What's That in the Sky? Is it a Bird? Is it a Plane? No...

...It's actually the sun.

Although the weather in the UK hasn't been terrible this winter, it has still be awfully dark with the sun rising after I get to the office and setting before I leave for my commute. We typically lose any glimpse of sunlight by 4:30pm when it become pitch black outside. I was warned about this when I first moved to London that my biggest issue wouldn't be the weather, but rather the darkness and the grey. People here actually suffer from a condition called SAD (seasonal affective disorder). So when the weatherman forecasted a bright and sunny weekend, I had to make sure I got outside for a least a few hours a day. I've got some projects I've been focusing on recently so I've spent plenty more time in my flat than anywhere else outside of work. However I am a true Northern California girl at heart which means that I prefer to be outdoors rather than indoors and at any sign of sunshine I will put on the warm weather gear. This weekend that meant t-shirts, tank tops, skirts with no tights, open toe shoes, and most importantly, sunglasses. I stopped short of the flip flops considering I was already a frightful sight to the Brits, daring to go out of doors without a coat, scarf, hat, and gloves in the middle of February.

What the Brits were wearing:


What I was wearing:


Saturday morning I called up Tonya to head down to Borough Market since it had been ages since I'd been. I'm not sure if I've mentioned Borough Market before but it is a huge farmers' market in the middle of central London. It's one of the favorite American tourist spots since outside of the vendors, all I ever hear are American accents. I was great to get out and see the fresh meat, cheese, produce, and fish and we stopped at one of my favorite stalls, Brindisa, for a fresh off the grill chorizo sandwich. We ate our sandwiches in the churchyard next to market and then did a bit of shopping. With all the fresh goodies, I'd made up my mind to make a bouillabaisse so I had to go pick out all of my ingredients.

This morning when I awoke, the sun was still shining brightly so after I spent some time cleaning the flat, I headed down to Kensington Gardens for a stroll. I got on the bus which stops in front of my favorite store, you know it, the Whole Foods. I popped in for a quick cappuccino and then headed across the street to enter the park. It was before noon so the park was quiet still as people were setting up their football (soccer) matches and rollerblade obstacle courses. Other people were taking their morning run/stroll through the park or just walking their dogs or enjoying a cup of coffee and a pastry. It was a really lovely day out with the sky so intensely blue and bright. Excuse me for getting a bit snapshot happy in Kensington Gardens.