tongue tied and busy

I’m back from holiday, hence zero updating while I was away. I actually took a week off from the computer too! Well, mostly. Sometimes you just need to unplug.

While I was home visiting my Mum and Sam (Dad was away in NYC), I also made a side trip to the dentist, where he sliced open the tip of my tongue. Which, my friends, did not tickle, and is still healing. Thankfully, my Mum baked me some delicious banana bread to take home with me and that has helped. Soft goodness. Also a salt water rinse multiple times a day. I don’t think I could ever handle having my tongue pierced.

Anyway, here are a few photos from the week. I was also was flipping through some of our old albums and see that my aversion to the camera started at an early age.

Animal Farm in Canatara Park

My favourite Lake (Huron)

Chucks on the sandbar

Avon River, Stratford

Chair dancing with PB&J

No, one more story!

One of my first memories, with my Grandmother in Cape Cod

this. yes, this.

My friend Todd shared this, and I’m stealing it.

Sums up my feelings on most holidays.

I’m definitely the girl from the last scenario in this clip.

this. this right here.

Been spending my time traveling all over Southern Ontario this past week, hence the lack of posting.

Hope you all had a lovely Xmas and celebrate New Years Eve in whatever fashion you enjoy most.

I still have a few days of pinging around before I make it back to Vancouver, so for now this is kind of how I feel…

blue raspberry

Instead of finishing off my year-end song list, I’ve been making a gingerbread house.  It’s turned into an annual tradition, and I think this is the best one yet. Although it does lack a bit of an overall story. I had wanted to do a house set in two different universes but then decided on a brownstone-like structure with neighbours of varying tastes.

Amazingly, even though this was a larger structure it held together the easiest of them all. That royal icing, I tell you.

Photos are a bit blurry, too lazy to find my actual camera amidst the luggage. I’ll upload better ones later.

Front of the house. Some of you might recall the address, which was my address when I lived in England.

Communal ice rink in the middle of the pathways.

The “Blue Raspberry” side. Inspired by watching Christmas Vacation. Snowman who don’t melt, hence the sunbathing on the shreddie roof.

More colour coordinated neighbours, cinnamon hearts and mints with a poppy-seed roof.

Green fondant siding…

Red fondant siding…

The backside, oh, and the window lining is the only non edible part of the house – used paper for that.

currently…

still marveling over the fact that we played charades for 4 hours last night.

have no desire to go out and brave the crowds for boxing day. thinking today will be a good day for gingerbread house adventures.  last years will be hard to top, but i have some sketches. it will be nightmare before xmas style, methinks.

wondering what i am not allergic too.

realising i should never purchase electronics for the parentals because i will be the one to hook everything up.

thinking i really need to get caught up on my music listening, but realistically that will have to wait until i am back in Van.

wondering if i will wake up the rest of the household with my waffle making. its a risk, but i’m starving.

wondering what dvd series to start on next. continue with my golden girls, or start in on alias.

currently…you are?

random pictures snapped this week

i haven’t really been taking too many photographs on this trip. mainly because it wasn’t a tourist holiday, and also taking pictures was really hard to manage while feeling dizzy. thankfully we started snapping a few in the last day. i’ll post the ones from oxford soon.

who doesn’t love a little scrabble street art?

portobello road

ali perusing the shops

wise words

finally a shop specifically devoted to doorknobs! what to choose…

notting hill reminds me a bit of camden town. lots of little shops.

thomas 2.0! you may remember ali and i’s tree from Belgium…

we’re looking for a name for the tree topper…suggestions?

only ali would have matching xmas wrapping paper

this is what it feels like inside my head when i’m dizzy…blur

happy holidays from west hampstead!

tucked into the cotswolds

watching Q & I with Stephen Fry on telly eating maltesers, drinking tea, laughing with friends. this episode guests have to answer in cockney rhyming slang. quite hilarious.

i learned some new slang tonight.

J: I think she’s trying to be a lollipop lady!

Me: A what?

J: One of those people who cross the kids on the corner. With the sign that looks like a lolly.

Me: (laughing) Do you mean a crossing guard?

J: Well isn’t that official.

heard any good slang lately?

p.s. We’re snowed in here in Oxford. Most of the south is closed due to the weather. BA has even cancelled all flights out of Heathrow and Gatwick. Hopefully we can make it back to London on monday, and that things will have quieted by the time I need to fly home. Other casulaties this weekend already – my sunflower hat. Lost somewhere at Hogwarts. I hope it finds a good home. Perhaps with my lost mitten. I need to put strings on my outerwear, clearly.

 

untitled

Sam.

She just turned 11 last week.

Apparently she’s been starting to slow down over the last year, and now has a few tumours that are effecting her ability to walk. They don’t know if the tumours are cancerous, because they don’t want to go back in and do a biopsy. Or rather, they didn’t take enough the first time around and my parents don’t want to have to put her through the stress of going under again. So she’s on some pain medication, and according to my mom, has her good days and bad.

My visit home can’t come sooner.  I miss her scrunched face.

there’s rain in tokyo

This is pretty much my view most days.

Hard to complain about a little drizzle, eh. I went out for a walk this morning and just kind of stood for a bit looking at the mountains. They are so peaceful from a distance, especially with the water.

I do love it here, but the east has been on my mind, seeing as it’s Thanksgiving and all. I will be partaking in festivities with an old friend and her extended family. I can’t remember the last time I had Thanksgiving with my family. Probably my fist year of university. I took the 10 hour train trip from Kingston and vowed then never again for a 3 day break. I now save up time and take a longer break in December.

Since then it’s been enjoyable to be invited into other peoples homes, or make my own dinner with friends. Less arguing. Although I guess it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without a little bit of vocal disagreement. It’s just more amusing when it’s not your family.

Have any humourous holiday stories to share?

east wind

I like to start every trip across the country off with a morning acupuncture appointment where they hook the needles into an electric current. Really wakes you up.

I’m going to try and start every conversation this weekend with “New socks?” just because this picture makes me smile.

Do you have plans for the 2-4 weekend? I’m headed back home, to the parentals, to celebrate 4 different birthdays. Should be fun. Alcohol and Trivial Pursuit will be involved and well, that always ends well with a competitive family, doesn’t?

Stay tuned.