The Return
I thought a break from writing would help me better process the crazy changes in store this autumn and leave space for my private life to flourish, but it seems I was wrong. Writing is, by its essence, an act of processing. To put new things into words requires attentive thought unlike any other I … Continue reading
Oh, Britannia!
We leave in three days. The bags are packed, the tickets bought. The visa is stamped, the car is sold. It is time. While I never expected a wild rushing summer of family politics and working remotely, we’ve covered thousands of miles of country and had countless hugs along the way. Ten weeks ago we … Continue reading
The Plunge
Bean’s visa was approved last week. We left the Embassy and, after a celebratory pitstop in the decadent Selfridges Food Hall, we boarded a river cruise down the Thames. Saying goodbye to London and landing at Greenwich — ground zero; the place where time began — to watch the sunset. Fitting for the beginning of … Continue reading
Old [Fictional] Friends
Do you have stories that never get old? No matter how many times you hear them they still feel alive? They can rekindle a sinking heart or augment delicious indulgences, but always prove stalwart companions. Must be some type of magic. And today, as I sold off our books — we’ve shed several hundred so … Continue reading
The Beginning of Goodbye
I have been delinquent, but dear reader, I have cause! After all my fussy griping and limbo doldrums, Life has moved into the fast lane. So fast, in fact, I can’t be warbling on the internet this morning as there are far too many things to be doing which are super uninteresting but Very Important. … Continue reading
The Waiting Game
As you may have gathered, we are in a holding pattern. We filed the paperwork for Bean and I to move to America back in October. It’s six months later and we haven’t heard anything. Whenever we do, it will only be for the government to authorise medical exams, interviews and Phase II of this … Continue reading
Travel Tuesday: Chicago
Travel Tuesdays : where I can look back fondly at wonderful places, people and journeys while we prepare for the exciting adventure ahead… Chicago, like most urban centres, can be carved up into smaller pieces: neighbourhoods, districts, regions, each defined by some homogeneity be it geographical, cultural, or historical. In some ways the city can … Continue reading
Potted.
You know those times where you are so busy just the thought of adding to the To Do list feels heavy? Where you wake up already feeling late? And spend a fortune on chai lattes and taxis to fit in every last ounce of day? Well, I have that. It’s become something chronic. I don’t … Continue reading
The Holiday Spirit : Music
In my ongoing quest to encapsulate our varying British and American Christmas experiences, I’m mulling on seasonal songs. There is nothing that says Christmas to me so much as carols and festive tunes. There is a great tradition, both classical and pop, in both our adopted countries, and it always amazes me that nary the … Continue reading
The Holiday Spirit
While Christmas is constantly bemoaned as overly commercial and increasingly homogenous, I still thrill at little peculiarities, personal traditions, and culture clashes when it comes to St. Nick. I’m not the first, of course. May I strongly suggest you listen to David Sedaris muse on Christmas traditions, particularly in the Netherlands. 6 to 8 Black … Continue reading
Que Sera Sara? 