Tom's Diner

When Dean's parents came to visit us a couple months ago they brought with them a giant case of CDs that we'd been stashing at their house for the last few years. Since this week was one of long drives (twice to Heathrow and once to Ikea) I've been reliving my history by circulating through dozens of mix tapes acquired in the last decade.

Today I popped in one tellingly titled Manda's May Pick-me-up, circa 2004* which, along with undergrad faves like the Thrills and Dido, had the unexpected addition of Suzanne Vega's hypnotic memory-triggering beats. Oh, Tom's Diner, you drop me right back into a bus on a seventh grade field trip when we annoyed our teachers all the way to some community theatre or old folks' home endlessly singing "da da daa-da, da da-daa da" and stumbling over your not-at-all rhyming words.

I never really got that song as an 11-year-old and I suppose I thought it had some deeper meaning that was just over my head, sure to be discovered at a later date. But 18 years later it's still just a meaningless vignette that brings me great satisfaction to sing along with. I still know every word.


(*courtesy of Jules in honour of, probably, some prolonged/awkward breakup)

twins in windsor

My gusty/adventurous twin sis is moving to the Middle East for six month to teach English. Lucky for me she had an eight-hour layover between flights, so I took myself to good old 'heafrow' to meet her. and then I took the both of us just down the road to Windsor for an overdue catchup. Later (she will hate me for this) I made her model her new wardrobe :) It's a good look Di!

a fine fellow

Dean's PhD grad pics arrived in the mail last week. Funny/cute, right?

The photos were a good reminder that I've neglected to share some big recent news with all but a very few of you. Earlier this summer Dean was named a Fulford Research Fellow at Somerville College.

There's a lot about Oxford, we find, that requires explanation to outsiders (there's a lot that I still don't get), but one of those things is that the University is made up of 38 colleges - each one houses a few hundred students where they eat and sleep and take some of their tutorials with professors who are associated with that College. Some lectures or tutorials might take place at other colleges depending on what you are studying and what profs are most fit to teach the subject.

All that said, you can be a faculty member at Oxford without being connected to a college. For the last year Dean has worked at the NPEU - a department of the university - as a senior researcher. To have any hope of working your way up to professor status, however, you need a college association, so securing a fellowship (though most are unpaid) is a pretty big deal. They mean access to lecturing opportunities (which ARE paid), they look great on your CV, AND they mean you can have free lunch at the College whenever you feel so inclined. I, for one, am looking forward to the invites to fancy college bops! :)

Congrats Dean!

Orla a/w

it's always a happy day when a new Orla Kiely collection comes out. take a peek here and tell me if I'm crazy to think I could totally make the adorable frock in the centre of page 6. The dress at right is also particularly lovely.

Alas, we're currently trying to live off one income in case my freelance contracts slow down... in the meantime I'll satisfy myself with a selection of £5 sale rack skirts from 'Primarni' (cringe away, Verity! ;) Photos coming soon!

a spot of croquet

Two wonderful things happened last weekend:

First some lovely friends came to visit, and then the sun came out.

Erin and Jonny spent a couple days in Oxford/Stanton St John during a 2 week tour of England. They are incredibly fun and doubled the Canadian contingent at our chapel warming party on Saturday (which was a smashing success and I was having too much good chat to bother with photos)

On Sunday, after a dose of tourism and high tea in the city we came back to STJ for a highly competitive match of croquet on the Chapel lawn.

In Oxford this is a sport they take seriously (see above, the boys doing their best to look club-worthy). It's a little known fact that croquet is the worls'd oldest varsity sport - the first match took place between Cambridge and Oxford in 1231. One rumor purports that the sport was so popular with Oxford Dons back in the day that one college, Balliol, was even named for the sport (ball in 'ol)... umm, but I think the Balliol family might take issue with that claim. University Parks, near our former home, has a pitch specifically devoted to croquet and on any given day you might see the club out in their whites and hear them cursing over a missed wicket.

We were four novices at this ancient game so there was more guessing at rules than passing through wickets. Erin, however, forgot to tell us that 'lawnsports' is her middle name and left us all behind in a trail of grass clippings. See photo below of her looking smug during a post-match pint. I, for one, am looking forward to a rematch!

spoilt birthday girl

I rarely make a huge deal of my birthday - they were always fairly low-key affairs in the Smith household. Last year I didn't botheer telling any of my new friends that I was turning 28, and this year I strategically combined birthday celebrations with a housewarming party to take off the pressure (it was this past Saturday - and a supreme success in my books!)

So this year I've been taken aback by a slew of unexpected and super thoughtful gifts. It's been an amazing reminder that, even though I feel far from home, I have some pretty awesome friends, here and around the world.

First the Eames chair arrived, and then Orla Kiely loveliness, followed by delicious produce from a friend's veggie garden, two books from the top of my to-read list, incredibly thoughtful cards, and today, a card from two of my most favourite people with this photo taped inside and a note that one of these is on special order for me. WOW! I'm a lucky kid to have friends who not only don't mock my Bachelorette fixation, but also guessed how much I LOOOOVED this hoodie. Thanks Jules and Neen!

village life: the Stanton Sweaters

The other day I was enjoying a leisurely jog near the village. I stopped at a wee bridge to stretch, when I saw another jogger, half a kilometre behind me. Striding further along, I heard the steady beat of footsteps coming closer and closer until we were running side by side and the jogger slowed to my 5-foot-2 girlie pace.

