Those are some fly shoes!

I had the most delightful afternoon and evening with Kathleen yesterday.  We met up at Starbucks, have both adapted to autumn in England, as we both were drinking Chai Tea Lattes, and caught up for a bit.  

From there, we wandered down King's Road, where I've never really been before, save that dinner at the crab shack last January, and had some grub at the Sloane Street Food Market.  The Whole Foods-like store called Partridges sponsors the event, as Kat told me, and vendors sell all sorts of amazing things (like the raspberry tart I spilled on one of my student's classwork books.  Oops).  We opted (perhaps naturally and typically) for the burger: great choice.  

Afterwards, we did some shopping, I picked up these babies (which totally are two different colours, I can see it now)

for only £24.  Steal. 

We ended the night with quite an interesting conversation over ciders at the Nag's Head Pub in Belgravia (where Laura and I went in April).  It was a lively little place on a Saturday night, quite fitting for how happy we were to see one another.

A lively train ride home (drunken man talking to himself, spilling beer all over the place) and it was off to bed (by about 11) for me.  I'm a party animal, I tell you.  Just look at those shoes!

I'm planning for next week now, ensuring that I'm ready to be observed by all in the department.  I'm SO nervous for this, I can't tell you, but hey, this is part of the job.  Can I pull it off?  I sure do hope so.

I hope you're having an outstanding (note the lingo, in the hopes it applies to me this week!) weekend, filled with friends and reconnecting, resting, and enjoying your time off.  xx

Remnants from the cottage...

I think in a previous life I was a gangster, hence my holding up gang signs all over the place.  Alas, here we are, living the life up in Parry Sound.  Ahhh...twas a great summer.

xxx

Remnants from the game...

Mark was kind enough to send me these pictures he'd taken at the Jays' game this summer.  Brings back lovely memories.  So, on this eve of the return to work, we're celebrating friends and good times.  Roll on back-to-school!

Introducing...Baby Ella

On February 12, 23 hours after she'd gone into labour, Leanne and Mark welcomed Ella Rose into the world.  Everyone is healthy, happy, and home.  Could there be a bigger joy?  

Welcome, Baby.  

You are most loved.  

xxxx

The most lovely card

I received a card in the mail at school today from Jocelyn, my friend from back in my first year here in Jolly Olde.  And though Joce has moved back to Ontario and teaches now in  a town called Ripley (I didn't know anyone lived near Lake Huron!), she's still thinking of yours truly.  What an amazing thought: you're thinking of me.

Thank you, friend, for taking the time and mailing a card to me.  It means the world.  

The smile that crept over my face as I scanned the envelope, recognized the handwriting, ripped open the card, and read the message was so inviting my form was all over me with questions.  Never wanting to reveal too much, however, I kept the card to myself.  It was really nice.

I hope you're well xxx

  

New Year's Eve

 Happy New Year!

In an absolutely bizarre twist of plans, Jamie's gone home nearly a week early.  She left yesterday, completely enraged.  I'm not sure that I can rationalize spending time in this friendship.  I'm fairly confident that my happiness took a backseat to her unhappiness, discontentment, anger...something...so perhaps this is for the best.         

Somehow, through all the drama that accompanied the evening, we had a lovely time. 

 

There's nothing like the dawn of a new year to bring out all the emotions of the past twelve months.  I think it happens to us all...wouldn't it be nice though if we all had warmth, forgiveness, peace, and true joy pulsing through us at such an emotional time? 

I wish nothing else for you all: may you find real joy this year. 

Full-on Bar-Hopping

And so begins the journey...

After a harrowing adventure at St. Pancras, where I was forced to bite the bullet and just buy to (additional) Eurostar tickets at an exorbitant price (who knew the InterRail pass didn't cover high speed trains?  Seriously?  Who reads that fine print?  This guy, from now on), we got on the fast train (it is rather quick, to be fair, and is the only way to get from the island [England] to the mainland [the rest of Europe]).  Sh*t, right? Oh well, as one of my tutees says all the ever-loving time, "YOLO".  

It was raining in Brussels, hence the umbrellas above, but we were in good spirits.  Maybe it had something to do with the champagne on the train ride?  No matter...we were glad to touch down on this first leg of the journey.     

We started off the day at this adorable, very European Christmas market.  We popped into a tented booze hut and drank the first of many Belgium beers.  It was delicious.  And this from a gal who NEVER, repeat NEVER drinks beer.  This is special beer, though.  I'll take it.

I didn't catch any photos in the large legion-like hall where we had a quick croque-monsieur and a few more brews.  Santa showed up though, along with some very jovial elves (I reckon they'd hit the Belgium beer as well), and all was good.  

From here, we swung back to the apartment where we were staying, very conveniently located in the pentagonal city centre.  Our host fed us a beer to get us started, we changed out of our somewhat soggy clothes, and thought it best to fill our bellies.  Before dinner though, it was out for some more beers (the common theme of Belgium, thinks you.  Undoubtedly you would be correct).  

This delightful place had the most gorgeous wall colour (funny the things you notice, right?), a great looking bar and glasses that matched every individual beer, and delightful staff.   

To stick with the goal of eating mussels in Brussels, we headed down the street to this delightful little brasserie.  Mussels were pretty delicious and quite plentiful, as was the plate of cheese we consumed wholeheartedly beforehand.  Naturally, beer was on tap.  We opted for Judas (appropriately biblical for this time of year) and another of the save-the-monks beers that our host had recommended: trappistes.  They were both equally delicious, as the picture of Jamie may suggest.

We made one more bar-hopping stop at the restaurant our host had recommended, before heading back, hearing the news about how to get to the station and to Paris the following day (more unplanned headache, I'm afraid), and grimacing at the thought of waking up at 7.  Yikes.  Somehow, though, we managed.  Bye, bye, rainy Brussels.  Hello, beautiful Paris xx  

Little Tour of London

Jamie Mounts a Lion