The worst part is the silence.
Grant bustled in nine days ago for a roar of trams, trains and travel. Since last Friday it’s been all go around here, whether we’re just messing around over breakfast, picnicking somewhere in the Strasbourg sun, or meeting up with Amanda (who is at once my study-abroad buddy and Grant’s sister) for drinks on St. Paddy’s Day.
No time for just lying around, we have places to be!
Filed under France
Hi everyone! It’s late, I’m not in bed and I have to get up early tomorrow to go collect Grant from the airport :)
It’s strange to think that I’ll be welcoming him to Strasbourg, a place where I’ve been living for months now and I’ve built my own little scenario here. I wonder what he’ll make of it?
I listen to music a lot. I live far out from the city of Strasbourg so I spend a lot of time in public transport, going to and from places, and I don’t know many of my classmates so I listen to music as I wait for class to begin. I certainly wouldn’t say that I know much about music, but I will say that there are a few songs that I feel like I know in the same way as one knows a person. I don’t savoir them: I connaître them. I thought I’d share these songs with you because in the last few days I’ve had a few occasions where I’ve realised that the music I’m listening to has drastically changed my mood. These are songs that I love, songs that make me feel a certain way, songs that bring back a certain moment, songs that I want to put in totally inappropriate playlists because I love them so much. I hope you enjoy!
Filed under Saturday Spotlight
Here’s a short story for you: every time I title a new post, I write out ‘Episode…’ and then load my own blog on my browser to check what Episode number I’m actually on. And today? Today I had to scroll past one ‘Out of Office Note’, one reblog of something I posted on Raxa Collective ages ago, three Saturday Spotlights and two PinAddicts Challenges just to get to the most recent episode on my actual life. For this, I apologise. You deserve so much more, each and every one of you. And with Grant coming to stay in three short days*, I’d better rectify the situation tout de suite before I’m distracted yet again.
*EEEEEEEE YAYYYY OMG SO EXCITED HOORAYYYYYYYYYYY EXCLAMATIONS GALORE
Filed under Uncategorized
I’m baaaaaaaaaaaaaack!!!!!
Did you miss me?! I missed you. All of you. A lot.
So I went to Italy for a week and it was totally crazy. We were so busy all the time, seeing things and doing things and eating things and photographing things… Then yesterday morning we arrived on our international bus at 4:30 am and the trams hadn’t started yet because it was a Sunday and it was kind of awful. Plus, from all that close proximity with other people, I have developed a nasty cold. It really is very unfortunate.
BUT! Glad tidings, my friends! I am proud (and relieved) to announce that today I completed the most appropriate project possible for this sad news I just recounted to you. It’s the first Monday of the month again, which means #PinAddicts is go! So I made a big push to finish this Grecian Rib scarf I’ve been working on forever. I will now be warm and toasty even in this cold, miserable Strasbourg weather. :) (It’s actually a fair bit warmer than it was before I left, but Italy was scorching so I’ve been spoiled).
Filed under Crafts
Hi everyone!
I am really sorry to put so little effort into this, but a bunch of stuff has been going on lately what with the end of term etc. and I haven’t managed to upload the posts that I’ve written out. I meant to have two Saturday Spotlights and another post ready and queued to be published while I’m gone, but it just hasn’t happened and I’m sorry. So, unfortunately I probably won’t be posting for another week or so. Once I get back, Grant is coming so I’ll do my best to keep up… but you know what it’s like when we’re together.
Long story short, I guess you can consider this a hiatus of 1½-3 weeks from the blog: it makes me feel really weird to say it because it’s been a long time since I’ve posted that infrequently, but I’ll be acquiring many things to write about because as you may have noticed from my bold type face, I am going on holiday!!!! That’s right, my friend Nicole and I are going to Italy for the winter break from classes: she’s already hanging out in Milan but I had some classes today I didn’t want to miss (how scholarly of me, I know) so I stayed behind an extra couple of days. I’ll be meeting her in Florence for some beautiful Tuscany goodness and then we’re off to Rome for some historical contemplation. Our bus (that’s right, bus : /) back to Strasbourg leaves from Milan so we’ll have a full day there too before getting back home at 5am on Monday, just in time for classes!!!!
