What are men compared to rocks and mountains?

This is a guide to the hike I took in the Lake District last Saturday (10/16). I traveled up on a train to Penrith with several friends from London. We met up with 8 or 9 others and then all took the 8 mile hike in Cumbria. It was gorgeous!




1 - This was our first scenic "overlook." It would have been so much fun to jump in the lake - but evidently it is already very cold!


2 - The hike we took circled this valley. This is the view from the highest point!


3 - Looking at over the start and end of the trail during our final stretch downhill.


The whole group at the high peak (#2).

Lights!

This is a post I've been wanting to do since I discovered IKEA - the fabulously cheap, Swedish decor megastore. Unfortunately the closest store to Springfield is 380 miles away...

IKEA has some pretty cool furniture (& everything else too!), but I want to focus on lights - & specifically chandeliers. Chandeliers can make any space seem elegant.

I have a weird fascination with chandeliers in bathrooms because the concept seems so atypical. However, they can create a feeling of: Simplicity, yet sophistication. Or comfortable and earthy (I'm a fan of the flower box in the window!) Or perhaps, if you lose the frill of crystal, chandeliers can help you escape on a wilderness retreat.

While I was in Stockholm - I walked by several boats docked along the waterfront. Many of them looked like old fishing boats that had been converted to private houseboats.

How cute would this be as a kitchen table-chair set - & then offset it with a simple, rustic chandelier?

Fashion in London

I'm no fashionista, which is probably ok, because in London almost anything goes. However, while I've been here, I've learned several tricks to make any outfit look better. My favorite: wear tights. Any color works, but I prefer black.

How much warmer does this chilly, rainy day look with tights?

They even go with white shoes!

I kinda want this skirt too!

Tights with shorts isn't a common look back home - but it's pretty normal here. And it can be super cute.

My daytrip to Stockholm yesterday made me want more fall clothes - especially a new sweater! Seeing leaves changing color always make me ready for Autumn and Winter - don't you just love getting all of your warm sweaters out of the cedar chest after a long, hot summer?


Stockholm, Sweden October 8, 2010