while i was away ...

We've been travelling during the past week or so ~ showing my parents Paris and London. It's been wonderful to see these cities we have visited many times through the eyes of people who have never been. Taking my mum to Liberty was a real highlight - talk about kids in a candy shop! Some of you might have seen some random snaps on my facebook and twitter pages that I posted while I was away, but I wanted to share a few pics I took in London, including one with me actually in it (don't pass out with shock!!) ...

Autumn sun through the archers window at the Tower of London

"The Gherkin"

The park at Russell Square

"Meeting" Richard Branson at Madame Tussauds!

Squirrels in Hyde Park

A cold afternoon in Hyde Park

Medieval stained glass

Have a great Tuesday!

a london jaunt

A last minute trip to London on Monday night has meant I have already missed a few of days of blogging during Blogtoberfest! Sorry about that ~ sometimes you just have to take the opportunities when they arise. A trip to London is always appreciated. It feels like our adopted home while we're living in Spain ~ we get a dose of our "normal" ~ great food, people who speak english, shopping, entertainment and the city itself ...

Living in a non-english speaking country when you don't speak the native language very well can be quite hard at times. It is nothing like being a tourist. Day-to-day tasks that you might take for granted at home can take a lot of effort and time. Everyday there is something new to learn - a new word, a new system, something you could not have anticipated, and sometimes things you just can't understand. This is all part of the adventure, but it can be pretty tiring, so sometimes it's nice to have a break and go somewhere that is just familiar and easy.

I'm not sure I could live in London (it is VERY busy), but I love visiting. I love the food, the fact that every third person is Australian, the fact that most Brits love Australians, that I feel like I have some sort of connection to this country (albeit generations ago), the history, the solidity.

We think it's great that our son can enjoy this place too. He's currently obsessed with knights after we took him to London Tower a few visits ago. He is so lucky to be learning the history that I learnt from books, first hand. He's at the age where everything seems completely normal and is not really phased by the enormity of what we ask of him and ourselves at times  - he keeps us grounded.

So that's been my couple of days. I didn't really mean to blab on forever, and I hope you don't think that I am ungrateful for this experience in any way. I am very grateful, but I think it's good to put some reality around these things ~ managing work, life and families is tricky no mater where in the world you live. 

Normal crafty programming will resume tomorrow!

Have a cracker of a day!

london calling

I had been looking forward to our long weekend in London for weeks and weeks, and it did not disappoint. Aside from all of the lovely family things we did (sightseeing, eating, shopping, eating!), I managed a few hours to tick some things off my crafty list ... starting with a visit to this lovely store ...

Liberty of London has to be one of my most favourite stores. Aside from the beautiful fabric, it is just full of beautiful things - an old fashioned department store with wonderful service. Lucky for me, Liberty is currently having a sale, so I came away with these gorgeous fabrics. The top four are 1m remnants that were half price, and the bottom fabric (the same as the one hanging over the chair) I bought 3m of ... I love it!

I also visited The Make Lounge (thanks Jennie for the tip!) - a gorgeous craft shop full of lovely bit's and pieces. I finally got myself a copy of Mollie Makes from there.

It was just so lovely to be back in London again. The city is in "spruce up" mode - getting ready for the Olympics next year, so the place is buzzing. As an Australian, London is such a homey place to visit - similar food and lifestyle and loads of Aussies! Here are a couple of my favourite snaps from around the town ...

Back in Spain now for a couple of weeks. Cheerio!