by Amber on January 24, 2013
It started last Friday. The white stuff. A few flakes here and there while I walked to work…
By lunchtime, Spa Fields, the park behind the studio was covered, so Rosie and I went frolicking.
Funnily enough, when it snowed last year Thom and I went to the Barbican to see a film. Same again in 2013!
The next day I went to Jen’s place in Hackney Wick for breakfast. Everything was icy and cold. I slipped along the canal (spot the Olympic Stadium in the background), praying that I wouldn’t hit any black ice. The smell of wood-fires burning in the bellies of the canal boats filled the air.
Saturday night saw Thom and I head to Oxfordshire (emphasis on shire) for the weekend, where we basically spent the weekend hanging out with ponies and puppies, and having snowball fights. Best time ever, although I did get bitten on the hand by an overly enthusiastic Blue, when I was trying to give him Polo mints.
Not pictured – the biggest drooliest dog you might ever meet. Happy days, but looking forward to getting back to the South Pacific next week.
by Amber on June 24, 2012
Last weekend Thom and I sneaked away from mad London to enjoy 24 hours of loveliness in Oxfordshire. Thom’s parents live in the UK, and it was Father’s Day here, so we went to hang out with his family.
After pottering around in Oxford (beautiful old buildings, bookstores, PRIMARK), we headed to Blenheim Palace, home to the Duke of Marlborough and birthplace of Winston Churchill (yes, in the bed below).
I love palaces… And this one was quite lovely to look at. It’s a shame that the owners have taken a weird theme park approach in some places. At one stage we were trapped in a never-ending series of rooms, terrorised by animatronic maids. We finally exited to a gift shop. One entry gets you a year-long pass – I’d like to go back again and spend more time in the gardens.
by Amber on August 19, 2011
Marsh Gibbon aka Swamp Monkey is a tiny village nestled in the English countryside somewhere close to Oxford. I oohed at thatched roof cottages, played pétanque, wandered through a churchyard, got to make friends with several nice ponies, ate at some cozy pubs, and whiled away the summer days…