Greenwich.

So, this is fun...

I was cleaning out my photos when I found a London adventure that was never documented. Don't get me wrong, there are some sneaky little secrets I don't put on the blog, but this wasn't one of them.

The Cornershop

Reason No. 3,467 to miss London: LUCY SPARROW

Where else do you have artists producing so many amazing contemporary works that you can't possibly see them all? Honestly, people -"Tired of London, tired of life".

London Calling.

"A long December, and there's reason to believe maybe this year will be better than the last..."

Hmm, well, that's certainly setting the bar high. I do have a good feeling about 2014 and all it has in store, but I did have an amazing evening re-reading and cataloguing my London posts from last year. I was finding there were some obvious things that stood out in my mind that I could quickly put in the search bar, but without looking back through my archives, there were certain wonderful events that would skip my mind. So now they are organized under the London tab at the top of the page. 

AC- I know you are only freshly back at work, but Happy Procrastinating!

Home is Where the Heart is.

It's a strange feeling sitting down to write a long overdue conclusion to my London adventures. While my year is certainly over, rest assured this won't be the end of the blog.

Life has certainly been a little crazy since my plane landed in Vancouver two weeks ago last night. I had a day to unpack myself into my new (temporary) apartment, and was right back at work the following day. If I've struggled with anything (besides lack of sleep) in the last two weeks, it has been fighting the overwhelming sensation that my last year in the UK was a simply a figment of my imagination. It is strange to settle back into my old routine so quickly, it truly seems as though I never left. Although it's wonderful to fit back in so quickly, this is one of the feelings I was afraid of.

I'm absolutely loving being back at work (yes, an extremely pleasant surprise). I think I had forgotten how much I enjoy my job, my colleagues, and my students. Although starting the school year off, flying by the seat of my pants, has been quite the test, it has been softened by the wonderful conversations and quick catch-ups with friends, and colleagues who I haven't seen. I've had a stream of students popping into my classroom just to say hi and welcome me back (some of whom I no longer recognized as they've grown so much in a year). Work has changed a little as I'm teaching a few blocks of phys-ed along with visual art. The school is also well into it's big renovation, so we're all having to be a little more flexible than usual (what doesn't kill us makes us stronger right?). My neighbourhood is also new, which has also helped to keep me on my toes. It's been fun exploring what's around me, finding the bank, the grocery store, the nearest pool, and all of life's needs.

I've had countless wonderful dinner with my family (a luxury I had also missed), been able to attend my best friend's bridal shower, had evenings at the ballpark with my brothers, and girl's nights out with childhood friends. These are definitely some of the wonderful aspects of being home. I've had ocean side swims at Kits Pool, runs through old growth forests, and drives to work along the ocean, staring up at the North Shore mountains. The city is definitely beautiful, and the quality of life (and air!) parallel to none.

Yes, I still miss London. I miss London daily, if I'm being truthful, probably hourly. Everything I do, see, hear, reminds me of bits and pieces of my year there. I am conscious that I sound like someone in a new relationship, who mentions their other half in every other sentence. Everything that comes out of my mouth seems to link back to last year's memories, and the city I left behind.

I think about my routine. I miss the pave stone on my street that wasn't properly set, and would wiggle each time I intentionally stepped on it. I think about the different brands of food I used to buy in the Waitrose. I miss good generic builder's tea. I find myself converting prices back to £'s to figure out whether or not something is over priced. I get sad when the students play Mumford & Sons in the classroom as it makes me think of London. I miss the Canadian crew I grew to love, and find myself looking forward to Christmas when some may be home to visit their families.

I know I'll get back to London at some point, I just wish I knew when. I'm grateful that I enjoyed my year as much as I did, but I can definitely say I wasn't ready to come home. I know, just like any relationship, I needed to come home to put my year in perspective. I'm now left to wonder if this feeling I have in my chest is also like a relationship. Does it need time and a half to heal? Will I eventually shake London out of my system, or is this a feeling I should be listening to?

Notting Hill Carnival.

