I dare you to find a more random and absurd window display. I found this gem in a Dance Shop in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk. Seriously. If you try to understand it you may hurt your brain, so just let the absurdity wash over you like marshmallow paint… huh? feels a bit sticky doesn’t it? Sure does.

Please note that I am experiencing severe form of “back-to-the-future” jet-lag and withdrawal of daily room service and Butterkist Toffee Popcorn. The only thing that calms my nerves is pirating tv shows for my new iPod. Arrrrr! Just started Dexter Season 1.

Queen’s Diamond Anniversary Bells outside my hotel room from Lisa Bettany on Vimeo.

It’s the Queen’s Diamond Wedding Anniversary! The church bells in outside The Angel Hotel in Bury St. Edmunds have been ringing all day. And by all day, I mean alllll day.

They are ringing in my head… like a Nelly Furtado ring tone. The madness… the beauty…

Starting to hear things. Strange things. Messages from the Scientologists… 911 conspiracy theories… the secret behind Walker’s Marmite crisps…

Apparently it is illegal to take pictures in the London Underground. Oops. I guess video footage isn’t cool either… I swears I didn’t know. Peace loving Canadian here. I love England. Hooray for the Queen and drizzly grey days and darkness that sets in shortly after tea time and Top Gear and access to the iPhone and crisps and breakfasts that come with baked beans…

i felt mildly giddy whilst driving passed Slough and Reading. The driver of the car and the other passenger, however, did not share my giddy delight and would not stop calling it “a right sh*t hole”.

I’m taking the red eye to London tomorrow via Heathrow. I’m very happy to be traveling with British Airways this time. They offer online checking service which allows you to pick your seat 24 hours before your flight. So I managed to nab a coveted over-the-wing/extra legroom/fire exit row seat. Yippee. My unbruised knees are already thanking me.

I am planning all sorts of fun things this trip, the most nerdy fun being my planned trip to the Regent St. Apple Store in London. It’s the biggest Apple store in the whole wide world and I’m gonna get a new iPaaaad as a belated birthday present from Tom and finally get my greedy Canadian hands on an iPhone. Just fondle it for a while. It’s will be difficult parting with it, but at least I will have shared an iMoment with one.

I’ll keep you up to date with my adventures whilst in England. You never know what Mostly Lisa might get up to…. Here are some videos from my last trip to put you in the British spirit!

Next week, I’m heading back to the greatest land, land of tea, scones, and marmite crisps… jolly accents, dry humour, and the Queen’s English… consistent rainfall, looming grey clouds, and whipping winds that turn your brolly inside out… fish and chips, chip and eggs, and mushy peas…

Yes you’ve got it, England.

During my week long trip in August, I traveled loads and ended up seeing a lot of the country, mostly in passing whilst in a train or automobile.

Here is a Googly Map of my travels in England:

I got to know British Rail pretty well, and though we had a few disagreements over lack of wifi, comfortable seats, and leg room, I did feel a certain novel fondness for the British train system.

I thought I’d take a look back at the planes, trains, and automobiles I encountered during my travels from Vancouver, BC to London, England and then all over the beautiful land that is England.

Plane: from Vancouver to London (Gatwick). If you have ever flown Air Transat you will know that it is not the most glamourous or comfortable airline in the world. If you take enough gravol and squint long enough, you might find “Shrek the Third” to be quite enjoyable on the tiny, fuzzy pictured tv screens located every 5 rows for your viewing pleasure.

Trains: Gatwick Express to London Underground to Victoria Station to Kings Cross to Cambridge to Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk. Phew.

And then I stayed in lovely Bury St. Edmunds for a few days.

And then I was back on the trains heading to Leeds to meet up with the rest of the awesome Alton Towers crew: Bury to Cambridge to Peterborough to York.

Peterborough

Enroute to York as the sun sets.

York

Automobiles: from York to Harrogate (near Leeds)

We then spent a lovely evening in Harrogate and headed off to Staffordshire and Alton Towers early the next morning… I’ll save that adventure for another rainy day.

Cadboro Bay, Victoria, BC.

The Dragon:

The Salmon:

The Tug Boat (as seen from inside Samuel):

Samuel the Octopus:

There is definitely a story here… If I didn’t have two video projects due on Monday and Tuesday… I know. Insane.

Today I am happy to present the first Chapter in my Photography Series: “Crooks and Crannies” entitled: Chapter 1: Unsettling (Part 1).

Introduction to “Unsettling”:

The holiday season is a busy time for ferry traffic. That’s why the good folks at BC Ferries have upped the number of ferries “in play” between Swartz Bay and Tsawwassen. You know what that means. The addition of the oh-so-popular “in-between” ferries! After missing the 5 o’clock ferry, we were lucky enough to catch the 6 o’clock holiday “in between-er” ferry, the Queen of Vancouver. This deluxe edition ferry, built in 1962, has a super sweet arcade featuring at least 4 games (tons of fun), a sun deck (lovely in December), a bevy of tourism brochures (useful), and a roomy White Spot slop-n-drop restaurant sandwiched between rust and dirt (nice). Although it was quite a delightful ride across the Straight, I must say that I found a few things quite unsettling.