The Costwolds - December 2009

Last weekend J and I went to the Cotswolds. We stayed in a little B&B in a town called Chipping Campden. We ate at nice country pubs, saw Charlecote Manor (where there was the most amazing choir singing Christmas carols), and took a walk up to Dover Hill. Such a nice much needed break!

Bonfire Night 2009

I passed!

The hard work paid off. I found out last night I passed the California Bar Exam!!!! Now where do I take the oath?

In other news, we had a lovely visit with my parents and C earlier this month. We even had a special day with S and his companion in London. What a blessing to have almost the entire family together again :)

Other than that, we're just working really hard, rehearsing for the panto in January, and re-decorating the 2nd bedroom. Oh - and looking forward to Christmas!!!

Our new study - now we can get some work done!

Minding the Gap

This year marks the 50th Anniversary of Upminster Depot. This past Bank Holiday weekend, the Depot was open to the public to see how they maintain the trains and there was a bit of history there too. Here's us supporting our local tourist attractions (well for the day at least....)

Buddleia

Butterflies on our beautiful buddleia

Tag you're it

I got tagged by M a few weeks ago and just remembered - now I have a few spare moments this afternoon, so thought I would try it out!

What is your current obsession? whether I have passed that stupid exam or not.
What do you hate that most everyone else seems to love? cilantro. It is the grossest thing in the word.
What are you wearing today? beige summer trousers, frilly top over a tank top and a white cardigan. Summer office wear!
What’s for dinner? it was supposed to be steak and chips but forgot to take the meat out to defrost. Might go out to dinner if I'm lucky!
What would you eat for your last meal? chocolate fudge sundae from ghiradelli square.
What’s the last thing you bought? lunch from this cafe near work. It was supposed to be a picnic in a box and it had a French theme to it - salami, brie, beetroot, carrot and coleslaw salad. Plus an amazing chocolate brownie. Last purchase non-food-wise was a plane ticket to Washington DC (although I will be reimbursed by the firm for that one!)
What are you listening to right now? My colleagues chatting down the hall.
If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be? My own home! I love it (although I would have a secret portal to mum and dad's so I didn't have to endure that awful flight each time)
If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go? Anywhere on a warm sunny beach listening to the waves coming in.... paradise!
What is a hobby of yours? Spotting Eddie Stobart lorries. Geekazoid as J would say.
What is your favourite colour? probably blue
If you could be proficient at anything without having to practice it over and over again, what would it be? cooking
What is your dream job? anything where I could work from 10 to 4 and get paid lots of money for not a lot of work!
Describe your personal style? casual chic
What’s your favourite tree? maple (mmmm syrup!)
What are you going to do after this? go home for the weekend!
What’s your favourite fruit? strawberries from kent. although they are not necessarily the biggest - they def make up for it in taste! but I pretty much like all fruit too.
What inspires you? a good goal to work towards.
Who was the last person you kissed? J of course.
What are you currently reading? The Pianist (see the film - it is so good!)
Go to your bookshelf, take down the first book with a red spine you see, turn to page 26 and type out the first line: "In law it is very clear that this clause is seen to be in a place to deal with minor matters and NOT to allow the core purpose of the contract to be changed because of a "mistake". A Guide to Reinsurance Law. I'm doing this at work remember!
What is your favorite sound? I really like hearing the district line whistle as it pulls in to the depot at night. So relaxing for some reason!
What delighted you most today? A friend announcing she is pregnant.
By what criteria do you judge a person? their goals
Did you laugh today? a bit. hope to more when I get home.
What is your favourite type of weather? sunny and warm (around 85 degrees) with a light breeze.

The rules:1. Respond and rework; answer the questions on your blog, replace one question you dislike with a question of your invention, add one more question of your own.
Tag eight other people.
I don't think 8 people look at this blog. Anyone else who wants to do it please do!

Never again!

Back to work following the bar exam last week. It was hard. Definitely the hardest thing I have ever done in my entire life. Law school was a walk in the park compared to it. I am pretty sure I am never going to do that again, whether I pass or not. Good thing I already have a job here in London.

I have no idea how I did on it. But let's keep hoping I passed. Unfortunately, I won't know until 20 November 2009!

Thanks to Mom and Dad and everyone else for all their support over the past few months while I was studying. I love you guys!

M&O in London

Many of you may have seen M's blog already and have been following the progress of their trip. Today we took them to Heathrow and said goodbye for now. Very sad. But we will always remember all the good times over the past two weeks. Thanks for coming guys! We love you!

New Bedroom

While K has been studying J has been doing this.......

London to Brighton

Haven't been doing too much lately. Working, studying for the California bar exam and re-doing our bedroom (it's almost done and I will post pics as soon as it is).

Yesterday we took a welcome break and did the annual London to Brighton. Unfortunately, despite J's hard work over the past 2 months to get the Mini up and running, it isn't at it's best and we didn't want to take the chance of it breaking down along the way. So we just took the train down and enjoyed the day anyway (despite the rubbish weather). It is the 50th anniversary of the first Mini this year, so it was a pretty big birthday party.

A Gem of a Niece

I am so grateful I got to go visit M&M and O earlier this month. She is such a lovely little girl and I just can't get enough of her!


And her Mum is great too!



We can't wait for you guys to come see us in June!

New York 2009

Jan/Feb

OK OK here's an update. Very brief and without pics - (sorry I am doing this from work and don't have any pictures on this computer).

J and I enjoyed a lovely Christmas in California with the whole J clan (minus C). We spent lots of time playing and holding O, playing Guitar Hero, eating good food, and generally having a great time!

I have now started my new job (hence the delay in updating). I seriously have been working 12-15 hour days since the first week of January. But I am on some great cases and I suppose it's really good to be busy, especially in this economy.

The house continues to be fab - we have done lots of work on it already - painting, re-plastering the walls and ceiling in the master bedroom, new front door, new cellar door, new bedroom furniture. Lots more work to do, but it will keep J busy on the weekends while I am studying.

Which is why I have not been updating - I am studying to take the California bar exam in July so I will be dual qualified. Yikes! So much to learn in less than 6 months! And so much bureaucracy to get through too with the application process! But I am hoping it will all be worth it in the end just like law school here.

The panto in January also went really well. Check out the photos on facebook (especially the fantastic Mother Goose costume!)

So that's a brief update on the J & K front.

We are off to NYC for J's 30th birthday this weekend. And then I am going to California/Utah/Idaho the first week of March to see the family before my exam on 7 March.

I promise to update (with pics!) when I am back.