Throwback Thursday- Afternoon in Oxford.

Coming from a small town myself, city life is an especially different experience.

Mostly the amount of people. Yes, I've been to busy spots before (Paris, Disneyland), but those have been brief, a couple of days at most. In London, I was going on two weeks of constant interaction with thousands of people, and most of them coming from all countries of the world. It was like a whirlwind of every different language imaginable at times and 'twas quite overwhelming.

One afternoon, the friend I was staying with, Kim, suggested we take some time off from the hustle and bustle of city life and take a train over to Oxford. What a grand suggestion!

So away we went, adjusting to the endless pastures of the countryside and coming into the quaint town of Oxford.

Now I'm going to be really naive here and say that I thought that Oxford (the school) was a single building, like any university. Apparently, it's composed of like 30+ colleges scattered about the city. Since Kim and I had arrived there in late afternoon with not much time, we thought that a bus tour would be the most effective way to see as much as Oxford as we could.

And indeed that's what we did! We played tourist for the rest of the day, stopping off and taking photos of the beautiful school buildings, and stopping for tea next to The Alice and Wonderland Shop.

I can say that I felt smarter already just from being immersed in the rich history of Oxford. And it was just what we needed to escape for a bit.

 

Tweet Tweet a Lil Bird Told Me.

I believe the correct term for this time of year is spring! And it has sprung.

The past couple of days have been beauteous. Warm weather in the upper sixties and sunshine lasting into the lateness of the evening makes for the perfect start to this season.

I also went through my closet, as is done every spring and fall, and am proud to announce that I got rid of one hundred and fifty-one articles of clothing! Now, I don't know if I should feel good about this cleanse of clothing, especially that amount, or if I should be horrified at the thought that I had that many items to get rid of with my closet looking only slightly lighter! Oh the downfalls of shopping used clothes- it sure is easier to pile up!

Anyhow, graduation is coming up in a couple of weeks and so any last minute homework is being done, but I definitely have spring fever. Who wants to study government when the birds are chirping teasingly from the hot outdoors? Only a couple weeks more until I can join them!

What I wore: white COACH sunnies (Santa), white filigree earrings, WESTON WEAR sparrow blouse (used), CAbi high waisted mustard pencil skirt (used), brown DOLCE&GABBANA bag (used), and brown MIA ankle booties (used).  

A Song for Sunday- Moon River.

Believe it or not, today is Audrey Hepburn's birthday! Woohoo! Therefore, the song of choice today is none other than her lovely version of Henry Mancini's Moon River. 

Now I didn't just choose this song because it was one that she sang, I've actually had a liking for it for quite some time. Back when I used to take voice lessons, this was one of the very pieces I practiced and has been a favorite of mine whenever I have those singing sessions in my car or in front of the mirror (come on guys, don't we all?). It struck me as really quaint and pretty. And then when I saw Audrey singing it in one of my favorite movies of all time Breakfast at Tiffany's and then I loved the song even more!

She's sitting there so gingerly on her windowsill, longingly singing it and it's just a really nice scene. And Audrey doesn't have that intense technicality in her singing voice, which I adore, because she sings it so uniquely and it's so much her own version. I love that. 

The lyrics just add to the whole package. And I love the way the some of the lines end on a low note, then on a high note. There's so much beauty in this song.

Two drifters, off to see the world

There's such a lot of world to see

We're after the same rainbow's end, waiting, round the bend

My Huckleberry Friend, Moon River, and me..

It's a Coming.

It's a coming! But it? What could it actually be? Why summer, of course!

Today it was shining so brightly and 'twas so hot outside (and by "hot" I mean like 60 degrees, but that's toasty for Alaskan standards!), that I took a little break from the confines of the indoors and spent it outdoors.

Mostly, I danced around in my dancing shoes and played happy child. I ate my peppers and hummus in such a goofy character as I swayed around to some Bob Dylan and Beatles. Quite random, but hey, random is good.

I did get dressed in an official manner though (if a pink top and skirt is counted as "official") and did my errands with pleasure, cherishing the weather as I walked from the car to the indoors.

I'm telling you straight though, summer is coming and if this spring weather is a a sign, it could be a beautiful last summer here in Alaska.

What I wore: large white COACH sunnies (Santa),  hot pink ESCADA flower top (used), forest green MAEVE skirt (used- and did you know that "mauve" in Greek means "purple flower"? Wicked!), assortment of necklaces (used), and black NINE WEST ankle booties (sale). 

Throwback Thursday- Flower Child.

I am indeed returning back to London.

Today will be about flowers, because..

And I like laughter. I do. My belief is that it is the best calorie burner, Audrey once said. 

Anyhow, I had no idea that the weather would be as fantastic as it was in those weeks that I was there. Instead of my initial thought of "London Fog" and rainy days, it was pleasantly sunny and beautiful every day. Spring has sprung!

Spring has yet to arrive in Alaska as far as greenery and flowering plants go, and so I was a little girl again, staring up at the beautiful trees and admiring the beauty of nature. But particularly, the flowers.

There were pink flowers, there were white flowers, and most of them blossoming up on the trees, just canopying the streets. And let's not forget the parks as well!

Here are some photos taken from various days of enjoyment in the flowering city of London.

Here, Caroline and I take a break from shopping in beautiful St. James's Park (I think? There were so many parks..)

Tree pose in.. a tree. 

Here, I stopped from the hustle of the London Marathon for some calm.

Wouldn't mind getting lost if the places I got lost in looked like this..