Wedding Season and Hats

As I've mentioned, I'm going to a wedding on Saturday as a member of the choir that will be singing for the ceremony.  We've been invited to the reception afterwards since the bride and groom are all friends with the singers, and I've been having lots of fun planning what to wear.  I've been told that English weddings - even the slightly informal ones - are generally more elegant than American weddings.

wedding outfit idea from LK Bennett

Case in point: I emailed a female English friend, panicking about what constituted wedding attire even after some desperate googling, and she wrote back, "It's just an excuse to dress up and put on a 'frock'.  Nothing to worry about - but a chance to get out your fascinators and high heels..."


Excuse me?  Nothing to worry about?  Frocks I can do.  High heels I've got.  But a fascinator?  Eek!

Nigel Rayment fascinator at Harrods

So I hied myself down to a milliner in Kensington - no joke, it really did say "milliner" on the door, just like in Colonial Williamsburg - and presented myself as a silly American who had no idea what she was doing but was very enthusiastic about head accessories.


The knowledgeable milliner took one look at my face and hair and decreed that I did indeed want a fascinator and not a proper hat.  I described my dress to her and we set about choosing a hairpiece.  My favorite was a fancy wispy feathered grey comb priced at £320.  On to the second choice: a headband with black bows and sparkly things, a steal at only £78.  I didn't want to buy anything impulsively - a girl's first fascinator is a big deal, you know - and so made a note of what I liked and said I'd come back in the afternoon.


But then... oops.  I wandered around High Street Ken for a little while, eventually stumbling on an Accessorize.  I meandered in without any real purpose.  But then!  Oh, then!  I saw headbands and combs and fascinators galore!  Five minutes and £24 later, I walked out with a relatively simple but lovely netted black headband.  Success!  I am now the proud owner of a fascinator.  It kind of looks like this but without the veil or the feathers:

Accessorize

(Photos from the wedding will be forthcoming, obviously, so that you can admire my new purchase.)


Oh, I feel terribly English!  I assimilate so well...  hehe.

British Summer Time

Summertime, summertime, sum- sum- summertime...

from the Kate Spade outlet store in Leesburg, VA

Yes, folks, that's right: we're officially in British Summer Time!  We changed our clocks on Saturday night / Sunday morning (spring forward, you know) and so now we have the possibility of glorious sunshine from before 7am until long past 7pm.  It's heaven.

We actually have been enjoying lots of sun - I took the below photos on the one cloudy day since I returned to London - and temperatures have been in the mid-teens at least.  It's been gorgeous.  The pub gardens were packed on Friday afternoon and Clapham Common yesterday evening at 6pm was full of people picnicking.  People are really celebrating the end of winter.

That being said, though, I've found that there's a particular Englishness to London's enjoyment of spring.  I still see coats and tights and boots on the street -as if things are going to dramatically change in an instant - and people keep telling me not to get used to the weather.  "This is it, you know," they tell me.  "This is summer.  These four days.  This is all we're going to get until 2012."

Bah, I say!  Spring is here and then after that comes summer - and life will be lovely.  (I am optimistic about the state of things these days.)

The Possibilities of a Wall

I don't move into my new place until 1 April, but I'm heading over to the house on Sunday to take measurements so that I can order appropriate furniture.  As I think I mentioned, the flat will be unfurnished except for a bed and so I've been doing a lot of online research.  And by research, obviously, I mean that I've been looking at pretty photos of styled rooms.  Drool.

Though I've been pouring over my old favourites, Heal's and Habitat, I've been turned on to a new website: Made.  They say they cut out the middlemen to bring cool and affordable furniture to the masses.   It's still above my budget, for the most part, though there are some pieces that I could save up for relatively easily...

So I'm thinking that I'll make a pilgrimage to Ikea on Friday morning to get basics and then will wait a bit to fill out the space while I find the pieces (and the cashmoney for these pieces) that I really like.  I need to get out of the mindset that an incomplete house is bad; it's not.  There's nothing wrong with my flat being a work-in-progress.

