{tinza's tiny good things #12}

"That beautiful season the Summer!

Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light;

and the landscape

Lay as if new, created in all the freshness of childhood."

-   Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Lately I've been taking long walks in the English countryside...any opportunity I can to take a quick or longer break. I think it is one of the advantages of living in a pandemic where there isn't much else to do, and saving time on not commuting frees up some time in the day... and the long summer days allow for more daylight too.

So today's #tinygoodthings is to get out and take a walk and enjoy!

x

L

{tinza's tiny good things #11}

Today marks 55 days since I last saw a friend or family member. I'll never forget that day: I drove frantically to Heathrow to get my parents on a flight back to Canada before borders shut...
This weekend I went on a much-needed long walk and as I looked out across the fields, I drew in a deep breath and felt at peace with the world around me and I was reminded of this Laura Ingalls Wilder quote.
In some ways time has flown since lockdown began and although life in grocery stores has changed and there's no commute to work or visits with friends, work life continues & other things are rather normal. Many will say there are benefits to this slower-paced life and the planet is thankful. As lockdown starts to lift slowly (and please do take it slowly and ignore the confusing advice we're currently getting), I want to hold on to the good things this crisis has taught us.
Today's #tinygoodthings is to just stop and reflect on the small things & cherish those, but I'd also urge you to pick up the phone, send an email or a text, or write a letter to someone who you haven't heard from in a while. It might just be that tiny little gesture they need.
x
L

{quotable thursdays}

This week I blogged that my book came out. I have a good quote for that one:

{go after what you want}

I had a lot of times I didn't think it would happen. I've had a lot of frustrations in academia; it's an institution made of people who keep failing, but keep trying until they get what they want. It's not an easy world to live in, but I've learned to believe in myself, surround myself with supportive people, and reach high.
x
L

{quotable thursdays}

I'm not going to lie. I'm overwhelmed. I've got too much to do.
But the sun is shining so here's my quote for today:

{stay positive!}

xo
L

{quotable thursdays}

I ventured out briefly to enjoy my garden in a moment of sunshine and what a treat to see the flowers beginning to wake up post-snow!

{Walt Whitman}

xo, 

L

{quotable thursdays}

In honour of International Women's Day, I'm posting a little quote/drawing I did for my guest bedroom:

A reminder that size does not determine one's strength...and a nod to all the wonderful women in my life who make me want to be a better person and who offer such examples of strength in so many diverse ways!
xo
L

{quotable thursdays-world book day}

I write from a very very snowy England--spring seems to have disappeared.
But today is World Book Day and in honour of that, a wonderful quote from a wonderful author who wrote some of my favourite books:

{reading}

stay warm! & curl up by the fire with a book!
xo
L

{quotable thursdays}

{beautiful print}

The best thing about my job is I can be curious about the world, research, and then write about it...
Stay curious!
xo
L

{quotable thursdays}

Today's quote is a little reminder what Christmas is alllll about:

{the grinch}

& some jolly home-made orange decorations from Chota House!:

xo,

L

{quotable thursdays}

It's Thursday! Already!!??
This weekend, I'm going on just under a 10K walk to fundraise for the preservation of historic churches in my area. If you want to support me you can donate here. In England, churches aren't simply places of worship, but repositories of the past, many housing fantastic art objects and sculpture from the centuries, not to mention they are architectural gems!
On another note, I'm off to Madrid next week! So excited! I'm presenting at the Kings & Queens' Conference, but really hoping to also take in the great city.
We're getting a special tour of the Prado & Escorial Palace, which should also be fab.
So on that note, two quotes today! one on travel and the other by Cervantes!

{adventures abroad austen!}

{Miguel de Cervantes}

Stay tuned for pics--& in the mean time, follow my travels over on instagram!

{adios!}

xo, 

L

{quotable thursdays}

Hello Blogland!
Sorry for being absent! I'm not going to lie, this summer hasn't been much of a summer. Not only was the weather in August terrible in the UK but I've just not felt like I've got any kind of break at all. But yesterday I hit a big milestone and submitted my book manuscript for publication... and I realise that things are busy because there are lots of good things that are happening in terms of work. but success in academia generally means not much of a break!

{growth}

Somedays I think it would be easier just to sit tight & just do the status quo, but this quote reminds me that growing--whether that's intellectually, emotionally, physically--is a challenge. We either rise to it, or we sink back to safety. Sometimes safety is good--sometimes we bring too much on ourselves & it's better to choose an easier route, but sometimes stepping forward means discovering things and yes, growing. But with growth we can often feel out of our comfort zone, before we get comfortable again. I feel like I'm a little in that limbo stage--feeling like I've got too many balls in the air and not sure if they're all going to come down at once and knock me to the ground, or if I'll manage and will come out feeling victorious. In any case, it'll be an adventure!

{juggling}

Let's see what happens!
xo
L

{quotable thursdays/garden study}

Hello dear blogland!
I know I've fallen behind on blogging recently. But there's been lots of stuff going on in my life and this weekend marks 2 years since I moved into Chota House! It's been an exciting two years, making this little home my own.
My garden study is now almost done, with replacement light fixtures and some artwork and plants... I've come a long way!
So today's blog will look at the improvements done in the study. What I love most about my study is that all year round I still feel like I've brought the outdoors inside...and that relationship to flowers and birds and plants is calming!

{wild things}

Even on the darkest winter day, the place feels light and I have never had to put the lights on in the day....

{I collected ferns from a nearby walk & pressed them}

{plenty of entertainment for Simla, who watches the birds from the window}

{light and airy, the outside feels like it's inside!}

Before I moved in, the previous owners had done the extension and used it as a breakfast room. The red and stripes was a theme throughout the house (not particularly to my taste!):

{BEFORE}

{AFTER}

{BEFORE}

{AFTER}

The red carried from the kitchen to the study, something I quickly changed with a few coats of paint!

{BEFORE}

{AFTER}

{AFTER}

& those sconces, they really had to go!

{oh dear! are we in a bad hotel from the 90s??}

{after = antique brass sconces + picture frames}

It's now simply a lovely place to work, that ties in with the garden theme outside...

How I feel at home! and what a productive space it's been!!

xo

L

{quotable thursdays}

{walking to the AAH launch event on Tuesday}

In the past week I've been at two events that give me hope in the discipline I've dedicated my life to. Last Friday I hosted an event for Open Arts Objects,  a project I'm leading, which provides short films and support materials to support the teaching of Art History in schools. (It was held at the charming Art Workers' Guild)

{presenting at the Art Workers' Guild}

For my presentation I put up on the powerpoint an excerpt from our statement that we wrote during the campaign to save the A-level Art History:

One of Art History’s many strengths is that it is fundamentally interdisciplinary. Through the study of art you can learn about gender relations, philosophy, anthropology, sociology or economics, not to mention its important relationship with history. At a time when everyone is glued to their smartphones, looking at images on twitter, Instagram or Facebook, the ability to understand, and more importantly, to be able to analyse critically the wealth of images that bombard us seems more pressing than ever.

It's been hard work but well worth it, and I would say perseverance is the key... Recently I've been busier than ever and feeling rather stressed. But for the first time in my life, I feel like things are starting to fall into place, and the hard work has paid off.

{success}

On Tuesday I was at another event, the launch of the new redesigned Association for Art History (previously the Association of Art Historians). There, once again was a palpable energy...energy in a discipline that is seeking to widen its horizons by expanding global definitions of art, and doing so by teaching a global art history. An Art History for all, not only for a select few. We are a discipline that is seeking to widen participation in every possible way. 

It's exciting times and I'm happy to be apart of it.

{new horizons!}

If you've got time, why don't you check out our really short films? you might learn a thing or two! and not just about art but about the complexities of our world.

xo

L

{quotable thursdays}

Happy Thursday! You know what Thursday means? Friday is tomorrow!
It's been quite a week!
On Monday I went to the Rothschild Headquarters at New Court for a champagne reception. Way up in the Sky Pavilion the views were fabulous and it is a completely different take on London from those heights. It was a fascinating evening filled with enough characters to write a novel with.

 Baron de Rothschild was there as well as a handful of wealthy art collectors, and a Russian oligarch (descendent of Napoleon's niece), and then some academics and historians of collecting thrown in for good measure. The accents were marvellous, or should I say marbellous--yes, full of marbles (!) Following a presentation we sipped on delicious Rothschild wines and ate delicious hors d'oevres...

{the smallest fish & chips I've ever had!}

{love looking down on the gardens & rooftop restaurants}

{the sun was setting as we left}

Then Tuesday I sat in an MA exam board and have been busy since then going through my long to-do list, as well as preparing for the big launch/info event for Open Arts Objects that I'm organsing/hosting tomorrow at the Art Workers' Guild.

So today, a reminder to look up...and never stop! You might just find yourself on top of the world, or in a Sky Pavillion!!!

{look up!}

{the views from the Rothschild headquarters' Sky Pavilion}

xo, 

L