Leesburg is expanding all the time, with new restaurants and businesses coming to the town, as well as to Loudoun County.  We have great restaurants, tons of wineries and breweries in the area, plus music events, charitable events, parks and nature too!  So it goes without saying that there are lots of great Facebook groups to follow which keep me up to date on what's happening. ​

If you love Antiques, and you love Christmas decor, a visit to The Old Lucketts Store in Lucketts, Virginia, during their Holiday Open House is a must.  There is so much to see in this sprawling compound of old houses and out buildings, which all year round has interesting stuff and interior design ideas to look at.  Add to that some great Christmas items from various vendors, and you have yourself a wonderful few hours of browsing. Although this years Design Holiday Open house may be over, they do have Open Houses and flea markets throughout the year, so check their website regularly for updates.  

​The main design house has every room on both floors decorated in holiday style.  Lots of ideas and decor for purchase.

Today, although being British by birth, my naturalised American self got to celebrate this holiday of Independence in the Town that I have called home for the last 16 years.  The wonderful Town of Leesburg, in Loudoun County Virginia, is a lovely place to be.  To celebrate with a parade is a quintessential and integral part of life here, as I am sure it is also in many Towns and of course Cities throughout America on this special day in their history.  A reminder too I think of how far we have come, and that if we really try we can work together.  At least that is my hope.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!!

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Twenty One years ago, when I first came to live in America, to Connecticut in fact, I was assailed by many new sights, sounds, experiences and yes, smells.  In the approach to my first Christmas in the USA, I wandered around the malls and grocery stores and my nostrils would fill with an aroma unlike anything I had ever experienced before.  It practically made me want to gag, and upon investigation, I discovered the cinnamon scented pinecones that seemed to be so beloved, and seemingly a necessary part of the Christmas decor.  It seems American's like Cinnamon a lot, they put it in their apple pies (my Mum could not believe this), and they love it in their Starbucks coffee drinks. Well, to me, at least back then, it was horrible, horrible, horrible!!  But flash forward to today, now in Virginia, time has mellowed me, I have learnt to go with the American flow and somewhere along the way, I have come to quite like the pong.  Today, I got my first whiff in the grocery store of the Cinnamon scented pinecones and I smiled.  Christmas is coming.  Still not bringing any home though.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE

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