the london dairies. be brave and shine on.

Earlier this week Molly Jacques, my calligraphy coach & new friend, posted the quote "Be brave & shine on." I am glad she said because I have been working to feel brave.  I cannot tell you have many times the learning curve has pushed against me, and how many times I had to step out and just be brave.

 One one thing, this week I have been given the privilege of working with the best-in-the-world image consultants at the House of Colour headquarters in Croxley, England.  It is stretching me and growing me in ways I haven't pushed myself in a long while.  I have been overwhelmed more times than I like to think about this week, but I have had to be very brave and just try to keep growing and learning.  At the end of the first week of my training, I know I have trained my eyes and learned skills that I didn't have before.  When I bottomed out on my flight around the Pond, dear friend Lisa Beier told me in a text "Enjoy yourself - this is a once in a lifetime experience! You're so cool for doing this, so start acting like it!!"  These were my marching orders for being brave. Her words helped me to be brave when I felt like withering.

THEN, at the end of an exhausting first week of training, I did another very brave thing.  I let one of my fellow trainees drop me off at the Watford Junction train station, and I caught three different trains to take me to Grateley (near Salisbury) --- ALL BY MYSELF. Did you catch that? I had to switch trains twice and I did it! CM friend & team member Jennifer Keller picked me up at the station and drove me to their home in Nether Wallop where I am being refreshed by this darling family and the English countryside over the weekend.

(This is our 'quick get a selfie with the train in the background' pic!)

More to come about the Kellers, my adventures in Salibury and today's walk around Nether Wallop... stay tuned.

the london diaries. today's favorite pic.

Do you love this photo that I snapped today?

Never mind that I took it in the grocery line from a magazine cover.  At least I was in the Mother Country to snap it!   Too tired to blog tonight... my late nights of Facetiming with Mike & the bunnies are catching up with me...
More to come later... ZZzzzzzzzzz.

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.