At Home in London with Tom & steve -- Part II
Since we're leaving for Greece tomorrow, I thought I'd go ahead and catch up
on the tail end of steve & Tom's visit.
On Tuesday night I made wild boar sauce with pasta and a yummy new dessert
of mascarpone cheese mixed with candied ginger and ginger syrup and served
with sliced strawberries and oranges.
Wednesday dawned bright and clear, so we got out of the house early and
headed for the South Bank. Our first stop was the London Eye and we were
early enough that the crowds weren't bad at all and we had a nice ride with
a lovely view. Tom & steve had both been a little nervous about the whole
"ferris wheel" aspect of it, but were very pleased with how stable the pods
are. After our circuit, we went next door to the Dali Universe. That
houses a small collection of his sculptures and lithographs that were pretty
interesting. There was a very small special exhibit of a few of Picasso's
ceramics and prints that was not worth the extra #4 fee. Leaving the Dali
Universe, we rang Barbara and she came down to meet us for lunch at the
Archduke restaurant, since her office is just down the street from there.
After lunch we went to the Hayward Gallery, at the back of the National Film
Institute, for their exhibit of ninety pieces of Paul Klee's work. Tom and
I both enjoyed the show, but for steve it was "one of the best experiences
of my life." We let him stay for a couple of hours, but he could easily
have gone back for more.
We had a lovely stroll down the Embankment to London Bridge, where we caught
a train out to Greenwich. We were about an hour early, so we holed up in a
pub until it was time to meet Jim & Claudia. Jason came straight from home
to arrive about ten minutes after we did. Everyone hit it off just as I had
hoped. We hung out in their very nifty flat for an hour or so and then went
across the street to a nice Italian place for dinner. Then we headed back
up to the flat for another hour of chat before it was time for us to catch
the DLR back into London.
Thursday was the boys last day, so I was sad that a doctor's appointment
made it unfeasible for me to join them for another day of exploring. They
met up with a couple of online friends of steve, instead, and wandered
through the National Portrait Gallery for a bit before making one last stop
at Waterstone's for books and Fortnum & Mason for unusual chocolates--Tom
had been intrigued by their saffron & ginger ganache, among others.
Meanwhile, I made my way back to Homerton Hospital, where I saw a
dermatologist who found the persistent rash on my hand very interesting.
She thinks it's something called "lichen striatus," the cause of which is
unknown, and which very rarely appears in adults. I told her my mother
still thinks I'm her baby and she laughed and gave me steroid ointment that
already seems to be helping.
Tom & steve came back to the flat around five and we ordered Chinese food
delivered and then went down to the University of London's student union
where we met Barbara for a concert by former Throwing Muses vocalist, Tanya
Donnelly. The two opening bands were okay, but the headliner really rocked.
Jason and I had given up on standing early enough to get seats up in the
balcony with a good view of the stage. Tanya recognized steve & Tom from
Boston gigs and made them her "focal point" for the evening, singing right
at them the whole time. After the show, I ducked into the ladies' loo and
as I came out, Robyn Hitchcock was standing right there, so I said hi and we
chatted for a few minutes. He even remembered my name! (He's one of my
favorite musicians, whom I met a couple of times while I was working for
Dov, because Robyn's girlfriend is Dov's goddaughter.)
That was all very exciting and we stayed up too late, talking and packing.
I dragged us all back out of bed--except for Jason--at 6:00 in the morning
so that Tom & steve could leave by 7:30am in plenty of time for their
11:00am flight back to Boston. Once they'd left I went back to sleep.
In the afternoon we went down to the Houses of Parliament. I had tried to
arrange a tour while Tom & steve were with us, but when our pass arrived, it
was for this Friday instead of last. Jason and I had a marvelous time with
our guide, Eddy McKay, who told us silly jokes and stories about the
building and the workings of the government he's observed during his 40
years as one of the Royal Messengers of the House of Commons. The Lords
were still sitting, so we were unable to see their chamber, but after the
regular tour, Eddy asked if we needed to run, or if we'd like to stay for a
pint. We agreed and he took us off the tour route, down the backstairs of
the palace for a brief stop out on the riverside terrace before ducking into
the Lord's Bar for one pint and then into the Peer's Club for another.
These are two of the fifteen bars in the palace. I went to the loo and when
I came back, Eddy had introduced Jason to one of the Members of Parliament
and her husband. So we stood around and chatted with them for about half an
hour before Eddy guided us to the door. That was a great experience!
We had a quiet evening at home and today has been much the same as Jason
ties up the loose ends of his work and I get enough laundry done that we can
pack for Greece. We'll be back Sunday week and I look forward to telling
you all our adventures then.
on the tail end of steve & Tom's visit.
