Excuse, if you will, the chorus of crickets that have consumed this blog these last few months.
Truth be told, I almost never made my way back here and even now it feels a little like I'm trying on an old dress that doesn't quite fit any more.
For a while there it seemed like life and it's wicked sense of humor had been pulling some of it's best moves to trip me up and send me out of step with the music. I let a few key events get the better of me until I literally stooped beneath the sad & sorry personal rain cloud I was totin'.
My bad run culminated in the death of my beloved Nana Kitty on Sunday who was, and will ever be, my hero.
Coming back to Ireland for the funeral has slid all of my bad luck into a new perspective and I realize that any heart sickness I might feel now will somehow, over time, evolve into the footnote to a new, and happier, tale.
During a particularly rotten week when I was ready to crack some skulls my family whisked me away with them for a few days in Weymouth on the South coast of England. It's incredible what a dose of sea breeze, fresh, salty lungfuls of air and several rounds of tea and crab sandwiches can do for the bluest of the blues.
So here's to wiping the slate clean, picking myself up after yet another tumble, and finding comfort in old dresses.
My last few weeks on the Emerald Isle have had the most round house kickin'/ fist pumpin'/ air guitar playin' kinda effect on my heart.
My beautiful cousin and soul sister Finn came to visit for a long weekend. I'll be sharing a house with this amazing girl as well as some other pretty rad house-mates when I move to West London tomorrow (TOMORROW!).
We managed to squeeze in a full day of sightseeing, Irish coffees and pub time in my parent's home-town before packing up the car to head off to Kerry for a big old family knees up.
A 5 hour car journey, way too many travel sweets and one retail park pit stop later we were in beautiful Killarney in Kerry to visit my aunt and her family. It was a girly affair with 4 aunties and three girly cousins staying up way past the witching hour at the kitchen table drinking wine, taking photographs and swapping family anecdotes.
I treasured the opportunity to connect with my little cousin Zio as it's only the second chance I have had to meet her since she was adopted from Vietnam when she was a baby. Such a funny, smart and kind little human being, she just adored getting to know her grown up cousins and we took every opportunity to play with her and get to know her beautiful personality.
When she jumped on my bed one morning and said "Let's play 'Mamas and darlings', you can be the Mama and I'll be the darling" (a game she learned from a tv show apparently) I seriously thought my uterus would go off like a bomb. Sigh.
As well as the (several) maternal ticks and twitches I also thanked my moon and stars for being blessed with such a huge close-knit family and I relished the chance to bond with some seriously cool female matriarchs.
Killarney is a treat to visit and if you're ever considering a tour of Ireland it will tick every box~ I particularly fell in love with this time capsule tea room which we all loved so much we ate lunch in it two days on the trot. Smoked salmon and poached eggs and eggs benedict for the girl who wanted to run away with the china. Delicious.
My flight to London leaves at mid-day tomorrow so it'll be an early night for me tonight. I can't wait to check in with my first post from my new home. Thank you to all of you who have left such sweet words of luck and encouragement for me on my journey. Hugs and kisses are on the wind to you all x x x
Thank you so much for reading! Why not hitch your wagon to Stars in Jars? >.<
Sometimes it feels like my life is a non-stop cycle of packing and unpacking suitcases!
I remember around ten years ago when I first caught the travel bug an aunt of mine told me she can' t ever imagine me settling down in one spot and that I'm destined to roam the planet living a nomadic existence.
I'm pretty sure 21 year old Louise cocked an eyebrow at her at the time but looking back on my twenties and forward to my future I realize...aunties can be the wisest of sages!
I've spent the last ten years drifting between England, South East Asia, India, South Korea and Ireland.
Right now, at the grand ol' age of 30, I'm thirsty for a lick of stability so I'm packing my suitcases (once again!) and heading back to lay down some roots in my old stomping grounds in London.
Truth be told I can't wait to nest there for a little while. Forever's a scary word...who wants to know where they'll be at forever? But for now, this is what I want and what I need.
