The Big Freeze.

You are probably aware that the weather these days seems to be a little out-of-control.

It seems that facebook status updates are about little else...

We are being indundated with snow, freezing temperatures, rain and T even read today that South Australia is battling a plague of locusts!

Unusual!

What is Traveller thankful for?

Despite having to wear thermals and woolly socks to bed whilst gripping a hot-water bottle with icy fingers, T remains upbeat. This is quite possibly due to the frequent use of her very own fireplace!

This evening was spent drinking mulled wine {provided by lovely flatmates}, eating yummy cheese and relaxing in front of a toasty fire.

The negatives?

The flames seem to lure Traveller into a very unproductive bliss-coma; T's washing basket is very full, her room is increasingly messy and her list of administration chores is growing wildly out-of-control, not to mention that she hasn't blogged in a while!

Miraculously, the fireplace hasn't yet affected her exercise regime which is lucky because Traveller certainly seems to be eating in preparation for hibernation!

{those three-course hot school meals really aren't helpful!}

Fireplaces are a definite novelty for this sun-worshipping Aussie and they (almost) make the short days and freezing temperatures of the UK seem worth it at this time of year!

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Teachery tales.

Sometimes the T should really stand for 'teacher' as Traveller spends much more time in the classroom, than roaming through Europe. In recognition of this truth, T is going to blog about a few memorable teaching moments from the past week.

Firstly, the musical was a hit!

And Traveller is more than a little relieved.

Having never starred in a musical before (she was, unfortunately, not blessed with tuneful pipes) and only playing minor helper roles at her last school - this was a big deal. However, it all went swimmingly and it was really hard to believe that her talented boys were all under twelve. They were brilliant!

Well, let's be honest, most of them were. As Traveller works with prep school boys, she doesn't want to discriminate against the less talented of the little munchkins. This unfortunately means (or fortunately - whichever way you look at it) that some of the boys didn't quite always sing or act, but sometimes just gazed giddily at their parents. Ah well, you can't always expect professionalism from eight year olds!

In other humorous, teachery news, Traveller had the annual cross country today.

T is used to Australian cross-countries where children suffer from heat exhaustion, sunburn and sunstroke and where the teachers have a great time - sunning themselves and cheering on the little mites.

School cross-countries in English prep schools are a vastly different experience.

Firstly, everyone freezes.

The weather is drizzly, the wind is icy and the sky is grey.

The boys' lips are blue and the teachers are numb with cold.

However, we endure these conditions with proud British fortitude and nothing is heard except for the cheering of the parents, teachers and boys.

On a slightly anthropological note - has anyone ever noticed how speedy and ostentatious young children become when running in front of their parents? We had children that would walk 375 metres of the track, but when they were running past their parents, it was like they were involved in an olympic sprint! Their heads were down, their faces were serious and they, like gazelles, glided swiftly past their parents, only to walk again a few seconds down the track. We also had one serious chap who, after running one {fairly slow} 400 metre lap {in freezing conditions}, doused himself completely with water! Right in front of the parents!

Did T mention it was freezing?

Sunday, lovely Sunday.

A miraculous thing happened in London today: the sun came out. And stayed out. All day.

It was bliss. Indescribable and unequivocal bliss.

Traveller decided to celebrate this remarkeable occurence by having one of those lovely, lazy Sundays.

She went to the farmers' markets, bought the Sunday Times and then sat it in a lovely Queen's Park deli, drank hot-chocolate {ate a sweet pastry} and read the paper.

Lovely.

Let it snow.

Today, London was put on a severe weather warning. It is, hopefully, going to snow more than it has since 1962! Now, you should know by now how excited Traveller gets by the snow. Apparently it will keep on snowing all day tomorrow!

{ so, so excited}

The only negative in this extremely positive situation is that husband was told {half an hour before he finished work} that he has to stay in a hotel near work tonight! Apparently everyone at his newspaper company will be working from home on laptops and, as he is in I.T., he has to stay to make sure the computers are working! He is a little glum that flattie and T are going to be playing in the snow tomorrow while he is at work. Poor hubbie.

Still, nothing can hinder T's snow-filled-excitement.

The snow is just starting to come down and a few gleeful rounds of applause have already filled their cosy, London flat.

Fall Fun.

Traveller is really enjoying having her fave gal here.

They went to Regent's Park today, with her husband, and played in the leaves.

T loves fall. And friends.

Fall arrives in a flurry.

It seems that fall has arrived in London overnight.

Sidewalks that were once clear, are now covered in burnt orange leaves.

A breezy wind has arrived, and the leaves are swirling about in the air.

It is so pretty.

Traveller went for a run in Hampstead Heath, and could barely see the heath floor, for all the scattered leaves.

As her fellow Australian friends grumble and feel somewhat dejected at the darker afternoons and cooler weather - Traveller is secretly excited for all the activities and clothes that fall encompasses.

She is ready for the scarves, the coats, the tights, the many cups of tea, the apple crumble and custard, the boeuf bourguignon, the red wine and the reading under the covers.

She is even ready for the fight against the winter pounds; yes, running will continue after the halfie.

Fall is here!

photo via flickr

Water in my shoes.

This evening, Traveller, along with running friend, ran her longest ever distance - just over 17k! We made it in just over an hour and a half. The biggest set-back was that it was absolutely bucketing down with rain. Every inch of T's clothes were wet, her shoes were filled with water, her hair was dripping and she was even having to blink at a more rapid pace to stop her eyes filling with so much water! That's a lot of rain.

And before you think T is really hardcore (who could blame you?), just take a minute to hear about T's running friend. Running friend is a particularly extreme runner. She will run in any physical conditition. Today, after running for around 20 minutes, she began to feel quite ill. She kept going. About an hour into the run, she stopped, vomited by a tree, and then kept running again! T doesn't think she could be quite so hardcore!

Besides the brief hiccup by the tree, it was the most beautiful run. We ran through Hyde Park which is probably T's favourite park at the moment; there is something magical about running past the statue of Queen Victoria which is just outside Kensington Palace. You being to imagine all the feet that have walked or ran those very paths. T's mind goes wild as she envisages horse-drawn carriages, public hangings, ladies ambling in pretty dresses, and princes and their horses going hunting.

Another wonderful thing about the run was that despite the weather, there were many runners about and they were quite jolly as well. Lots of chatting and laughing at the lovely British weather!

Traveller is now feeling more confident about her half-marathon, having made 17k without too much effort (okay, her muscles are pretty sore and she hasn't stopped eating for the last 2 hours!). Neverthless, T is starting to really look forward to the challenge.

Living it up at the Lido

Now despite the clouds, the sun did make a steady appearance in Londontown this past Sunday. As soon as Traveller took her weekly trip to the farmers' markets, she knew it was time for some Lido-action. Now, for those of you not in the know, Lido is the term in the UK for swimming pool or a part of a beach where you can swim. As the weather has been not as summery as she would have hoped, T knew that she had to make the most of the opportunity to put swimmers on and hit the pool!

Hubbie was hard-at-work studying again, so Traveller went with running friend to the Lido in Hampstead Heath. While many Australians will gasp at the entry price (£4.30!) - let it be known, it was well worth it!

Some days you just need a swim.

It was a glorious day, and was finished with a late-afternoon picnic on Primrose Hill.