by Krista | Aug 9, 2012 | Bits 'n' Bobs
Bread is rising on the counter, beef simmering in the crock pot, and a Christmas pudding cooling on the stove. Yep, a Christmas pudding in August. I had a hankering. 🙂
After bustling about the kitchen most of the day, I am more than ready to find a good place to sit where I can be warm, put my feet up, and rest.
Like this lovely spot at an agriturismo near Montepulciano, Italy. Add a good book and a chilled glass of limoncello and I’d be a happy girl indeed.
Or this sun-warmed wooden bench just across the valley, with a vista of Tuscan hills and clear blue skies.
Perhaps this one, clustered around a little wrought-iron table with a few girlfriends, laughing and talking as we sip chilled Sangria and enjoy stunning views of Montepulciano perched on the hill above us.
Maybe this spot would be best of all.
How I’d love to curl up on this wicker lounge bed and have a luxurious nap in the glorious Tuscan sun.
How about you? Where would be your ideal place to sit in the sun?
by Krista | Aug 6, 2012 | Bootstrap Monday
Good heavens it’s blustery out today!! I can feel the house shaking in the wind. 🙂 Later this week I hope to take you on a tour of my little farm in Australia. AFTER I put away the laundry and tidy up the mail and hide the vacuum cleaner. 😉
Until then I hope you will indulge me in one more jaunt through the streets of London. (click to see Part One and Part Two)
My friend Olga is in London right now, and this morning she wrote:
“I fell through the rabbit hole and am in a Wonderland,
the land of hobbits, elves and fairies.
Breathtaking green hills and grey skies.
And every time I take a walk, I think I’m going to run into Jane Eyre or Mr. Darcy, or the White Rabbit, or Elijah Wood.
Just call me Alice…”
I know exactly how she feels.
Until last year, I’d only known London through my imagination, shaped by a plethora of books, movies, plays and people that made this city into something dreams are made of.
No doubt London has its seedy side, its faults and foibles like any city, but there is so much more to love.
London pubs. They were everything I had ever dreamed of with jolly bartenders, cozy places of dark wood and cracked leather seats, cute old couples sitting across the way from young families sipping tea or a group of construction workers having a pint after a long day. They are convivial and communal, and I absolutely love them.
Red telephone booths. Red double-decker buses. Even cherry red doors. Since red is my favorite color, London made me a happy girl indeed.
London Museums. I don’t think London has as many (or as strange!) museums as Amsterdam, but the ones they do have are breathtaking in their scale and scope. And best of all, they’re FREE. My friend Katy and I spent several happy hours wandering through the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum, and didn’t see even a sliver of the wonders they hold.
Afternoon tea in London. I am a tea girl through and through. Though I’ll happily down espresso in Italy and cafe au lait in Paris, it is tea that I drink every single day.
My favorite tea memory in London was when Katy and I met up with my beloved brother Ryan and our dear friend (and fellow Travel Belle) Cailin and her husband who were visiting from their hometown of Toronto, Canada.
We gathered at a cafe in Covent Garden and had such a great visit as we downed pots of cream tea.
London flower stalls. I grew up watching “My Fair Lady” more times than I can count, so I admit my heart gave a happy little lurch when I saw this stall along the street. If only Eliza Dolittle would’ve popped out singing “All I Want Is A Room Somewhere” – my happiness would’ve been complete.
London institutions. I already mentioned the Victoria and Albert Museum, but we also got to see other London landmarks like the infamous (and enormous!) Harrod’s. I knew it was big, but I had no idea how big until I stood outside and craned my neck up to see the top. Wow.
More tea. After all that walking and museum-perusing, Katy and I were in dire need of another cuppa. This time we splurged on a gorgeous strawberry tart to go with our Moroccan Mint Tea, then sat back and indulged in some rather fabulous people watching.
London Underground. I love taking the Underground. Absolutely love it! And in London it’s extra special because somehow, even though I’d never been there, I “knew” nearly all the stops: King’s Cross, Piccadilly Circus, Covent Garden. A combination of Harry Potter and a lifetime of reading British novels made these names feel familiar and loved.
Katy and I took the Underground and trains all over London – she’s a wiz at navigating tunnels and stops – and I couldn’t help but grin when I heard those oh-so-familiar words: “mind the gap.”
If you could go to London tomorrow, what is the first thing you’d like to see?
by Krista | Aug 3, 2012 | Fabulous Friday
I do so love the streets of London. It seems that no matter where I look, there is something to delight my heart and stir a sense of recognition, of names and places oft read about but never seen.
When I return to London (fingers crossed!!), I’m going to set aside one whole day just to peruse English bookshops like this beauty.
My friend Katy and I had such fun looking in windows and dreaming of long, lazy days with nothing to do but drink copious amounts of tea and read for hours on end.
After a whole morning of wandering, Katy and I were famished and popped into a tiny cafe for scrumptious salads and fabulous people-watching.
