added more pics

Also - I added more pics & a link to the Easter post below, as I'd forgotten to do that. Hmm. Is anyone around to remind me? I'll just pretend you're all lurking.

Snow fell in London!!

The snow last Sunday morning was absolutely phenomenal. It was forecast, but I didn't believe it until my housemate greeted me around 9am with "Have you opened your curtains yet?" !! It was drizzling rain the night before, seemed so unlikely! Snow had all but vanished around 2pm.




My housemates are busy studying for exams at the moment, so I went out on my own to run a few errands and take some piccies of the downfall. Mostly just to discover the world that forms in London's undiscovered places when it snows.



I had so much fun! I think walking through Highgate Wood during the snowfall in such a pristine setting is going to linger in my memory for a long time to come.



Met some really cute kids, didn't catch their names, but they were all to eager to make sure I knew that their snowmen were called Sylvie and Whitey.



Apparently Whitey (remarkable, the Pooh resemblance!) looked like a bear because they were trying to encourage the Polar Bears hiding in the woods to come out. As far as I know, that didn't happen, but we did find a worm at the bottom of the snowman. It was attracting some creatures at least...


People came prepared. This pic features a carrot, and real glace cherries for buttons!


a very odd looking snowman


...facing a fiend/friend/foe...

He had celery hair and radishes for eyes!


I think this was my favourite though. They added in the beer can just as I came along.
They were quite famous in the park - quite a crowd around them!



Look at the spring buds underneath the powder on these branches. It was so beautiful, and yet felt so wrong.


Such weird weather.

the shameful rise of mercury.

Mercury joined me about two months ago, but he was a bit camera shy. He told me right firm that he wasn't going to pose in one of my stupid London photos. He was destined for more exotic exploits. That was, until he saw Fuzlet. Jealous, I think he was. Fuzlet was getting all the attention.


Then, I couldn't keep him out of them!



Even tried to pretend to be a squirrel (though, I suppose he was just hungry. what do you feed a stuffed animal? never did work that out.)




Had to send him away, in the end. Naughty piece of fluff. (Mercury, not the squirrel)

He's now in a postbox somewhere, wimpering away. I have a feeling he'll turn up again soon.

Fun in the capital with friends!

I caught up with Japh and Emi the other day (pictured above at Piccadilly Circus) - so surreal to see friends from Tassie! They're on their honeymoon over here, only in London for a few days - in Italy at present. I felt like there was so much to say, so much time and space we'd had between us. I was able to hear all about the wedding and I'd already been to Dan Cripp's website to see a few pics! We all shared a few tube observations and random impressions of London, and I agreed that I really wasn't using my time in London sightseeing. I do reserve the right to claim that I never did mention seeing Buckingham Palace in my blog header, Japh. :P
What can I say. It just doesn't look that much like I'd imagine a palace to look.


Gates of Green Park/St James? One or the other.


Ah. family. home. Japh and Emi - I felt safe with. Did I mention how good it was to see you both?


Japh was completely obsessed with feeding the squirrels.


I have to admit, I also loved it to bits.



We went to

• Green Park
• Buckingham Palace (much to my chagrin...ick. Too many tourists.)
• Hyde Park, (squirrels)
• Harrods (I did that for you, especially, Leanne)
• Piccadilly Circus
• Trafalgar Square
• Covent Garden
• Hyde Park flower walk (squirrels again)
• Kensington Gardens - Palace
• and then on the tube back to our relative stops.

(see more pics here)

So we covered a bit of ground, and only took one bus in the middle of that trip, and i only met them at lunchtime. That's what I call a full on city tour on a Friday afternoon! My lack of navigational skills around London was a bit of a chore, but I'm like most people I know and still have to use an 'A-Z street directory' to get around...Ok, so I took some of our discussions about me not seeing half of London yet, even though I've lived here almost 8 months, to heart; made a resolution with my housemates when I arrived home - to go out once a month and see something different!
At least that's a start.

I have been to heaps of lovely spots around London - there's just so many to choose from! Always something new every day. I just prefer the non-tourist route! I have a holiday coming up with my sister soon, which is a full-on Europe tour. We'll likely go to lovely touristy spots, but I still hope we find the unnoticed gems.

It's so incredible to watch movies now that feature London, even random English scenes that I've seen. They're not just clips anymore, but I feel the reality of the places. I've not only seen it with my eyes, but soaked up the (ha!) dirt on the street.

I guess that's the thing about traveling and living in other lands. Identifying with the world in some small way. Feeling your part in it.