Journaling While Traveling

Page Creations Challenge, Journal No. 1 Cover

Once in London, I decided that I was done with my first Challenge journal. Here is a shot of the finished cover. I found this challenge enormously helpful in keeping the creative juices flowing. I haven't written in it so much, but I am working with images and materials....and it has been relatively easy to keep to my goal of one a day. Often I create 2 or more pages a day because it is so much fun.

Page Creations Challenge, Journal No. 2 Cover

Creating pages while in London was easy. I started another journal, so my creative challenge was kept alive. I took a little travel kit, containing my Cat's Eyes pads, a UHU glue stick, a few rubber stamps, some pens and pencils, and I just purchased magazines while I was tooling around London. I sat in cafes, or on a park bench, or in the hotel lobby, or in our room and played with images.

My Old Travel Journal

I also took an older travel journal I had from past trips to London and Paris, but I only worked in it a bit. I discovered that I wanted to keep that journal for pages that contained travel mementos. My small journal I reserved for my quick and dirty daily journal page creations. Mixing up the two didn't feel right -- in fact I felt down right inhibited creatively -- trying to fill a larger journal page -- so after the first day, I just kept their purposes separate, and I created my challenge pages in the smaller journal.

Some of My Favorite London Photos

The Hummingbird Cafe in South Kensington:

Hammingbird Cafe Cupcake Jewels

Cupcake Eating a Cupcake

On Our London Walk Abouts:

Genius in London

Happy Feet on Thames Walk

London Bridge Towers Reflected

In the Birch Trees at the Modern Tate

Grafitti Tower of London Sign

Munro at London BridgeDragon on Thames Walk

Graffiti Hug-Kiss-Hug Camden Lock

Pink Hi Top Camden Lock

London Tube Wall Poster

Powdered Candle Wax in a Rainbow of Colors (Camden Lock Market)

Munro and Me at Kew Gardens

Peacock Tail at Kew Gardens

The Roman Arch at Kew Gardens

Bluebell Field at Kew Garderns

Kew Garden Kitty Face

Riding in Hyde Park

Well, I had a wonderful time riding in Hyde Park yesterday! Walking into the quaint, hidden mews, where the stable was located, took me back 40+ years ago to my experience at Talland Riding School in Cirencester. 

All the cleaning tools were neatly organized, and the girls were busy going about taking care of the animals and the clients. The horses were stabled in standing stalls, and they were all shapes and sizes and curious about visitors. They were obviously well cared for and didn't have that "Oh here comes another damn tourist" attitude, although more business like than overtly friendly, they were cheerful enough. 

My horse was an Irish cob named Shamus -- what a love and a dream to ride. I really couldn't have been happier. We seemed to connect immediately and he was quiet, but tested me periodically to see if I was paying attention. He had an absolutely gorgeous mane -- at least 3 feet long, and a forelock that hung half-way down his nose. I loved stroking his neck and playing with strands of his mane as we walked down Rotten Row and watched all of the people enjoying themselves on a beautiful spring day in the park.

London!

On Our Way!

Sweet Dreams Transatlantic -- Business Class!

I have been on the run for the past five days, so apologies to all (and myself!) for not doing my posts. Our flight was fantastic -- business class for the first time EVER! Whoo-weee! This country mouse loved the room to move!!! What a liberating experience, and less jet lag, too, 'cause I was able to sleep.

London. I am in love with London. Not so much its history -- but its variety. I am stimulated by the hundreds,  no thousands of dialects that are spoken here: Scandinavian, Russian, Polish, Japanese, Chinese, Croatian, Haitian, South African, OMG, there is no end to the multicultural assault on the senses here! I think I read somewhere that more languages are spoken here than anywhere else in the world. It is a constant reminder of all the different permutations of human existence.

Jet Lag Cuppa Jo at a Eurostyle Islington Cafe -- Overlooking Rooftops

And cafe living -- I love the European desire to take a load off and sit down at a streetside and have a cuppa somethin'...a pint, a glass of wine, a sultry liqueur, a shot of vodka...or, for the non-imbiber -- a cup of joe, a frothy cappachino, a bitter expresso, a milk-laden latte -- whatever comforts and or exhilarates your little soul and makes you smack your lips and sigh...this is good. And lest we forget the sweets...