I hope you'll forgive me, but I'm not going to go into detail about my christmas period. I've written it and deleted it about five times now and wayyy too much happened for me to put it into words. Besides, I don't think words could do it justice. One day. Just not now.
(I've given up smoking and my patience is low)
London is a very beautiful and snowy place at the moment and I am currently in a 'love' phase with it once again despite the fact that I have no footwear entirely suitable for navigating its icy paths (need some spikes or snow boots or something). We had to wait a bit longer than the rest of the country for the snow to arrive, and I spent lots of time on Facebook and Twitter last night enjoying everybody's updates but looking wistfully out of the window at a very dry garden. However, at about 11.30pm the snowflakes began to fall and when I woke up this morning there was a beautiful blanket of snow in the car park and garden outside my window, untouched except for a few fox trails.
I actually made it into central London today as I just had to go to SOAS and do some work on my Africa essay. Sam and I managed to put in about three hours of work until we got distracted by the increasingly heavy snowfall and gathered up our hats, scarves and gloves excitedly yelling "SNOW!!" Much to the disgust of some particularly grumpy students on the bank of desks opposite. We went out into Russell Square and walked (skidded) all the way to Covent Garden. Then we stopped to get the best type of fuel for a snow day - Crussh soup.
And I found £20 on the pavement. Result.
I love the way that snow days bring out everybody's sense of fun. OK, buses terminate miles from your house and it's bitingly cold and the pavements are slippy, but who can resist picking up a little snowball and throwing it at a neighbour or helping the local kids with their snowman? My bus kicked me off at Peckham Rye this evening and I walked all the way back to East Dulwich having conversations with people along the way. Would this happen on a normal bog-standard grey London day?
Wednesday, 6 January 2010
Sunday, 3 January 2010
Some Time to Reflect
I have decided that today is my 'free day' - a day where I will not consider work or essays but sort out all of the little jobs in my house that I have been intending to do since about mid-November. Therefore I have also resolved to delay the writing of my blog until tomorrow. However, I have decided to compile a little photographic round-up of 2009 to get myself all nice and nostalgic. Enjoy xx
Seeing in 2009 at Ivans Retreat, Brixton with Claire, Ollie and Will - January 2009
Mette, Jessie, Beatrice, Nic and Myself at Vincent Kane's Show at 93 Feet East, Brick Lane - February 2009
Myself and Jade on a very drunken night at Ye Olde Axe, Hackney - February 2009
My favourite neighbour Samantha Freds and myself enjoying the snow (skive) day in the Horniman Gardens, Forest Hill - February 2009
Celebrating Laura's Birthday in Brockley - January 2009
In Pompeii - April 2009
Recreating an old picture outside of the Colosseum in Rome - April 2009
Hannah, Jade, Cas, Laura, Laura and Myself outside of the Reichstag in Berlin - April 2009
Sam and I on the day we skived our lecture and had a renegade picnic in the courtyard of Chesterman Halls in New Cross - March 2009
One of the Foxberry Road House Parties - March 2009
At the Temple of Literature in Hanoi - June 2009
My BFI Leaving Drinks in Fitzrovia - May 2009
Ollie's Birthday BBQ at our old flat in Forest Hill - June 2009
Beatrice, Sam, Nic, Mette and Myself at Sam's Birthday Party in New Cross - May 2009
In Sorrento - April 2009
Sam and I at Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia - June 2009
Brock and I in a tuk-tuk in Phnom Penh, Cambodia - June 2009
In Saigon - June 2009
In Hoi An - June 2009
Jen, Nic, Sam and I in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam - June 2009
Serena, Jen and I at an outdoor screening of Slumdog Millionaire in Peckham Rye - September 2009
Sam, Mette, Myself and Laura at the wedding of Nic and Tom, Tunbridge Wells - August 2009
Ollie and I with the Bride and Groom at the wedding of Ryan and Caroline, Romsey, Hampshire - July 2009
With Rowena at the wedding of Sarah-Jane and Chris on the Southbank - July 2009
In Bangkok - July 2009
Our mis-matched Halloween in New Cross - October 2009
At the engagement party of Simon and Natalie in Bristol - November 2009
Flash Fiktion gig at the Brixton Windmill - November 2009
With Sam and Laura at I Love the 90s in Islington - October 2009
Arsie's Visit to London - September 2009
In Amsterdam - December 2009
Ollie, Myself and Sam in Bruges - December 2009
Brock's Visit to London - November 2009