I loved seeing the various fashions (so different from the streets of Italy and Amsterdam), delighting in the eclectic mix of posh business wear bustling alongside punk street garb and traditional Indian saris.
After lunch we strolled through exquisitely beautiful Hyde Park.
I love this expansive stretch of lush green lawns, curving pathways, and wonderful old trees that dropped armfuls of leaves perfect for crunching through.
There’s something about London in Autumn that makes my heart flutter.
We emerged onto a busy street crowed with shiny London cabs that made me grin. It’s such a lovely thing to find your imaginings of a place come to life.
We joined sparse crowds ogling Buckingham Palace, watching the beaver-hatted guards march back and forth.
Soon it was time to step out of the cold and tuck into a real English tea.
Katy found the perfect spot and soon we were visiting happily as we sipped cups of strong and creamy Earl Grey tea and nibbled our way through hot-buttered scones slathered with jam.
Twas a dream come true for me.
Thoroughly warmed and satiated, we bundled up and headed to Piccadilly Circus to see what we could see.
Do you have a quintessential English experience that you’ve always dreamed of fulfilling?
by Krista | Jul 31, 2012 | Bootstrap Monday
I love the Olympic Games so much. The drama of combat, inspiring stories, and thrilling feats of skill that give me goosebumps and make me teary.
I especially love watching them in different countries.
I’ve watched them in my homeland of Canada, my adopted country the United States, and now I get to see them from an Aussie perspective in my new country of Australia. It’s so fun!
Each country focuses on different sports, and here in Australia I’m discovering sports I didn’t even know were in the Olympics, things like field hockey, dressage and table tennis. I love it!
As I happily watch one event after another, I thought that today we’d take a trip down memory lane to the city hosting the Olympics and revisit the streets of London.
I visited London for the first time last October, excitedly wandering along the Thames with my dear English friend Katy from Starry-Eyed Travels.
Katy knows the city like the back of her hand, and we had so much fun seeing things I’d only read about or seen on movies.
Like this statue of the marvelous warrior queen Boadicea (Boudicca) who led her people in a valiant fight against the Roman invaders in AD 61.
And the soaring Saint Stephen’s Tower (aka Big Ben).
We strolled past London war memorials and houses of Parliament, and gazed in delight at the beautiful old buildings standing tall and dignified along the bustling streets.
London was nothing like I had imagined. It was better.
I will show you more of this incredible city next time.
Do you like the Olympics? If so, what is your favorite sport to watch?
by Krista | Jul 26, 2012 | Fabulous Friday
I feel very grateful today.
Someone close to me has found peace after years of anguish, and I’m so happy for him.
In just a few weeks I will be an auntie for the first time and I can’t wait.
And yesterday I met an amazing new friend, a lady whose past is so similar to mine we could hardly believe it.
There is inestimable comfort found in talking with someone who understands. It is such a gift to be validated, to hear someone say, “I know. It really happened. It’s going to be OK.”
And you believe them because they were there.
As a teenager I was in a religious cult for nine years. Years where I was brainwashed and abused physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. For years after I blocked out much of what happened. Couldn’t remember it for the life of me. I now know that’s a common occurrence among survivors of such things.
Over the past few years I was able to get counseling and therapy and began a painful and wonderful process of healing. Healing is the best thing, but it is also the scariest and hardest thing I’ve ever been part of.
Last year I started a new life in Australia, a life I love more than I can say. 🙂 I had no idea what a refuge it would be, how healing and nourishing it would be to live on our little goat farm, to have a man beside me who loves me unconditionally, and to have dear Aussie friends who hug me tight, laugh and say, “You have the craziest past we’ve ever heard of, but we sure love you.”
Healing has brought back memories of those years, of other traumatic events that my mind, in self-preservation, blocked out for a while. I don’t like those memories. I don’t like the nightmares that accompany them. I hate the physical pain that inevitably follows.
But it’s worth it. So worth it.
To get through a night without waking up screaming.
To get through the normal ups and downs of life without crumpling. (For too long, anyhow ;-))
To be able to love without fear.
These are the things that make this worthwhile.
But now and then you need a little boost. We all have such unique stories, individual pains and traumas, that sometimes we need a kindred spirit to come along and say: “I’ve been where you’ve been, I’ve seen what you’ve seen, I’ve hurt how you’re hurting, and you’re going to be OK.”
That’s what my new friend did for me yesterday. When I got home there was an email from her waiting for me. And it meant so much to me that I have to share it with you. Maybe you need to hear her words too:
“I’m so glad we got to meet today beautiful girl!
Never again will you be alone and isolated.
From now on you will always be heard, believed, understood, validated, cared for and free.
You are amazing, honest, courageous, intelligent, strong, wise, and beautiful!
You have so many gifts to offer the world through your experiences.
Catch up again soon x”
I hope her words sink deep into all our hearts and spur us on to deeper healing and greater loving as we fumble our way through this crazy, heart-rending, beautiful thing called Life.
Wishing you a beautiful weekend. XO
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