One of the things I'm getting into, decor-wise, is temporary wall decorations.  I'm definitely buying a chalkboard adhesive - I love the idea of jotting down a menu on the wall above the table - but I've also been looking at further options for wall stickers.  I don't know what the rules will be for putting holes in the walls and I'm afraid that I'd get bored of any permanent choices, so these are kind of my best bet:

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What do you think?  Good idea / bad idea - other suggestions?  I'm totally open to anything!

Frock Fridays - Elizabeth Taylor

This Frock Friday post is dedicated to the memory of Elizabeth Taylor, who died earlier this week aged 79.  An incredibly beautiful woman who was as well-known for her many marriages as her many films, she could wear even the simplest dress with grace and poise.  Here's to Elizabeth.

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Changes to Visa Policy

Betsy Transatlantically was started, first and foremost, as an expat blog. (Fooled you, didn't I?  You thought it was about food and fashion.  Silly you!)  My early posts - as you'll remember if you're a longtime reader - were consumed with tales of my journey through my frustrating but ultimately successful visa process.

I received my Tier 1 Highly Skilled Migrant Worker Post-Study Work visa in June 2010, which is valid  through June 2012, and so I didn't think I'd have to start researching next steps until June 2011 at the earliest.  But, lo and behold, here I am in March with six relevant browser windows open on my laptop.

[Expletive.]

You see, the new government - in all its wisdom - is implementing new visa procedures and laws.  I'm freaking out a little bit about this, and so since I'm looking into the changes that will affect I thought that I might as well try to explain them here, just in case anyone else out there will be affected and/or is freaking out, too.  Do not under any circumstances take my word as gospel, folks!  Absolutely go look at the Border Agency website yourself.  Hopefully, though, this might be a helpful starting place for some of you...

A little background: I came to London in September 2008 as a graduate student on a student visa.  From what I remember, this process is pretty straightforward as long as you read everything carefully and do exactly what they ask.  If you're trying to be a student in the UK, therefore, I'm just going to send you to the appropriate website that outlines the changes which, actually, probably won't really negatively impact anyone who is actually hoping to study at a serious university.  Go on, you're about to undertake an advanced degree.  You need to get used to doing this kind of research on your own!

my alma mater

My options upon graduating from my masters' program were:
1. go home to DC
2. stay in the UK and apply for a Tier 1 visa immediately (I would have had to apply before my student visa expired, if I'm remembering correctly)
3. go home to DC and apply for a Tier 1 visa within 12 months of receiving my qualification
4. go home to DC and hope to God that, if I applied to enough jobs in the UK, the law of large numbers would decree that a company would eventually agree to sponsor me

I chose option trois, as was documented thoroughly on this blog, in part because I'd prefer to be on a non-sponsored visa (the Tier 1) than a sponsored visa (the Tier 2) because that way I'm not tied to my job; a Tier 1 visa provides more flexibility.  Also, though, when I was applying for jobs - which I did like crazy all through spring 2010 - it was very difficult for a UK-based company to sponsor a non-EU worker.

The Tier 1 visa required a bit of jumping through hoops: among other things, I had to have £2800 in my bank account consistently for three consecutive months, I had to have the original copy of my degree, and I had to have a letter from my university acknowledging that it was a legitimate institution.  Check, check, and check.

Now comes the tricky part.  Under the old rules, I could have applied for the next non-sponsored visa once the one I currently hold expires.  (Tons of requirements for that one, too, some of which I wouldn't have been able to meet - but, technically, it would have been an option.)  Under new rules... there is no next non-sponsored visa.

[Expletive.]