So for now it's folding and packing and last minute visits and a head swimmy with to-do lists.
I can't wait to post a tour of my new West London digs!
T minus 13 days. Ack!
⋙⋙⋙ listening⋙⋙⋙
To a bit of this + a bit of that.
Old, new, borrowed, blue.
Here's a tiny collection of songs that have seen me through the summer. Why not have a listen while I introduce you to some gorgeous gals?
⋙⋙⋙ reading⋙⋙⋙
I'm donning my matchmaker hat to share some of my current favourite blog reads with you today.
Some are new finds and some are tried and true...all are worth a visit and a nice comment from a new reader ^.^
1. Suzy Krause + the Skyscrapers// this one's a new read for me but I just love Suzy already! She's a blonde Norwegian with constellations in the freckles on her arms. Now why did I never think to describe mine that way?! Suzy's a snappy writer and I really enjoyed her post about New Yorks' soundtrack.
3. Nishaantishu// I can't remember how I stumbled across Freya's darling blog but I am so glad that I did. An ex-pat Bermudan living in North London with her boyfriend, she paints such a beautiful picture of her surroundings and I've loved viewing my home city anew through her fresh eyes. I can't wait to meet up with this lovely lady when I move back over!
Are you a tea lover? Freya has a fantastic tea giveaway that is ending today so go get your entry in now!
4. Lost Boys + Lovers// Sadie has fast become one of my favourite people on the internet. Such beauty, style and presence. I've loved following her story online from her recent move, to her vintage clothing business ventures, to motherhood to her recent 28-day whole foods cleanse. Such an inspiration!
5. Whit B Nimble// I met Whitney back in South Korea where we were both English teachers. Since leaving South K I've loved keeping up with her adventures back home in the U.S, road tripping across the Southern States with her boyfriend Angelo and her new adventures working at the Grand Canyon. Each post is such a lovely little picture story. She also posts wonderful instagram photos!
6. The Fox, Frugal// I've had the best time rummaging around in Jen's archives since discovering her blog just the other day. She has such a pretty life "making dreamcatchers, memories and music in the heartland."
Also her wedding was to die for! Say hi to Jen today!
⋙⋙⋙ eating⋙⋙⋙
Here's a peek at my "balanced" diet lately. Lunch today was berries, yoghurt, a power smoothie of raspberries, cucumber and coconut water... and a pastry. For balance!
⋙⋙⋙ watching⋙⋙⋙
This haunting little indie film stayed with me long after I watched it and left me with a lot of questions (which is something I love in movies) Sound of My Voice is about a journalist and his girlfriend who go undercover to join a cult whose leader claims she is from the future. Low-budget but beautifully shot with genuinely moving moments, I highly recommend this!
⋙⋙⋙ writing⋙⋙⋙
*ahem*
Let me direct you to this gif which verily sums up what has happened any time I attempted to write this summer....
I don't think summer is my creative season...too many distractions!
I visited the most perfect little tea room the other week with my Mom and aunt. Hidden down a little cobble-stone road in a village near my parent's house, it looked like something on the front of an old chocolate box.
We were served fresh from the oven scones and strawberries and whipped double-cream on mis-matched vintage china plates and drank a pot several pots of tea from china teacups on big wood tables while the sun smiled and the bees hummed and I felt a little like we were in Hogsmeade from the Harry Potter books ^.^
I loved the eccentric decor (a deer skull here, a cast iron stove there) and the potted succulents, wild arugula and strawberries that were dotted around the outdoor seating.
It was the perfect place to kick back, soak up the lazy, dreamy summer sun and take too many spoons of whipped cream, because why not?
Now that you're here summer, how about staying awhile? Sure would appreciate it.
This little fawn-colored pompom with legs is Buddy and he is the newest recruit in our household.
He was sold to us as a Maltipoo, the same breed as our sweet girl Millie who we sadly lost after only a week. However the vet seems to think he is half Maltese and half Shitzu. So what does that make him~ a Maltishit??
