Cooling Off, Day 3

Reunited with Topshop, Day 2

I think that Topshop and I were destined to be together.

Just a week after I arrived back in Canada, a Topshop was opened at the boutique Jonathan+Olivia on Queen Street. My friend Eva and I went to have a look today and even though Topshop took up less than half of J&O, I still felt at home.


We walked down Queen Street to Spadina (stopped at Starbucks once though of course)

and went into the Museum of Canadian Contemporary Art (Topshop then an art gallery? It felt like London all over again).

and finally ended up at our destination: Fresh (where we ate lots of delicious fresh and healthy food).

It was nice to go into the small boutiques we always end up passing on our way to Spadina. There are some really trendy, fashionable stores that I think are somewhat forgotten about.

Hellos, Day 1

Coming back home was kind of strange. Everything was exactly how I left it as if the seven months had never happened, and yet at the same time everything felt completely different.

Hellos are probably my favourite thing. I love the rush before seeing someone you haven't seen in months (and the hugs that accompany those kinds of hellos are always the best kind).

I miss blogging. This blog has enabled me to preserve moments I may have otherwise forgotten and I'd like to continue documenting for as long as possible. There's something comforting in documenting your life, the small things that make you pause for a moment to smile or think. For me it's those small moments that define me in some way, those thoughts that I'd like to remember dwelling on, those photos of long sticky summertime days that I'd never like to lose.

Toronto in the summertime is magical to say the least. The past month I feel as though all I have done is walked (to the neighbourhood Starbucks). I forgot how amazing it is to leave my house at eleven at night and go for a midnight stroll. You can hear people chatting on their porches surrounded by candles, sprinklers whirring and the sound of cicadas on really humid nights. I have taken up running (please read: I have attempted to take up running) and am quite enjoying it (please read: am quite enjoying the thought of becoming a pro runner).

In just a few weeks my family and I are going to one of my favourite places in the world, a cottage on Thunder Beach. I can't wait. Then it will be AUGUST. The summer is going by way to fast. Soon I will be moving into University. I am so nervous but so, so excited at the same time.

Now for a list: The things I miss about England.

This child:

and this one:

Jetting off to beautiful places

Beautiful countryside

The soft light that made every photo look stunning

the train stations

and going to the coffee shop every morning & being greeted by all the Coffee Shop Boys.

After a month of stepping away from this blog, I am ready to continue to update it regularly to capture those seemingly insignificant moments that so often pass me by without being recorded.

Day 219

Today is day 219.

My gap year in London is over. Who actually knew that it was possible for time to go by so quickly? And yet when I think about all I have done in the last seven months, it seems as though I have been here forever.

The last seven months have been a gift to me in so many ways. My time in London has inspired me, taught me so many valuable lessons and allowed me to grow up with more confidence and independence. I have done everything that I came here to do and learnt so many things along the way. I feel so fortunate for all the artwork and culture I have been surrounded by the past seven months; all the galleries and exhibits have inspired me in the way I approach my passion for photography and opened my eyes to the way others view the world.

Seeing my British family here was also really special. I have learnt a lot about my grandparent's past, been places my dad hung out when he was my age, and have so enjoyed living with Ava and Maude. What wonderful girls they are...I will miss them so much!

I try not to get too sad when endings come along because with every ending comes a new beginning. It's scary how fast life moves. Here I am ending a chapter of my life and heading into a completely new beginning. I'm ready to start university with a clear understanding of what I want to work towards, with all the valuable things I've learnt the past seven months alongside me.

I have decided to keep this blog going, I don't think I could stop updating it after all this time. What I will be writing, that is yet to be decided! I will also be writing a fashion blog for Bergstrom Originals during the summer (www.bergstromoriginals.com)

Thank you to everyone who has read my blog and kept in touch over the past seven months- your support has meant so much to me.

And thank you London, for giving me 219 days filled with beautiful opportunities for photos, new experiences and lessons that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

x

Day 217

My day at the Daily Express was amazing.

The paper is housed in a beautiful building in the "City of London" (the business district). The newsroom looked exactly how I imagined it to be; there were desks everywhere in groups (the graphics team, sports section etc) and newspapers everywhere. Everyone was typing away intently at their computers bustling around. I was really excited.

My aunt's friend Sarah showed me around and introduced me to a few people. I got my own desk and computer and got to look at the "News Wire" which was really neat. It's basically this huge database that is updated regularly with news by reporters who aren't affiliated with newspapers, television or radio stations. I read the wires for a good hour!

I met the editor and Sarah asked if he had anything small that I could write about. They started chatting intently about this hen named Harriet (!!) who laid the world's largest egg last week and I thought he was joking when he told me I could write about it. It was just kind've bizarre!! But he wasn't joking and it was actually really funny to read up on the wires and write about this hen (plus her name was Harriet so.....).

The article ended up being published in the paper the next day! I felt so excited to have something in the Daily Express, even if it was only about a hen!