Birthday Times

Last week was my twenty second birthday, and my friends took it upon themselves to thoroughly spoil me. Needless to say, I had no problem with their decision.

Wednesday morning I was woken up with breakfast and a big pile of presents, and sat in bed surrounded by my house-mates. I love gifts, there's something incredibly special when somebody chooses to give you something. My house-mates truly out-did themselves though, buying me a stunning black dress, a necklace, a watering can and some stationery. I felt 5 again, carefully peeling back the corners of the wrapping paper in anticipation. 

Breakfast and Cards

We spent the day in South Kensington, munching on cupcakes in The Hummingbird Bakery and visiting the Natural History Museum and the V&A. One of the things I love most about London, is the free access to stunning history and culture. I've lost count of the hours I've spent strolling through the grand halls of the museums and marvelling at the world that has been captured in the cabinets. It makes my heart sing to see so much beauty in one place, and I loved spending my birthday there. 

Four different types of cake

Rhinos! But with fake horns in case of stealing.

After running home in rush hour, we threw some different clothes on and headed out to meet friends at a cocktail bar near Spitalfields. We had a corner of the bar reserved and packed as many people as possible around a couple of tables and packed it with drinks. Later in the evening, the cheesy music got increasingly loud and so we created our own little dance floor. Surrounded by such lovely friends, I was a very happy lady. 

Birthday dress

One of my besties

Over the weekend, our house threw it's first party. We use our house for numerous things, including a student community at church, and our house is forever full of people. I'm surprised when it's only the people that live here that are sat in the lounge! We bought a BBQ, everyone else bought meat and we spent the night toasting marshmallows and dancing away. Rather amazingly, a car full of my closest friends from home drove all the way from Bournemouth to London, turning up on my doorstep in what was quite possibly the biggest shock I have ever had. It's times like those that remind me of the incredible blessings that I have in my life. 

My Bournemouth Girls, all together

BBQ and Bunting

The girls I live with.

It was an exciting week. There was so much London fun, it reminded me again just why I love this city so much. I took a couple of the girls I went to school with into Victoria Park for breakfast - one of the places I consider at the heart of East London. We say by the lake, drank some of the best coffee known to man, and admired the wide green spaces. Not exactly what most people associate with an urban centre. But it's all about knowing where to look. 

It's been a rather great few days, and I definitely couldn't imagine spending a birthday better. So if you were with me, or sent me cards, messages, presents and love, thank you. I had a great time. 

Much love x

How to do Spring

Evening all!

So I've been back in London for a week, and the past seven days have been surprisingly hectic. Uni is still ongoing, although with no structure, I'm learning that I need to get things done by myself. I managed to research and write an essay in between starting my new internship, and taking part in some exciting things with the ParliaMentors programme I'm on. 

But, just to fill you in, I had an incredible Easter break, full of the outdoors, the most delightful and beautiful places in Dorset, good friends and good conversations. It was pretty hard to leave. Here are a couple of highlights...

Trudging through the New Forest

Naturey lichen.

On top of the world in Warbarrow Bay

Lyme Regis

Since arriving back in London, I've embarked on one of those overwhelming weeks where I feel more than a little out of my depth, and whilst everyone tells me that's a good thing, it is beyond uncomfortable. In the midst of it all, I've been challenged about trust - the difference between accepting something is true, and actually letting it change you. When you get to trust in God, it means that there is a life of hope, promise and adventure available. I need to get better at not just knowing this, but putting it into practice with all of the things going on in life. Mission for the week ahead I believe.

In an ideal world, this is what we hope to see.

This weekend I had a packed day of dreaming and planning about the student group I help to run. It was a great day of strategising, looking at diagrams and chatting to our team, getting excited about what God might want to in the next six months, as well as years down the line. There's something incredibly exciting about putting these plans together in a building off of Oxford Street on a sunny spring day, the rest of the world passing by as we all sat about thinking about how much we want to see this city made even better than it is. Kinda surreal.

Housemates and cocktails - perfect combination.

  Saturday evening, a friend had organised a private party at The City of London Distillery, an incredible gin bar, tucked down a small lane in one of the oldest parts of London. We arrived slightly late, and by that time the place was heaving with people dressed in snazzy clothes, clutching cocktails and G&Ts. They make their gin on site, and boy was it good. I'd love to pop in there on another evening to see who else was about, but the bar staff were ultra friendly and that's always a plus. 

Gin Distillery

After all of that, I felt it was about time that I had a lie-in and a bit of a rest. This morning I finished the latest Neil Gaimon book I've picked up, and I can thoroughly recommend. Perhaps because it's set in London, I'm a little biased, but the way he blends fiction and reality absolutely blows me away. He writes about a 'London Below', which consists of society's outcasts, every person in the city that drops away, falls beneath the cracks, is ignored by the system. And then he creates an entire universe, showcasing skills and abilities, personalities and adventure. Needless to say I was blown away. 

My afternoon was spent sitting in the sun, with iced coffee before heading to church and then to the pub. It's been the restful day every one should get to have before heading into another manic week. 

What have you been up to?

xo

Recent Reflections

This weekend I took a brief visit back to Bournemouth, leaving London for a couple of days to visit the family and attend my friend's engagement party. I wouldn't normally head back so early into term, but it was a lovely opportunity to hang out with the mother and sister, and visit the coast. On Saturday we drove east to a local little market town called Lymington, and poked around in the stalls and shops. I bagged a bargain, and picked up a Hilary Mantel book for just a pound! and bought some beautiful prints of Dorset to remind me of home whilst at Uni.

