Always Christmas

I had to start another Christmas project...it is a nonstop process for me.

This is a cupcake angel stocking kit. Lots of little parts to work on...very fun and relatively quick. I'm at least two-thirds of the way through it...already thinking about what I will start next.

Looking Like Christmas

Wow...Christmas is only a little over a week away! I really just don't have a concept of time when we are in Paris. Somehow I managed to get some decorations up today...after all...I do have several stockings that only get a short time in the limelight.

We have four very distinctly different fireplaces in our old-style Parisian apartment. I only have two mantels decorated..which means I have room for more stockings next Christmas.

I am on the fence about getting a Christmas tree but I think we will get one...maybe tomorrow. I am very spoiled having a husband with a Fed Ex shipping account...I definitely get my presents shipped at the last minute.

I really must get organized...HA! Isn't that how one always feels at Christmas? We did offer to bring both our sons to Paris to spend Christmas with us but they decided to wait for nicer weather and come this spring. I do miss having Christmas in Alaska...it is always so pretty with the snow and all the holiday lights.

Last Day in London

Based on a recommendation in Rick Steves' travel book for London, we picked a walking tour between London Bridge and the Millennium Bridge. Our first stop on the walk was the Borough Market.

Lovely produce. 

Packed tight with people wanting to sample food. Paella samples...yummy!

Hubby got some raw oysters.

We split a bratwurst with extra mustard...more yum.

On with the walk. Right next door was Southwark Church...this place is ancient...it dates back to 1207. Shakespeare's brother prayed here...there is a special colored window with scenes from Shakespearean plays and a monument to Shakespeare beneath it.

Then a glimpse of a wall from Winchester Palace erected in the 12th century.

By the way...this is what London Bridge looks like today...modern and functional.

We found out "busking," is basically street performing.

The blue skies disappeared and our nice little outing ended at the Millennium Bridge. This bridge was in one of the Harry Potter movies with death eaters flying around it and ultimately destroying it. It is a suspension bridge for pedestrians only and crosses the Thames right at St. Paul's Cathedral. 

We did pick up a few souvenirs. An olive tree cutting board and more Starbucks coffee mugs.

Way out

It was to be expected...the rain showed up in London...though just a little now and then. 

I insisted on at least one cultural adventure today so we hit the National Portrait Gallery.  Portraits of famous British subjects are on display from the Tudor period to present day. British royalty, politicians, artists and pop culture personalities. We didn't know the majority of the portrait subjects but enjoyed the museum.  I did recognize the names of members of the Tudor courts since I have read several historical fiction books set in that time period. 

There was Anne Boleyn. She certainly had a great effect on the course of western history...

as did her daughter, Queen Elizabeth I.

Princess Diana. I remember the controversy of this sitting...Diana was wearing pants...not a a dress!

All that portrait viewing makes a person thirsty. There is always a pub conveniently located.

While there are many Starbucks in London we found a new favorite place to grab quick food and coffee,  Pret a Manger or translated from French...Ready to Eat. Lots of these to be found in London. In the morning we would get a yogurt with fruit and granola to go...much better than the food at Starbucks. They had wonderful looking sandwiches, soups and salads. 

 

We finished our day with another show, "Jersey Boys," the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. It was a quick-paced musical.

Some differences between the US and the UK.

In London, pedestrian crossings that tell you to look left...and look right. I think I was always looking the wrong way.

And don't look for the "Exit" sign but rather the "Way out" sign.

And when you are riding the underground you have to use your ticket to get in and get out! This is really a pain when your "day pass" on the underground decides not to work halfway through the day.  The underground was very busy almost all the times we road it...even at 10:30 p.m. We would avoid riding the metro in Paris at that time of day but there are a lot more people in London...safety in numbers.

Big Ben

Where in the world is Debbie? 

London! So far two days of great weather. Bit wet today. 

It may seem a bit obvious, but it is very nice to speak the local language! The first day in town I was on my own as hubby was in a conference all day. We started out staying at a hotel at Heathrow airport. So I had to learn how to make my way into London from there...very easy when you speak the local language. In Paris the subway is the metro...in London, the underground. (I feel like I'm looking for an after-hours club when I ask where to find the underground.)

