Shona comes to Brum!

Hello, friends. So I've had a bit of a rough week here in Birmingham (maybe I can tell you over the phone later), so I was so excited to have my good friend Shona come to visit for the weekend! Shona and I met at York U. The first time I saw her, I knew she was a kindred spirit and that we would soon become bosom friends like Anne and Diana (I've been reading Anne of Green Gables this week). Shona has been going to school in Swansea, on the South coast of Wales, for the past semester. As you may remember, I went to go see her in Feb.

Yesterday, we took a stroll around the city centre so I could show her some of the sights. I wanted to take her for a long walk around Moseley, but it was wet and windy, so I thought sticking to the city would be a better idea. We had a nice long catch-up over some tea and hot chocolate. Later, we met up with Aussie and had delicious burgers for dinner. We were exploring the canals a bit and noticed a boat tour that we decided to try the next day. Even though the weather hadn't really improved, we went for a stroll in Cannon Hill Park and even explored the MAC a little bit. I actually had a hard time remembering all that, because really, it was just a great day of conversation and catching up.  I loved hearing all about her trip to Europe, her life in Swansea and all the friends she's made there.

Today, I took Shona to church with me and we met up with Aussie and Bill. We took a walk around the canals at Brindley place, had some lunch on a canal boat and even took a ride on a canal bus for a tour. Although it is a bit windy today, the sun is shining and the sky is blue— perfect for a tour of the canals.

I didn't want to say goodbye to Shona when I dropped her off at the bus depot, but I know I will see her soon when we are both back home in our true, North, strong and free.

Quiz Masters

Lat night, Germany and I went to the quiz. Well, I went to the quiz… and it looked as though I was going to play by myself, so I joined an older couple, Judy and Peter, who were looking for a young brain to help them out. Germany showed up half-way through the first round, so we had a pretty well-rounded team. It was really cool to get to know them and to learn from them! Peter is English through and through and he knows his football and oldies music. Judy has lived most of her life in South Africa, but she knows all about current events! It was a delightful evening and Germany and I are planning on meeting up with them again next week!

Oh yeah, I also finished a great book today: 'Hunting Unicorns' by Bella Pollen. It's a love story that happens around the events of a Newsline reporter trying to get a dirty story about the declining British Upper Class.  I definitely recommend it— especially if you are interested in the British Upper Classes. Although it doesn't quite have that carefree Jeeves & Wooster feeling, it does show posh old Brits in a very human light. It's a good 'un! (pic from bellapollen.com)

And now that I've read about the English, I think I'll move on to something a little more close to home. I've picked up the well-read copy of 'Anne of Green Gables' I found in the study downstairs… I can't remember the last time (or any time) I read it. *sigh* But it still feels familiar, somehow. 

More from Paris!

Check out my sweet pics here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/saintpatterson/

Look at this trove, treasures untold, how many wonders can one Oxfam hold?

I know that there are those of you who will appreciate this post because you, like me, are truly excited by the thrill of searching for a perfect gem among piles and piles of ordinary stones. One of my friends has recently found a stunning silver carafe at my beloved VV and my Mom once found a Danier leather jacket in a thrift shop (that fit perfectly). Today, I found something amazing at Oxfam. While you may not share my particular delight in this unique find, I just had to share. It was unusually difficult to photograph, but here it is: my glow-in-the-dark Nativity set. It's the bee's knees, man. (I may use the blurry photo as a Christmas card this year)

So the sun DOES shine in England!

OMG! Please excuse my pre-teen exclamation of abbreviated joy! This weekend has been so incredibly hot and sunny. You would not believe that Birminhgam can have such a beachy atmosphere! The sun is out and everyone is suddenly dressed in surf-wear and seersucker!

Friday afternoon, I had lunch with Germany and we discussed the plans for our upcoming trip with Aussie to the South West! We are going beach-hopping next week!

Saturday was just the best summer day! I met up with Germany and we checked out the local farmer's market. There are all kinds of food: cheese, apples, curry, fair-trade chocolate, home-baked goods, rhubarb, etc! There are all kinds of crafts: jewellery, painting, photos, books, etc! I bought this cool book about Birmingham as a sort of souvenir. After the market, we strolled up to Germany's back garden, where we lounged in the shade reading and snoozing. Aussie joined us a bit later on and we chatted to Germany's landlord about our trip (he's from the South West).

Sunday, after church, Aussie's roommates were having a bbq at their house as a going away party for 2 of them. So, we donned floaty summer wear and claimed our seat on the grass to enjoy some hamburgers, Pimm's, and live music, apparently. There was also a bouncy castle (which I declined to indulge in). But it was a great way to spend a scorching hot day!

I'm just hoping this weather returns in July for our road trip!!!

Also, I am trying to decide which bands I want to see at Glastonbury. Here are some of the contendors:







What do you think?

Esther: The Film

So tonight in small group, we had a little recap of the series we've been looking at for the past couple of months. We've been going through the book of Esther, noting how God uses us to change everything. Tonight, we did a little fun activity to review. We broke into smaller teams to pretend as if we were making Esther into a film. We were asked to come up with:
- A Title
- A Tagline
- The Genre
- The Cast
- 5 Main Scenes

Here's what my team created:

Title: The Princess Queen Diaries

Tagline: (Not particularly catchy) "She thought becoming royalty was all about banquets… until she heard the cries of her nation."This tagline may have to be modified with some added humour, as we have chosen our…


Genre: Dark Comedy


Cast: This part was pretty fun, actually.

Anne Hathaway as Esther, the poor Hebrew girl turned royal Persian queen. (I think this casting decision comes mainly from our team's recollection of the makeover scene from 'The Princess Diaries'.) source

Gerard Butler as King Xerxes, the banquet-loving King of the Persian empire. source

Colin Firth as Mordecai, Esther's cousin who raised her as his own daughter when her parents died.source

Rowan Atkinson as Haman, King Xerxes' power-hungry advisor who orders the massacre of the Hebrew people. source


5 Main Scenes:


1) After King Xerxes banishes his Queen for her disobedience, he searches the land for a beautiful new queen.  Esther is brought to Susa, a poor young Hebrew orphan, raised by her cousin.  She undergoes (a montage) beauty treatment after beauty treatment preparing her skin and hair for the King. She is eventually selected from hundreds of girls (a la American Idol) to be the new queen (but she keeps her identity secret to hide her Hebrew heritage and beliefs).

2) Mordecai, Esther's cousin, overhears 2 of the King's guards plotting to kill the King. Mordecai reports what he hears, the King is saved, the guards are executed and Mordecai's good deed is recorded in the 'book of the King'. Now, all is not good for Mordecai, as it turns out. Haman, the King's advisor is elevated so highly in the court that all of the King's subjects are expected to bow to him… but Mordecai will only pay honour to his God. Haman gets so pissed off that he decides he wants to kill not only Mordecai, but his whole people, the Jews. Haman convinces the King to approve a decree that will mean a massacre of the Hebrew people. He casts lots to decide the day of the massacre. When Mordecai hears of this, he immediately tears his clothing and covers himself in ashes. He sits at the King's gate, fasting and mourning.

3)When Esther hears about Mordecai's predicament, she contacts him and learns of Haman's decree. Mordecai convinces her that 'perhaps she became Queen for such a time as this', and with some encouragement, she decides to approach the King in his throneroom, which is a crime punishable by death unless the King extends his 'golden sceptor'. She asks all of the Jews in the land to fast and pray with her as she prepares to approach the King. Finally, starving and more afraid than she's ever been in her life, she approaches the King…

… and he extends his sceptor! He says "What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be given you." So, Esther invites the King and his advisor Haman to a banquet. So, those three sat down for a bite. Again, the King asked "What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be given you." Esther invites the gentlemen to another banquet later that week.

The next day, Haman gathers with his wife and all his buddies to brag about his status and his wealth. His friends suggest that he build a huge gallows to hang Mordecai on. So, Haman has a 75-foot gallows built.

