I've got no camera so I can take no pics.

I’m in London, not too badly jetlagged and quite happy about the change of scene.

First things first, went for a run in nearby Hyde Park. This place holds a TON of memories for me. It’s where I first learned to ride a bike, it’s where I would bond and hang out with my father, I would roller blade with my friends, smoke cigs, row boats, all sorts.

The history goes that about 900 years ago monks from Westminster Abbey owned the wild, expansive meadow full of deer, boar and bulls. In 1536, King Henry VIII seized the land to create a hunting playground for himself. Various proceeding Kings and Queens gardened and altered and built and shaped the land until it became the Hyde Park of today.

I love the moment when I set foot on it. I cross the orange sand of the bridle trail and run along the tree lined path past the Royal barracks and the grand Hyde Park Hotel to the Rose Garden, then double back along Ladies Row to the Serpentine Gallery (one of the best galleries in London). Then onward past the Peter Pan statue and over to the Albert Memorial (one of the grandest love tokens ever made). Back over again to the statue Physical Energy (a good reminder of what I’m even doing in there!) And onward ho to the path just beside the Serpentine Lake, then over the bridge and back on home.

The air always burns my nostrils a bit; it’s cold and surprisingly clean for the centre of the city. The icy breath in makes me think of being 11 and riding my bike in the rain because I wanted to be tough like my brother. Or of being 9 and sitting on a bench listening to Janet Jackson on my white walkman with pink buttons, wishing I could dance a little better. Or of the time I was speed skating so freaking fast that when I wiped out in front of the frisbee players, I had two huge, deep scrapes where my hip bones grated along the path for a good few meters.

I love the horse chesnuts, shiny and oily. The stinky geese and the lido swimmers. My nanny pushing me on the swings cuz I was a dork ass kid who couldn't figure out how to do it myself.

The white sunbathers in the Summer, the weird Amerian tourists jogging in the Winter, the Euro tourists meandering all year round, the Queen's mounted guards with their red jackets and metal and horse hair helmuts, the incredible planning that finishes each path with an extraordinary vista. It’s stunning, often moving me to tears, I’m so filled with memories and emotions and struck with the beauty of this city. It’s just so different from NY, certainly regal, but also the age of it, makes it feel remarkable, NY is about newness, forward spinning energy, London is a swirling cloud of history and gravity.

Right now the weather is amazing, my nephews are adorable, my parents are so sweet, it’s good to be home.

Lalalallove.

Mils

P.S. Yes, that was Elijah Wood... Not much more to say other than: he's sweet, has gorgeous eyes, and is doing a very lovely job producing Heloise's new album.