I don’t really have classes on Monday, I don’t start until Tuesday, I’m not crazy.
So, yes, I’m going to Italy for a bit and then the love of my life is coming to visit me in Strasbourg where I live, so I’m feeling pretty awesome about my life right now, even if I am exhausted and have a 13-hour coach ride ahead of me. I do apologise for the upcoming lack of attention you’ll all be receiving: I hope you can all understand. Oh, and I’m really hoping I’ll be able to churn out another post for the PinAddicts challenge on the first Monday of the month, as usual.
And by ‘as usual’, I mean, ‘for the second time’.
Ok, peace out lovies! I’ll be back with lots of wondrous photos for you and shit :D
xoxoxox
Filed under Uncategorized
Hello readers! Have you all had excellent weeks?
I had a very busy day today: my Tarot group met at midday and I had to teach the complicated rules, in French, to two new joueurs; then I cooked soupe à l’ognon and ganache for some friends, after which Nicole and I were so sick of French food that we had to book a week-long trip to Italy to escape it all. Yes, it’s February, but I have a week off classes and I intend to make good use of it!
Now, here’s something about me you might not know because I haven’t had cause to mention it: I love apps. It amazes me how they can be so cheap yet sophisticated, simple to use yet intricately designed. There are probably millions of apps out there and I’m sure half of them are useless, but these ones in particular deserve a spotlight because they go beyond ‘useful to have around’: these apps have truly enabled me in many ways to be the sort of person I want to be. Does it reflect badly on me that I need an app in order to grow and evolve as a human being? Possibly. But the apps really are great.
Filed under Crafts, Saturday Spotlight
Did you guys know that I’ve also been blogging for the Raxa Collective? Well, if I had a penny for the number of times I’ve written, redrafted and posted something over there and then thought ‘It’s not worth going through all that on my own blog just to come up with the same thing’… (insert unnecessary end of metaphor nobody needs to hear). And I really feel like all my posts should be available in the same place, so I’m going to be reblogging some of the posts I’ve written for the Raxa Collective so you can all see everything I’ve written, all in one place! Omg how great is that!
Here’s my first post for them, about my trip to Nicaragua with Ixqui back in November. Enjoy! (And if you’ve already read it, sorry for the repeat!)
Love and kisses,
M. xox
One volcano-related assumption which I’ve had to let go of since arriving in Central America is that a volcano is a volcano.
Anyone who grows up in Scotland knows that mountains are not just ‘mountains’. There are mountains, but there are also ranges, hills, Bens, and Munroes. There are the kind that, although tall, the fitter of us can walk up without much in the way of equipment; there are others which may be smaller but are impassable unless you really know what you’re doing.
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Filed under Costa Rica
From one holiday to another: today I’m going to play right into your hands with a predictable Valentine-themed post. Grant has pinky-promised me (over Skype, of course, but I’m holding him to it!) that he won’t read this, so I’m free to share with all my other devoted readers what I would love to have waiting for him when he comes to visit. Bear in mind that this is totally all for me. Grant’s not a mushy guy, but I am certainly mushy enough for both of us. I can’t help it – I’m going overboard this year.
Plus, maybe by setting a good example I can train him to do such lovely mooshy things for me somewhere down the line :P
This great combination of wire and embroidery techniques comes from Camilla Fabbri at Family Chic.
Filed under Crafts, Saturday Spotlight
Hi everyone. Good weekend?
A few weeks back I came across this blog post about the PinAddicts challenge, and I thought “Fantastic! I’m not the only one out there who bookmarks dozens of cool craft projects and never realizes any of them!” So I signed up on the spot.
The basic idea is super simple, although I’m not all that clear on the ins and outs of the blogging part of it. You just pick one thing that you’ve pinned, every month, and make it. Then I think you blog about it and link to the original post. Which is what I’m doing now! I’d already made my geometric shape garland when I moved in, but it was about time to cross something else off the list. Continue reading
Roamward Bound 