In the meantime, the King is having a hard time sleeping. So, he pulls out the ole 'book of the King' and flips to the page where Mordecai's good deed is recorded. He asks the official standing by 'What was done to honour this man who saved my life?' and discovers that the good deed went unrecognized. He asks "Who is in the courts nearby?" and he finds Haman. He asks Haman "What should be done to someone the King wants to honour?". Haman thinks that the King is talking about him, so he tells the king to seat the man on the King's horse and drape him in the King's robes and have him led around the city with a nobleman proclaiming "this is what the King does for the man he wants to honour!" It was a bit of a nasty shock when he found out that the King wanted to honour Mordecai… and that Haman was the nobleman who would lead him around the city.

And so, Haman was made to give the man he despised the honours he would have had bestowed upon himself.

4) (While Scene 3 is largely based upon the building up of events, Scene 4 presents the climax of the story) All quotes from the NLT.

Haman rushes home, hanging his head in shame, to tell his friends and his wife what events had just passed. "Surely you can't go against Mordecai now— the King loves this guy!".  Haman is soon whisked off to the palace for banquet # 2.

After King Xerxes, Haman and Esther enjoy a second delicious banquet, the King asks Esther "Queen Esther, what is your petition? It will be given you. What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be granted."

(this is the good bit)

Esther replies (probably not looking at Haman) ""If I have found favor with you, O king, and if it pleases your majesty, grant me my life—this is my petition. And spare my people—this is my request.  For I and my people have been sold for destruction and slaughter and annihilation. If we had merely been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept quiet, because no such distress would justify disturbing the king."

The King is pretty pissed! "Who is he? Where is the man who has dared to do such a thing?"

Esther calmly accuses Haman. The King is foaming at the mouth! He decides to cool off in the garden. At this point, Haman falls at Esther's feet, pleading with her for mercy. Now, the particular manner with which he falls probably didn't look so good from the King's perspective as he re-entered the room— he roars "Will he even molest the queen while she is with me in the house?"

Enter Harbona, a eunuch. Harbona casually mentions that Haman has built a giant gallows in his own yard with which he has been planning to hang the King's hero, Mordecai. "Hang him on it," decides the King. And so, Haman is executed on his own gallows.

As the date of the massacre is fast approaching, and the decree of the massacre is signed by the King, Xerxes regretfully informs Esther that it's too late for him to call it off… but the Jews can defend themselves!

5) Victory! The Jews have not only defended themselves, they have defeated all of their enemies! They have a massive celebration, which they call 'Purim' (which comes from the word 'lot's, because Haman cast lots to decide the date of the massacre.)

The film ends with a big party! Yay Esther!!!

…

I hope you enjoyed that, because it was definitely entertaining for us in our small group to imagine Esther on screen!

Paris… Je T'aime! (Part 3)

Sunday morning, we were suddenly not tired. Or aches and pains had all but gone and we were bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, ready for our day of exploring Montmartre and The Champs-Elysée.

Montmarte is the best. It is home to one of the most beautiful basilicas I have ever been to: Sacre Coeur. This relatively new church was built between 1875 and 1914. It has the most incredible mosaic ceiling. I couldn't take any photos inside, but here's one I found online.

Originally, it was a town built on a hill covered in windmills that were used to crush grapes for wine and grind gypsum for plaster of Paris. In the mid-1800's Montmartre became the place to go for drinkin' and entertainment and cabarets like Le Moulin Rouge and Le Chat Noir opened up. Then, the artists moved in. Van Gogh, Toulouse-Lautrec, Dali, Picasso, Degas and Renoir, among others, all lived and worked in Montmartre at some point. It is also where Edith Piaf, who sang 'La Vie En Rose', began her illustrious career singing on the street-corners for pennies. The best part about Montmartre is the atmosphere. Tourists and genuine Parisiennses visit the little boulangeries and patisseries that line the narrow, cobbled, streets that wind up and down the hill. We had lunch at Café de Deux Moulins, where Amélie worked in that film. I could have spent the rest of the day exploring Montmartre, but we had to get going so we could check out…

…The Arc de Triomphe! The Arc de Triomphe was built to honour those who fought in the Napoleonic wars. It was pretty triumphant-looking. Next, we meandered down the Champs-Elysées, which used to be a very exclusive neighborhood where posh Parisiennes would promenade in their best attire. Now, it's just a busy shopping-centre. We had time to get our names painted in pictures by a street artist before we headed back to Le Marais.