Okay, that's not entirely true.  The new regulations say that, should I choose to apply for a Tier 1 visa, I can try to be "exceptional talent."  No joke.  Exceptional talent.  The problem is that, while my mother and I both know that I am exceptional and talented, there are probably 1000 other people out there who are more exceptional and more talented than I am - and they're capping that visa at 1000 per year.  See:

This means that I will have to go the Tier 2 route.  Not the end of the world, considering I have a good job that I enjoy; I believe that my organization will agree to at least look into sponsoring me because, you know, I'm exceptional and talented.  From what I understand, this is some of what is involved:

- I have to have worked for the sponsoring organization for at least six months immediately prior to the date of application (check)
- I have to be in the same job at the moment of application as the job I'm applying for (which means I'll have to get the ball rolling in the next six months if I want a promotion of any kind)
- The sponsoring organization to apply for a special license
- The sponsoring organization has to demonstrate that there are no suitable settled workers or nationals of a country in the European Economic Area (including the UK) to fill the job by complying with the resident labour market test
- The sponsoring organization has to give me a certificate of sponsorship

This Tier 2 visa will be valid for three years.  Two years on Tier 1 plus three years on Tier 2 equals five years of residency - which is the point at which I can apply for settlement.  But maybe I'm getting ahead of myself...

Oh man, this is making me dizzy.  Can we put the marriage option back on the table?  That might be the simplest thing!  Yargh.

Dear Spring!

Dear Spring,

I am so glad that you've finally officially arrived!  I know that you're a bit shy and so you're really only sneaking peeks at us around the doorframe, but it's lovely to think that you are, indeed, here.  Soon you and I will be strolling hand in hand down the streets of London, admiring the delicately budding trees and the imperially vibrant flowers and the strengthening heat of the sun - oh, the sun!  You do bring the sun, sometimes, even to London.  And when this companion of yours obliges us, we are convinced to venture outside - to parks, commons, and green spaces - to soak up the beauty of it all.  You encourage, too, swingy skirts and bare legs and espadrilles, which are three of my favorite things, you know.  Dressing for you is like preparing for a special occasion everyday; one must look appropriately lovely to grace you.  So thank you for coming along, Spring.  I can't wait to get to know you better and to enjoy your company in the coming weeks - please don't take too long to join us properly!

Welcome, from the bottom of my heart.
Betsy

Washington, DC; April 2010

Luncheon

The Rat brought the boat alongside the bank, made her fast, helped the still awkward Mole safely ashore, and swung out the luncheon-basket. The Mole begged as a favour to be allowed to unpack it all by himself; and the Rat was very pleased to indulge him, and to sprawl at full length on the grass and rest, while his excited friend shook out the table-cloth and spread it, took out all the mysterious packets one by one and arranged their contents in due order, still gasping, 'O my! O my!' at each fresh revelation. When all was ready, the Rat said, 'Now, pitch in, old fellow!' and the Mole was indeed very glad to obey, for he had started his spring-cleaning at a very early hour that morning, as people will do, and had not paused for bite or sup; and he had been through a very great deal since that distant time which now seemed so many days ago.
- The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame

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Lunch is lovely.  Lunch is small and easy dishes that you can prepare in the morning before work or throw together when you get hungry at midday: a grain salad, maybe, or a protein-packed sandwich.  It's quick and effortless though it nevertheless serves as an enjoyable pause in the day.   I like lunch, but even more I love the idea of luncheon.  It sounds incredibly pretentious as a word, but it encompasses so much; it's not just a meal, it's a slightly formal and definitely leisurely repast with the purpose of not only eating but also entertaining.

Luncheon of the Boating Party - Renoir

So rather than hosting a dinner party while home, I decided to have my DC friends over for a Sunday luncheon.  There's a core group of ten or so of us from my all-girls' school that I make an effort to keep in touch with (my graduating class was 77, so it's not a bad ratio).  Usually I try to have them over for a meal; as you know, cooking for people is how I show my love.


