Stubble

Image courtesy of Halifornia

How are we feeling about stubble?  It's certainly all the rage.  

There were times (years!) where I thought it was gross to kiss a man with facial hair: it was prickly on my face, after all!  But times have changed and now I find it oh-so-attractive when Steven goes a few days (or dare he!  A week!) without shaving.  Nice.  A beard?  The next logical step.  Now I'm not sure how I feel about that.

I hope you're having a great day!

Hey you! You in that turret!

London Marathon

After the shocking aftermath of the Boston Marathon, I was on edge about visiting London this afternoon to cheer on James, a good friend of Steven's.  Still, the energy that surrounds such a joyful event certainly did outweigh the feeling of dread, and soon enough, it was all rah-rah-rah and, "Come on [insert any name here: most of them wore their first name on their shirts so this could be done...great idea.]!  You can do it!"

We did our VERY best to catch a glimpse of James as he rounded the corner at the last mile, but to no avail.  I should have taken a picture of the ridiculously awesome place we stood: perched on an upper railing of one of those picturesque century homes along Birdcage Walk.  It was epic.  

Despite not seeing James, it was certainly an event to behold.  Because it was so warm outside, we nabbed some picnic fare, plopped ourselves on some awesome green and white striped lounge chairs, and soaked up some much-needed sun in St. James' Park.  How very fitting.  Here's what it all looked like from some of the places we visited today...

\

Yeah, there was a little bit of marking.  That's okay around these parts.

 

Maybe you can't appreciate the enormity of this race.  Or perhaps we didn't capture the spirit of the runners.  It was magical.  People were racing in wedding gowns, Ninja Turtle costumes, foam strawberries.  Most of them crossed our path looking like they'd just run around the corner: calm, cool, and certainly ready for more.  

See their names on the front of their shirts?  Isn't that brilliant?

Since it was just around the corner, we popped over to Westminster Abbey.  Why not?

...and when it got a bit too chilly, we mosied on home.  

I hope you had a splendid weekend.

 

Battle. Hastings. The Battle of Hastings. (?)

The sun came out this weekend, so we, too, got outside.  

I stayed at school late on Friday night (got some marking done, had a parent meeting...it was a very productive evening) and, the best part, got to see some of my favourite cherubs in the school play musical.  It's moments like those, when they're prancing and dancing around, reciting lines and proudly showcasing their talent that makes it so worthwhile.  Sharing not only with them, but with their families too was really quite rich.  Kat and I were certainly enthralled, but I didn't think it was wholly appropriate to photograph the event.  Oh well, take it from me: the show was smashing.  

I was in bed by about ten (still trying to shake the cold I seem to have had for about two months), so that I could be up and at 'em for the gorgeous weather that was promised to us on Saturday.  

Frank and I hitched a ride with my favourite cabbie and left this place, London-bound.  I rolled up to the Purley Palace, then spent a little time relaxing over coffees at Steven's.  We hopped into the car (made sure to stock up on snacks for the ride...I was getting hangry), and headed to Hastings.  I, of course, had no idea that the battle of Hastings was the defining moment for England.  She was lost to the Normans when King William (is that right?) took an arrow to the eye (later depicted by my boyfriend, on the site of his death [William's, not Steven's]) at the site we visited.  It changed the way England, um, did things, and brought the Roman Catholic faith to this country.  It also changed the castle into an abbey, which ensured that the community essentially existed for the support of the church.  We all know how little I enjoy history, but seeing Steven bent over his book, reading passages aloud to me as we walked the grounds where this historic battle took place, certainly did make it more interesting than it would have otherwise been.  

The sky was that breath-taking English blue that I can't get enough of.  After days upon days of this bleak springtime gray, it was a refreshing change to see that glorious sky.  Here's what we saw...

 
It was a glorious day to be outside.  I hope old England is taking a turn for the better: blue skies, warmer temperatures.  Waking up when it's already light outside is such an amazing feeling.  Walking home from school when the sky is still blue (and not some darkened indigo) makes the day feel soooo much longer.  Here's to wonderful springy things to come.

 

Battle Faves

That's one great balcony

One great bench

 One crowd favourite

One lone ice cream salesman


One pretty dashing orb (and fella)

the long stroll through London

Steven and I had some time off and explored the city a little bit.   We started with some coffees on the train, then "mosied" along the South Bank...

The Tate Modern...

...and visited the pub we ended up at near the end of our first date. 

We walked along some piers over the river, naturally taking some incredibly cheesy photos while out there...

 More South Bank wandering ensued...

...until we stumbled upon this place.  We spent that first Saturday here, huge festival behind us, talking well into the night, drinking ciders, overlooking the river.  Steven thought that "the thing that looked like a shady estate behind this bench-like thing" made the romantic place look, "entirely disgusting", but I think it gives it a bit of charm ;)

A stroll over my favourite bridge...

...leads to a view over my favourite park (you know it...right on the river, beside Embankment, behind Charing Cross...it's great in the summer).

We popped into the National Gallery for a bit then, taking in some art, enjoying the warmth and the coziness of the place.  We exited on Orange Street, after being told to, "put that camera away!"

 

...then headed Kensington way to see the Roof Gardens (they were closed for a private party) and the west side of Hyde Park.  It was a great day for a stroll.

Then it was back SoHo way for a walk around Chinatown (be still my heart) and Steven's first kick at eating Korean.  It was DElish, of course.  He was pretty convinced.  

We met up with Jason for (way more than) a few drinks before heading home...

...relishing in each other's company and in such a nice day.