We got into the tiny elevator one last time. I gathered up all my bags and said goodbye to my parents before hopping on the train to the airport. A couple hours later, I sat in front of the apartment door again. My flight had been canceled due to volcanic ash over the UK. Luckily, my parents were still in Paris, so I had a place to stay. I was happy to spend another night in Paris, but it was hard to enjoy as I was so stressed out about getting on the next flight to Birmingham. Luckily, after some rigmarole regarding purchasing a phone card, I found a flight for Monday afternoon. I was home by 7pm!

Paris… Je T'aime! (Part 2)

Whew! We were pretty exhausted after our first long day in Paris, so we weren't really looking forward to another day of sight-seeing and walking. But how could we NOT be excited?!?! We were headed to Versaille!

Versaille is the incredible palace built by Louis the XIV as an escape from the city of Paris… and also as a means of distracting his courtiers from interfering in his governing. At any time, Louis XIV would have up to 5,000 guests staying at his ma-hoo-ssive palace and sprawling grounds. The house is decorated extravigantly in the rococo/baroque style that displayed the wealth of France, which was the most powerful nation in Europe during the Sun King's reign. The place is just bursting with carved mouldings, painted ceilings depicting Greek myths, mirrors (a luxury at the time), gold, silver and precious stones. But the palace is really nothing compared to the acres of land that surround it. The garden covers almost 2000 acres of land. It is expertly manicured into symmetrical designs made of different kinds of trees, grass, flowers, sculptures and fountains. Oh the fountains. They even have them timed to music these days. The grounds also include a man-made lake, orangerie, a 1.5 km-long canal (which was complete with genuine Venetian gondoliers in Louis XIV's day).

You have to venture quite a way back into the gardens to get to the good stuff. When life got too busy at Versailles for the Sun King, he built a smaller palace, 'Le Grand Trianon', where he would escape to get some quiet time. And then he built an even smaller palace,  'Le Petit Trinanon', out amongst his gardens so he could be closer to nature. 'Le Petit Trianon' eventually became Marie-Antoinette's home-base when her husband, the gret-great-grandson of Louis XIV was King.

 Antoinette was a weird one. She pretty much removed herself from any responsibility related to her role as queen. Instead, she focused on building her own little amusement park out in the boonies of her husband's palatial estate. She built a hamlet which included a mill, a dairy, a farm (more like a petting zoo) and a few little houses around a landscaped pond. She would pretend to be a peasant on her idyllic little park, while ignoring those real peasants in her country that would support the French Revolution and overthrow her monarchy. It was pretty, though. I totally wish I watched that Marie-Antoinette movie with Kirsten Dunst, again, before I went to Versailles to see what it was like with people around. I mean, not that there weren't tons of tourists, but I'd like to see it as it was, with courtiers and servants.

We were pretty exhausted by the time we got out to Marie-Antoinette's place, so we were all pretty grumpy as we trudged back towards the palace. We took one last look at the amazing views from the palace steps: the grand fountains, geometrical gardens and expansive canal. Wow.

When we returned to Paris, we met the owner of our apartment, a darling Frenchman named Jean-Jaques.

Later, we dined at a local restaurant and had an early night as we were all knackered.

Paris… Je T'aime! (Part 1)

Bonjour, mes amis!

I am back from Paris. So sad. Next time I go, I'll have to stay longer than a few days! Paris is a great city! There are far too many people for my liking (it is the most densely populated city in Europe), but it really is beautiful! Here's a play-by-play of my time in the 'City of Light'.