The menu evolved over the past week.  Originally I had my heart set on doing a roast lunch but since it's not really winter anymore I was convinced (ahem, Mom and Christine) that it would be too heavy for the season.  The problem is, though, that spring things aren't in stores yet.  I saw hills of rhubarb at Borough Market in London though I haven't spied any in Washington.  Peas haven't appeared yet fresh in scoopable mountains in the produce section and are still housed in the frozen aisle.  Asparagus is cropping up in foodie articles but is still wildly expensive at the store.  Because of all of this, I tried to create a menu that combined the lighter aspects of winter eating with some of the spring foods we can look forward to in the coming weeks:


Appetizers
- spanikopita cigars
- walnut and sundried tomato pesto
- kalamata olive tapanade (bought at Whole Foods, oops)

Mains
- braised chicken in mustard and white wine
- roasted asparagus
- new potatoes with lemon zest
- caramelized shallots

Dessert
- angel food cake (again, thank you to Whole Foods)
- vanilla ice cream
- chocolate whipped cream

Party Favours
- chocolate chip scones
- craisin scones

Oh, it was nom - if I do say so myself.  I'm always so spoiled by my mother's incredible kitchen and so I do tend to go a bit over the top when I cook there.  On the flip side, I suppose the next party I host will be held in my new little flat.  I'm very much looking forward to that adventure!  Hey, want to come to London soon for a real spring meal?  You're all invited!

Conspicuous Consumption, Kitchen Style

You can't tell from the floorplan I posted, but my kitchen actually has decent cupboard and storage space.  That's a good thing because, as a sign of her infinite love for her daughters, my mother took my sister and me to the outlets today, and I went a little wild and crazy in the Williams Sonoma store.  (We also went wild and crazy in JCrew, Kate Spade, and Theory - but it's all relative, right?)

Anyway, I am so impressed with the cute and yet totally necessary kitchen stuff I got at an absolute bargain that I have to share some of it with you.  See, the kitchen in my new flat is essentially starting from scratch.  I bought my own sets of dishware and cutlery when I first moved to London - Jon and John and Sam did not understand my need for matching plates - but most of the cooking paraphernalia at the old flat belonged to the boys and so I've had to begin a collection on my own.  (Thanks, Mom!)

My fave items from today's haul are the colorful melamine mixing bowls and measuring cups and spoons that we bought:

Now, you might think that I'm totally nuts for purchasing all of this here and shlepping it over to London with me, but I will tell you that I paid a third of what I would have shelled out for comparable items in the UK. It's not just the exchange rate that's killer; things are just more [expletive] expensive across the pond.

So although there are some things that I'll have to buy in London - I don't think security at the airport would appreciate me trying to bring over a collection of knives - I am going to check a 10-piece pots/pans set.  Hey, don't look at me like that!  BA has a generous baggage allowance, you know.

Frock Fridays

On 2 April, one of my choirs will be singing in a wedding and we've all been invited to the reception after the ceremony.  The email I got about this specified that we should wear "wedding attire" rather than any sort of uniform outfit.  I've never been to an English wedding before, so while I'm thrilled by the chance to dress up I have no clue as to what "wedding attire" means.

Obviously, I'm looking to Kate for inspiration...

October 2010

2006

January 2011

Note to self: buy a smart coat and a hat/fascinator. And find a classy clutch.  And straighten hair.  And be impossibly poised and gorgeous.

I can do this.  No sweat.

New Flat: It's Official!

One month's rent plus my security deposit have flown eagerly from my bank account, which means that I officially have a new flat!  I am beyond excited.  I can't wait to move in on 1 April - I'm actually going to head over to the house next weekend to measure my space and to check out the bed they've ordered.  (Did I tell you?  They're providing the bed but other than that I'm getting all the furnishings for the room.  It'll be more expensive this way than if I was moving into a furnished flat, but I'm glad that I'll have final say in what my studio looks like.  Plus, hello, design inspiration is striking like lightning - I'm electric!)

I drew up a floorplan on some website online - can't remember which, sorry - and although it's not entirely accurate in terms of scale I'll share it with you anyway so you can have a sense of my new place.

