I've Moved!

The gypsy blog has moved! It will now live on  my business website, www.heartlandgypsy.com

The direct link to the blog is: http://www.heartlandgypsy.com/blog

Hope to see you over there!

The £1/minute umbrella

No, I didn’t rent an umbrella! Though in London a by-the-minute umbrella rental service might not be a bad idea... *scribbles “umbrella rental service” on post-it*

There are many dead giveaways that you are a tourist in London – large maps, selfie sticks, blindingly white new tennis shoes. Most of these I try to avoid but there is one purchase I was determined to make even though it screams, “I’m a tourist!” – a Union Jack umbrella. Inspired by #manwiththeunionjackumbrella on Instagram (his profile is here, check it out! https://www.instagram.com/mumhad1ofthose/) whose amazing photos often feature a prominent Union Jack umbrella (brolly), I was determined to take some shots of my own.

The scene was a dreary, chilly, day in February. After circling a few blocks near Westminster Abby to find a roadside souvenir stand (why is it that those stands seem to be on every street corner when you aren’t looking for them?) I gleefully handed over my £5 note in exchange for a cheery Union Jack brolly. Let the artistic shots begin!

One pro of dreary, chilly, February days in London is a marked decrease in throngs of tourists, so we navigated to a fairly empty spot by Westminster Abby. We each snapped a few photos and decided to head to another location.

Cue large gust of wind that promptly blows Union Jack brolly inside out.

I can fix this. *flattens brolly against the ground with one hand in effort to flip it back. Can’t use two hands because other hand is holding coffee. No, of course not Starbucks, come on…*

Handle detaches from brolly.

I can fix this. *places coffee on ground and attempts to re-insert silver handle in to brolly top*

Fourteen more pieces immediately detach from brolly. Pieces are now scattered on the ground and the fabric hangs loose like red, white, and blue bat wings.

I can fix this. *gathers brolly pieces and tries to fit them together like Tetris while travel buddy laughs (unhelpfully) nearby*

I can’t fix this. *hangs head in defeat*

I can get my money back! *looks at deflated brolly and pieces on the ground*

I won’t get my money back. But I WILL buy a new (and better) brolly. And I did! This new and improved Union Jack brolly cost a whopping $8 and it is still fully intact. (It is also still nestled safely in its brolly holder. Stay tuned for updates.)

The whole experience lasted 5 minutes at most! £1 for each minute of use. But the laughter and the memories are priceless.

Right?

Unpause.

(Is that a word?)

I changed my mind. After a hiatus from blogging I've come to realize that I miss writing for the sake of nothing more than emptying my thoughts on to paper (screen?) which you may then feel free to use for your enjoyment/amusement/annoyance.

So here it is, folks! This has no direction and I make no promises, so set your expectations low, be prepared to see a disturbing number of photos of my cat, and join me on the road to my next adventures!

Disclaimer: Not my cat.