On Thursday, I flew into Paris and met up with my parents. It was great to seem them! We talk almost every week on 'Skype', so I don't miss them too, too much, but it was still a joyous reunion. We made our way into the city on the train. We stayed in an apartment in an area of Paris called 'Le Marais'. We were just a few blocks from the river Seine, so after we had unpacked a bit, we took a stroll along the Seine, checking out 'les bookanistes', who sell second-hand books, art and touristy souvenirs all along the left bank of the river. When we reached the Eiffel Tower, we hopped on board a tour boat to do a little cruise of the river and get our first glimpses of Notre Dame cathedral, The Louvre and other significant buildings. Afterwards, we climbed up to the second deck of the Eiffel Tower. OMG, we had BUNS O' STEEL after that climb! The tower is so much bigger than I had anticipated! It offers 4 beautiful views of the city, and it's pretty nice too look at, too! When we had descended the tower by elevator, we turned around and the tower was sparkling with thousands of twinkly lights! Gorgeous! We slept well Thursday night, due to our exhausting ascent… but I didn't get my full 40 winks, as both my parents snore LOUDLY!

Friday was packed-full! I don't think we could have seen more stuff in one day if we tried! But it was good to make the most of the short time we had. After breakfast, we headed down to Notre Dame. This cathedral is always spoken of as being very forbidding. It is. It is even more forbidding when you think about what the surrounding city probably looked like at the time it was built. There were no apartment bulidings, city halls, Eiffel Towers, or other large buildings to help it blend into the cityscape. It was probably 10 times bigger than any of the surrounding buildings, so it probably had the same effect on the 12th-century citizens of Paris as the pyramids had on the ancient Egyptians. It took almost 200 years to build Notre Dame and most of the labourers worked for FREE? Seriously?! Notre Dame's gothic interior is impressive, drawing your eye up to it's gorgeous stained-glass windows, but I actually prefer it from the outside. The carvings of saints, Biblical kings, angels and demons, and particularly the gargoyles are just ridiculous! From a distance, the cathedral looks like a paper doily, with so many intricate ornaments! It was definitely worth waiting in line to climb up the bell tower and get a closer look at those gargoyles.

After Notre Dame, we had a delicious lunch at a local restaurant. My mouth is watering as I reflect on the delicious duck, ratatouille, and creme caramel I had! After lunch, we went to see Sainte-Chappelle… which I had never heard of. I was like, 'okay… I guess we can wait in line to see another church'. But I was glad we did. As soon as I entered the chapel I gasped! I tried very hard to disguise my tears of amazement.  The chapel is pretty much made of stained glass. Standing inside, you see the towering room fill with sunlight and glow as if it were surrounded by fire. My photos definitely don't do it justice. If you go to Paris, go to Sainte-Chappelle.

I eventually regained my composure and we moved on to our next stop: The Musée D'Orsay. We didn't stay long, but as our admission was free, it was okay. My dad rested in the sculpture garden while my Mom and I perused rooms filled with works by Gaguin, Van Gogh, Renoir, Degas, Monet, Manet and Toulouse-Lautrec. The paintings were beautiful, but my favourite part were the rooms of Art Nouveau furniture! We stopped by that other famous museum, too: The Louvre. My Mom had advised we download some Rick Steves audio tours. They were pretty great, actually. I am glad we had the audio tour for the Louvre (even though we got a bit lost), because there is no way I could navigate that massive place on my own. I'm not sure I'd even want to try, to be honest. We saw the Michaelangelo's Slaves, Winged Victory, The Venus De Milo, and The Mona Lisa… but I have to say, I had more fun watching the crowds of admirers than seeing the actual Mona Lisa. We were pooped again that night and the snoring bothered me a little less.

Pardon my French!

http://www.args.k12.va.us/staff/cshehane/Images1/2007_ratatouille_002.jpgBonjour, mes amis! 

Demain, j'irai à Paris! Oui, c'est vrai! Je suis excitée!

Oh man, I hope my French holds up this weekend for my trip (although I am told everyone can speak English in Paris). I am a little embarrassed that my ability to speak French is so limited… especially since I 'studied' French in school for 10 years!!! I guess I know the important things:

Ou est la salle de bain? — Where is the bathroom?

Combien? — How much?