David Bowie Night at Feeling Gloomy, Islington - December 2009
In Paris for my 26th Birthday - November 2009
And finally... where 2009 ended - in the hot-tub at Mike's parents' house in Eindhoven, Holland - December 2009
Seeing in 2009 at Ivans Retreat, Brixton with Claire, Ollie and Will - January 2009
Mette, Jessie, Beatrice, Nic and Myself at Vincent Kane's Show at 93 Feet East, Brick Lane - February 2009
Myself and Jade on a very drunken night at Ye Olde Axe, Hackney - February 2009
My favourite neighbour Samantha Freds and myself enjoying the snow (skive) day in the Horniman Gardens, Forest Hill - February 2009
Celebrating Laura's Birthday in Brockley - January 2009
In Pompeii - April 2009
Recreating an old picture outside of the Colosseum in Rome - April 2009
Hannah, Jade, Cas, Laura, Laura and Myself outside of the Reichstag in Berlin - April 2009
Sam and I on the day we skived our lecture and had a renegade picnic in the courtyard of Chesterman Halls in New Cross - March 2009
One of the Foxberry Road House Parties - March 2009
At the Temple of Literature in Hanoi - June 2009
My BFI Leaving Drinks in Fitzrovia - May 2009
Ollie's Birthday BBQ at our old flat in Forest Hill - June 2009
Beatrice, Sam, Nic, Mette and Myself at Sam's Birthday Party in New Cross - May 2009
In Sorrento - April 2009
Sam and I at Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia - June 2009
Brock and I in a tuk-tuk in Phnom Penh, Cambodia - June 2009
In Saigon - June 2009
In Hoi An - June 2009
Jen, Nic, Sam and I in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam - June 2009
Serena, Jen and I at an outdoor screening of Slumdog Millionaire in Peckham Rye - September 2009
Sam, Mette, Myself and Laura at the wedding of Nic and Tom, Tunbridge Wells - August 2009
Ollie and I with the Bride and Groom at the wedding of Ryan and Caroline, Romsey, Hampshire - July 2009
With Rowena at the wedding of Sarah-Jane and Chris on the Southbank - July 2009
In Bangkok - July 2009
Our mis-matched Halloween in New Cross - October 2009
At the engagement party of Simon and Natalie in Bristol - November 2009
Flash Fiktion gig at the Brixton Windmill - November 2009
With Sam and Laura at I Love the 90s in Islington - October 2009
Arsie's Visit to London - September 2009
In Amsterdam - December 2009
Ollie, Myself and Sam in Bruges - December 2009
Brock's Visit to London - November 2009
David Bowie Night at Feeling Gloomy, Islington - December 2009
In Paris for my 26th Birthday - November 2009
And finally... where 2009 ended - in the hot-tub at Mike's parents' house in Eindhoven, Holland - December 2009
Monday, 28 December 2009
New Year, New Blog
Dear Readers
I have been unable to write my blog of late as the sheer amount of alcohol and christmas food I have consumed have made my fingers too fat to type. I hope you have all had a wonderful christmas. I am off to Holland in the morning and, due to the liberal attitude of the Dutch government towards certain errrmmm.... inebriating substances, I doubt I will be in any state to write until my return.
In that case I wish you all a very happy and prosperous new year and leave you with the promise of writing much more in 2010.
With love
GP xx
I have been unable to write my blog of late as the sheer amount of alcohol and christmas food I have consumed have made my fingers too fat to type. I hope you have all had a wonderful christmas. I am off to Holland in the morning and, due to the liberal attitude of the Dutch government towards certain errrmmm.... inebriating substances, I doubt I will be in any state to write until my return.
In that case I wish you all a very happy and prosperous new year and leave you with the promise of writing much more in 2010.
With love
GP xx
Monday, 14 December 2009
Home Sweet Home
One of the best things about families are that they make the most amazing houseguests, and when they come to stay they make you enjoy your own home all the more. Yesterday Ollie, Will, Claire and I all went Christmas shopping in Oxford Street which was extremely productive albeit very scary and then headed back to the flat for Harissa Chicken (Quorn) and an evening drinking more mulled cider and watching Spaced.
Have three more days in London then am off to Southampton for Christmas with the family. Getting pretty excited now.
Sorry - this is a picture from New Year's Eve last year. Am not as snap-happy as I once was xx
Have three more days in London then am off to Southampton for Christmas with the family. Getting pretty excited now.
Sorry - this is a picture from New Year's Eve last year. Am not as snap-happy as I once was xx
Saturday, 12 December 2009
Christmas is Coming...and I Only Just Got It....
