Finding Urban Beauty – Blog Series and Hashtag Launch

Originally posted 14 September 2017

Dear Lovelies

How are you? I do hope that you are well and finding September to your liking. Although it feels a little too chilly too soon for me and I was hoping for an Indian Summer, I can see the signs that Autumn might very well be here already. I find it hard to say goodbye to Summer each year but I do love Autumn too and I will eventually get into the ‘curling up with a hot chocolate, snuggling under a crochet blanket and lighting all the candles’ vibe!

As I mentioned in my last post, we did a lot of adventuring this Summer. We did get a chance to leave the city but much of our Summer holiday was spent here in London, our home town. If you have read my ‘About Me’ page, you will know that my dream is to eventually up sticks and move to the countryside. I make no secret of the fact that I find it very hard at points to live in London, in such a large, urban, concrete, polluted, busy and impersonal city. And although that feeling builds up for me and I eventually have to escape these city walls altogether, I do not want to live with a constant yearning for something else.

So, instead, I do embrace city life and try to find the beauty within it whenever and wherever I can. London and cities as a whole have so many merits. Here’s a little list of what I think London has to offer and this list is by no means exhaustive: Museums of culture, art, design, history, fashion; large green parks; architectural beauty; sites of historical interest; gardens of all kinds; canals, rivers, ponds, reservoirs; sites of natural beauty and conservation and importantly for my family and I, a diverse population.

For me, there is nothing like finding a wildflower meadow on top of a grey, concrete building; a row of pretty cottages that look like they have been plucked out of the pages of Country Living Magazine; a 17th century house with a beautiful orchard garden; a museum herb garden that makes you feel like you have been transported back in time; a wasted space that has been turned into a creative community hub or a fellow city dweller who takes the time to engage and connect. I feel that these sights and moments are made ever more special because they exist in an urban setting.

Finding Urban Beauty is a mission, in fact a necessity, and I live and breathe it. So what better way to share that with you and get you involved, than turning it into a series here on the blog and a hashtag over on instagram? #findingurbanbeauty

On my blog, I will be writing a series of posts about my adventures in the city (mostly London, but any city or large town qualifies!) and sharing my favourite moments, places and walks. And if you would like to get involved, you can let me know in the comments if you have been to the same place, had a similar experience or if you have anywhere you recommend that you think I might enjoy and like to write about!

On instagram, the idea is to share images of beauty in an urban setting, but beauty as you see it. It does not have to be all about nature and pretty cottages, although that is where my heart takes me! To quote that over-quoted line, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. Wherever you find beauty in an urban environment, whether that be places, sights, scenes, people or moments, gram them and use the hashtag. Anyone can join in and you don’t have to live in a city, but may have visited one and found something that you want to share, maybe even something that you were surprised to find in that city. As is the done thing with these hashtags, I may even pick my favourites (assuming that people join in!) and repost them once in awhile. I have a small account on instagram but I’m hopeful!

I am also hoping that through this process, by sharing the special places and moments of beauty in our cities, that we might find new and exciting experiences and adventures. Whose up for an adventure? Me! Me! Perhaps we’ll even find new people to enjoy these adventures with! #findyourtribe! I know that there are people with a similar outlook, who want to big up their amazing cities. So if you fancy it, join me lovelies!

Next week, in the first post of my Finding Urban Beauty series, I will be exploring the Pergola and it’s gardens on Hampstead Heath, which I visited by myself at the start of the Summer holidays. It was magical!

Until then my loves, take care and lots and lots of love and thanks for reading as always!

Onwards…

Lucy xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx