{Family Celebrations in Bristol}

My family hails from Bristol, at least on my Dad's side, which is probably why sailing and the sea is in our blood. Last weekend I visited the West Country to celebrate my great aunt's 90th birthday & a cousin's 20th wedding anniversary. I stayed with my Dad's cousin and his family in Long Ashton--in a beautiful old house. We went for a lovely walk in the Mendip Hills, had a big party with cream teas, & general merriment was had by all.
Some pics to tell the story:

{Clarks on a walk, Mendips}

{fantastic birthday & anniversary celebrations in Clevedon (pic taken on a polaroid)}

{my great aunt & me}

xo,
L

{quotable thursdays}

It'll be short & sweet today, but take from it what you will:

{Lions don't lose sleep over the opinions of sheep}

xo, 

L

{quotable thursdays}

It's finally summer for me...the weather is warmer now in London and teaching responsibilities have quietened down for the summer... yay!
I'm now scrambling to meet a bunch of publication and writing deadlines before things get crazy again in September.
Here's a quote that can be about life, but also about writing (& the creative process of writing). It can easily happen when we rely on other authors' too heavily because we are unsure of our own voice & are scared to take ownership of our arguments:

{beautiful illustration by Ana Victoria Calderon}

{let your voice be heard}

I'm off to celebrate my great aunt's 90th birthday this weekend! more to follow...
xo

L

{these streets}

{Columbia Road, East London}

The one thing I love about London is that you can always find a new neighbourhood to explore. London is also always changing so a walk down the same street might be very different year after year.
Last weekend I decided to check out the Columbia Road Flower Market and the lovely shops that line the street. Simply a delight for the eyes:

{friendly feathers at the fantastic natural history shoppe!}

{how cute are these?}

{LOVE}

{hipsters abound}

{lovely antique shop}

{lots of flowers to buy (and shoppers dressed in equally bright arrangements!)}

{love the paint peeling here}

 I then continued walking towards Hoxton and stopped in at Pitfield--an amazing space of interior design, antiques, furnishings & a cafe:

Then continued my walk to Spitalfields market where there were more funky spots to see...

xo,
L

{10 years on...a reflection}

{MA graduation at the Courtauld, Somerset House}

10 years ago today I walked down an aisle in a church on the Strand and received a new status. No, I didn't get married, I received an MA in the History of Art from the Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London. It was the best year of my life--the most challenging but also one of the happiest. It also put me in the biggest debt, something I'm still paying off. 

10 years on, I'm happy to say that pursuing an MA in an amazing institution was the best decision I have ever made. At the Courtauld I made some lasting friendships--including meeting my best friend and other life-long friends. It hasn't been easy since. I certainly can say I've achieved some accomplishments as well encountered some obstacles--four years after receiving my MA, I had a PhD in hand and was facing the brave new world of doctorhood during an economic crisis that meant hiring freezes in most universities. Those institutions that were hiring also saw 100s of applicants just like me, going for the same jobs. I worked in 3 academic posts in three different institutions in three different cities, in two different countries, before landing a permanent post in another country (which so happened to be the location of my dreams).
Words of advice to my former self: none. Well done for setting the bar high when I was still dreaming so that my later self would seek to meet those high expectations. It certainly wasn't easy, but boy am I happy with where I ended up. The struggles were worth it.

{Courtauld MA graduation 2005. Note nude statue in background. How appropriate!}

{ my sister Christina was doing her PhD at Oxford at the time & was able to attend my MA graduation}

{friendships to last a lifetime}

{celebrating!}

{a charity dinner at the House of Lords, just one of the great memories from the year}

{my best friend Katie & me, in Cefalu, Sicily after submitting our MA thesis}

{celebrating outside in the gorgeous courtyard of Somerset House. 4 July 2005}

Congrats to all my fellow Courtauld graduates who have sought & found their various paths--I wish we were having an actual reunion, but sending love across the internet!
xo,
L

{quotable thursdays}

I've been missing my sisters recently... It's hard living apart from the people that you love. But this quote reminds me about something important: 

{friends}

It's true: the lovely women in my life--my friends, my sisters, my mum, my aunts, my cousins, my nieces--make my world, even if they're not in the same country or on the same continent. 

{sisters}

{cousins}

{best friends}

{friends since high school}

{crazy friends}

{sisterly love}

xo, 

L