Oh dear! Well, whatever he is, we are smitten with him.
My Dad wanted to name him Walter, so we would have Walter and Jessie like the two main characters in Breaking Bad, but my Mom vetoed it and we all settled on Buddy.
Jess is 5 months old now and a lot more sensible so she is being very good at tolerating this sassy little guy all up in her personal space. Buddy has a mean case of 'bite worse than his bark'~ he has the girliest little scream/bark but watch out for those piranha teeth- oosh!
I remember Jess was the same at is age, we all loved her best when she was sleepy because that's when you can sneak in a few cuddles before they get all squirmy and want to get to the toys on the floor.
He's proving much easier to train though and homeboy already has a good handle on peeing on the paper.
Does that really justify me making him dance for his supper though??
At 4 months old our Jess is a detergent ball playin', gift wrap helpin', window washer watchin', growlin', teethin', toilet trainin', foot lickin' dose of love.
I've been a forever dog person, long, long before we ever even owned one (I was around 13 when we got our first Westie, Peppy), I've always had an affinity with dogs.
I think it's because they are capable of displaying and responding to affection and me being a very tactile person, I just adore the love they are capable of giving.
And one look into those deep liquid brown eyes and you can have a whole conversation with your pooch. There's a wealth of understanding in those eyes of theirs, sounds strange but fellow dog owners will agree!
My ultimate breed of choice would be a British bulldog. Named Buddha.
Not that I over-plan or anything ^.^
Yesterday we had some family over to celebrate my Aunt's 80th birthday~ I love this snap of me with my Pops. His belly laugh is one of the best sounds in the world ^.^
I made my speciality dessert; a boozy Bailey's chocolate cheesecake for the event, a sinful indulgence which is made only on special occasions.
My Mom and I definitely do not orchestrate special occasions just so we can make the cheesecake. Oh no.
I was over the moon when Artful Blogging magazine asked if they could use my blog header in their 'Banners We Love' feature in their Summer issue.
Today I'm reading it curled up with leftover cheesecake and good strong chai tea.
I've been asked a few times about who designed my header, while I came up with the initial design I was helped by the lovely Savannah at Oh So Pretty to tweak it and bring it into fruition. I highly recommend her for anyone looking to design their own blog template~ she was wonderful to work with >.<
The circus was in town while I was staying in London so on Sunday afternoon we took ourselves out to see the show.
I popped my circus cherry at the same time and also learned that you are NEVER too old for the circus ^.^
From the minute we spied the big top from the car window to the old timey popcorn and candyfloss vendors, the whole event was a great day out... we did lots of ooh and aahing at the contortionists and trapeze artists, snickering at the clown acts and we clapped and clapped till our hands were sore at the aerial silk performer (my personal favorite).
I got so carried away with the magic of it all...the whole day left me wanting to run away with the circus and spend every day spinning around in the air on ribbons and wearing a sparkly leotard...
And what better way to end a Sunday than with sausage,mash and onion gravy and sticky toffee pudding at the local pub?
Turning Thirty was a breeze for this gal, of course it helped that she was spoiled with the company of some very special people ^.^
The rainy weather (and too long taken to gussy ourselves up) caused us to veto our planned Jack the Ripper walk. Instead we raised our umbrellas and headed east for a stroll in Brick Lane.
We wandered through cobbled streets, touched railed clothing in vintage shops and toasted my birthday over fresh mint teas.
Later in the evening we returned for a long awaited Indian curry~ oh how I've craved a good curry with coconut rice and almond pashwari naan!!
We closed the evening at a beautifully ramshackle hole- in-the-wall hookah bar surreptitiously recommended to us by the waiter in the curry house.
We blew apple and mint flavored smoke bubbles and listened to some great 90's R & B until the clock struck midnight.
Here's the birthday breakfast rustled up for me by my cousin that morning using the goose eggs and walnut bread we bought from Borough Market the previous day.
How thankful I am for beautiful family and friends to add a bit of sugar to my birthday cake!
