the london diaries. pub night.

These photos don't capture the true English charm that I felt tonight at The Feathers pub. All my senses were in full-pleasure mode during the two hours that I unwound while journaling and reviewing today's class notes. In the background I listened to fabulous music and the lovely lull of English accents in lively conversations all around me.  Tonight was "Quiz Night" at The Feathers, which draws a large crowd in an adjoining room every Tuesday for a trivial pursuit type of competition among tables of teams.

I have come to the realization that I want to live here.

At least my new goal is to be successful enough with my new businesses that I can return in the fall with Mike to take my style training.  In case you were wondering, the Salmon Nicoise salad was fabulous, and so was my Riesling.

Note: I have so much more that I want to say everyday, but I run out of time. Getting to bed on time is a significant challenge.

the london dairies. the lake harrriet of england.

After an exhilarating & eye-opening day of training at House of Colour England, I headed out on my late afternoon walk and discovered my own 'Lake Harriet'.  Daughter Abby in Minneapolis lives just blocks from the scenic Lake Harriet where Minnesotans trek the perimeter of the lake around the calendar.  Today I discovered the English version, actually called the Ricksmanworth Aquadome Nature Preserve.  I almost hyperventilated a dozen times for the swans, the sunset glow on the lake, the sweet smell of spring in the air, daffodils popping up among the foliage... AND...

... pussy-willows just bursting out from their cocoon leaves.  The soft fur wasn't even dried. It was like a pussy-willow birth.  It was thrilling. Hope you enjoy the photos.

the london diaries. feeling better today.

I took Susan Branch to dinner with me tonight, and she really said it marvelously:
"Traveling is hard work. Everything is ALWAYS strange; staying home IS much easier; but this you do for inspiration, for challenge, for beauty, for growth, but most of all, for the memories."

Some good things happened today.

1. My training at House of Colour headquarters started in earnest.  I was deeply inspired and my passion for sharing the power of color is growing even greater.  I am in class from 9-5pm everyday, or on my clock back home 3am-11am. (smile)  More about my training later.

2. I found a grand grocery market in the neighborhood which will be perfect for shopping for fresh goodies for my lunches. In other words, I now have a source for wine, chocolate, amazing cheeses and very fresh fruits. Things are looking up.

And I HAD to buy this... because I could!

3. I felt my head start to clear late in the afternoon.

4. I made a decision to go out to dinner every night with my journal, my book and the notes from the day's classwork.  It was a very relaxing way to study and ponder all that I am learning.

Hannah also gave me a gift today with another great perspective "Mom, it is like you are studying abroad!... in your 50's."

the london diaries. breakfast with the queen.

Look at the lovely scene that greeted me at breakfast.  They don't call them Bed & Breakfasts for nothing.  My darling proprietress is a fellow House of Colour consultant in Rickmansworth, and she has exquisite taste.  The greek yogurt and fresh berries that were waiting for me this morning really hit the spot.  She also put out some lovely ham and cheese which made for the perfect breakfast, with hot tea of course.

It was all the more perfect when I perused the room and who should I see looking my way but THE QUEEN.  She sat in the china hutch and smiled while I finished breakfast. It was a nice way to start the day.

the london diaries. there have been tears.

I am not sure why this trip have been heart wrenching for me so far.  For one, I am not used to being so far from home ALONE.  I miss my wonderful travel companion husband so much it aches... and for some reason being so far away from my bunnies feels painful.  I literally had tears running down my cheeks when my plane took off, and I cried myself to sleep today when I napped after landing at my B&B. I have honestly been a mess. And my heart hurts.

It did help that 1.) I got a wifi connection figured out so that FaceTime communications can commence with the hubby and the bunnies 2.) I found some food and 3.) I took a walk in the neighborhood with my camera and it fed my soul.  Evidenced in the photos above.  After our hard, hard winter in the Midwest I had almost forgotten the thrill of green budding plants and spring blossoms.  I plan to walk around my neighborhood everyday after my training to soak up the blissful way that the English do flowers.

We have established that I am not a fan of traveling this far from home alone, and that I can't remember crying so many tears at-the-drop-of-a-hat, but it didn't help that today was Mothers Day in the UK.  Everywhere I looked was a grandma cuddling a grandbaby or a family gathered to celebrate mom with pink-wrapped gifts and flowers. I loved seeing it, but my own heart strings were stretched too tight.

I would covet your prayers because even though my surroundings are so beautiful (as the photos attest) I am a bit of a mess. I know that God has called me to pursue this work & training, which I hope to be a ministry to women to well,  but I have got to stop the crying.  My sweet USMC, retired Michael J. Blanc wisely said "You need to consider it like a deployment. The first few days suck, but then you need to get about doing the work that you came there for."  Those are my new marching orders.

the london dairies.

 Look at the charming front door that welcoming me to England.

My new business venture with House of Colour has taken me to London for training.  I am currently jet-lagged, travel weary and can barely see straight but I want to get my first post up.  I have decided that Mother Rabbit will share her English adventures here as The London Dairies, thanks for the prompting of Inspired Living editor & friend, Chris Christen.

I have much I want to say already... about plane travel and getting your bearings in a new place... but since it is 3am across the pond, I am going to refrain from writing more than that I landed at Heathrow and then I landed at my B&B at 78 Nightingale Road in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, England.  I begin my two week training tomorrow in nearby Watford at the House of Colour headquarters.

I am about 20 miles north of London and am happy to be nestled outside the city where what I call English charm really shows. If you look closely at the bottom photo you can see a window propped open on the top floor.  That is my room and what I will call home for the next two weeks.

are you game?

Remember the Memory Game? 24 little cards. You turn them over two at a time. And you have to use your memory to remember where you saw the matching card! Very exciting when you are little. Check out this Valentines Day version of the classic game featuring YOUR kids or grand kids.

Yesterday I made the game for our house when the grand-girls are here. I love the pinky-pink limited edition that Pinhole Press is offering right now. (Don't worry. Chic Black and Fun Blue versions are available too.)

It took me under 15 minutes to create the project and cost my pocketbook only $19.99. A deal.

To be honest, it took me longer to select the photos I wanted to use. Smile. You need 12 photos (because there are two of each card in the game.) With our 6 darling grand daughters I got to pick two photos of each girl. You could create your game with 12 different family members... or 12 photos of one precious kid. Want to see the pics I used?

I remember loving this game as a very little girl because it is one of the first board games you can play when you are very young. I have memories of feeling very proud that I was BIG enough to play a table game. I look forward to playing this game again on about the 50 anniversary of the first time I played it. ha

Check it out here at   PINHOLE PRESS .