Get busy living

Woah, I have no idea where the last couple weeks have gone. It’s been a whirlwind of events, parties, gigs, drinking, tennis and work with little time for me to catch my breath. I’m trying to use my free time this weekend to catch up on all that’s been going on with life while I’ve been out living it. It’s noon and I had a decent night sleep, but I’m still struggling to keep my eyes open. It seems like all the weight of the last few weeks is finally getting off my shoulders. My mind is still not sure about being here. London though is throwing itself at me trying to get me to stay here long term. It’s doing things like making me look at stuff like this:

Shiny glass and steel London on the South Bank.

C’mon London. That’s not even fair. You know I can’t resist buildings and sun and stuff. You can’t even see the top of the Shard the sun is so lovely. And then this too?

The city!

Pretty nice. I was lucky enough to attend an awards ceremony at City Hall this week. The “living room” is an amazing venue and you can walk around outside around the perimeter of the building to have a look at London. I haven’t been in the London Bridge area of the city in the light in ages. It’s hard not to love London on evenings like this. Especially when you’re drinking free red wine.

Last week I turned the big 31. I had an excellent turn out for my birthday drinks at Euston Tap. Both co-workers and regular type friends. We had a few drinks there and then went to see Cold War Kids in concert up in Kentish Town. I had a great time, but the lighting and sound at the gig left something to be desired. We still did some shuffling and dancing. I would post photos, but I managed to not take any people photos that night. Only one of my half-eaten falafel wrap.

falafel

I know you all wanted to see it. Recently, I’ve been venturing into the world of falafel wraps pretty heavily. It’s a good world to be in. Come join me there if you’d like.

Also this week was Walk to Work week. Doesn’t that sound like a fun initiative. I thought so at least. It’s 10.6 miles cycling to work for me each way. And while I did think about walking to work, I passed it up. I did meet up with some co-workers and walk from Vauxhall train station to work. It was 3.5 miles to work from there. The morning was not the best in terms of how I felt (late night the previous night) but it was absolutely glorious out. I felt better after getting some fresh air and taking in the sites. It was a different bit of London than I normally see on my commute into work, so I very much liked it. You see a lot as a cyclist rather than a car driver, but walking makes you notice even more of the world around you. So I was able to appreciate a view like this on my way into work:

Victoria Tower Gardens on a sunny Thursday morning.

It’s no St. Margaret Mercy, but it’s not bad to look at when you’re on your way to work. So that was cool to do. I will stick to cycling to work, but I think one of these days I will actually do the whole walk to or from work. My friend and I are already thinking about doing it on some nice Summer day. Maybe stop for drinks and dinner on the way home.

Yesterday was a big day for my pub quiz team. We went out and blew our pub quiz winnings in one mighty crawl. There are 10 of us who regularly quiz together and over the last 6-7 months we have collected a mighty sum of money from wining. £600 in fact. Here we all are at the Railway, where we normally quiz these days.

Team Quiz on my _____

So yeah, that’s a good meal out and a lot of booze for each person.We stayed local and went to all of our regular haunts. Plus went out for mexican. I was starting to become very intoxicated by dinner time. But I stuffed myself silly with food at the restaurant and could not contemplate consuming any more calories. Ok, ok, I had one more pint, but I was done after that. It was really for the best in the end. I wanted to be alive today and not laying in bed wishing I didn’t have so many shots. I’m just about 100%, though very sleepy over all. That’s a big victory for me considering the way I’ve felt the next morning after being out on the lash.

Here’s a very flattering picture of me towards the end of the night.

I don’t need another, thank you.

 

Nice to catch up and see everyone out in one evening!

So that’s that. I find out more about permanency of work this week. I made a much better case for keeping me around last week than I did previously. Thanks St. John’s Wort! You’re my new best friend! That’s the first step of many to being here long term. If that happens. If I want it to happen. Le sigh.

I’m out playing tennis today. I need to play as I’ve somehow signed up for 2 leagues and 4 different tournaments this summer not really thinking anything of it. That’s a lot of tennis to have to play and book into my schedule. I’m not sure my game is up to it nor my body. I hope to at least get some good wins under my belt.

All, have a good week. Stay positive. Have a good time. Get out and explore. Peace.

 

 

Green Garden

Not sure if Laura Mvula has yet made it stateside, but she needs to be popular over there. I downloaded her album a couple weeks ago. Wow. She’s got a Nina Simone type voice. I love her. Both Laura and Nina. The video to the song is quite good as well. Have a listen and get hip to it!