So have had lots of thinking time over the past few days and am feeling much better. I have also had the benefit of lots of speaking time courtesy of my most wonderful friends and have had some good advice with which I can move forward.
Thursday I was taken to Vanilla Black for my work Christmas celebration and had the most wonderful lunch: baked beetroot terrine with horseradish cream and pickled fennel; followed by celeriac and sage dauphinoise, bergamot braised leeks and spinach puree; followed by sugar and spice tart with roasted satsumas and finally huge amounts of coffee with beautiful chocolate cups filled with white chocolate and Baileys. It was absolutely spectacular and such a rare experience to be able to choose ANYTHING on the menu (I rarely frequent veggie restaurants due to all of my non-veggie friends). I drank lots of wine and stumbled home to fall asleep in front of the TV.
Yesterday Will and Claire arrived from Southampton, which was exciting. I cooked us all some risotto and then we headed to the Amersham Arms to watch the band play. The gig was ace but the drinks were ridiculously expensive. Every time I spilled a drop it was like pound coins falling out of my glass. How a place in New Cross can charge £5 to get in and then £3.30 for a CAN of Red Stripe is beyond me. One good review in Time Out and they think they're the Koko. Oh dear.
Today we had a lie-in and then walked down to Forest Hill to check out the Horniman Museum. We wandered around the music gallery, the African worlds exhibition and looked at the Darwin 500 Wildlife Photography exhibition, the review of which will be the first entry in my new travel blog which is being started soon (just as soon as I figure out the last few minute details!) So exciting.
However, far from travelling, right now I am curled up in my flat in my enormous Goldsmiths hoodie about to construct a cheeseboard to have with the lovely homemade mulled cider that Will and Claire bought us. Loverly xx
Thursday I was taken to Vanilla Black for my work Christmas celebration and had the most wonderful lunch: baked beetroot terrine with horseradish cream and pickled fennel; followed by celeriac and sage dauphinoise, bergamot braised leeks and spinach puree; followed by sugar and spice tart with roasted satsumas and finally huge amounts of coffee with beautiful chocolate cups filled with white chocolate and Baileys. It was absolutely spectacular and such a rare experience to be able to choose ANYTHING on the menu (I rarely frequent veggie restaurants due to all of my non-veggie friends). I drank lots of wine and stumbled home to fall asleep in front of the TV.
Yesterday Will and Claire arrived from Southampton, which was exciting. I cooked us all some risotto and then we headed to the Amersham Arms to watch the band play. The gig was ace but the drinks were ridiculously expensive. Every time I spilled a drop it was like pound coins falling out of my glass. How a place in New Cross can charge £5 to get in and then £3.30 for a CAN of Red Stripe is beyond me. One good review in Time Out and they think they're the Koko. Oh dear.
Today we had a lie-in and then walked down to Forest Hill to check out the Horniman Museum. We wandered around the music gallery, the African worlds exhibition and looked at the Darwin 500 Wildlife Photography exhibition, the review of which will be the first entry in my new travel blog which is being started soon (just as soon as I figure out the last few minute details!) So exciting.
However, far from travelling, right now I am curled up in my flat in my enormous Goldsmiths hoodie about to construct a cheeseboard to have with the lovely homemade mulled cider that Will and Claire bought us. Loverly xx
Wednesday, 9 December 2009
Rest
I have to get this out before normal service resumes.
At the moment I'm pretty tired and confused. It's been a heavy couple of weeks. I just need space and sleep. I will figure it all out in time but at the moment I just need to take some time to listen to my own voice and the voices of those around me. I'm not down or sad, it's just that something has shifted within me and I need to readjust. Rest assured, though, I am fine. For one thing I am way to bloody-minded to let it get me down. I apologise if this makes little sense. I'm going to write it off as some kind of self-therapy.
There.
At the moment I'm pretty tired and confused. It's been a heavy couple of weeks. I just need space and sleep. I will figure it all out in time but at the moment I just need to take some time to listen to my own voice and the voices of those around me. I'm not down or sad, it's just that something has shifted within me and I need to readjust. Rest assured, though, I am fine. For one thing I am way to bloody-minded to let it get me down. I apologise if this makes little sense. I'm going to write it off as some kind of self-therapy.
There.
Sunday, 6 December 2009
Useless
Rest assured, I have not abandoned my blog. I have the worst case of Saigon Syndrome ever bought on by a week of fun, American and Canadian visitors and some excessive drinking. Aim to have a full account of this week in words by mid-week. Until then, my apologies.
LY xx
LY xx
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