Great, right?  Oh man, I can't wait.  So excited!  I'll try not to bore you with interior decorating posts, but you might have to bear with me for a little while...

To Everything There Is A Season

Okay, there will be no more raining on this blog parade, I promise.  Thank you for indulging me in yesterday's sobfest, but now I'm done and my tears have been dried.  For lo, the sun is shining, it's going to be in the mid 60s today and in the low 70s tomorrow, and I have seen my family and friends.  All is well.

But also, you guys made me think.  And thinking makes me do research.  And doing research and writing pretentious essays about my discoveries makes me happy.  Also, graphs make me happy.

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I googled "reverse culture shock" and got almost 400,000 hits, all of which said the same thing: while you've been gone, you have changed and so has home.  It's so obvious, isn't it?  Nothing stays the same.  As you move on so too does your home as well as those you've left behind.  It's inertia; an object in motion stays in motion unless acted upon by an outside force.  (Or something like that.)  Anyway, the point is that it's pointless to expect home to be the same as you've left it - and it's even more counterproductive to expect yourself to be the same person you were when you left home.  Of course, it's damn foolish to expect home to be the same and yet to somehow magically adapt to the person you have come to be.  I didn't do this at all.  No way.  Okay, maybe I did a little.  Or a lot.  [Expletive.]

So now I have the challenge of recognizing how much I've changed - believe it or not, introspection doesn't come gently to me - and the challenge of accepting how much home has changed.  Also, I have the challenge of seeing these changes as a good and natural thing, inexorable as the seasons.

Speaking of seasons, I really like the Evean Boland poem that Martha mentioned in her comment and, actually, it's resonating so much with me at the moment that I'm going to post an excerpt here:


Later
I walked out in a summer twilight
searching for my daughter at bed-time.
When she came running I was ready
to make any bargain to keep her.
I carried her back past whitebeams
and wasps and honey-scented buddleias.
But I was Ceres then and I knew
winter was in store for every leaf
on every tree on that road. 

Frederic Leighton - The Return of Persephone

I honestly don't know, in my deliriously imaginative mind, if I'm Ceres or Persephone on this journey.  Maybe I'm both.  I think that we are all, in our own ways, possibly Ceres and Persephone at the same time and, possibly, even a little bit Hades, too.  What do you think?

Almost Home (Again)

This homecoming thing is complicated - damn complicated, I tell you!  I have been all over the map emotionally ever since I woke up yesterday morning.

I woke up and packed quickly, disappointed at how easy it was to shove enough for ten days into a suitcase.  I thought it should be more difficult; I thought that going from one home to another would involve more detritus.  But I suppose that Alex's flat isn't home at the moment, though she is a terribly gracious hostess, and my parents' house isn't home at the moment, and therefore how hard can it be to move from one transition to another?

Upon my arrival at Terminal 5 at Heathrow, I teared up.  The last time I had been to Terminal 5 was Christmas 2008, when Jon dropped me off at the airport for my flight home for the holidays.  We'd been dating for only two months at that point but I remember sobbing as he walked away, leaving me at security, and realizing for the first time that this relationship was going somewhere.  So, lo and behold, as I approached security I welled up embarrassingly.

The flight was uneventful: I willed myself to sleep for five hours and I watched Love and Other Drugs.  The movie probably should have made me reflect on how damaged and sick we all are, regardless of our bills of health, but all I could think was, "Dear God, please let me have Anne Hathaway's figure."  Way to be shallow, Betsy.

Arriving in Washington, DC was fine - until I got to the other side of the glass wall that separates customs from baggage claim at Dulles.  When I last arrived at Dulles, it was Thanksgiving and I was bringing Jon home to share the holiday with my whole family.  Standing there, on the other side of the glass wall, remembering how I stood in exactly that spot four months ago, impatiently waiting for my non-American boyfriend to clear customs so that we could go home and start enjoying the life I had left behind the previous June, I broke down.  I absolutely and unequivocally wept.  Passers-by smiled at me sympathetically, assuming that I was nervously awaiting a reunion, and I tried to smile back at them, shakily, but as I dried my eyes and straightened my back I realized one thing, one thing that I've rejected for years:

You really can never go home again.

