Yoga

You're worth celebrating.
You are unique.
No one else could take your place.
You're worth celebrating.

That little message is for each and every one of you reading this.
This is one of the many reasons I love yoga - this was our chant last night.
I finished off with my favourite pose, plough...

So I feel great today.

Happy Friday!

Zoom Zoom

This little guy is a regular visitor to the Bs house. Meisha the cat goes crazy when he arrives in our garden. She yowls like you’ve never heard a cat yowl before. She runs up the stairs and madly dashes to our bedroom windowsill for a birds-eye view. A few seconds later she decides that won’t do and races downstairs to our living room windows to see the squirrel closer-up. Then she gets fed up again and the cycle continues… with lots of yowling in between the mad running. I’m quietly relieved she’s an indoor cat as I’d hate to see how the Meisha vs. squirrel fight would turn out.

I wonder how often Meisha dashes about while Mr B & I are out at work? I’d love to rig up a Meisha-cam and see what she gets up to when we’re out. Perhaps when the humans are away the cat will play… or perhaps she just snoozes?

These photos were taken with my new 135mm lens while I stood all the way away in our living room. Isn’t it fantastic?

Lap Cat

This cat...


Sat on my lap last night!!! Can you believe it?

The expanse of denim is my leg!!!

I'm still very excited about it, can you tell?

Special friends

This necklace is being worn by someone very special. She has travelled to Australia all on her own. She has not booked a return ticket (aaahhhh!) She is in Perth at the moment, the starting point of her great adventure. By the way, isn't her necklace just so pretty? I chose it! I love it.

Jem, I hope you and the pretty necklace are having the best time!! I can't wait to hear about all you've been up to! I miss you x

Savill Garden

Last Saturday I visited Savill Garden with Zoe. It was a crisp morning and there was hardly anyone else around. I used my new 28mm lens - I love it's perspective. Zoe and I found these fascinating, tiny mushrooms...

Even though the gardens were sparse don't you think they're also beautiful?

I just loved this pumpkin exhibition in the Temperate House. I wonder what they will have there for Christmas?

Unity

Mr B and I were reading in bed last night. Wonderful.



I am reading a wonderfully written, compelling book about Jewish partisans who harried German forces in eastern Europe by my favourite author, Primo Levi.

I gush regularly to Mr B about how much I love his writing (Primo that is, not Mr B, though Mr B can write very well too). I tell him what is happening in my book, wonderful words and phrases as I read them, and mostly how much I'm enjoying it.I don't mind if Mr B cares about what I'm saying, I just have to say it. I'm sure you know what I mean.

But Mr B never gushes about the books he reads, well apart from the Alistair Campbell diaries, but that's another story. I never know what his books are about, if he enjoys them, nothing.


So I last night I badgered him to tell me about his book. It's Enigma by Robert Harris, a Second World War mystery novel. He is loving it.


So there we lay, reading our World War II books - mine a story of resistance and Mr B's a story of the UK code breakers at Bletchley.


I never imagined that it would be my love of History that led me to my husband. I never imagined that I would share my interest so closely with someone.


Happy 6 month anniversary for yesterday Mr B!

Celebrate

Last week Mr B and I finally celebrated the evening that we took home our wedding album!!! We bought champagne and got some delicious Indian food from the Tigers Pad in Sunningdale.

Meisha was really intrigued by our food (as usual)

But soon realised I was on to her...

Carefully we looked through our album. It is truly beautiful and has such magical memories.

Definately worth the wait.

In Love

"You know you're in love when you
can't fall asleep because reality is finally
better than your dreams"

-Dr. Seuss

For Papa

This post is just for you!



J on the beach at Zandvoort


St. Bavo's

And again

A wonderful scene in Amsterdam

I hope this keeps your appetite sated, for now.

The List

Towards the end of the summer when all the excitement of our wedding and trip to Bali was fading, Mr B & I made a list of all the things we would like to do over the next few years...

So far we've accomplished two - visiting Buckingham Palace (which was amazing) and going to the Open Air Theatre at Regents Park (we saw Gigi in the pouring rain, it was great fun).

We have a lot to look forward to...

Seeing Phantom of the Opera
Seeing Les Miserables
Doing a pub crawl in town
Going to a concert at St Martin in the Fields
Visiting St Pauls Cathedral
Watching England at Twickenham
Watching England at Wembley
Visiting the Tower of London again
Going to the British Grand Prix
Going to Thorpe Park to scream and feel queasy
Having afternoon tea somewhere very posh - The Ritz? The Berkley? The Savoy? Where is best?
Visiting Big Ben (we've heard you can go up to the top?!) and the Houses of Parliament
Going to the Natural History Museum
Flying on the London Eye
Watching tennis at Wimbledon, with strawberries and cream of course
Visiting Stonehenge
Visiting Westminster Abbey
Going on a helicopter tour over town
Going on a Thames cruise
Going on the Thames on a RIB (google it, it looks great)
Going on a Ducktour
Having a picnic in Hyde Park or Regents Park
Rowing on the Serpentine
Visiting Whipsnade Zoo (guess whether this was my idea or Mr B's)
Visiting the Old Water Mill in St Albans for delicious waffles
Visiting the National Portrait Gallery
Looking round Hatton Gardens and Mr B hopefully buying me something
Going to a polo match
Eating at The Fat Duck
Visiting Hamleys at Christmas
Visiting the V & A
Visiting Hampton Court Palace
Watching a movie at the IMAX
Eating at Foliage
Eating at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay

We are so lucky to live close to one of the best and most exciting cities in the world.

Do you think we have enough to be getting on with?

The Glorious Dead

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

-Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)

Brunette

I'm a brunette!

Photography

I've really become so much more enthusiastic about my photography since starting my course. There are only 2 more lessons left, I can't believe how quickly the time has gone. I'm trying to convert my digital-classmates to film but until yesterday's class it seemed a losing battle. Then my classmates saw the photos I had taken on our 'field-trip' to Windsor.

They were impressed.

I was proud of my ancient Minolta.

I'd love to know what you think...

This is Windsor, I promise.

The shortest street in Britain

I'm an auntie

This weekend was filled with family visiting from The North. On Friday I rushed out of the office as soon as I could to be with Mr B, our sister & her boys (marrying Mr B has given me newphews!) We had a lovely meal together. We visited Legoland in the most horrid weather on Saturday. I felt so unwell from the cold, rain and wind that I ended up watching the spectacular fireworks from the comfort of the car, sniff, sniff. Saturday evening was spent thawing and drying out. Even with the terrible weather I had a truly wonderful weekend. Why does nice time always fly past so quickly?

I was very excited to discover a Rituals store in the UK, as Mr B & I walked through St Pancreas station. I just had to buy a few bits. We also discovered a big Ed's Diner - I haven't seen Mr B as excited for a long time. Ed's is one of our favourite places in London - it's a tiny, fabulous Soho diner with 60's dukebox, fabulous burgers, bottles of Bud and chips that are to-die for.

There's a massive Ed's in Picadilly that we never knew about. I hope we will be able to try it out in the next few weeks.

I have ordered 2 of these today and I can't wait to start trying them out! I'm going to attempt cleaning my camera in preparation...