Je suis désolé— je parle seulement un peu de francais. — I'm sorry— I speak only a little French.

Parlez-vous anglais? — Do you speak English?

And don't forget your manners:

S'il vous plait et merci— Please and thank you!


Bonne nuit!

My Ears Love English Music and My Tongue Loves American Mustard

Take a look'n'listen:


When I eventually return home to my dearly-missed home-and-native-land, I shall have to purchase a Sirius Satellite Radio or something in order to keep up with my beloved British music. Here is yet another English band that I just love so much! They are called 'Stornoway' and they are from Oxford. So good.

Also, for some reason, English people don't do American mustard. This is a problem for me. A burger just isn't a burger without the savoury yellow spread. I need my French's, man. So, I have beseeched my parents to bring me some. As the weather warms up, more and more barbeques are likely to occur, and I don't think I can stand any more American-mustard-less hotdogs and hammies. —oh, I have also ardently requested some 'Miracle Whip', which I need in order to bake my favourite family recipe.

And, because I just love 'em so much, here's another Stornoway tune. This one's called 'I saw you Blink'.

The Weekend

Howdy all! What did you this weekend? I have been busy, I tell ya.

Friday night was my friend Mara's birthday. To be honest, I'm not too sure how old she is… maybe 25? Anyways, there was a huge group of us at the local Balti restaurant to celebrate her special day! I brought along my balloons for entertainment. They were a hit! You might have thought it was a child's birthday party with all the colourful animals all over the table. It was really fun to see the excited and surprised looks on everyone's faces. It was a great time! Happy Birthday, Mara!

Saturday, I got up a bit early to get some of my packing sorted for my trip. I did a bit of tidying too, but I mostly rested, because I knew I had a big night ahead of me. The Mum and Dad were off to London with their friend to celebrate the Mum's birthday properly. So, I not only was I babysitting the 3 regulars, I had two additional 11-year-olds (let's call them Jack and Jill) and a 15-year-old (Lottie). Jack, Jill and Lottie were all very polite and well-behaved. It was a bit of a shock to hear them say 'thank you' so much, since I normally have to fish for those two words in this house. Anyways, Lottie and I decided to take the kids to 'Hickory Dickory's'… we thought it would be fun… but to be honest, it was a bit of a nightmare. First of all, we had to take 2 trips from our house to the warehouse. Also, being a Saturday, there was no parking. I had to park over the road and around the corner and walk in the rain, dragging Youngest beside me all the way back. Finally, it was just so busy inside! I let the older ones do their own thing, but I could barely keep my eye on Youngest as he ran around the place. The older ones got bored quickly, so we headed home after an hour.

The rest of the evening was all movies, Nintendo and popcorn (baths and stories for Youngest). I had a bit of a time getting Middle, Oldest, Jack and Jill to settle down, but they were quiet by the time I headed to bed, so that was fine.

I barely slept, because I knew in the back of my mind that I'd have to get up with Youngest when he got out of bed at the crack of dawn. Sure enough, at around 6, he came climbing up the stairs for a cuddle. I let the kids chill out for a bit, while I caught up on Over the Rainbow, but soon, we were all out in the sunshine at the park. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that our visitors brought their incredible well-trained and adorable Labrador with them. Her name is 'Bluie', apparently short for 'Bluebell', but they never call her that because that's only her name when she's in trouble. We brought Bluie to the park, too. She was so well-behaved that we were able to play fetch with her in the park without her leash on! I really miss having a dog around (RIP Charlie!).

(Bluie and Charlie, my late pet)

When we returned from the park, the parents were all home! I had a quick pub lunch with Aussie, but we both returned home for a bit of a rest because… tonight was the Ceilidh (kay-lee) at church! Oasis has these Ceilidhs once in a while so church members can bring their friends and family along to meet the congregation. It was awesome! There was a live band and a lady calling and teaching us different country dances. We were bouncing around, swinging our partners and doing the do-see-do! It was so much fun and everyone was getting involved. Someone mentioned to me that couples will often have Ceilidhs at their weddings— I am SO doing that if I ever get married. Super fun.

