Dumpster Diving Decor

Remember when I told you Big Brother was part of a tree planting ceremony? Well, as promised, here is the link to the lovely ceremony where Big Brother and Our Sweet School's Green Team helped BBC's John Simpson plant a tree in Marylebone. Don't feel bad if you don't spot Big Brother easily. He looks a bit like a muppet in a navy blazer with his long hairdo! Still, he can be so proud of taking part in such a nice event. And how lovely are the comments John Simpson makes about the day?

Doing my part for the earth, I found this treasure in a florist shop trash bin over the weekend. It is a brightly colored, sturdy box emblazoned with the Union Jack. I spied it en route to pick up Biggest Brother from a birthday party.  There it perched, on the tippy top of a trash heap, calling out to me.

I waited until Biggest Brother was with me to get it. His interest in why I'd want something out of someone's trash gave me the courage to ask the proprietor if I just might take it home. The shop is where we bought our Christmas tree, so I sort of felt like a customer -- even though I wanted a freebie out of their trash.

Walking away, I laughed, saying, "one man's trash is another's treasure!"

Biggest Brother had never heard this expression and thought it was so funny. He adopted a pirate accent and detailed lots of possible examples. As in, "Argh. Me hearties! I've found this old banana peel in a bin! SUCH a treasure! ARRRGGGH!" The banana peel reference isn't too far from how the Mister perceived my find when we got home.

Maybe it is the renewed talk about where and when we'll land next that has me collecting again. I'm not above looking far and wide.

Big Sister was a good help holding it on her lap on the bus. Not sure where it will end up. Maybe it will get a new life as a magazine rack or holder of extra throws in the living room. But for now, it has joined my British collection adding color to the kitchen.

Repurpose. Plant. Recycle. Repeat. Sounds like the Green Team mantra and that of people who move around, too.

Let's Have a Jubilee

New to expat living, what do I know, but I'm pretty certain that we happened upon being here at one of the best times ever. Certainly better to be here now than when London hosted the Olympics last. Although how they were able to pull of the "Austerity Games" is worthy of a whole post in itself. I keep thinking that would be akin to having just had a massive flood or fire in your home and yet still inviting a huge crowd for a fancy dinner party.  I suspect the British are almost singularly capable of that sort of effort. Keeping calm, carrying on with stiff upper lips and all.

Anyway, I'm not sure we could have picked a better time to be Londoners. It is certainly a blessing that we arrived, unpacked and are now fully settled as a new year of excitement (the Queen's Jubilee! The Olympics!) in the city is upon us. Not to mention that our guest book will soon be filled with returning visitors!  Cause for celebration all around.

Easter Sunday and a long break are behind us and now the big kids are back to school today. Sniff and sigh. Family Night last night took on a special feeling of frantic fun and it is all too terribly sentimental for me. So much of our life these days seems to be marked by passages of time and I see the children changing so quickly. We had such a lovely break and everyone - Big Sister especially - really needed the time off. The smalls were playing games together this morning literally until the last moment before we had to hop on a bus and I'm luring them home this afternoon with the promise of more games!

So now, my friends, as you may have noted, preparations for the Queen's Jubilee are well under way in our flat.

As Baby Sister and I watched the Queen address Parliament this morning no fewer than 2 packages were delivered for our decor. Honestly, they must have been sent from a special source knowing we'd be missing the kids terribly in our suddenly all too quiet flat. I'd done some of the decorating of our dining room already and had the chance to add to the goodies with what was delivered today.

And while I know she's not our Queen, and I'm not necessarily a royalist, I am touched by the history of our countries, inspired by British endurance, excited by the pageantry already on display, and charmed by the vintage treasures that will always remind us of our life in London.

Here's hoping these remembrances won't consume our flat before the actual celebrating begins this summer.  I've already started buying for friends Stateside and shipping them abroad. The things here are just too delightful to pass up. Not pictured, but among my favorites collected so far is a plate bearing the simple words "It Should Have Been Me." It was meant for the royal wedding, but seems equally as appropriate for fanfare surrounding the Queen. Not that it should have been me. Gracious. I would be a bit of a disastrous dignitary. If I felt the prick of a tear hearing the nice things said to and by the Queen today on my couch, I can't imagine how my face would have melted in high definition close ups.

Lucky us: Decorated flat, full calendar, festive sideboards and a busy London life!  So, without further delay, let's have a jubilee!