A Winter Rainbow

Winter has arrived in London. Nevermind that we haven't officially reached the winter solstice. Old man winter has unmistakably made his grand entrance! Two nights ago we even got that cold, white, fluffy stuff. It hasn't snowed in October in London since 1934, so it was as much a surprise to the rest of the city as it was to me. It didn't stay on the ground long, but it sure was beautiful to watch trickle down out of the quiet night sky. While I can't claim I do not miss the land of the eternal summer that we left behind, I am adapting to our new surroundings. This includes my wardrobe. Gone are the days of crop pants. My sun glasses are collecting a bit of dust. Sunblock will surely expire before any chance of use. I wonder if my swim gear will ever see the light of day. And I've even checked in my beloved collection of flip-flops. Amidst waving the white flag on all things summer I have discovered dressing for my new, colder climate can sometimes be fun. (Ask me on the other side of five or six months, and I'm likely to be singing a whole different tune!) And by trading in flip-flops for scarves, I have discovered a rainbow in winter!

New York

Three hotel rooms, five nights, nine moms, 13 boxes of Hot Tamales, 27 theatre tickets, a bunch of tired credit cards, too much food, even more desserts, and a whole lot of crazy . . . well, this pretty much sums up my early October jaunt across the pond to reconnect with good friends. It was a crazy trip filled with the wonder of experiencing a new and exciting place for some, and the pleasure of returning to a city loved for others. Some made back-room deals on fabulous new bags, while others took joy-rides in cabs. Some shopped 'till they dropped, and one came away with a fabulous new yellow coat (does it still have the tag on?). Some made designer jewelery sure to be seen in a chic boutique someday. Some stayed up to dance the night away, while others fell victim to jet-lag. Some scored awesome, front-row seats to a smash Broadway hit, while others endured yet another technical difficulty with the other nose-bleeders. Some ran 10 miles around Central Park, while others ate a greasy breakfast at a local diner. Some bought scarves, and one caught on fire! Some shared desserts, and some got two! Some had tears fall at ground zero, but all were moved. There were as many ideas about what to do, where to go and what to eat at any given moment as there were girls, but somehow it all worked. The food, the shows, the shopping, it was all great, but the best part was being together again with all these awesome chicks!









































































Thanks for the fun memories, girls. I can't wait to do it again!

Brighton

Cotton candy. Pebbled beach. Arcades. Greasy fish and chips. Brightly colored, oversized stuffed animals. Boardwalk sweet shops. Overpriced, tacky fair rides. If you were playing a game of word association, these would all be fitting descriptions for Brighton, England. This weekend we decided to swap the dirty, dark city for a day of sun and fresh air by the sea.

Field Trip

Madeleine's class had a field trip. I had a babysitter. So I joined Madeleine and her classmates on a group outing to a farm outside of London to pick berries and all manner of veg. It was a nice, albeit exhausting, day. If you can imagine the fun of visiting the loo twice, not once but twice, with oodles of bouncy kindergarteners you can then with superb realism grasp the great joy of our day.