 

 

TFFS

Flower boarder in Regents Park

Thank f*** for spring. It’s here. Trees and flowers are in bloom. It’s mildly warm. And there has even been sun. Yes, Sun. Happy days. My hops plant is so happy with the turn in weather it’s grown more than 3 feet in less than two weeks. Hard to believe but true. I have photographic evidence to back me up. I’m looking forward to a lot of hop flowers come this September. I’m arranging to do a fresh hopped beer with my home brewing co-worker. Hop Trip UK edition? Yes please!

Hop-tacular hops.

The weather has done much to improve my spirits after a tough winter of clouds. But I’m still struggling to with whether to stay here in London long term. If anything it’s become much more difficult in the last weeks. I’ve missed my friend Jill’s wedding back in Oregon. Really really gutting for me to have missed it. Like I ended up crying at two different pubs while out last Saturday. Two pubs. What a pillock. After a load of consolating hugs from my mates I felt a wee bit better. But it still threw into doubt my reasons for staying here long term. Worse it’s ever been. It’s hard to say if it’s just a funk or if it truly is a call by my heart to move back stateside. I don’t want to make a rash decision as once I leave that’s likely it for living abroad in my life. So I’m giving it 2 months. Two months to mull over and see how it is. Come July perhaps things will have significantly changed. I have a feeling they will have one way or another. And a decision will be clear. Stand by.

Until then, I will make the most of my time in London. Spend time with my lovely friends, work hard and learn as much as I can at my job, and continue my quest for smoking hot body fit. And by smoking hot body fit I mean try not to develop a beer belly.

This weekend is a bank holiday weekend. The weather is supposed to be pretty alright outside of the last 15 minutes when it was raining. Hopefully I can get my act together and go play some tennis in the late afternoon today. I have a match tomorrow and I haven’t picked up my racket in the last two weeks. Never a good formula for winning. Monday I will be heading to the land of Essex to go for a wander through Epping Forest. I’ve never been there and the trip is long overdue. I’m trying to get my co-workers to join me as well. This will probably lead to more tree photos being posted here.

Yesterday it was really nice and I was out working on my bicycle in Camden Town. I decided to cycle over to Regents Park via Regents Canal on my lunch break.

Regents Canal

I’ve been running through Regents Park after work over the last few weeks. The park is absolutely huge. You don’t realize it until you’ve run around it thoroughly. And Queen Mary’s Gardens are beautiful. I’ve wanted to take a load of photos, but since I’m running I don’t have my camera. So this was finally a chance to snap a few photos while the cherry trees are still in bloom. And were they ever. So I leave you with some lovely photos of Regents Park. If you ever come to London, I recommend a wander through Regents Park and then down the canal. You won’t be disappointed.

Avenue of trees

 

Cherry Trees

Ok this is Camden Gardens not Regents Park but it’s a nice little garden.

Have a nice weekend everyone. I hope the weather is nice enough for you to get out and explore.

Bluebells are out….nearly

Yesterday, a gentleman at Perivale Wood said the bluebells would be out in total in 5 days. They looked pretty good to me. I’ll go try another ancient woodland next weekend just to make sure. Here are a few snaps from Perviale Wood in West London yesterday on their once-a-year opening day.

 

Enjoy and have a nice week. xx

One sweet day

I went to Kew Gardens yesterday for a seminar. It’s still a novelty for me to go there for any reason. Like….it’s Kew. Kew Gardens. In London. And I can ride my bike there.

Awesome type.

The seminar, which was on the topic of arboretums, specifically one in Northern Ireland (I WILL GO THERE THIS YEAR) was very good. But it was nice of the organizers to finish at 4 so we had some time to wander around the gardens before it shut. And it was around 4 that the weather when from alright to really good.

The spring flowers are up. The magnolia trees are in bloom (just passed peak). And some of the trees are beginning to break bud and push some leaves out.

Awesome blossom

I love magnolias in bloom.

Did I mention magnolias are awesome in blossom?

Yeah it was pretty nice out.

A lovely avenue of Quercus ilex (possibly a hybrid but I don’t think so).

It was nice out and then it got more nice.

Pagoda!

