plural) of London. When I take the time from my errands and photo shoots, it really is amazing, and I'm so grateful to be here to experience it!

Look How Far We've Come (After!!!)

Happy Monday! Since most of my friends reading this are Stateside, here's a bit of fun to liven up what I hear is yet another snowy weekend!

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You've waited for the FINAL REVEAL of all the work done in our flat, and HERE IT IS!

We've been up here for a few months now, and things are settling down. Routines are gelling, habits are forming, and most things have a proper place (a place for everything....). I love the process of getting in a home and watching it arrange and rearrange till the space finally fits your needs. (That sounds passive, like the house rearranges itself. Really, it's me rearranging things during the day which confuses and boggles the spouse when he comes home!)

So, let me take you on a little tour of our home, at least as it is now. Though, as my dear husband knows, it's never really done. It's always a work in progress. (You can blame my mom for that one!)

To make it to our flat, you have to climb to the third floor (called the second floor here, as they count it ground, first, then second floors). You start in our entryway, which is generally a good place to enter. Apparently, the little steps to the doorway make a great kids corner, especially when filled with pillows and blankets.

From this entryway, you are facing the doorways to the guest room, the living room, the dining room, and the kitchen. Yes- it's a lot of doorways. Yes, they each have a door. English homes have every room separated to save on heating (or so I've heard). Open concept living is admired, but considered energy inefficient.

At the top of the stairs, you first look into our living room. I love the sunshine that pours through our massive windows each mornings! My reading spot moves throughout the day, following the suns rays across our home. Yes- I'm like a cat.

(Do you remember the blue carpet that was there before? What a change laminate floors make!)

To the side of the living room (behind the fireplace) is our bedroom. Look at the massive chest of drawers that is my bedside table! I found it on Freecycle, and couldn't believe my luck! It's not in perfect condition, but I think that kind of lends to its charm!

Going back out to our entryway, to one side is our guest room, which was previous the kids room- remember the blue carpet and yellow walls? It also serves as a kids play room when friends come over. The pallet futon is pretty kid-sized, though my hubby has been known to nap on it occasionally.

Next to the living room is the dining room: arguably the most important room in our house! (Remember the built-ins that they added during the remodel?!) I never thought I'd like a formal dining room, but as we love having company, the ability to seat ten people and not spill into the rest of house is such a wonderful blessing! And I love our mdf tabletop. We took a (used) Ikea table/base and added a sheet of mdf on top. In answer to your DIY questions: No, we didn't seal it, though we put a few coats of mineral oil on to deepen the tone. Yes, it gets water stains, hot pad marks, and dents and scratches. We like to think of it as a 'patina'. Besides, at £20, it's not too hard to replace if it wears out.

Since we don't often use the dining room when it's just the two of us, we make it do double-duty by adding a writing desk and piano to the other side of the room.

And to the other side of the dining room is our kitchen! I am SOOO happy with the kitchen! Lots of storage and counter space, gas hob (stove), and my pot rack! It's a good thing too, since we do a lot of cooking! Isn't the space so light and airy?!

Yay for reusing jam jars and coffee tins (covered in burlap, of course)! And featuring our stovetop kettle... which my husband insists on keeping, rather than an electric kettle. He thinks its cooler. Though its quaint boiling whistle quickly escalates to an ear-splitting scream if left to boil 12 seconds longer than it should.

Ok,  so here is my best kitchen trick: get a magnetic knife rack. I know- profound right? But seriously- you don't have to dig dangerously in a drawer, knives stay sharper than in a block (since they aren't laying on their edge), you keep your counter space, it's still out of kids reach, and you can see them all at once- instead of randomly pulling handles from a knife block.

*Bonus tip*- don't go to Williams Sonoma (or Amazon) and pay $30 for a fancy magnetic knife rack. Just go to your local home improvement shop and get a magnetic tool bar. If it's sturdy enough to hold a hammer, it can hold a knife. (We got ours at Lowes, and brought it to the UK.) Mount it in the wall if you can. If you have tile, like we do- use a couple Command heavy-duty picture strips. Works great!

Oh- and always have a stash of cute aprons. It makes you feel domestic

And... to finish our house tour... here's a little guy I drew for our Brazil party. The hubs liked him and asked to keep him around.

It reminds him of this guy. :-)

We're so grateful for all the work that was put into this flat to make it what it is today. We realise how blessed we are, and we don't take it for granted! God is always good, but he's been abundantly gracious with where he has us now!