Maximalism - Home Edition

I've been very good over the past few months - it's taken since November, but I've finally unsubscribed from my last American shopping email distribution list.  Goodbye, 30% off sale items at JCrew; au revoir, free shipping from Banana Republic; adios, borrowing designer dresses for the night at Rent the Runway... phew, cutting the ties to home is easier said than done!

However, I'm sitting at the airport at the moment waiting for my flight back to the States and I've managed to stumble on the redesigned Kate Spade website.  Oh, drool.  But wait - what's this I see?  An expanded home section coming soon?  Fabulous!

I've got housewares on the brain, you know, since I've found a new flat.  My mother sent me a link to a website that talks about feng shui for small spaces (yes, I was surprised too - it's totally not her thing, but okay) and it basically preaches minimalism.  I'm all about streamlining and maximizing efficiency, but minimal I do not do.

Why be minimal when you could have seashells in coral frames on your wall...

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gorgeous roses complimenting the piles of pillows on your couch...

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or an unexpected disco ball in the corner the corner of your bedroom?

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Flat Success!

After a week of searching, I am very excited to report that I have secured a new flat!

It's a bit of a unique setup: it's the annex studio to a family home.  It was, originally, the garage, but it was converted into a real space a few years ago.  The family has been using it as an office since they moved into the house a few years ago, but decided recently that they wanted to rent it out.  I don't have photos for you (as it is, currently, still an office) but let me try to draw you a picture:

As you face the house, the entrance to the studio is on the right - it has its own entrance.  You walk into the laundry room, which is connected to the rest of the house and which they will still use, and at the far end is another door, which leads into my room.  The room is a decent size, with another door at the other end which takes you to a modern ensuite bathroom.  They had talked about putting a kitchenette in the room itself, which I was fine with, but they've decided to put the kitchenette in the laundry room which is even better because it means that I won't be cooking in my bedroom.

The property is between Balham and Clapham South - about a 20 minute walk to either station - which is exactly what I was hoping for.  It's definitely at the top of of my budget, but the perks outweigh the sadness of my bank account: all bills are included (utilities, internet, council tax, TV license, etc.) and if anything goes wrong they'll be right there to fix it straight away.  The house itself is absolutely lovely, and the family seems great.  They've got three children under the age of seven, so I suspect some babysitting opportunities might come my way!

I've been perusing the Ikea catalogue - the space isn't furnished though we're discussing who will purchase what - and am getting some cheap inspiration.  Of course, I'm still fantasizing expensively on all of my design websites!  What fun this will be.

Day Trip to the Country

This morning, Alex and Tom and I awoke at an ungodly - for a Saturday - hour so that we could make the two-hour drive south to Glyndebourne in time to hit the box office at 10am.  You see, today was the day that the £30 <30 tickets were released, and Alex knows from bitter experience that if you try to call you'll get a busy signal until you finally get through to discover that all the tickets are gone.  (£30 <30 is the programme through which, if you're under 30 years of age, you can buy a ticket for £30 to a specially designated performance.)

So we set off at 8am, drove through rolling hills to Glynde, and arrived at the estate at 9:45, ensuring that we were in the front of the line for tickets.  I snagged a seat in the middle of the fourth row of the stalls to see Don Giovanni in May.  Woop!

We then wandered the grounds for a while - see photos below - before heading to Lewes, a neighboring picture-perfect English town, to meander the high street.  (Seriously, this place was a postcard: it had its own medieval castle, a lawn upon which old men were playing bowls, winding cobblestones streets, and tiny stone houses with colorful doors.  Cue sighs of American happiness.)

