nov, 30th - pouring, old man is snoring....

 day 637: 

those are the only words that Limi sings of this song....

tough week so far.....i'm brimming with ideas for Christmas, for photos, for fun and instead i seem stuck in the mundane....or the dark (not great for pics) or the rain.....

anyway, at least there's someone who enjoys the rainy weather we've been having.

tomorrow night i'm off to see Sleeping Beauty at the Royal Opera House....now that's a way to escape the mundane. i can't wait.

nov, 29th - the rest of sunday....

day 636:

the rest of Sunday was spent at Hackney City Farm {see day 476}. it's such a small treat in the middle of the city and still as farmyard-ramshackle delightful as our last visit. 

a magical sunny day.

nov, 28th - toes....

day 635:

toes are a big thing in our house these days......we say morning to toes, we say goodnight to toes, we draw faces on them, wriggle them, hide them in socks and Limi is always quick to request that we take off our shoes when we get home so that our toes are free.....

or maybe it's just her ploy so that she can walk around in our shoes.

nov, 27th - friends....

day 634:

we went back to Columbia Road Flower Market {see day 230} today. it just gets better and better. i found the most beautiful, vintage, smock dress for Limi at a stall selling piles of old, linen pillow cases, tablecloths and hand towels. a great place to find some Christmas present gems.

and the same musicians were entertaining the people passing by. we lingered so that these two could watch....

another good weekend. hope yours was too.

nov, 25th - your opinion, please....

day 632:

i've decided to start a new global tradition.....oh, i wish that i had that kind of declare-a-new-national-holiday power...but i don't. so this may just have to be a new personal tradition. it's to flip New Year's Resolutions on their head. i think that January is a bad month to make these types of lists and then they drag on through the year, you break them.....you don't live up to them and before you know it the end of the year has come and you feel like you've failed...once again.

this year, i've realised that we need a different approach....in fact, we need to make End of Year Resolutions not New Year's Resolution. these should be quick wins.....made in November.....with the idea that 'if you end your year having done...' you will be in a better place than you were at the start.

i've made a few of these End of Year Resolutions and that's where i need your help. one is to send out Christmas cards.....homemade Christmas cards and the above pics are what i've come up with.....what do you think? which one gets your vote....A, B or C?

ps. one year A. and i sent out what we thought was an innocent e-Christmas card....until a friend asked if we were naked......we weren't but in retrospect in my strapless dress, the head and shoulders shot did look a bit naked.....and our naked couple Christmas card got sent to everyone....grandparents, friends, old colleagues. so you can see why i need your help. i've been scarred from sending Christmas cards ever since. 

nov, 23rd - shiny shoes....

day 631:

it must be the hint of sparkle that keeps creeping in, now that Christmas is almost here, that made me do it. i bought these shoes for Limi. i think that they're just crying out for taps to be added {see day 503}.

i think that they've started a new tradition.....a pair Christmas shoes every December...sparkles optional but festive spirit, a must. now to find my pair.

nov, 22nd - shorter days.....

day 630:

slightly blurred around the edges, glimmers of smiles, looking a bit tired....yes, we need a holiday.

just booked tickets home. looking forward to this beach, this cafe, this market and of course wonderful friends and family.

nov, 20th - weekend....

day 628:

weekends lately, have been all about visiting family, bracing, slow walks (Limi is keen to practice her jumping every three steps and yesterday there was even a busker-pavement moment of 'ring-a, ring-a rosie' including fall-down actions) and enjoying the incredible colour everywhere. London has put on a spectacular Autumn this year. 

but certainly Autumn 2011, will be mostly remembered by our rediscovery of Richmond Park.....

it's unbelievably beautiful at this time of year (as i have said...post...after post...after post). last weekend we discovered these giant parasol mushrooms, not poisonous i read...although Limi thought that they were large dandelions.....

as you can tell, we're loving this park. 

nov, 17th - all change please....

day 625:

it's been an interesting year trying to teach Limi about goodbyes, we've seen plenty of far-flung family and friends and i've watched her grapple with them being around and then suddenly only existing back in Skype. there's no doubt that children adapt quickly and live in the moment, but it's still been hard for us when she asks to go 'Up Up' with someone on Skype and wonders why they can't. i've tried very hard to remind her that she said goodbye and that they are now at home/school/ Hong Kong/Australia/ South Africa. it seems to be working.

anyway, it's time for more goodbyes......Jae, Limi's brilliant nanny, {see days 389, 484, 546} is leaving us. her overseas visa runs out in December and so it's time for her to head back. there are plenty of things that we appreciate about Jae (which i will leave for a different post) but one BIG one for me are the little images that she started to send me when i am away working. we use WhatsApp which is brilliant and free....the latest 'Limi-drops' were these three pics, playing fashionista-blogger dress-up

dealing with change and saying goodbye is always difficult but at least A. and i have time to prepare for it. for Limi, the tough part is that she has no idea what's coming.....and these two are very tight.

ps. on a completely different topic, have you heard this version of The Calling's 'Wherever you will go' by Charlene Soraia...i've been playing it on repeat.

nov, 16th - west london....

day 624:

our beautiful bridge......i hope that if i ever leave London, i will come back and visit this bridge.

nov, 14th - beautiful cladding....

day 622:

love this building, that wood, those black frames and the metal planter.

i'm definitely drawn to dark wood clad houses at the moment, like this stunning, Russian, holiday home, this place to rent on the Isle of Skye and these Danish box-houses that remind me of my dream shipping container holiday home.

which is also probably why Limi's play-shed ended up looking like this.

nov, 13th - urban beekeeping....

day 621:

last weekend we went to an urban bee-keeping talk at Petersham Nurseries {see day 603} (i did warn you that it's become our favourite place for Autumn). Although the Shoebox certainly doesn't have space for a couple of hives.....A. and i both come from farming-type backgrounds and i think that under our urban veneer, we long for vegetable patches and bees at the end of the garden. (Given that we've both killed every single pot-plant and window-box that we've ever tried to raise....we have a long road ahead).....

anyway,  it was great to be in a classroom environment again, especially when that classroom, is a beautiful, glass greenhouse.....our bee instructor, Brian McCallum, was brilliant. He's part of Urban Bees, has written various books and works on the Mayor of London's Capital Bee scheme. I certainly wish that I had known about these career choices when I was growing up.

we may not have the rambling garden and abundance of pollen creating plants yet.....but we are certainly both inspired to one day have these and some busy hives to look after......in the meantime, it's back to those window boxes with renewed enthusiasm.