Saturday evening was spent with friends celebrating the engagement of one of my oldest friends and her new fiancée  There was lots of pizza making, cake and charades. Very, very fun, and great to be together with people that aren't often in the same place at once.

Before I had to dash back to the City though, there was time for a quick trip over Hengistbury Head. Still one of my favourite places, with it's view over Bournemouth and Christchurch, the choppy sea, and the rows of beach huts. It is one of the things I miss most about living in East London where wide open spaces are hard to come by, and are inevitably surrounded by offices and ugly high-rise housing. 

Hengistbury Head, Bournemouth

I was fortunate enough to make a coach that got me back to London in time for church, which was just exceptional this week. The preach was all about stories - how our lives are stories, and yet we're invited to live a bigger story, a more exciting adventure, by becoming characters in God's story, in the great story of all the earth. Anything to do with literature is obviously going to get me from the start, but it was just the most beautiful look at the invitation God gives to his people to live as part of something that is so much bigger than any one individual. We were looking at a passage in the Gospels where Jesus calls the disciples, and I was blown away that he didn't offer them safety, or worldly security, but he did promise them adventure through a relationship with Him. 

The evening was finished off with some student training on working out what you want to do in life. Always helpful, and always needed. As a result, some friends and I grabbed some wine, some chocolate and our notebooks and went and chatted and dreamt about the lives we want to live. It was the best end to a lovely weekend. 

Wine and chocolate to inspire dreaming

And yet there was some incredibly sad news I heard over the past couple of days too. Not directly affecting me, but someone I'm very close to. And in amongst all my reflections on life, I've been faced with the unexpected, by the fact that life is not infinite, at least not in this world. And neither are we masters of it. 

In the face of all that, a quote from Lord of the Rings which was referenced in church on Sunday, has stuck with me. Our stories are always going to involve conflict, they would be very dull tales if they didn't, and yet in the face of conflict, there is hope; a promise of grace. 

“I thought you were dead! But then I thought I was dead myself! Is everything sad going to come untrue?” Samwise Gamgee speaking to Gandalf.

London and Bournemouth Combined

Rather shamefully it's been a few long weeks since I last blogged, and even longer since I blogged anything of significance. University essays, a trip home, and generally being inundated with things to do has kept me away from the laptop for a little. But no longer, I'm back to fill you in on a few things. 

Firstly, this is my new favourite retreat...The Gallery Cafe

http://www.stmargaretshouse.org.uk/gallery-cafe/gallery-cafe

They're based in Bethnal Green, so just up the road from me, and they've got the most chilled, casual atmosphere. Good coffee, good looking cake (alas I cannot say I've tried it) and all their food is vegetarian and vegan.With a conservatory type area at the back, overlooking a garden, and free wifi, it's the best place to go and do work. I was there late afternoon, and with fairy lights, and darkness settling in outside, it was more than a little bit atmospheric. Nicely inspiring. 

I'd heard a few people from Uni go on about these guys, but they really are great. And what's even better, is that they're involved in helping the local community! Super ethical; means eating cake is totally excusable...in fact, it's encouraged! 

Secondly, I'd like to reiterate my absolute love for the Purbecks. Coming from the south coast, I've often forgotten just how lucky I am. The beach is ten minutes down the road, the New Forest is one side of my town, the Purbecks the other. 

This weekend I went home to see the family, whom I've missed A LOT. It'd been about two months, and I was in need of my cats and a roast dinner. Also some friends from home, were rather wonderfully also back i this weekend. I spent a lot of time trying to relax, and eating good food, and chatting. It was just what I needed. On Saturday the family and I went out to Durdle Door, and though it'd been grey and rainy the entire day, the sky cleared and we saw the most incredible sunset. 

The Purbecks and I are good friends. It always just seems to work out. It's like they know I'm not there too often. 

So anyway, I'm now back in London, had a packed day of Uni, meeting up with an old American friend from last year, and then we headed to the recording of Never Mind the Buzzcocks. Free entertainment is the best. 

I'm finally beginning to feel like I'm winding down, perhaps it's the alleviated guilt now I've finally written about some of the things I've been meaning to! 

Lots of love xxx

Newday

So I'm currently still in pyjamas. I don't feel guilty about this, in fact I'm relishing the opportunity to laze about as the past week has been seriously hectic.

Last night I got back from Newday, a festival aimed at 11-18 year olds. The focus is worship, teaching and social action...and a whole lot of fun. This year, as I've stopped doing youth work since moving to London, I decided to go and join a cafe team. 

Along with about twenty others, mostly friends from London, we ran the Global Cafe. This essentially meant making 600 milkshakes every afternoon, dancing non-stop to ridiculous music and shouting insane things in a bit of competitive rivalry with the other cafes. Needless to say it was rather full on. Still, with it being the first time I'd seen a whole bunch of friends from London in over two months, it was a well needed bonding time. Nothing like a bit of family when you live in tents with one another for a week.

We got to meet with God, and one of our team got amazingly healed of a rugby injury, after six years of back pain and needing physio! So that was super exciting! 

We also saw loaaads of shooting stars which has to be one of my favourite things when you go camping. There were unfortunately LOTS of mosquitos and I am sufficiently bitten to wonder whether there is any blood actually left in my body.

Anyhow, I'm trying to sort some last minute things out before heading off to Italy on Wednesday for a week of glorious sunshine with the giiiiiirls. Enough tired rambling, I need to go by some shorts!

xxxxxxxxxxxx