Florence

Well, the Riviera has been good to us.

We are in Florence now and we are about to embark on a journey to see the town. Life is good...it is really good.

Jamie is drunk and is practicing yoga on the floor of the main lobby of our rather quaint hotel. Sure, it is homey, but it is still a bit strange. Who needs normal when you are in Italy? Perhaps not us.

I hope your Christmases were fantastic...ours were certainly something to write home about.

Much love from this part of the globe.

Let it snow

The British, like the Koreans, simply do not function in snow. Imagine my shegrin then when it started to BLIZZARD on my way from home to the airport this morning. Argh.

As it stands, the airport is closed until 3 pm. And so we wait. I feel like Tom Hanks in Terminal. Except there is still a chance that I can return to my home country one of these days.

Send positive thoughts my way. Jamie, hold tight...I'll be there soon ;)

Carol Of The Bells by The Bird And The Bee

As Per...

Listen, I'm a pretty non-judgemental person.

Pause for effect.

And I love love love blogs written by hipsters. I wish I could be a hipster, but, alas, I'm far too something to pull it off. Maybe it's the lack of vintage clothing or the non-reliance on spectacles. Whatever the reason, I can't do it right. Nevertheless, I do like to peruse hipster blogs. LOVE. Upon closer inspection though, they all do sort of seem the same. I've compiled a list from observation especially of sucre.tumblr.com of the things that all hipsters seem to love. Here goes...
As per http://sucre.tumblr.com, these are things that hipsters like (things I like too are bolded in pink. Because I'm that non-hipster):

• Macs
• bunnies
• 500 Days of Summer
• smoking
• photography
• Kurt Kobain
• Sylvia Plath
• poetry that no one has heard of
• The Smiths, The Sex Pistols, The Clash
• sweet food
• suggestions of drug use that may or may not be "acceptable", but iscertainly adding to the mystery
• sun peeking through shades, curtains, slightly ajar windows, castinglight into a scarcely furnished bedroom
• Starbucks coffee
• repetition (swoon)
• catch phrases
• indie rock
• classic comics
• outdoor activities that require little to no strain to accomplish
• classic books (in stacks, not necessarily read or quoted)
• thick black eyeliner
• diagrams of hearts
• macaroons
• sparkly clothes mixed with torn clothes
• major European cities' tourist attractions shot from afar so as to not recognize them readily
• creepy looking prom settings
• Christmas lights reminiscent of the Griswalds'
• kittens
• tumblr and all reference that they have tumblr accounts
• cakes
• lists
• tattoos
• freaky coloured eyes, hair, or light shows
• things inspired by all things Asian
• hipster glasses
• amusement park rides
• the eff word
• well-manicured nails
• poorly manicured nails
• Disney
• paint
• darkness
• obscure shots of emotion-filled lives
• toys from when we were kids in the 80's

Not a bad list of things to like, but a bit overly reproduced, non?

Listening to Carol of the Bells by The Bird and the Bee (I'll post it in a second). Lovely way to wake up.

In LUST

I'm both in love AND in lust with Florence + the Machine.

Listen. You'll fall too.

Dog Days are Over, 2010

Have a great day, my lovelies.

11 days until Christmas in Italy.

La Dolce Vita, non?

I think so ;)

The Not-Quite-Winter Tour de London

The day was sunny, the company was good, and I was in Trafalgar Square.
Though it didn't seem Christmasy at first, it certainly did get that way later.

I just missed the rainbow that cascaded over this fountain. What a gorge place, non?



Since the weather was so nice, we thought a nice stroll through St. James' Park would be in order. Looking back, the London Eye could be seen just above the winter "greenery".



And then the most randaloo bird was grooming himself (a ladybird would never be so outlandish in her bathing) right by the footpath. People were actually petting this thing. Who touches a bird? In public? People are bizarro world.



Buckingham Palace was next on the agenda. You know...just a little Queen siting on a Sunday. I didn't actually see the queen, but it's good enough to just be in front of her castle. I used to have such an obsession with the queen. I guess I thought I should live a life just like hers ;)

Mine is a pretty sweet life though, now that I look back at it.








Guard, marching. We figured they only do this to keep the blood flowing and to avoid freezing to death. And being bored to death. As my grandfather would say, "What kime-a jobe is this?"

I have been told that Kate and William will more than likely mimic his parents in the royal wave from the Palace balcony, looking out onto the citizens. I have to check the schedule for Spain though...I would hate to miss the Royal Wedding of my generation. Pretty cool, right?

Panoramic view of Trafalgar Square from the National Gallery...

I had been dying to check out Fernandez & Wells since I read this post by Brian. It was as good as I thought it would be...if not better ;)

We took a little walk around, took some pictures of Carnaby Street, and headed over to Covent Garden for some Mexican.

Great Sunday. Hope yours was just as sweet.

Le Ugly Sweater Soiree

Well, we did it. We threw yet another party and whooped it up Canada Styles. Who needs Dirty Dartford when you have a house full of beauties and some atrocious garb?

I must admit to breaking the rules...my sweater was darling. Don't mind if I say so. How are your holiday preparations going?

My boss came by. It was nice to have her in our stunningly sophisticated home. Groan. God, I miss my stuff.





Oh yeah, and our sweaters matched. Because we made them. Good times.





Check out Ryan's sweater. This is the story.

Ryan: "Hey kid! I have a...holiday party to go to this weekend and I need a holiday sweater. Can I borrow the one you're wearing?"

Kid: "Yeah, Sir. Of course you can. I'll drop it off for you on Friday."

What a job we have.







I hope your celebrations are just as merry. As for me, I'm panicked now about getting ready for France. Only a few more days and Jamie and I will be sashaying along the coast.

QUITE the life.

Good day.

Bremen, Germany

This was the sight when we arrived in Bremen. Gorge.

Equally gorge (and disgustingly sinful) German food...



...a little repetition...

A little German produce...

From left, Sue's sister Louise, Sue, Sheila's daughter Emma and niece Laura...and Our Sheila.



And here is Yours Truly sipping on some hot apple cider. Looking a BIT cold. Feeling a LOT colder.

A mistletoe stand?! Really? Loves it.

Some meat. On a grill. A spinning grill. Delish. Though I didn't partake, here is a photo of the goodness.



Um, a tad suggestive. But there you have it.

Swoon.

And down the cellar door, we feasted on some Baileys, some beer, and some cheer. Right? Right.





And what would Christmas be without Christmas Balls? Seriously.



LOVES this shot.



Sheila, Laura, and Emma...loving the freezing cold.



And then night fell. What a beautiful place...

Fabulous dinner in the town square.



Loves the self portrait by the huge Christmas tree. Trust me, the tree is there ;)













So there you have it...Germany in a nutshell.

Loves you. Hope your day is going well :)