A new life for me – Crystal Palace

I moved to Crystal Palace last year and in many ways, started over. I’m directly across from the incredibly lovely Dinosaur Park. Pepper, C and I spend quite a bit of time walking around in the woods.

It’s leafy and calm. In London but not IN LONDON. Feels like home now.

Listen to this – http://thememorypalace.us/2016/10/under-our-feet/

Of course there is a piece of me that will always miss my Nashville life but it seems really far away from me now. Both physically and emotionally.

Distance does that I suppose.

It’s been hard for people to keep in touch and I’m just as bad as everyone else – we are all caught up and lose track of time.

That’s ok though – we change and we move forward. Everything that came before will always be part of the greater story.

Anyway, I’m really happy and settled here. It’s beautiful and full of little natural gems. I feel lucky to have such a pretty little oasis literally a stone’s throw from my flat. Here are some of the prettiest bits. x

❤

Barcelona part three – Olympic Park and beyond

Found this in my drafts. Oops.

I guess I got busy yet again and never got around to posting. Typical me. These are so old now it’s laughable. 2016.

Still…I want a record of my travels so I’ll add to the heap – outdated as it is!

One of our last days in Barcelona was spent wandering around a very awesome albeit seemingly abandoned Olympic Park…

A little piece of home with The Cadillac Three…

Sometimes weeks go by where I barely think of my old life in Nashville. Sometimes it’s all-consuming and I get so swept up in the nostalgia that it’s all I can think about. That’s the tricky part about living in the same place for 28 years and then suddenly starting over in a new country. It doesn’t all just go away and get replaced by new things.
There are the new things and the old things, and sometimes they work against each other.

I don’t know when I’ll be home again and that upsets me a little.
I just try to focus on my life here and that works until I see photos of my niece and nephew or see another friend has announced a pregnancy or gotten engaged.

Another wedding I will surely miss. Another baby. Life goes on…

It’s sad, but it’s the choice I made and I’ve never regretted it for one second.

I think about it sometimes, if my husband just announced one day: “I’m ready for a quieter life! Let’s go live in Nashville!!!”

I’m not sure I’d want to go back and live there.
Part of me does because it’s so comfortable and familiar.
I know everyone and everyone knows me.
It would be so easy. Like your favourite flip-flops.
We’ve been through so much together Nashville and I.

I think perhaps I’ve outgrown it somehow and I’d actually feel a bit lost.
It’s impossible to say really. My opinion on the subject changes monthly.

I do miss my friends though. This never changes. And when friends come to London I get REALLY excited.

Recently, some friends I’ve known for half of my life came to play a few gigs in London and I went out to Camden to see them.

They’ve been playing music together since they were kids and although I’ve seen them in a lot of different bands over the years, this one (The Cadillac Three) is probably the most authentic and solid thing I’ve seen any of them do. https://www.facebook.com/TheCadillacThree?fref=ts

Or maybe this is just my favourite?

I will fess up and say that although I love Pecan Pie and Dolly Parton and I swear on Tara that I am a Southern girl through and through – I’m really not a huge Southern Rock fan.

I am however, very happy to report that their show was really really good and I had a blast.

Not just saying that! It was GREAT.

I actually almost flaked out on going because it was a school night and I knew it was going to take me an hour to get there and an hour back- but I seriously love these dudes so I made it happen and I’m glad for it.

Twas most excellent!

And yeah, of course I took some photos!

Kelbs & I hanging after the show…

See y’all later! xx