On Tuesday night I made wild boar sauce with pasta and a yummy new dessert
of mascarpone cheese mixed with candied ginger and ginger syrup and served
with sliced strawberries and oranges.
Wednesday dawned bright and clear, so we got out of the house early and
headed for the South Bank. Our first stop was the London Eye and we were
early enough that the crowds weren't bad at all and we had a nice ride with
a lovely view. Tom & steve had both been a little nervous about the whole
"ferris wheel" aspect of it, but were very pleased with how stable the pods
are. After our circuit, we went next door to the Dali Universe. That
houses a small collection of his sculptures and lithographs that were pretty
interesting. There was a very small special exhibit of a few of Picasso's
ceramics and prints that was not worth the extra #4 fee. Leaving the Dali
Universe, we rang Barbara and she came down to meet us for lunch at the
Archduke restaurant, since her office is just down the street from there.
After lunch we went to the Hayward Gallery, at the back of the National Film
Institute, for their exhibit of ninety pieces of Paul Klee's work. Tom and
I both enjoyed the show, but for steve it was "one of the best experiences
of my life." We let him stay for a couple of hours, but he could easily
have gone back for more.
We had a lovely stroll down the Embankment to London Bridge, where we caught
a train out to Greenwich. We were about an hour early, so we holed up in a
pub until it was time to meet Jim & Claudia. Jason came straight from home
to arrive about ten minutes after we did. Everyone hit it off just as I had
hoped. We hung out in their very nifty flat for an hour or so and then went
across the street to a nice Italian place for dinner. Then we headed back
up to the flat for another hour of chat before it was time for us to catch
the DLR back into London.
Thursday was the boys last day, so I was sad that a doctor's appointment
made it unfeasible for me to join them for another day of exploring. They
met up with a couple of online friends of steve, instead, and wandered
through the National Portrait Gallery for a bit before making one last stop
at Waterstone's for books and Fortnum & Mason for unusual chocolates--Tom
had been intrigued by their saffron & ginger ganache, among others.
Meanwhile, I made my way back to Homerton Hospital, where I saw a
dermatologist who found the persistent rash on my hand very interesting.
She thinks it's something called "lichen striatus," the cause of which is
unknown, and which very rarely appears in adults. I told her my mother
still thinks I'm her baby and she laughed and gave me steroid ointment that
already seems to be helping.
Tom & steve came back to the flat around five and we ordered Chinese food
delivered and then went down to the University of London's student union
where we met Barbara for a concert by former Throwing Muses vocalist, Tanya
Donnelly. The two opening bands were okay, but the headliner really rocked.
Jason and I had given up on standing early enough to get seats up in the
balcony with a good view of the stage. Tanya recognized steve & Tom from
Boston gigs and made them her "focal point" for the evening, singing right
at them the whole time. After the show, I ducked into the ladies' loo and
as I came out, Robyn Hitchcock was standing right there, so I said hi and we
chatted for a few minutes. He even remembered my name! (He's one of my
favorite musicians, whom I met a couple of times while I was working for
Dov, because Robyn's girlfriend is Dov's goddaughter.)
That was all very exciting and we stayed up too late, talking and packing.
I dragged us all back out of bed--except for Jason--at 6:00 in the morning
so that Tom & steve could leave by 7:30am in plenty of time for their
11:00am flight back to Boston. Once they'd left I went back to sleep.
In the afternoon we went down to the Houses of Parliament. I had tried to
arrange a tour while Tom & steve were with us, but when our pass arrived, it
was for this Friday instead of last. Jason and I had a marvelous time with
our guide, Eddy McKay, who told us silly jokes and stories about the
building and the workings of the government he's observed during his 40
years as one of the Royal Messengers of the House of Commons. The Lords
were still sitting, so we were unable to see their chamber, but after the
regular tour, Eddy asked if we needed to run, or if we'd like to stay for a
pint. We agreed and he took us off the tour route, down the backstairs of
the palace for a brief stop out on the riverside terrace before ducking into
the Lord's Bar for one pint and then into the Peer's Club for another.
These are two of the fifteen bars in the palace. I went to the loo and when
I came back, Eddy had introduced Jason to one of the Members of Parliament
and her husband. So we stood around and chatted with them for about half an
hour before Eddy guided us to the door. That was a great experience!
We had a quiet evening at home and today has been much the same as Jason
ties up the loose ends of his work and I get enough laundry done that we can
pack for Greece. We'll be back Sunday week and I look forward to telling
you all our adventures then.