Sunday, January 20, 2013

Sunday Morning Reminders of Home


It's a snowy Sunday in London. The heat has been pumping all weekend & I'm perfectly content with a  cup of tea and a warm flat. 

While getting my hair cut yesterday I was reading an 'Elle Essay' in January's UK edition. It was about a girl who had moved from New York to London and left the familiar behind to follow a dream.  

From her difficulty in meeting people in a city as big as London to just missing the friends who had known her for so long, before I'd even finished the first paragraph I was tearing up. While London has and continues to be a dream come true, its had its hard bits.


As I approach the date of my Visa expiring (3 months time) and I face the fact I can't have both, I have to remind myself how lucky I am to be living life long distance in 2013. Between Canadian maple syrup and skype chats, home is never too far away. 

I like to think that no matter what happens with my Visa in April, the home I've created in London will never feel too far away either. Even if it is through imported baked beans & jelly babies? I've got wonderful friends on both sides & I've got the options of two great cities to live in. Whether I want it to or not, a lot is going to change these next 3 months. It's both nerve wracking but also quite exciting. 

I've had so many great opportunities since moving to London. The latest of which is an internship with Selfridges I started 2 weeks ago! Voted "Best department store in the world" for 4 years running it's such an inspiring place! The Heinz beans above are from their recent campaign No Noise

Sunday, January 13, 2013

2hrs to Paris...

The beauty of living just a 2hr train ride to Paris is that popping over for  a couple day for NYE is both realistic & if planned ahead budget friendly!

So just that I did...


We rented an apartment from airbnb.com (highly recommended!!) and for just 68 euros a night found ourselves smack dab in the middle of Paris, with our own place to call home.

Evening walks along the Seine
 Countdown on the Champs-Elysees! It was packed with people from one end to the other. We stopped about mid-way and at 12 everyone popped open bottles of champagne. 
 There were no fire works. It was just a mass of celebrating people with all the charm they needed from the sights of Paris and presence of friends & family. 
 First sunset of 2013!
For Christmas I got a new camera. I had so much fun taking photos these 3 days. A resolution for 2013:  some snapping skills. 
A 2-hour wait made 100% worthwhile by the views off the first tier of the Eiffel Tower. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! 

xx