1. I’m currently experiencing the curious state of being a tourist in the place I live [sidenote: i just typo’d that and wrote “the place I love”]. This isn’t hard in London — or Bath for that matter, plenty of tourists there too — and is underlined by the fact that I’m constantly taking photos with my iPhone. It’s like having a form of photographic tourettes, where I can’t walk past a single shop window or street corner without stopping to pull out my phone and snap a pic.
2. A sweet thought I had this morning: I can’t wait to run Unravelling again in January as I’ll get to make the weekly videos from the new flat! :) I love that the move is bringing a freshness to everything in my life. I want to keep clearing out the old to ease the bringing in of the new…
3. Last Sunday I made the pilgrammage back to Brick Lane. Well, I was intending to go to Spitalfields market but since I’ve been away they’ve built a proper glass roof over it and installed Wagamama and a host of other shops and suddenly it’s not really a market anymore. Which was disappointing. Luckily Brick Lane is close by and boy howdy, my head just about exploded when i turned the corner from Princelet Street. So much colour and life and vibrant awesomeness. I don’t remember it being quite so up-and-coming ten years ago (though the Vibe bar is still there. Spent many Sundays afternoons in there) — i love the feel of the place now. I danced to Grace Jones’ Pull Up To The Bumper in the street. Couldn’t stop smiling.
3. It feels a lot like jetlag, what I’m feeling these days. I’m transitioning into a new routine and my body is slow to catch up with me. Deep sleep is elusive and it’s taken me two weeks to realise the reason i keep waking at an ungodly hour is because that’s when i’ve set the central heating to come on — the hot water in the pipes makes the floorboards creak, waking this light-sleeper up. Remedied that this morning. Small moves, Ellie*
4. The teacher/reporter in me is feeling the urge to take notes and record all I’m feeling and learning about change and transition. I think I might be literally writing a new chapter for a future little something…
5. Thankful for new seasons of The Vampire Diaries, Grimm and True Blood. They’re making my evenings extra cosy.
* Name that film!
Just so you know, Spitalfields didn’t go down without a fight. Such a shame the trendification of it led to that.
This sounds like a wonderful stage of transition! Would love to take Unravelling again, only just out of curiosity because I love your inviting interior decoration talent.
Enjoy every single second of this brand new life Susannah! You deserve it!
Glad to hear that — i was really shocked!!
Gosh! I absolutely LOVE Spitalfields, having never been to the old one, so I can’t imagine how good it used to be?!
If you find yourself there again, there’s a great little dim sum stall that does THE most amazing char Sui pork buns… Incredible… I would move to London just for those.
We’re so tempted to move to London, though I doubt we could afford it, and your new posts are making me yearn more!! So glad you’re having a great time :)
Xx abi
Contact! love that movie!! congrats on move!! love the images too!!
Oh my, the pink house sets my heart on fire! Yummy! I can’t remember the last time I had a mosey in London, taking in all the sights and sounds, and I only live 40 minutes away. Must go down soon. Would love to go to Brick Lane again.
so funny seeing photos of yours of places I know and recognise in London being a fellow Londoner of course! Welcome back here :)
I must got down to Brick Lane more often . . . .
Amelia.x
Contact! Love that movie!
And I love hearing about your new space
by Ellie you mean Elleanor Arroway (not sure of the spelling)? Contact is one of my favorite movies
Am more than a million miles away from the buzz of London where I live, so I like nothing more than visiting. I can sit for hours and do nothing just gawking at the whole lot of it! I am so happy for you and following avidly, walking in your shoes through your words and pics:~)
oh my, i adore your photos of the doors, they’re my current favourite photo subject. also i had a little giggle about your central heating, we’ve just put ours on and it wakes me up too
Beautiful pictures, particularly the one with the Asian woman eating.
:-)
Hi Carin! So nice to see a friend over here. I clicked over to read the comments to see if anyone guessed the movie. :) Susannah, I love your work.
Beautiful photos. – I’ve been reading through your blog + love your writing, as well. Happy I stumbled across this blog!
– tianna :)
Loving these posts about your transition back to London. I’ve actually been preparing for a move out of the city next year, and over to the countryside. I’m terrified and excited as hell at the same time. I don’t know what a slow-paced life is like. So reading your posts is quite soothing. You have a way of helping people feel comfortable with the changes that happen in life. We all go through it at one point or another. xo
I love the photos. The story of your central heat is familiar. Ater moving to this house several years ago we set the heat to come on about 15 minutes before we want toget up. For a long time I was surprised that we no longer seemed to need the alarm we were awake before it came on, we quit setting it. It was sometime after I realized we woke up when the furnace cut in, it isn’t loud. But I have to say it is much nicer to wake up to the gentle warming of the house, and know we have a few minutes of quiet time rather than the buzzing of the alarm, or the outside worldbursting in to our sleep via the radio. For us, also light sleepers, it works!
LOVE the pics and LOVE London and LOVE your blog … I could simply write LOVE x 100 ;-)
I cannot wait for the unravelling registration to begin. I have this huge red circle in my diary on the 5th of December … this is my Xmas present to myself.
it’s so lovely that you share your transition back to london with us all. you make the place sound/look so inviting. the photos are divine. thank you :)
I am unreasonably excited about the next Unravelling. I think the time has finally come for me to take the course & I can’t wait. Also, London looks pretty good through your eyes.
I love your pictures of London! I’ve visited London only once (so far) and saw a tiny fraction of the city. I can’t wait to visit Londontown again some day soon.
P.S. You could put together a city guide of the best bookstores, coffee shops and great places to snap photos! Or even better, a photo book and city guide!
I can feel your excitement from your wonderful pictures! My sx70 is finally back from being mended. Let me know when you’re ready for a walkabout!
I am a Londoner with a strong yearning to move back there after a few years away. My friend recommended your blog as she recognised some of my feelings in your experiences so thank you for your images and musings about the transition. I also love Contact and I immediately recognised the reference – it is great that others also noticed.
Good Morning!
I have to ask because it’s driving me crazy. The second and third photo above, did you take that with your iPhone? If so, how did you get the action (in the second photo) and the sides to blurr (in the third)? Is there a function on the phone that you use, or is it an app?
You need to do an iPhone Photography course!!
Hugs,
Me
hey Suzie! the action caught in the second shot is just from the people walking — the iphone isn’t fast enough to avoid the blur (yes, all shots taken with the iphone.
in the third pic i used the tilt-shift/blur feature in Instagram — it’s the droplet icon above the photo on the filters screen :)