Yes, there has been some blogger neglect occurring as of the last week. All for very good reason, let me assure you. Things have been HECTIC. I spent the last week back and forth to New Cross, preparing for the show, while at the same time researching, and working on my last paper. We cleaned an entire Church (in preparation) and spent the better part of 3 days installing our work, checking on it, obsessing over it...you get the picture.

I've also found myself wanting to catch up on the blog and then holding myself back, as I'm feeling like every last second of my last week in London needs to be spent out and about in the city, and spending time with friends.

This all being said, I'm hoping to get a few more posts in this week, as I've been up to a lot, and want to share. I know all too well, that if I get too far behind, you'll never get to see how this last week and a bit has been spent.

Let's start with yesterday's bank holiday.

I got up bright and early to head into school (during a transit strike, go figure) for my final viva. I don't want to jinx things, but it was definitely the best one to date. I'm not sure why, and if I know my University, I know that this last experience means nothing as far as my marks are concerned, but I was really pleased to finish my MA (and this year of being out of my comfort zone) on such a high.

From school, I headed to the Notting Hill Carnival. Getting there in itself was a carnival. The tubes were absolutely packed, it was comical. I can't believe the city of London allows so many people to congregate in one neighbourhood, let alone Notting Hill. It was INSANE.

Definitely a different view of this usually cute spot. You'll notice many of the shops board up their windows in preparation for the two day event which tends to get messy when the sun goes down.



Yes, the bookstore from the film...


On our way, before the craziness.



Rum Punch, oh how I love thee.. (those who were with me in Barbados, no that this is the nectar of the gods).

The food was delicious. Jerk Chicken, grilled corn, meat patties, dumplings, plantain, curry, SCRUMPTIOUS! You name it, I ate it.

Jello shots..

As it appears, it was one giant street party. DJs on every other street corner, and people out and about, ready to have a good time.

I saw far less costumes than I expected, but we did completely miss out on the parade as there were so many people, and we attempted to avoid the chaos.

Everyone was getting into the excitement...

The garbage left EVERYWHERE, was definitely one of the down sides of the event. I can't recall seeing a garbage bin anywhere so perhaps that is why.

Not all of Carnival was peaches and cream..

After finding myself on a street so packed with people that my own feet couldn't keep myself upright amid the pushing and shoving, I decided to call it a day. I no longer felt safe, and knew at any moment a crowd that size could turn. Ignoring my voice of reason, I left the group alone and headed for home. 

The second I got out of the crowds, I was fine, and actually enjoying the atmosphere again. I strolled up Portobello road, put myself on a bus.

Even boarded up windows, mass crowds, and garbage, can't take the charm out of Notting Hill.

Photo Credit: A big thanks to KATE for MOST of these pictures. I only managed to grab about 15 from my iphone, as the little  'party cam' died.

To be Frank.

Last week I met my friends from school for some drinks at Franks Campari Bar. Have you been? If you haven't, you are running out of time, as they dismantle the bar at the end of September. You may have seen from my instagram photos, the bar itself is located on the tenth floor of a parking garage in Peckham. Pretty neat. Something I'm sure Vancouver's licensing laws, and 'no-fun' policies would prevent us from enjoying. This is the fourth summer running Franks, and so far so good.

The bar isn't easy to find. Once you see the initial signs (at the base of the garage) you are left on a hunt to search for small red squares with white arrows leading you to your destination.

When you reach the 9th floor there is an Art exhibition (a bit of an assurance that you've almost made it), and when you finally reach the 10th...you will know.

As you emerge from the garage to the open air of the top level, you are faced with the London skyline. That in itself makes Franks a wonderful place to spend an evening.

The menu was simple but tasty. We were left a little hungry as we didn't order enough between us, but I'll know better for next time. We ordered the humous and french bread, the grilled corn, and the Ox heart Kebab. The only other downside was the (sometimes) long line at the bar. Frustrating when you are excited to get back to your friends...and the view.

Great face Courtenay.

And in case you were wondering about plumbing logistics...

A true Londoner. I'm going to take this look back to Vancouver.

You can visit their website to find our more about Frank's HERE.