It's Alive!

After four months of time off, I started working from home in April. As I've spent years working full time, it is a bit strange to be freelancer/contractor.

It took a big leap of faith and a trust of my gut to first walk away from my full time job 2 years ago, a bit of luck that I have been able to find contracts that have been so rewarding and long-term, and a whole heap of amazing as it has allowed me to go from a stressful situation to one with flexibility that fits into our travel focused life.

So one early morning during the start of my new work from home life, I took the camera for a walk in the Heath. All of the pictures are here.

After a long, cold, and dark winter the Heath showed us the first signs that change was happening. That we were coming out of the darkness and that we'd made it through.

I could almost smell the air warming up that day and hear the fringy leaves unfolding.

My coot is back on her nest....

The bathing pond reminded me to make good on my promise to swim this summer...

and later that day, as I came back for a run, I swear the Heath had grown.

The Theatre....

We have tried to go to the theater, (theatre,) as much as we can while here in London. We had a plan to go at least once a month...and I think we've come pretty close to meeting that goal.

We had a fabulous experience a few months ago. My friend Joanna works a few nights a month as a stage producer on the show 'Wicked.' She has kindly been offering tickets and a bit of a back-stage tour to me for months.

Finally, we picked a date, and invited John and Melissa to come with us.

I first saw the show in San Francisco years ago (pre-TJ and before it went on Broadway.) It was amazing how different it was - but the music was still fun, and memorable.

The best was seeing all of the 'Principle' performers post-show as they headed out for a staff party and how very small the back-stage area was. It will make us think of all that goes into each show we see!

How we travel....

We are notoriously and shockingly bad at two things:

1. Getting out of the house on time in the morning

2. "Packing light"

We have many stories of racing out of Gates Street in the Mini, trying desperately to get up to Napa in 30 minutes or less to meet friends or under-estimating the time it takes on the tube to get somewhere. Give us a weekend morning, cups of coffee, and bread from the bakery and you can guarantee we will show up an hour later than we were schedule to.

And the packing thing....well see, it's hard to pack lightly. Even after 3+ years of life built around travel and the 'where are we going next' mentality, you think we would have the packing thing down by now. Wouldn't you?

Well we don't. And I will not group TJ into this, as he's much better at it than I am. But I am not so good.

You could almost create a funny movie filled with video clips of me in airports and train stations all over Europe and North America, (and some parts of Asia and Africa,) lugging a massively large suitcase up and down stairs, while almost manically saying under my breath, "no worries, I've got it, I'm fine...."

I like to be prepared. I hate nothing more than arriving in a city with the wrong clothes, or not having enough running stuff with me to support daily runs. Or feeling out-of-place, out-of-style, or just plain because I didn't have enough room to pack what I wanted to bring. My belief is that life is too short to worry about mundane things like the size of your luggage. What a bore!

But I am happy to announce, we conformed to societal norms and listened to the shock of our family and friends as they see us arrive, "wow that's a big bag!" We broke down and experienced our first trip supported only by carry-ons.

That's right, no mega-Patagonia wheelie this time. Copenhagen saw the Church family arrive in style, with only small accoutrements. (Hold the applause.)

TJ brought his new Patagonia 'Burrito' and I rocked the Longchamp. We did it. And we brought nothing and forgot everything. The weekend had moments of realisation, some shocking outfits, ("ahhh, I forgot socks,") and a stern warning from an airport security person, explaining to me, how I could not bring a gallon-sized clear plastic bag of products. It's the quart sized. Right. (I have a vast need for products.)

But we did it. And it was not so bad. Honestly though, it's not an experience I am compelled to repeat.

We are getting better. Well I should say TJ is getting better. Me....not so much. But I am fine with that. If I am known for liking a lazy weekend morning, and bringing way too much stuff places...I am ok with that.

Life is too short. I'll see you soon, with all of my stuff and products!

Copenhagen

We spent a quick weekend in Copenhagen - and it was the first trip where before going I felt a bit tired of traveling and had mixed feelings about leaving London and not having a weekend at home. But once we got to the airport, spent a bit of time in the lounge and then landed - I was so very glad we did it.

