oh, let it be spring!

this week has been flooded with sunlight, and we londoners are taking full advantage of it. i never knew 55 degrees fahrenheit could feel so good. at home, i would be bundled up for that type of weather; aha, my blood has thickened! this week i've actually had to put on sunscreen and sunglasses! i hadn't realized how much i missed the sun, nor how cheerful its presence would make me. all i've wanted to do is romp around outside!

wonderfully, on wednesday, i got a chance to soak up the warmth. some flatties and i roamed around mile end, then snagged some coffees to drink by the canal that runs by queen mary. it was really lovely and relaxing--too bad i got bug bites in the grass. on my bum. over the past 48 hours, they've morphed into maddeningly itchy tumors. if they're not gone by monday, i'm cutting out the flesh. anywho, here are some pictures from the afternoon--

finding good blades for whistlin'

success!

look! i'm wearing short sleeves!

and as if the sunshine wasn't enough excitement for the week, yesterday morning, my "virginia woolf"class took a fieldtrip. we took a coach to rodmell, the tiny village in sussex where the woolfs (or woolves, if you will) lived when london became too overwhelming. during WWII, when virginia's manic depression was getting out of hand, they lived in rodmell until she killed herself by drowning in the river ouse. rodmell itself was very beautiful, and the trip itself was great (though a tad morbid). after wandering around the woolf's house, and traipsing to the river, we sat outside for lunch and tea, then headed home to london.

i dunno what the building is, but daffodils have been springing up all over england. i love them!

the town pub, which was unfortunately closed due to the "credit crunch," as they call it here. sounds much better than "worst economic crisis in decades," as we call it at home.

in the garden

to my infinite joy, this fatcat bounded towards us out of nowhere. after some classmates and i smothered him in love, he decided to sun himself on these brambly vines. brace yourself, because i took about 5 more pictures of him and his comrade.

haha, there he is again, by the bust of leonard woolf.

my furry friend sunbathing (his emo counterpart is in the shade in the background)

clearly i didnt care about the cat

virginia's writing lodge!

i peeked through the window---that's her stuff!

a view of the back of monk's house

bust of virginia

just your neighborhood graveyard

the river ouse, where she died. apparently, during certain parts of hte season, the water is much higher, and runs really fast. plus, she wore a fur coat and filled it with stones...

another view of the river of death.

professor reading woolf's suicide letters by the side of the river. good times.

despite the morbidity, though, the trip was really great. once again, it was nice to get out of the city--at least for a little bit. today, though, i took full advantage of what london had to offer--by going to the v&a museum. the place is gigantic, with a variety of excellent exhibits. i started with the fashion area, which had everything from 15th century shoes to 2006 designer gowns. it was glorious! after that, i ventured into an enormous room featuring raphael's humongous "cartoon" paintings, then to british treasures of the 17th and 18th centuries. after that, i took a gander at medieval castings, a technology/style section, japanese and chinese artifacts, a fantastic photo gallery, and an INCREDIBLE jewelry exhibit. see for yourself!

underwear through the ages...

a suit coco chanel wore herself!

this picture doesn't convey the enormity of the room or paintings at all. it was amazing

cool touch--instruments hanging from the ceiling

"THIS. IS. SPARTAAAA!!!" is what i imagined this ceiling-face to say

i was blown away, because i had forgotten about "my first sony"!!! its the plastic radio with microphone. i had one of those, i loved it!

apparently these chairs were all the rage in the 1960s. i had to take a picture because they look EXACTLY like our richard feilden kitchen chairs

entrance of the v&a

the john madejski garden, where i munched an apple and enjoyed the sunshine

the view from my table

one of my favorite art pieces of the day

buddhas in the hallway

this is about 1/10 of the stuff that was packed into this gigantic space. they're castings of medieval sculptures/artifacts/whathaveyou. i felt like a leetle dwarf!

the biggest rings EVER. they're papal!

after looking at thousands of pieces of jewelry (for literally, about an hour and a half), i decided that the iris necklace on the left was my absolute favorite out of everything. you can't really tell from the picture, but the necklace was just breathtaking. yeah, i almost stole it.

more entryway pictures...

i know that i'll have to return to the v&a soon, since i saw such a small fraction (after being there for over three hours!). if i had to pick a favorite exhibit, i would have to say the photography one interested me the most. the jewelry one made me drool quite a bit, though!

speaking of drool, part of the reason i ventured into south kensington was to see if i could find my holy grail--a good cupcake. so far, the english have impressed me with their chocolates and puddings, but their cakes have been pretty shameful. so, i wandered around until i found the "hummingbird bakery," which i had seen with julia over a month ago.

the place was crowded, a good sign. the cupcakes looked fresh and colorful, so i was really excited to try. i decided on a chocolate cupcake with vanilla frosting, which had been dyed green and dotted with sprinkles. finally, after i got home after the long tube ride, i practically ripped it apart.

...but...it was peculiar. the cake part was alright, but the frosting melted into a thin liquid in your mouth right away, and tasted of unsweetened butter. it wasn't a bad cupcake, but it wasn't good, either. just...strange. disappointing. but i shan't give up! i'll try as many as it takes!

anyways, i made up for it by buying "caramel chocolate shortbread" cookies at the village shop. at least i can count on britain for something.

and on that note, i'm off to nibble one!


fingers crossed for spring,
lilly