I was so happy it was nice out, I jumped for joy in front of some Ponderosa Pines. I love Pondos. Tulip trees and Ponderosas often get impromptu hugs from me when I spot one. Cause just like me, they are making it in a foreign land. They’re like friends here from Indiana and Oregon respectively.

Jumping for joy!

I need to go to sleep. It’s been a busy week of having to do random things (taxes, kew, dinner with friends, running to shoreditch) and I still haven’t recovered from Sunday’s mega bbq really. I felt like a slug on my 6 mile run and cycle home this evening. Still….I did it. Just got to power through shit cause it’s always worth it in the end.

Have a good weekend y’all. Peace and blessings.

A change in the wind

Maybe it’s just because it’s spring. The whole energy of the northern hemisphere is morphing, swinging into a period of growth. And perhaps standing around hugging trees most days has me in touch with that feeling. Or maybe I’ve just got a bad case of wind making me feel different than normal. It’s difficult to say really.

But it feels as if life is about to change dramatically. Which, owing to how my job is going and over all life is going, it’s not surprising. Something’s got to give. I just feel like I’m struggling with too many things right now. Things can’t continue in their current status.

I can’t keep temping.

I can’t blow my next interview.

I can’t have much fun at this rate of pay.

I can’t travel far.

 

I can’t continue to spend so much time alone.

 

It’s a lot of can’t. There’s a lot of awesome in my life too:

I can cycle to work.

I can explore the most beautiful city in the world at any second.

I can run for an hour with out too much bother.

I can play tennis whenever I want.

I can pet a cat (nearly) all the time I’m home.

I can read a shit ton of books thanks to the wonder of many libraries around the city.

I can wake up every morning and go to a job I absolutely love.

I can do what I want because I’ve got no one to answer to!

 

There’s a lovely quote by Theodore Roosevelt as follows:

“Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty… I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life. I have envied a great many people who led difficult lives and led them well.”

 

What I think is going on is that I’m feeling like I want an easier life. If aladdin would come out of a lamp right now my first wish would be for an easier life. I’d probably be transported back to Oregon circa 2009. And my second wish would immediately be to be transported back to now. And then my third wish would be for £1,000,000,000 non taxed. That would solve some things. 

My network of friends back in Oregon, has nearly disappeared now. I know I left. And maybe I haven’t been the best at keeping in touch. But I did/do try. And there’s just not much coming back over this side of the pond. That’s rather disparaging and sad.

I have a lovely family who do keep in touch. So at least I have that.

I’m just winging a bit. I will continue to do my best, to keep learning, to keep striving for something better. Meh.

 

In other news, I’ve been playing a few tennis matches lately. It’s been great to get out on the court and play proper matches. I haven’t won, but it’s been good. I was really thumping my serves towards the end of my 2nd match today. Saved 4 match points and forced a tie breaker for the 2nd set. This summer I’ll be out on the tennis court a lot aiming to improve all of my game and get to a new level of ability on the court. I’ll be keeping up with running as well. I ran for 50 minutes on Tuesday, I think running about 6 miles. Not too bad. If I’m not too sore from tennis, I’ll go for an hours long run tomorrow. I’m pushing my body a lot this year. I hope it can keep up with me. Maybe a very fit, long haired Colleen can land a guy. Cause the short hair, a bit pudgey Colleen wasn’t pulling much in the last year. Time will tell. Maybe this is part of my seismic shift! Love! I’d like to love and be loved once again.

I must be off. I’ve got some planning to do for my back garden. This morning I ripped out a patch of shit on our border and I plan to plant it up with something lovely and colorful this summer. Likely I’ll just put in some nice flowers for the bumble bees. If I put veg in, the damn slugs will eat it all. I’ll keep my veg in pots.

New bit of land to turn over

It’s not much space, but it’s something. I also ran out of time to finish clearing it up. I had to get to my tennis match. And since it’s been pissing down with rain and very window since about 2, I am not about to go back out there to finish it today. Tomorrow though……tomorrow.

Well, I’m off to relax the evening away. I’m beat! All the best to you all. Keep on traveling the difficult road…..

HAIM – Falling

I’m totally in love with this song. More of this please, HAIM.

I would post the video on here, but I’m not. For a couple reasons:

1. They won’t let me embed the video.

2. The video features a lot of trees. It sounds like something I’d be into. But they switch between a lot of different environments (mountains, semi-tropical, streams etc) and it’s lack of tree continuity makes my head hurt. It looks like they shot it in California in sunny palm tree land and also up in the Sierras or something.