We started the trip with an amazing dinner at Herman to start the weekend. TJ made the reservation, and I didn't really know anything about where we were going.

Barely an hour after we landed, we were seated in a stunningly elegant restaurant where Thomas Herman's staff brought us dish after dish of delights. I loved this description from their website, "At Herman, the chef is writing an ongoing love letter to the Danish classics."

All thoughts of having a weekend at home were banished!


The next day after a fantastic run along the canals, we had a traditional Smorrebrod lunch and spent the afternoon discovering Copenhagen.

We learned about hygge and saw why Copenhagen is repeatedly voted one of the top cities to live in.

"The Danes have a special word for a lighthearted concept that they take very seriously: hygge. It is hard to pronounce and impossible to define precisely. Roughly translated, the word means cozy, but it's far more nuanced than that. Incorporating all things warm, fuzzy, and comforting, hygge is a distinctly Danish thing that embodies the highest aspirations of the culture."

Hygge suggests something easygoing and familiar, but it's also a kind of yearning—a longing to feel cozy and contented without violating that other all-important Danish tenet of never showing off, never standing apart from your neighbor. Somewhere between satisfaction and feeling self-satisfied is the hygge ideal. Think of it as the good vibe of an intimate holiday cocktail party—where the drinks and the friends are well mixed—elevated to the status of a national credo: Liberté, Égalité, Crudités."


A longing to feel cozy and contented.....seeking to create Hygge reguarly is a nice aspiration and a state of being we found in Copenhagen. We popped into a funky little wine bar and I dreamed about recreating it back in Bernal Heights.


Dinner was at Cofoco....YUM!



The next day we had a full Sunday afternoon to continue exploring. We finally hired bikes (as we keep wanting to do in Paris.) It was a comical ride around town.


A quick lunch and we were back at the airport and home Sunday night to create Hygge in London.

One of the fundamental aspects of Danish culture is "hygge", which, although translated as "coziness" is more akin to "tranquility". Hygge is a complete absence of anything annoying, irritating, or emotionally overwhelming, and the presence of and pleasure from comforting, gentle, and soothing things. Hygge is often associated with family and close friends. Christmas time when loved ones sit close together with candles lit on a cold rainy night is "hygge", as is grilling a pølse (Danish sausage) on a long summer evening. These examples, although they do not precisely define "hygge", can give an English speaker an idea of a deeply valued traditional concept of Danish culture.

All of the pictures from copenhagen are here!

Copenhagen

Day trip - Atlas Mountains

On our last full day in Morocco, we had a driver take us out to the Atlas Mountains. We really had no idea where we were going, other than to see a traditional Berber Village.


After an hour drive, and a stop at a cooperative selling the famous Argan Oil, our driver came into a town (Imlil), and quickly introduced us to our guide for the day. We followed this young guy and started walking/hiking up. The scenery was stunning.

I smiled seeing tons of purple iris all over the hill. (Always called 'the lovely' purple iris by all those in the know.)





The walk/hike took us to a water fall where local people were enjoying the warm sun and a day out. The guide explained a bit of the local culture and weather to us...and easily walked quickly over boulders and streams that caused this hiker to take it a bit more slowly.



We peaked into Richard Branson's resort on our way back into Marrakesh. I'm already excited about our next trip back!

Dining in Marrakesh

We normally don't like to eat in the sames places more than once in a city when we travel. The exceptions so far are an amazing roast chicken place in Berlin, (that I would gladly go to tonight for dinner,) and now, two stalls in the Djemaa el Fna market in Marrakesh.



TJ did some research on the market before we arrived, and he knew of two places that he wanted to try. The first had sausages with a pepper sauce, and the second was famous for the lamb with cumin.


They did not disappoint.

We made our way through the square on the first night, past the crowds of people watching entertainers and others gathering for their nightly entertainment...and found the stalls quite easily.

The sausage was wrapped in a pita and was a bit spicy and peppery. The lamb was moist and came with a small saucer of dry salt and cumin that you dipped the lamb into. YUM!


We liked it so much, and wanted a simply dinner later in the trip that we made our way back to the market a second time. And to the very same stalls.