October 2010 - babies and a British jack-o-lantern

October was a lovely, busy month, although it began in a sad way. One of James' cousins was killed in a hit and run accident ten years ago in Rome, and his aunt and uncle held a memorial service on 2 October, as their local church had finally allowed a stone to be installed where his ashes had been buried in the church yard (it had been a point of contention before as the church yard was supposedly "too full"). The day started out sunny and warm and James and I met his mum, dad, sister and granny for a pub lunch before heading to the church. By the time of the service it was fittingly rainy and chilly. The service was perfect - the priest said a few words about Nick, James' deceased cousin, and a short prayer after which we could choose to stay in silence and reflect. I quickly found a nearby bench as I had made the poor decision to wear heels and they were sinking into the wet earth. James' poor mum had a hard time with it - she disappeared fairly soon after the service and we didn't see much of her at the reception James' aunt and uncle held at their house afterwards. The reception was lovely and I got to meet James' new second cousin (if that's what it is? His cousin's baby anyway) for the first time - he was about two months old and so precious.

Speaking of babies, the beginning of October brought two other little ones into our lives - our close friends in London had a baby boy named Ewan on 6 October, and one of my best friends in Kansas City had a little girl named Clare on 14 October. It's been so special to spend time with both of them - it still amazes me to think that they didn't exist a year ago, and that we were all that little at one point. James is very sweet with Ewan too, he's very tender but not afraid or nervous like many people are who aren't used to being around babies. We visited Ewan about a week after he was born and James of course brought his camera - our friends liked the pictures so much that they invited us back so James could take more for their Christmas cards! James was so pleased to be asked (of course I wasn't surprised as he's a fantastic photographer), and I was excited to spend more time with the baby!

The beginning of October marked the end of the lease at Andrea and my flat, and James took Andrea's place! Andrea had started dating a girl during the year whom he wanted to move in with, and since I didn't want to live with another stranger and James was on a month-to-month lease at his old flat, we decided it would be the best option for him to move in. The move was the quickest I've ever done - we started at 10 and were done by noon, and half of that was driving across town! The man with the van was excellent - if anyone's looking for a mover in London I know a good one. :) It's been so nice living with James, I was a little nervous at first as I'd never lived with a boyfriend before but it feels very natural, and is SO nice not to have to travel an hour to see each other! I think James is quite pleased as well b/c this flat is nicer than his old flat and I'm tidier than his old roommates, and his commute is quicker and more pleasant. So far so good….very good in fact. :)

The following weekend James and I headed to his parents house in Drimpton to celebrate James', his mum's, and my birthdays. Although his mum's birthday is in October, mine and James' aren't until November but it was his parents' last weekend in the UK before leaving for New Zealand so we got an early celebration. As always in Drimpton, it was a quiet, relaxing weekend. James' mum, sister and I went to a course called "Looking Good, Feeling Good" taught by an image consultant at Dillington House, one of those grand old English country houses. It was all about dressing for your body shape, proportions, and colours - fun but I didn't feel like I learned anything earth shattering. Although it was interesting to realise why I like certain clothes more than others - they're the right colours for my skin tone! The rest of the weekend was spent eating, taking strolls through the charming English countryside, and giving gifts - James and I gave his mum a gift certificate to a spa in NZ and I made homemade vouchers in place of the boring internet ones, and I got some girly lotions and cute cupcake holders that look like tea cups!

When we returned to London that Sunday James' cousin Iain and his girlfriend Sacha arrived a few hours later - they had moved to London from NZ a few weeks ago and had been staying in a friend's living room but were having trouble finding a flat, so we offered them our new spare bedroom while they searched. They ended up staying about 3 weeks and were the best houseguests we could have asked for! Iain was still job-searching so he played house husband to the other three of us and cooked for us nearly every night! He even did some cleaning while we were there - I felt very spoiled by the time they found a flat and left. We introduced them to the British comedy show Peep Show - they loved it so much that we watched it nearly every night during those three weeks, in preparation for the new season that starts in December. Sacha and I became quite good friends while they were there and it's been nice having a girlfriend to go to the gym and shopping with. Except now I'm shopping much more, and she always talks me into getting things, so maybe not so great on my wallet! :)

October ended as usual with Halloween (and the British lack of celebration), but I did have my first British jack-o-lantern! Iain and Sacha were so thoughtful and bought a pumpkin for me since they thought I probably didn't do much celebrating in the UK, so I carved it into a scary face and lit a candle in it for about a week. Made me feel more at home and so happy.

Heather xoxo