3. You don’t need to watch the video. Just listen to the song. It’s all that matters.

Recovery from you

This song and video makes me happy.

Easter Sunday

It’s such a glorious day. Yes, Jesus has risen. I am listening/kind of watching the live Easter Mass from St. Peter’s in Rome at the moment. There’s no chance I was going to make it into Victoria today to go to mass. I have pretty much given up on public transport on bank holiday weekends because the train schedules tend to be the worst then. But I am digressing from my glorious day beginning. We’ve been shrouded in cloud cover for what feels like months and months here in London. I thought there would never again be a day where the sun would be out. But the last two mornings I’ve woken up to bright sunlight in my eyes. I really should start closing the blinds. Today, Sunday, the sun is scheduled to remain and it should for the next few days. And just in time for a 4 day weekend. I have always had an excellent time over Easter bank holiday weekends here in London. This one is no different.

So earlier in the week I was working and dressed like this: 

Cold. Snow. Grumpy.

Snow fell and stuck for a few days. But now the sun is out this morning and I can go out like this for short periods of time dressed as such:

Glorious sun in my back garden.

You may wonder what I’m doing. I’m draining the water out of that pot. It’s been too cold for me to do so. That poor apple tree is just about dead from drowning. I’m a bad arboriculturalist as it should have gone in the ground about a year and a half ago. This winter will likely have done it in. But on the plus side, look at that sun! Sorry tree!

It’s been a fun weekend hanging out with the crew, drinking alcohol and recklessly meandering throughout the greater Streatham area.

Drinking at the Ferrers and very pleased about it? Believe it!

I have some other photos, which are very nice from the weekend. The only thing I see though is how much I need to get my hair cut and styled. It’s gone a bit Farrah Fawcett a la 1977. Something must give very soon.

Drinking with Farrah Fawcett hair.

I mean look at us. All I need is some hair dye, a poncho background and a red bathing suit and we’re basically twins:

Basically my twin.

You can call me Colleen Fawcett. Any ways, I think I’ll go out and throw some discs today. That sounds like the most logical way for me to celebrate the resurrection of Christ. Any ways, I need a good day out in trees and nature without inspecting every tree I see. It’s been a…ummm….up and down week at work. I got kicked in the bum, but I needed it.  In the end it’s going to lead to things being better than they would have. At least I think so. Fingers crossed.

So on that note, I say goodbye to this haphazard post. I hope you’re all having a lovely weekend and it’s sunny where ever you may be in the world. Peace and blessings. Peace and blessings.

My traveling and home support of @FulhamFC

I think it’s likely that I won’t make it to any more Fulham FC matches this year. Not because I don’t want to, but I just don’t have the money to go to any of the remaining fixtures. But I am not complaining as I’ve been able to go to quite a few games this year.

I set out early in the year to go to all the away matches which took place in London. This season there are 6 London teams in the Premiere League including Fulham, so it was the most London centric season in a few years. Up until this season I had yet to see Fulham win a Premiere League game in person. So I figured the odds would be on my side to see them win at least A game this season having to go to 6 games. Well, it was a long season……and I had lost all hope of seeing the boys get a win by the end.

First up way back on 1st September was West Ham United. Fulham fans were riding high going into the game as we had signed Dimitar Berbatov from Manchester United the night before on the last day of the transfer window. Unfortunately, the joy didn’t last very long as we got smashed by West Ham 3-0 at Upton Park. Play was dismal on our part. Ah well. It was early in the season and it’s a long time to May….

Forever Blowing bubbles at Upton Park.

A few weeks later after a trip to Spain I came back and went to Craven Cottage to see the Cottagers take on the reigning Premiere League champs Manchester City. We went into halftime looking quite alright at 1-1.  I thought we had a chance. In the end, we gave up a late goal by Sergio Aguero (he’s good at doing that) and lost 2-1. I went to the game with my flatmate Stefan. We had a nice time. I’m glad he got to go to a Premiere League match before he passed away. And he got to see the Michael Jackson statue, which he always gave me shit about being both a MJ and Fulham fan. He didn’t want his picture taken next to it. I don’t understand why…..