My schedule was overly ambitious the first day. I had planned to visit an art museum, Courtauld Gallery, and Westminster Abby. The art museum was empty so I spent more time than anticipated there and just enjoyed! (There will be other trips to London so no frantic rush on this visit.) Like Paris...the "tourist" attractions are centrally located and easily walked.

The Courtauld Gallery has a wonderful collection that spans the Middle Ages to the 20th Century...a small number of paintings but fabulous representations of some of the biggies. Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Rubens, Manet, Monet, Degas, Van Gogh and Picasso. 

Yesterday we made out way to a London hotel my husband had seen highlighted on business channels, ACE Hotel. Designed with the young business traveler in mind. This is exactly what our room looks like.

It's very comfortable and has...free high speed internet. That is rare! We love it...I definitely feel on the older end of this crowd.

We did a lot of walking since it was another sunny day. (Hubby was catching up from being in the conference.) Got my all-important souvenir, a London-themed Swatch.

We finished the day with a show I have been wanting to see for 10 years...

"Wicked"

Wickedly Good!

Christmas Shopping

I had a great day yesterday! Christelle came into Paris and we took in a little Christmas shopping. We went to a large, upscale mall, Galleries Lafayette. Inside was a four-story Christmas tree.

I have to go back another day...earlier in the morning and get some photos of the exterior windows. They had robotic scenes...so cute! It wasn't horribly crowded but enough that it was not great for picture taking.

Christelle asked if I was looking for anything in particular. I do have a collection of glass ornaments I am always looking to add too. We  found a wonderful ornament shop and I came home with a new acquisition.

German crafted by Inge-Glass, which started out as a cottage industry all the way back to 1596. (I think they have this technique perfected) Each ornament was individually mouth blown and hand painted. They came in a very sturdy wooden box with extra padding for when these treasures make the journey to Alaska

We took a long walk and of course different topics came up...I have some new ideas for blogging posts. Chocolate...McDonalds in France vs US...French frozen-food dinners...important stuff! But I only have a few more days to get my quilt squares off the dining room floor...hubby returns Monday morning and the dining room table is his home office. All that point-matching takes time!

Calm Seas

I am so impressed using the templates from Marti Michell on my storm-at-sea pattern. I've got a corner together...look how great the points match! I am a happy camper. There's a heck of a lot of point-matching in this pattern. I'm taking it in little bits everyday.

I always baste where points meet before I commit to a final seam.

My new French friend, Christelle, has shared a website that allows me to watch US television shows. The one show I was watching this season before coming to Paris was The Voice...finally got to see the final 10 and final 8 shows. Last night's episode isn't available yet. I love how positive the show is and very entertaining. With some TV to watch at night I have cranked through some embroidery on stockings. I got the top done on "Jungle Bells."

The most fun stage for me on these stockings is starting a new one! I decided to do a "girlie" design...I don't do those often enough. This one looks like it will go quickly. Lots of simple embroidery stitches.

My husband is back in Alaska...getting to see the new furniture for the first time that came in the day before I left for Paris. It really is a treat to have new furniture when the house has been mostly empty the past year. (I miss my house!) Yesterday it was -21 (that's Fahrenheit) along Eagle River. Today it is supposed to be about 10...much better. There is about a foot of snow on the ground. (I have learned it is an American obsession to discuss the weather all the time...or maybe it's because I live in a family of pilots.)

I've given hubby a list of DMC embroidery floss to pick up before he leaves Alaska. I feel terrible making him go into a JoAnns or Micheals at Christmas time but he was happy to do it when I told him how much more expensive it would be for me to buy it in Paris. (Christelle and I spent time talking about the horrible prices in France for fabric and DMC floss...it just isn't right that it is cheaper...even with international shipping...to order from the states. It makes it impossible to support local businesses...an unfortunate cycle of events. It must be taxes that drive the prices so high.)

Back to  my obsession with weather. Sometimes I feel like Eeyore...I've got a little black cloud that follows me. It was sunny yesterday morning...not a cloud in sight. I hurried to get outside and take in a walk along the Seine. Less than half way through my walk I realized it wasn't sunny anymore. A huge wall of grey clouds came from nowhere! At least there wasn't any rain but is sure made the rest of my walk less cheerful. I was is need of recharging my vitamin D reserves.