Sunshine?! Is that you?

That's right - this year, we have been fortunate enough (ahem...) to experience the true, unadulterated English summer. Which basically means, absolute rubbish weather. We carry umbrellas, sunglasses, sunscreen, and raincoats all the time, in preparation for the wild range of weather that can, and does, occur in any given day at any given moment - hail, wind, down-pouring rain, sunshine, all at once, none at all, completely unpredictable, and to be frank, totally exhausting! That being said, today was absolute bliss to say the least - a full day of beaming sunshine! And, we took full advantage....pedal-boating in The Serpentine at Hyde Park, an activity that I've wanted to do since we moved here. The ducks were out, the park was alive, and the sun just did not disappoint. Tick that one off the bucket list (literally).

-B&B

"Weather is a great metaphor for life - sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad, and there's nothing much you can do about it but carry an umbrella." ~Terri Guillemets

Alice's Day

Two weeks ago, we hopped aboard a 75-minute bus ride, for a quick weekend escape to Oxford. A charming and bustling university town, Oxford is a lovely detour from the usual weekend routine. Oddly enough, we happened to be in Oxford on Alice's Day, the annual holiday dedicated to the very first telling of Alice in Wonderland in 1862, as the author, Lewis Carroll, was an Oxford academic, using professors and others from the University as the inspiration for the tale's wild characters (and the real-life Alice, for whom the story was written, was the Dean's daughter). Few things stick to the brain like droves of Alices, Mad Hatters, and White Rabbits roaming the cobblestone streets of a historic, prestigious English town. Though in Oxford for only one night, we did a bit of shopping, a lot of walking, and had a fantastic locally-sourced dinner at The Big Bang, a simple bangers and mash establishment, home to sausages of all sorts - lamb, beef, completely vegetarian, and even duck. We also had the opportunity to meet up for drinks with a lovely Oxford-educated American named Laura, who is (focus now), my grandmother's cousin's close friends' daughter (for real), with whom I've exchanged a few emails since being "introduced" online about a year ago, as two American young women who might enjoy each others' company if we had the opportunity to meet on this side of the pond. Always a delight to meet up with someone new, exchange stories of living abroad, discuss trips we hope to take, and pine away for real Mexican food...

Christ Church College, Oxford University

Punts for Hire

Alice's Shop (written into Alice Through the Looking Glass
as the Old Sheep Shop, where the real Alice often went)

-B & B

"Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end: then stop." - King of Hearts, Alice and Wonderland

Homeward Bound: #4

It is with true sadness for us, and sheer excitement for them, that we say goodbye to an amazing couple, Bronnie and Kevin, who I have come to absolutely adore. Slowly but surely, life in London changes yet again...

A MINI PROFILE

• Hometown: Christchurch, New Zealand for Bronnie, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK for Kevin
  
• Time lived in London: Bronnie has been in London for 4 1/2 years, Kev for a lifetime
  
• Our introduction: At work! Both Bronnie and Kev are absolutely brilliant teachers, Bronnie on the ICT and Business Studies front, Kevin in P.E. and Special Education. I distinctly remember that when I arrived at the school, Bronnie and Kevin had recently become engaged - they were the talk of the school staff back then, and I first met Bronnie whilst she was being peer pressured into showing off her engagement ring to some of the ladies (very much to her chagrin, I might add). My first encounter with Kevin was at a parent-teacher conference day last year, for his Year 7 students at the time; within seconds of pulling up a chair, he offered me what was, at the time, my first taste of the UK phenomenon - Licorice Allsorts - and the rest is history.
  
• Something we've shared: Over this past academic year in school, Bronnie and I have developed a cherished morning routine. Because our offices are next door to each other (we can, and do, literally speak to each other through the wall!) I see her shining face every morning as I reach the top of the staircase near our offices. Her door is always open (except for Tuesdays, when she has a department meeting in the morning) - I smile and often remind her just how many days we have left in the term (I'm responsible for the countdown), and she generally belts out a "Good Morning" in some sort of sing-song tune (she's responsible for the singing). Periodically we even have the pleasure of walking to work together as well, which is just delightful. And through this morning routine, we've shared everything - our happy thoughts, our tears, our secrets, our worries, our moans and groans, and a lot of hugs and baked goods. Kevin and I shared a week with 19 Year 7 students in Aberdovey, Wales just a few months ago. As co-chaperones of this rambunctious group of city kids in the wilderness, we also shared quite a lot - early morning coffee and chats overlooking the Dovey Estuary, late-night supervision rounds of the student dormitories, ready-made meals around a campfire (various rice dishes straight out of the cooking pan), and an epic tournament of Connect-4 in the staff lounge. We've also all shared a delightful double-date at their house, where Bryan and I were introduced to the electronic table grill - a one-stop indoor BBQ (which is imperative when planning an afternoon BBQ with the ever-unpredictable British weather).
  
• Something they've taught me: Both Bronnie and Kevin go for what they want - Bronnie with an honest, no-nonsense approach, Kevin with heaps of patience and a fantastic sense of humour. In their own ways, they've both encouraged me to persist at the important things, and to let the rest of it go.
  
• Our newly acquired hand-me-down: Nothing actually - they tried to give away and sell loads of things as they packed up their house, but we decided we probably shouldn't be acquiring anything more ourselves, at this point :).
  
• Our next meeting place: Definitely New Zealand....that's sure shaping up to be a fantastic friend-filled holiday!
  

-B

"Ask me what is the greatest thing in the world, I will reply: It is people, it is people, it is people." - New Zealand Proverb