The Cottage from Hammersmith End

We didn’t have another away game against a London team until November when we took on Arsenal at the Emirates. I had been to the Emirates last year for a match. It’s a cool modern stadium. Of course it doesn’t have the charm of some of the other stadiums I’ve been too, but it’s good to say I’ve been there. It just seems like it takes a lot to get the Gunner fans going. This year though was a great game, even though we didn’t win. We tied 3-3. We played a great game and Mark Schwarzer saved a penalty in the last second of play to earn us a point. I think everyone heading back to West London that night was happy to have scored 3 against Arsenal.

Emirates at dusk

At the end of November Fulham went to visit our neighbors a mile and a half to the East, Chelsea FC. It was a Wednesday night match and contentious. Rafa Benitez had taken over as manager just a week earlier for Chelsea and this was his 2nd game as manager. Chelsea fans were not impressed. Well, the game was good, but ended goalless. I believe there were a few shots off crossbars from both teams. I have to say that I kind of liked Stamford Bridge. The stands feel like they are really hovering right over the pitch. It’s quite intimate. Much more so than any other stadium I’d been to. I had a tough night that night having found out that my flatmate Stefan had passed away earlier in the week. He would have loved to go to that game with me. Or at least talk trash about Rafa Benitez. He hated that guy and was quite hilarious with his hatred.

Cozy Stamford Bridge

On December 15th I went to the stadium only 3 miles from Craven Cottage. This time Fulham was taking on Queens Park Rangers. I think all the Fulham fans went in that day to Loftus Road expecting a win. Or at the very least a draw. QPR had not won a game up until that point in the season. They were in dead last. Could we possibly get the win against one of our closests rivals? No of course not. We lost 2-1, giving QPR their first victory. They’ve only had one other victory this year and it was against Chelsea. Obviously, there’s something going on with the West London teams. I don’t know how else to explain it all. And they are still in dead last. “You’re only here for one season….here for one seaaaaaason….”

Right behind the goal in the front row at Loftus Road.

After that I bought a ticket to the Wigan game at Craven Cottage for January 12th. I thought OK, we’re at home. Wigan isn’t having a brilliant season. We had just beaten West Brom a week and a half earlier away. So I thought we could finally get that victory I’ve been waiting for. Ummmmm no. Another tie. 1-1. Great. At this point I’m seriously beginning to think that I will never see the Cottagers get a win. I am the curse.

I was sitting next to a guy with the worst smelling breath ever. I’m surprised I made it the whole match without passing out.

So I bought my ticket to the final away London match of the season. I thought it’s just not going to happen this year. I’ll go another season with out seeing the boys win. At the least it’ll make sure I go to more games next year, trying to see a win. So last weekend I went to White Hart Lane to see Fulham take on Tottenham Hotspur. It was a bit bittersweet as Stefan and I had planned to go to this match at the beginning of the season. Tottenham was his favorite team and he would have loved to be at the match that’s for sure. Any ways, I went to the match with no expectations. Tottenham have played a lot of football lately, and had some not very good results, but you just never know what’s going to happen. The game went to half time 0-0. I would have been happy with that result. But just a few minutes into the 2nd half, Berbatov had an ok goal. Not pretty, but still a goal. It was a nerve wracking 40 or so minutes. But some how, we held on for the win. 1-0 at White Hart Lane. It was surreal. I couldn’t believe we actually won. What a result and definitely needed at this point in the season.

The boys cheering the Fulham faithful at White Hart Lane

So yes, the streak is broken. I have finally seen Fulham win a Premiere League game. And one I really wanted to win at that. I went to two other matches this year. They were away games at Southampton and Reading.  Here are the bonus pictures from those matches.

St. Mary’s Stadium

 

 

Reading FC

The Southampton game finished 2-2 and the Reading game was 3-3. I think I lost my voice at the Reading game. It was probably my favorite game of the year just because of the atmosphere. Both home and away fans were totally into it.

So my in person record this year was 1-5-3. Not bad, but not very good either. I hope next year to see a couple more wins from Fulham. It was an excellent experience to go to all the different stadiums in London and see the various atmospheres of each. All of them were very unique. Still, Craven Cottage is the best. As for the rest of the season, I see the Cottagers getting a couple more wins and finishing top 10 for sure. But I imagine I’ll be watching all the rest at home or in a pub. That’s alright with me. I’ve achieved my goal for the season.

I’d like to dedicate this post to Stefan. We spent a lot of time over the year and half we lived together talking and watching football. I think of him every time I watch a match. You’re missed, buddy. Żbik misses you too.

On that note, I’m out. Peace and love.