{Adventures in Merry Ol' II}

{Waddesdon Manor}

As many of you know, I spent July in the UK. My dear cousin, Choo & his wife, Liz have a home just outside of London, which I consider my home away from home. When I lived in London during my MA I spent Christmas, Easter & other holidays with them, and when I'm back in Europe their home is a comfort & refuge for holidays, long weekends etc... This past time in London, I spent a couple of weekends at their house.
Choo feels a need to show me the very best of Merry England, in order for me to understand the glorious roots of my heritage. so...they took me to some breathtaking estates. I already blogged about a few (our trip to Strawberry Hill & Ightham Mote and a weekend with my third cousin, or is it cousin thrice removed?).
but I haven't yet blogged about the lovely Waddesdon manor with the Rothschild Collection.
Waddesdon is fantastic. Not only are the interior rooms well-displayed and furnished--literally oozing with antiques, artworks, and lovely expensive things, but the grounds are fantastic for picnics, walking, perusing etc...
I promised Choo, that before I began talking about another adventure in Merry Ol' England, I would set background music. You see, my cousin Charles (affectionately called Choo) loves to blare music in the car on our way to lovely grand estates. We sometimes sing along with these tunes. The usual fave is Katie Melua (9 million bicycles was a huge hit on the earlier visits, last year we belted out Closest thing to Crazy, with my first cousin, Marian and recorded it driving in the car), but there are many more. Every time I listen to these songs they bring me back to driving through the lovely English countryside, with the excitement of a long walk or a lovely estate to discover ahead. Recently he's rediscovered Jake Thackray--a favourite of Choo's from his uni days. among his favourite songs are Castleford Ladies Magic Circle Club (please ignore the weird video, but the song is there) & of course one of Jack's best, Lah di Dah). Pick & choose from these selections (make sure to open them up in a new window) so you can have similar background music to these adventures as we do when we're driving in the car...  I hope you approve choo!
so on to Waddesdon:

{Liz & choo}

{great estate gardens at waddesdon}

{the avery at Waddesdon}

{how gorgeous is this?}

{Loo & Choo}

One can't discuss weekends at Charley & Liz's without discussing the Weatherups--their close friends. This past trip the Weatherups hosted lovely BBQs in their backyard...and Choo got all dressed up for it!

{choo in crazy costume driving to the Weatherups}

{bbq-ing witches}

..& I can't forget to mention that Choo is always quick to serve you a drink. A real gentleman:

So with that, cheers to many more fun times in Merry Ol'--scheduled visit already for July 2012, but hopefully (maybe?) one before then...
L

{Back to School}

{kate spade via brown eyed belle}

Most of you think fondly of 'back to school': the smell of fresh school supplies--paper, pencils, little booklets (with lines on only half the page, the rest left blank to draw a pretty picture), wooden rulers, snazzy new lunch boxes. For those parents out there, you're looking forward to getting back into routine and not hearing 'I'm bored' from your summer-holiday-children. For us professors, it means the mayhem begins all over again. Don't get me wrong--I love teaching & I love the start of the semester, but somehow the year seems to fly by and there is never enough time in the day to get everything done--lectures prepped, powerpoints composed, essays marked, exams made & marked etc.. etc.. oh & research? It gets put on a back burner until the editor of the journal you're submitting to gives you a deadline for a quick turn around of an article and you're forced to find some more time in the day. Weekends? well, they usually consist of work, work, & more work.

But there's nothing like back to school shopping and the excitement of books to buy and new outfits to choose.

{erasers anyone? from one charming party}

{bright back to school from you broke the mold}

{boarding school chic from d*s. Ask my Dad who went to boarding school in India--I don't think it was quite as glamorous as this!}

{perfect outfit for perusing books. via coco+kelley}

I've fallen in love with these images from Reverie blog:

{apples for professor clark? the above images all from reverie}

{some necessities via goinghometoroost}

How about these?

{Perhaps I should get myself some 'boys reins!' via kitchen retro}

{not so fond of the comment. who says librarians/smarty people can't be gorgeous? look smart & beautiful in librarian glasses  from RunwayDaily}

{chalkboard chic from ruche via makeupbykc}

{j crew teaching chic via cashmerefog}

{casual Friday look from H&M}

{Art History sojourn to France? jcrew via living the clever life}

{prep school chic via hemingwayandhepburn.tumblr.}

I love these funky school supplies from dotcomgiftshop (one of my favourite online shops from the UK):

{I'm not sure if this would be allowed in North America}

{lovely rose notebook}

One of the most exciting things about back to school? & in particular, universities & colleges? Libraries:

{via we heart it}

{via hither and thither}

Lucky for me, my office is in the library!
Happy Back to School!
Here's some advice for those just starting from Dr. Seuss:

{via Whispered Reflections, Etsy}

{Irene}

It's been pouring rain here today, and there are flash flood warnings, but things are relatively calm.
Last night the sky looked like this:

 Today the sky is dark & the rain is non-stop:

 The perfect antidote? Plenty of cups of tea:

Advice? Take cover:

{via wide open spaces}

and if you must leave the house, find a handsome man to carry your umbrella...

{via mollymcgon}

{Happy Weekend}

For many of us professors in the US this is the last weekend before school starts.
Happy Weekend! Make sure to try to enjoy the last few days of summer (although it may feel more like winter with Hurricane Irene).

{via ruche blog}

{Quotable Thursdays}

I have a little quote book I read every night before bed (given to me by my darling sister, Christina). This was the quote for Tues, Aug 23:

“Life is made up, not of great sacrifices or duties, but of little things, in which smiles, and kindnesses, and small obligations, given habitually, are what win and preserve the heart and secure comfort.”

--Sir Humphrey Davy, Victorian scientist (1778-1829)

{Remember to smile & laugh. (vogue italia via lou boos and shoes)}

{from the thinking tank}

{& remember to stop & smell the flowers. photo frida-vl}

& the people who make me smile & laugh the most? my family. My nieces & nephews who remind me what are the most important things in life (the simple things) & my sisters, who always make me 'howl'. in the words of one brother-in-law (craigeroy): "You know when something's funny in the clark household--it's the only time the house is absolutely quiet. The girls are laughing so hard."

{my four sisters & me in 2000}

{my niece & nephew a few years ago in the Okanagan laughing their heads off}

{the 5 sisters at the 'girls night out' before Christina's wedding (middle)}

{& here's me laughing my heart out}

Stay happy!
xo
L