village past

in the week or so before I left, Dean and I took one last little stroll through Stanton St John, just to say good bye. I shot film. The light was lovely that day.

my debt to britain

I am in the throes of packing and editing a magazine and squeezing in all my goodbyes, so blogging is about to go on hold for another week, but before I sign off, it would be a shame to leave Britain without a short tribute.

Typical that after 3.5 years of longing to be back in North America, I am now becoming awe-fully aware of all the things I have loved about the UK. When I am back on Canadian soil I'll surely have a list of all the things/people I'm grateful to be reconnected with, but just for now, a list of the wonderful things that Britain has given me, for which I am deeply indebted:

 + a vastly expanded vocabulary which now includes irreplaceable words like chuffed, manky, and twoddle

+ a love for strong milky tea (multiple times a day)

+ clotted cream

+ a seriously impressive shoe collection

+ a killer curriculum vitae

+ endless design inspiration

+ Orla Kiely :)

+ Jamie and Living Etc magazines

+ cheap access to the Continent (this year: Prague, Paris, Barcelona and Budapest!)

+ incredible friendships in three fascinating cities

thanks to all who played a part in such a memorable three years! We'll miss you guys.

one month list

It's November 11.

Know what that means?

One month exactly until I leave the UK as a resident. Next time I set foot on this island I'll be nothing more than a tourist. An educated tourist, but a tourist all the same.

The last month has disappeared and I know that if I'm not intentional I will leave these shores with too much regret. Today I sat down and wrote a list - a list of all the (non-work-related) things I must do before I leave England.

Here goes:

1. see a West End show
2. tromp through a muddy field in a Cotswold village
3. go to the sea
4. cook lamb rogan josh for Dean
5. go to evensong at New College or Christchurch
6. purchase something in Cath Kidston's London print (see above!)
7. shoot 3 rolls of film
8. read 4 books
9. visit the newly remodeled Ashmolean museum
10. explore one London neighbourhood that I've yet to visit
bonus: book a bargain spa day in London :) I better get moving.

Stay tuned for progress reports!

oxfordshire's (highly stylized) white horse

On a cold and foggy Sunday afternoon, three kids set out to see one of Oxfordshire's oldest unsolved mysteries - the White Horse.

For fans of crop circles and other pastoral quirks: the White Horse is said to be roughly 3000 years old. No one knows why it's there, or if it's even a horse, but at least since 1072 it's been referred to as one.

Dean, Tenelle and I donned our wellies to go check out the phenomenon. The fog rolled into the Vale of the White Horse at the same moment that we did. And fog aside, we discovered that it is nearly impossible to see the full white horse from land. (Scroll down to see the full creature in an aerial shot.) An airplane not at our disposal, here's the best we did (that's a tail, hind leg and back you see): Tenelle, expecting a truer depiction of a horse, was a bit mystified. Later, when we stopped for lunch we discovered that she wasn't the only one who envisaged something that looked a bit more horse-like:

To be honest though, horse or no horse, this was one of the most beautiful British landscapes I've seen outside the Lake District. We made a short walk of it, but on a sunnier day and in better shoes, I might have taken up the Guardian on this suggested 16km route.

Given the conditions we did have, the highlight of the day was a stop at an Uffington pub for Sunday dinner - fish and chips for Dean, pork roast for me, and for Tenelle, that British pub favourite: ham, eggs and chips!

The White Horse from above:

cruel

Walking down Cornmarket this morning, in the rain, after my soggy paper bag dropped, and broke, a fresh jug of milk all over the ground, a pair of buskers were playing Summertime on the trumpet. With no hint of irony.