{quotable thursdays}

Yes, ladies and gents, today I fly to Jerusalem! (for more on the trip, see this post)
So very excited!!
So today's quote is all about travel:

{travel & life}

I'll be posting pics over on instragram, and watch this space for follow-up blogs.
xo
L

{picture rails}

One of the big improvements to the house that my parents did while they were here was put in picture rails. Most people wouldn't notice they hadn't been there originally...and most people who come to the house now probably won't really notice them. But a picture rail is  like wearing clear nail varnish for a house-they're subtle, but add that little bit of 'polish' that makes a space seem finished.

I have lots more to blog on regarding renovations-the lovely built-in wardrobes in my room and other things, but thought I'd quickly put a post together on the picture rails.

I haven't got all my pictures up, and in the end, I'll probably change some around, but it's nice to be greeted by some old familiar friends on the walls...

{black & whites of my ancestors, from my great grandparents in India with my granny as a baby, to my Canadian grandparents in Toronto to pictures of my parents as kids}

{I love how the mirror reflects the pictures on the opposite wall}

And then in the dining room, the before:

{BEFORE}

...& now I've got a piano there and a mirror hanging from the picture rail:

{after!!}

On the other side of the dining room the space was crammed with furniture and a desk. Now I have a simple print of the Bodleian library and my dresser my Dad built me, filled with all my favourite crockery and china: 

& in the hallway upstairs...still needs some more pics hung and some more touches, but it's much better  (especially since I got rid of the lime green!):

stay tuned for more!
xo
L

{quotable thursdays}

Hi blogland!
Happy Thursday!

{unexpected}

I love the unexpected. It's why I love to travel. It's probably why I also research collecting habits of the fifteenth century when objects that fell into the categories of the marvellous and the curious were celebrated and collected...& unexpected, bordering on the unbelievable.
The unexpected can be fantastic:

{like a giraffe at the door}

or can be a fascinating architectural flourish, such as cross-stitch on a building:

{valencia}

Do you have any unexpected things in your home? I think they add something - an element of personality - to a home...
xo
L

{off to...Jerusalem!}

Hello blogland,

Guess what? In less than two weeks, I'm off to Jerusalem! I'm so very thrilled... I'm going for a conference, but decided to go a few days ahead of time with my friend Melissa so we could actually see some sites!
I've never been and have always wanted to go...from the stories of pilgrims to the Holy Land that I've encountered in my research to the Biblical place names so familiar from the New Testament: Nazareth, Galilee, the Mount of Olives, Golgotha...the list continues!
We are spending a few days in Jerusalem, taking in the historic sites, with a day trip to Galilee.
I'm looking forward to seeing the historic monuments and encountering the multiple cultures and religions that call the city Holy. I'm also looking forward to taking in shopping and of course the yummy food.

{the market}

I'm pretty excited to be staying at a historic guest house--a convent, which has opened its doors to pilgrims since the nineteenth century! The best bit is it's located right in the heart of the old historic city, so can only be accessed by foot (and is actually right on the Via Dolorosa):

{the convent's entrance}

{the view from the terrace}

So what to pack?!
Of course, it's necessary to dress modestly - covered knees and shoulders in most religious establishments... but that's ok. That means long flowing skirts and comfy trousers. Here are a few key sources of inspiration:

{long skirt paired with eyelet top}

{another lovely skirt}

Or...a kind of updated Kirsten-Scott-Thomas-in-the-English-Patient-white-shirt&trousers look:

{cute and classy!}

Rest assured, I'll take loads and loads of photos! 

so stayed tune! (but in the mean time, you can keep up to date on my instagram feed) & of course I'll be posting regular tiddley bits before I go...

xo

L

{quotable thursdays}

Hello blogland!
Thursday already again?!
Hope you all enjoyed last weekend's balmy weather. How lovely it was!
I went on a fantastic walk in the countryside...& also enjoyed some time in the garden, where my kitty did some exploring...& enjoyed a bbq:

{stunning Bedfordshire}

{brunch al fresco!}

{simla exploring}

{lamb bbq!}

This week I've been working super hard on a whole pile of different things...my desk looks like a mess but I'm checking things off my to-do list, which feels fantastic.
So today's quote is dedicated to working hard:

{work hard}

In academia, we often work in isolation, in silence... by ourselves, which I think is part of the reason that when we get together, academics can often be rude and often feel the need to shout their own praises--loud and clear to everyone else in the room! It's also probably because life in academia is very competitive...but that shouldn't be the way. We can encourage one another and be generous with our time....and compliments! That doesn't mean we shouldn't be shy about our own accomplishments, when they do come our way, but we just need to be graceful, gracious, and grateful.
xo,
L

{May Bank holiday weekend}

Last weekend I spent at my cousins seeing some fantastic stuff.
First we spent the day at Knole, a beautiful Jacobean manor famed for being the home of poet, gardener, novelist, biographer and journalist Vita Sackville-West (and once lover of Virginia Woolf).

{beautiful Knole}

{orangery} 

{picnic}

{walking the fabulous grounds}

{there are beautiful deer everywhere in the park}

The next day we went to lovely Constable Country where we rented a rowboat and travelled down the river, singing our hearts out and enjoying the fabulous day!

We started off from near Le Talbooth...

and then walked along the River Stour in beautiful Constable Country :

 and then ended up at the BoatHouse where we rented our rowboat:

& off we went:

{pulling my weight...}

 We went all the way to Flatford Mill (where Constable famously painted the Haywain--for pics of Flatford, see an earlier post) and then back again... and then we walked into Dedham:

{old grammar school}

Simply, a fab fab weekend!
xo,
L