"You local?" he asked.
I thought about it, and with some pride answered, "yes I am!"

Still running, me trying to pick up the pace to not reveal the softie that I am, he proceeded to recruit me for the Stanton St John running club: the Stanton Sweaters (and you thought this post was about fashion!). Dean and I had actually heard about this club some time ago, but the Saturday 8am meeting time has yet to line up with our sleeping schedule. I admitted this and my new friend informed me that they also meet on Monday evenings. He also assured me that his wife and teenage daughters run at my pace and would accommodate my 5km rule (there is no pleasure in running further than that!).

So on Monday night we 'pitched up' (as they say) and joined the Sweaters on a back country tour of Stanton St John. Pavement gave way to clover fields, limestone farm roads, a nettle strewn bridleway and finally the road again! whew! Once I had picked the burrs off my Lulus (and thanked heaven that the overcast sky induced me to wear long pants) I had to admit, it was pretty fun.

I think we'll pitch up more often!

new kids on the pond

The Chapel got a special delivery last weekend. Five new ducklings turned up on Saturday morning and were testing out their new swimming skills all day (with some breaks for naps). We're pretty enamored by these little guys.

Yesterday morning, however, we peeked out the window and sadly discovered they were down by one, and by the afternoon we only had three little ducklings in the yard. We're gunning for the last three to hold strong and didn't even feel angry at momma duck when she started squawking at 5.30 this morning - she was probably trying to scare off the local fox.

Dean managed to capture the troups when they still numbered five. pretty friggin cute.

double happiness

i love buying books - new and used - but indeed there is something incredibly about cracking a fresh stiff cover and feeling the untouched paper of a brand new tome.

I also really love mail. I got some fun bits this week: a stack of photos from some recent travels with Jules, a birthday card from my momma and as of a few minutes ago a gorgeous Orla Kiely journal from Lorah (eee!)

books + mail = love

so obviously I think Amazon is one of the best inventions ever. My latest shipment just came in and I'm more excited than usual for three reasons. one, because they are four books i've been dying to read, two, because they are nice and fat and I have a lot of shelf space to fill in this house and three, because they were all on sale!

ah, simple pleasures!

loving London east

I'm still getting into London at least once a week, which is nice, but so far my visits have ben confined to my usual Baker Street hub of LBS, Pret-a-Manger and maybe a nip into Selfridges.

When we first moved to Oxford, I wrote a list of London neighbourhoods that I wanted to see - a year later I've still only crossed a few off. I hear that's the way it is in London - you find your comfy zone and you stick with it. Truth is, I found mine a while back but I just can't get there as often as I'd like.

So I've been thinking of taking a day, just to indulge a bit. i'm thinking it'll look something like this:

my perfect East End day...

...begins with brunch at Conran wonder spot, the Albion Caff for some mushrooms on toast (which reminds me not to throw out the tin when I use up my golden syrup)


then, coffee in hand, stroll to Spitalfields Market (better make it a thursday so I can get my initial dose of antiques)

next stop, Brick Lane - it's too early for curry so I'll dip into Dray Walk at the old Truman Brewery to browse the selection of local designers before stopping at Rough Trade Records so I can sample new albums and, if I'm lucky, catch some live music.


my real destination is just a bit further north on Brick Lane: Cheshire Street. Somehow all the best shops managed to set up camp here, so I'll likely kill hours poking around places like:
Labour and Wait - to purchase some enamel cookware I've been loving lately and drool over other oldschool goodies
Shelf - and since I can't afford any Jonathan Adler pottery or justify spending so much on Suki dish towels, I'll be satisfied just nab some letter pressed birthday cards
Mar Mar Co - I've yet to buy anything here and can't even put a finger on what it is they specialise in, but I do love to have a poke around all the curios in stock
Russell Roberts - the rest of the day is devoted to my big weakness, vintage furniture. I'll skip the vintage clothing shops, although they are many and great, and choose to get my dust quota here instead.


After Cheshire Street I've got two more furniture stops before digging into a big bowl of Rogan Josh:
Unto this Last - where I can watch as they make incredibly cool dye cut furniture bits that slot together into gorgeous functional creations
from here it's a little hike over to SCP, but worth it for the selection of Eames rockers alone!


It's a good thing we're on a tight budget around here these days or there's no way I'd make it back to Paddington Station with all the lovely things I could buy. I tend to treat the east end more as gallery than as shop and it's a good way to keep my wallet in check.

So, i've got my schedule all planned, now I just need to choose a day - anyone care to join me?

cool off

The sun FINALLY joined us in Oxfordshire on Sunday. We took advantage of it by tootling around in the yard. Well, I tootled - tugging at weeds here and there. Dean's involvement was a bit more hardcore: trimming ivy, mowing the lawn and helping our landlords chop a tree and burn a big pile of brush.

By the end of the day he was sweaty and smelled like cinders and sap. Obviously there was only one proper way to cool off after all that. I mean, beside the soothing sound of rushing water, why ELSE would you have a stream in your yard?

charles and ray

I'm sure the rest of you weren't burning with suspense to know what was in the giant Conran Shop delivery, but I know I tore it open the minute hubby got home from work - forget waiting until August 19 (it was taking up too much space in the front hall anyway).

Suspicions confirmed: the latest addition to the Regier household is an Eames design classic. No, not THAT one! We're living on one income these days! but I do hope it's not the last we see of Charles and Ray in the years ahead. Thanks Dean!

Looks good in our bright, clean kitchen eh?