I'm off to bed, it's Mop-Day tomorrow!

Happy Mother's Day

Hey Mama, just wanted to drop you a little note. I wish I could be with you to let you know, in person, how much I miss you! I can't wait to see you on Thursday when we reunite in Paris! Being so far away from you, taking care of someone else's children has helped me realize how much I owe to you! Although I wasn't always an outright trouble maker, I know I was (and currently am) difficult at times. Thank you for your patience, your love and your encouragement! I Love You!

Happy Mother's Day!

My Music Wishlist

Hello! This has been a house of illness for the past couple of weeks! Last week, it was youngest with Conjunctivitis, but now, Middle has some kind of stomach bug that had her puking up all her food yesterday, the poor girl. So, I am home again reading 'The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader' and listening to the radio (not at the same time because my brain cannot take in the words of C.S. Lewis and pay attention to awesome music simultaneously).

The British make some awesome music, there is NO doubt about that! I am making a concerted effort to save all the money I can for my upcoming travel plans, so I have had to resist purchasing every track my ears enjoy. But I have been making a list of songs and albums for purchase in the future:

*Note: I have discovered that some of these artists are not British… but I heard them here first, so the count!

1) Single: Radar Detector, Darwin Deez

2) Album: Lungs, Florence and the Machine

3) Album: Only Revolutions, Biffy Clyro
(Check out the new single from this album! It's called 'Bubbles', which sounds a bit wimpy and lame, but it's actually rugged and Scottish)


4) Single: Superfast Jellyfish, Gorillaz

5) Single: Nothin' on You, BoB

6) Album: The Family Jewels, Marina and the Diamonds

7) Singles: Stay too Long and She Said, Plan B

8) Album: Turn it Up, Pixie Lott

9) Album: The Chaos, The Futureheads
(I love this song: 'Heartbeat Song')


10) Single: Death by Diamonds and Pearls, Band of Skulls

Today is election day in Britain. Aussie's school is closed because it is being used as a polling station, so she came over for lunch. We also made delicious vanilla cupcakes with lemon icing mmmmm. I'm going to bring them along to small group tonight!

Every Wednesday Night

For the past few weeks, I have been developing a routine that I would quite like to make a tradition. While it is true that I do spend more than a couple nights a week in my room watching TV and surfing the web, Wednesday is a bit different.

I puttered about a bit on my computer starting to make a website for my Dad, returning emails, working out a budget for my upcoming summer trip, and chatting to to lovely individuals (cousin Pete and old friend Barb). I also watched this week's Doctor Who— a must see!

But, when the clock struck 9, my Wednesday night routine began. First, I applied a soothing face-mask that will moisturize my skin and minimize pores (or something like that). Then, I switched on 'American Idol'. Then, I cuddled up under my Irish wool blanket. *sigh* loverly.

American Idol is grrreat this week, by the way! The idols are singing classic big band Sinatra songs accompanied by Harry Connick Jr. What a hunk.

Hope you have a wonderful Wednesday, too!!

Jet set once again!

OMG! I am going to Paris next Thursday!!! How exciting is that?! Being the super planner-aheader that I am, I am already deciding what I will pack. Good thing one of my favourite fashion-bloggers has just been to Paris. I know just what to wear to fit in with the Parisians! Check out Jessica Shroeder's blog @ http://whatiwore.tumblr.com/

P.S. It's the Mum's birthday today— the big 4.0. 

Woah— 3 post in an hour?!?!

Just wanted to let y'all know the Heigl bangs are back just in time for summer!

When I'm bored…

Yeah, so on Sunday night, I had a nice chat with my Mom and Dad but other than that, I was in for the night with not much to do... so, naturally, I made a variety of head-dresses out of my scarf collection.

1) The 'I saw it on Gok's Fashion Fix' Cap

2) The Mummy Headwrap

3) The Rosie the Riveter Kerchief

4) The Lawrence of Arabia

5) The Maid Marian Circlet (My fave, I think!)

6) The Hippy Hat

7) The Blue Bonnet

8) The Raggedy Ann Band

9) The Girly Bow!