Wednesday 27 April 2011

Belgium

This past weekend we went to Belgium. I meant to blog that we were going before we left, but then I just got busy and before I knew it we were back! We stayed in Bruges, a really charming old city with winding canals, and we also hopped over to Ghent. Bruges was lovely, but quite touristy. It was hard to get a feel for how the locals live there since there didn't seem to be many locals in comparison to tourists, but it was still picturesque and made for a very nice long weekend getaway. If you want to go to Belgium, I'd say stay in a place like Ghent and then go to Bruges for the day. The architecture was a little more varied and dramatic in Ghent, and you can get more of a sense of how the locals live. We were there Easter Sunday, so a number of shops and restaurants were closed, but peeking through the windows, so many of them looked interesting. Here's a snapshot peek of our weekend, as seen through the iPhone, starting above with our hotel... (oh the hotel was really great too, especially the breakfast, but if you do go to Bruges, try to stay in a B&B or hotel along one of the canals, just for the view).

Bruges shop. 

Canal.

The Belfry in Bruges.

Town center with fun fair rides.

Old music / instrument shop.

A Duvel. I love Belgian beers!

Kwatta! Chocolate sprinkles for breakfast? When in Belgium...

Canal view.

Duck! Our boat tour guide's head.

Bruges town center.

More canals.

Halve Maan brewery tour. 

Belgian chocolates. Lois liked them a lot. 

Gravensteen castle museum.


Ghent. Quite the dramatic view on this bridge.

St. Bavo's Cathedral in Ghent.




Taking it in one last time. Saying goodbye to Belgium. 

Looking down from the plane. Headed home. 

Friday 15 April 2011

Poppy!

You can say I'm feeling poppy! I got my new bike, and I love it. Here she is (below) before I wheeled her out of the shop. The image above is from the Bobbins Bicycle shop. Cute, huh?! I just need the wicker basket (which I've ordered from Bobbins) and a baby seat, a special kind that will attach to this bike. I'll get those next week. (The color is more like the bike pictured above, but the instant setting in camera bag on my phone made it a wee more grey than it is.) Yay!

Tuesday 12 April 2011

True Blue

I have it bad. I have it bad for a bike. The blue Pashley Poppy bike. I'm obsessed this week. You may remember I wanted that bike last spring? (I can't find the post from last year, but I think I did post about it.) Well, I told myself if I didn't find it used, I'd buy it new this spring. So I about jumped when I finally saw it for sale online used. The seller said we could meet on Sunday, last Sunday, and sounded very reliable, but then he didn't return my call or email after I wrote regarding a time and meeting place. I've been checking my phone and email obsessively since. Drat! I think the size was a little big anyway. Now I'm eyeing it new again. I just love it! And I figure if you're going to invest in something like a bike, you should really love it. We shall see! Here she is below (picture it with a wicker basket on the front). And here's a cute video of it. What a beauty! These other images were found on Pinterest--see my bike board for sources. Update! I got the bike!!! Weeee. Just like this one below, but with a basket for the handlebars as well. 

Wednesday 6 April 2011

Meet me in the Blue Tent

I don't often buy magazines off the news stands because they're so expensive and I'm pretty cheap. I used to subscribe to a few, but these days I usually go for the free online eye candy since there's just so much of it, but when I saw the cover of the recent issue of the British version of Country Living, I busted open my wallet without hesitation. A cute table in the woods, bistro chairs, cosy pillows and blankets, books, yarn, a radio, sandwich and juice. Um, yes, please! Then when I peeked inside, I almost fell in--wished I could have anyway. I didn't post all the pictures from the spread and the images in the magazine are much better, so get it if you really like the look of this feature. Country Living, April 2011. 




Monday 4 April 2011

Earth Walk

We're back in London now (I know, whew, things move fast!), but we had a great time and are happy to be home. The plane ride was smooth and beautiful. I always like to look out the window, if I have a window seat and Lois is calm or sleeping for a while. She slept for about 4 hours this flight, so I had a lot of window time. Here's a peek over the earth. 
A good song for your airplane window view: Space Walk.