While in Lewes we rifled through Alex's Good Pub Guide, and after settling on The Huntsman in a town that really only included a train station we set off back north; conveniently, the pub was on the way back to London.  Oh man.  Let me tell you.  If you ever happen to find yourself in Eridge Station, make your way there.  They had an incredible wine list, and the food was absolutely delish.  (I had a baked brie to start and chicken with mash as my main.  Nom.)  We proved, after lunch, that we secretly are old women - in case our manic race to purchase opera tickets wasn't enough of a hint - by playing gin rummy by the fire and vaguely dozing off.

We made it back to London for 6:30pm, and concluded that it was a lovely day out of the city.  As much as I love London, it's nice to stretch your legs sometimes, you know?

Frock Fridays

Today's Frock Friday post might seem boring, but if you read carefully you'll notice that I do have news to share.  (And share I will, when I come home this evening!)

This morning I'm hosting a breakfast for donors at work - which is why I'm up before 7am - and, as I was up relatively late last night following a flat viewing (!) and as my soon-to-be new boss will be at the morning event (!) I'm sticking with a relatively simple and conservative office-appropriate frock for today's post.

Oh, hello, Theory.  You never fail me.

Love this dress - the black is slimming, obviously, and the rouching on the side keeps it from being totally boring.  I'm also enjoying boatneck tops at the moment as they take the pressure away from finding an appropriate necklace and I can keep wearing my go-to classic pearl earrings.  I'd wear with this dress with a colorful cardigan, low heels, and minimal jewelry.

Wait.  Is it awesome or pathetic that Michelle Obama seems to be my style icon at the moment?

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Interesting.  Let's have a think on that one.

Flat Hunting... Again

As you might remember from early posts on this blog, I love real estate and flat-hunting.  That's a good thing, because I'm back at it.  I'm staying with my friend Alex for a while, but it's a short-term arrangement and so I've hopped back on Find a Property and Gumtree to find my next home.

This time around I'll be sans boyfriend or flatmates and so I'm on the prowl for a studio flat; I think that I need my own space at this point in my life.  I'm looking south of the river as it's generally cheaper than north or central london and am hoping to be in Balham/Clapham if I can swing it because Wandsworth has the lowest council tax in the country.  Hey, I'm a girl on a budget!

My colleagues think I'm crazy not to be looking closer to work, but I don't mind commuting to the office whereas I'd rather not travel too far for extracurriculars and social outings.  Plus, my last flat - with Jon and the boys - was in Clapham and it still feels like home even though my circumstances have changed.

So I'm trolling websites and asking everyone I know to keep their eyes open for me - that goes for you, too, please - and am hoping to find something decent within my price range.   While you're wishing me luck, I'll be researching small spaces and inspiration for tiny flats on TAA and loving.living.small and will be dreaming big on Design*Sponge and on Decor8.

By the way, I'm loving empty frames as wall art - what do you think?

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Inspired by Narcissus

While out at Borough Market yesterday (duh) I saw the most gorgeous narcissus at the flower vendor.  My mother always fills the house with narcissus around this time of year, if I remember correctly, and I always loved having a delicate vase of them in my room.  They smell lovely - fresh and sweet - but just a few buds pack a real olfactory punch.

If you're an avid reader of this blog you'll know that I usually go for interiors that incorporate vivid hues and, often, strong furniture, but just the glimpse of that narcissus has made me want to explore some other options, and I've found myself wandering around images of rooms and houses that mimic the clean lines and striking brights of the flowers.  I found a beautiful collection of photos from La Belle Vie - let me share them with you.

The narcissus, by the way, is named after a young man in Greek mythology who was so beautiful and so proud that, upon catching his reflection in a pond, fell in love with himself; he wasted away and died next to that pond, admiring his own image.

Cultural Field Trip to the V&A

Daddy and I went to the V&A yesterday, and just wandered around the museum for a while without any real agenda.  I took some photos of my favorite pieces - the ones I always return to when I visit - and of us goofing around.  Enjoy!