The Emergence of Summer

Summer has begun to peek its head out in the south of England; the days are long, everything is firmly in bloom, and on a sunny day in England there is no other place that I would rather be.

To celebrate the beginning of the nice weather (because, let's face it, good weather is a transient phenomenon here) my dear friend Ming and I took a trip to the Royal Botanical Gardens, or Kew gardens as they are better known. Kew is very near to the beautiful suburb of Richmond (which is where Hampton court palace is for those of you familiar with the UK) and the day we went was 70 degrees and sunny, utter perfection. The Kew facility itself is immense. We were there for nearly 6 hours and I think saw a fair amount of it, but at the expense of our legs. We wandered amongst the English roses (my favorite), relished in the indoor rainforest, and capped it all off with a tea break at a darling teahouse just outside of the gardens, dating all the way back to Henry VIII.

Main greenhouse for tropical plants

Kew Palace

The Maids of Honour teahouse

Another thing that I did to celebrate the onset of summer was to attend West End Live this past saturday. West End Live is a two-day event where the biggest musicals from the West End theatre district in London perform a few numbers for free to a crowd at Trafalgar Square. The event is lovely because you get a taste of a bunch of different shows in a unique atmosphere. People were singing along, cheering, and breaking out their fully stocked picnic lunch baskets. I have to say, I am very impressed by the British picnic-goer; he really knows how to make a picnic into a full on, all day affair!

Rachel met me and we hung together and then later of capped off our day at the London aquarium, which always makes me feel like a kid again. It was good fun and a beautiful day to be with friends in a city that continues to inspire and captivate me. I really believe that a day in London is the best of all days, no matter how mundane the activity is; a city as electric as this makes me feel that life can never go wrong.

Cast of Les Miserables

The Jubilee Weekend

I realize that I've been quite absent from my blog for a bit now due to an incredibly hectic/exciting last two months. The month of April was devoted utterly to essay writing and after finishing those up I basically then just went straight home for a visit to Fargo for a month. Before that though, I had probably the best thing possible to happen to me, I was interviewed for a PhD place at University College London (UCL) and just hours before my flight home to America I got my acceptance letter. Needless to say, it could not have been better timing! I then proceeded to spend 4 weeks taking a much needed break and just relished in the moment, spending as much time as possible with friends and family. My time at home was so refreshing and fun because I really am blessed to have THE best friends and family in the ND/MN area.

At the Thames Pageant

The Royal Flotilla

Royal Family

That's not all I've been up to though. I've only been back in Egham for two weeks now, but I haven't been idle (not surprising for me, eh?). June 2-5th brought with it the Queen's 60th jubilee celebrations in London and the UK and my friends and I were keen to participate in some way or other. We ended up visiting the capital to watch the London Thames Pageant which was a series of 1,000 boats of all sorts cruising down the Thames, the most spectacular being the royal family's giant yacht. It was gorgeous and we had good enough spots near the south bank across from St. Paul's cathedral to actually see each member of the royal family, including Kate, William, Harry, Charles, and the Queen, of course. It was a rainy, cold day but the patriotic spirit and general good cheer of those around us made it such a unique and wonderful day to be a part of. Though I'm not one to wish America had a monarchy (who does really?) I do appreciate its significance and wonderful tradition within Britain's history and current society, and I for one never want it to go. I also ended up visiting the Globe theatre, my favorite theatre in the whole world, and watched the most English of plays, Henry V.

Festive decor all throughout the city

Buckingham palace

Globe Theatre

To cap off a week of bank holidays and general festivities within England, Nikki and I decided to take a bike ride from our house to Windsor. The town is covered in Union Jacks and the tourists are back in full force. It was a lovely ride through the deer park and we lucked out to have a sunny day (rare at the moment) to enjoy being outside.

Leading up to the castle in Windsor

To all of those who are worried, "but when is she working?" don't fret. I have been steadily plunking away at my research and finding it immensely fruitful. My dissertation is focused on the Pre-Raphaelite journal "The Germ" and I am focusing on the idea of the artist as visionary as well as the journal itself as a visionary. I've already spent many days in the library and my advisor has given me the green light of approval. So basically now all I have to do is get on with it for the next three months! Wish me luck!