The Blessing at The American Church in London

Leader: You go nowhere by accident!

People: Wherever we go God is sending us

Wherever we are, God has put us there

He has a purpose in our being there

Leader: Christ who indwells you has something He wants to do through you where you are. Believe this, and go in His grace and love and power.

All: Amen 

Funky London 2012

Open till LATE? Hedging your bets for the nights that you have to catch a show on the BBC?

In a front garden across the street from Harrods. This was a surprise. Not sure why it's chained...seems like it has a bunch of leaves to go before it would want to wander.

A topiary pig smack in the middle of a really posh neighborhood.

I went to the Southbank Centre and saw a few exhibits--and an amazing one-man play--about death. That was called "An Instinct for Kindness" by Chris Lerner.

Guitar coffin

Lion coffin

A mom and dad commissioned a coffin that looked like this for their son.

A woman whose earliest fondest memories are of going to the ballet with her grandfather commissioned this coffin.

There was a huge wall of chalkboard where visitors could write goals that they want to complete before they die. One of my favorites was, "Find my spare pair of glasses."

Still pretty funky

On the funky side

For such private people--and they are!--this is a surprising statue.

London Smells Like Lavender

The weather is unbelievable...it feels like spring. It's an amazing day to be in London!

I took a real long walk--to Harrod's and neighborhood. Open jackets in January!

It's such a gorgeous store.

On the second floor is a proper bear...but what's that nestled by his tie??

It's my lavender cat! It's been sometimes a tough trip and lavender cat has been here to help. It was made specially for me by my friend Leslie. Lavender cat, I hope we don't get into trouble for this!

Lavender cat taking a break on a lovely British chair near another friendly Harrod's bear.

After Harrod's I found a comfy pub nearby and had fish and chips on the second floor.

Lavender cat had the smashed peas. But obviously not a lot of them.

Not sure anyone uses these anymore...but taking a closer look...

Lavender cat doesn't have a cell phone (a mobile, as we say for the next couple of days). I've got to scramble and find a few pence for her!

London Toy Fair 2012

The 2012 London Toy Fair has just ended. It was busy, it was fun, though it was during this week that I  realized that I'm now part of the older guard of toy people. Not sure when that happened, but I'm starting to really look the part.

Jumbo Toys of Holland had these amazing coasters at their booth and Aad Obbens was kind enough to give me a bunch. Note the red elephant tusk that belongs to Jumbo in the upper right of the Tic Tac Toe side. Cute!

My favorite sign of the fair. Hooray for games!

Another great banner at Olympia where the fair was held.

Dr. Who inflatables--very eye catching. 

Coaster #21: VW Bug

And this week is also the anniversary of the Volkswagen Bug's arrival in the U.S.
 January 17, 1949.
To celebrate I made this mug rug (larger than a coaster, smaller than a placemat, the perfect size for a beverage and a snack...) and chose yellow to especially remember my sister Jane's Beetle.

That car was a really big deal. It was loved right up until it burst into flames on Columbus Circle, NYC. No one was harmed, it was the mangled end, though, to a really great car.

Coaster #20: Superman

Coaster 20 commemorates this week's anniversary of Superman becoming a daily newspaper strip. On January 16, 1939  the Houston Chronicle published "Superman Comes To Earth". 

(I'm not loving this interpretation as much as I liked  the Batman logo in an earlier entry.)

coaster #19: happy our anniversary, david

Tonight's coaster celebrates our wedding anniversary 17 years ago. David and I were married in Weehawken, NJ at a wonderful place called Shanghai Reds. Right on the water, a beautiful view of NYC. It was  a freezing cold day and the heat in Shanghai Reds wasn't turned on until we got there. I never noticed that most of the guests had their coats on throughout the ceremony and reception.

Happy anniversary, David.

coaster #18: elephant parade

Made from a real cute cotton fabric that I bought at rock, paper, scissors.

Celebrating Saturday with a new glass of wine!

coaster #17: eli manning

Good luck to the NY Giants who playoff against the Packers this Sunday!  

coaster #16: "We've come a long way from the Prime Minister's exploding cake. Or have we?"

tonight's coaster celebrates batman coming to television...46 years ago.  i like the idea of seeing logos in unexpected fabrics like this--very fun.

yes, this is the same glass of wine from last night and the same wine. 

you can probably smell it from where you are, it's been a'fermentin! 

so, with whatever it has turned into, here's to you, adam west!

coaster #15: Major League Baseball Rule 6.10

what do you do the day after you have a migraine and you barely remember how to form words but you want to make a second coaster so that you're at the one-a-day amount? if you stumble upon history.com like i did, you'll be making one commemorating the voting in of the designated hitter rule in baseball--January 11, 1973 . i'm not sure that there is anything more i can say. nope. this says it all. right there.

apparently, ron blomberg of the new york yankees became the first designated hitter a few months later, on april 6.  cheers to you, mr. blomberg!

coaster #14: migraine me

yesterday was another day that went coasterless and that's because i had a horrible migraine. i did. i'm upset that it happened so early in the new year. 

so tonight i made two coasters but since they're unrelated, they'll each get their own post. 

this is migraine me, above, but as if i still had all brown hair which i do not. 

it's a blogger's prerogative to pretty herself up for the public.

i could see how a coaster like this could come in very handy for a party's host/hostess. when a guest is on their way to another drink too many, you switch up their coaster to something like this.

I could call them "Last Call Coasters."