There She Goes: Last Chapter of England
Hello From Canada!
This past week we traveled from England back to the States, and then headed up to Canada. We’re on a little lake that has been in my family for generations now, and we’ve been doing crossword puzzles with my Oma (grandmother) and taking chilly dips in the lake. It’s far from the life we had a week ago, traveling Europe, but it’s certainly no less fulfilling. We’re welcoming the change as we reflect on the past few months and prepare for what’s next. I covered this a bit more on our blog.
Songs To Stitch To, Sing To, Get You Through The Week
Set Aside Some Time This Week For Some Self-Care
I. Take a new route to work or to another place you frequent. This keeps you healthy by developing new neural pathways and stimulating your brain.
II. Write a limerick or haiku. My family actually has an annual limerick contest at our family reunion — it’s so fun!
III. Spend an hour reading fiction. I’m guilty of filling my reading list with non-fiction books and forget how good fiction reads can send you into another world. En route to Canada we listened to one of the Harry Potter audio books. Great choice!
Uplifting Things Happening Around The World
I. There was a rare event at the Berlin zoo this week — a panda birthed twins! Considering that pandas are notoriously difficult to breed, this was big news.
II. I loved reading this story about a woman in Oregon that is transforming retired school buses into tiny houses for working homeless people. I couldn’t believe the beautiful renovations on the inside.
III. A 9-Year old double amputee will be strutting down the catwalk at the New York Fashion Week. Very uplifting story about Daisy, who is taking the modeling world by storm.
Soulful Salutations
“Self care is how you take your power back” — Lalah Delia
“I am made of all things I choose to focus on” — Anonymous
“We move forward when we recognize how resilient and striking the women around us are” — Rupi Kaur
There She Goes
Last week we said goodbye to the Cotswolds and had our final two days in London. We stuck around the Brick Lane area and there was no shortage of things to see and do!
View of some of the clippers preparing to depart on the Clipper Round the World Race
Sights that have made me say “WOW”
I. The boats for the Clipper Round the World Race, which set off from London on leg 1 of the round-the-world challenge. We looked at the boats and read about a few of the teams on info signs. It was neat to read that not only is it a competition that involves the young and old , but also it includes all skill levels since the sailors are “everyday people” trained for this race only.
II. The inside of the New Road Hotel. This is a boutique hotel in East London that used to be a textile factory! The design of the space is clever, clean, and truly unique. This was our “end of trip splurge” that ended up not being a splurge at all — room prices are reasonable, you can usually find a discount, and you can pay just a little bit more for included breakfast!
III. Seeing an old friend/colleague on the plane from London to Boston. The world continues to amaze me in how small it is — En route home, just as we were getting settled into our seats on the plane, an old coworker of ours boarded the flight! Hugs and quick updates were exchanged in a middle and vacant row of seats, and then our reunion was broken by passengers who were clearly confused at how such excitement and joy could be happening on a flight and who just wanted to sit down. So great to see a familiar face en route home!
Good Eats
I. Papadum with a sprinkle of salt and a handful of toasted fennel seeds. This feels like a breakthrough in culinary snacking! Papadum is a crunchy, disc-shaped Indian and Sri Lankan flatbread. It can be made from a range of flours, grains, and lentils, and you can fry them up at home. For those of you that may, like me, be searched for a popcorn alternative… this is it!
II. Lunch at Vegan Yes. This meal was one of the last ones we had in England and I’ll never forget it. This place is a fusion of Italian and Korean — two things I never thought would go together. Not only were we wowed by our dishes (I had the Kimchi Bibimbap and my partner the Kimchi Sausage) but the service provided by the owners themselves was out of this world. We truly felt like they were looking into our souls as they helped us select our dishes and the woman brought over complementary blue tea that was meant to invigorate our “communication” chakra.
III. A drink and snacks at the Discount Suit Company, the most speakeasyish speakeasy I’ve ever seen. Indeed, after passing by it without noticing, I had to triple check my map that it was actually a bar and not just atsuit store. They serve delicious cocktails, well portioned snacks, and have attentive service. Would recommend an adventure to this spot!
Have a stellar week everyone!
Be well,
Sheila