The Seabass Restaurant

We've had a nice, if cold, afternoon in London again, this time visiting the Anish Kapoor exhibition at the Royal Academy. Very interesting, and some made me physically smile in that I couldn't help myself, but found the corners of my mouth turning up. Particularly the big red wax block going through the five galleries and the giant yellow painting that turns out to have a big bulbous intruberance inside it. If that's a word!

Then we headed back to St Christopher's Place on James Street for H's birthday tea. We went to the Seabass restaurant. His coconut prawns were delicious, I enjoyed my hummus and pitta bread. Then his lamb shish kebab was very tasty, my seabass on roast vegetables was succulent, but the chips were a bit oily and overdone - not as good as mine, so mostly left. Overall, very nice, we enjoyed ourselves.

And now I'm off to bed!

Mimosa's Bar and Grill

It's been a while since I reviewed a restaurant; however, when we saw the prices at Mimosa, I decided that I ought to do a review, whether good or bad. £6.95 is a good price for a starter and main course in London, and I'm glad to say that H was wrong when he assumed that might mean that "all the food will be from packets from Tesco"!

To service was very good. The young waitress was new and, I think, still learning English; she brought us the wrong starter. However, H did not realise until half way through, and when we pointed it out, the manageress brought us the right dish; this meant we got to try three of the starters for the price of two!

I had hummus and fried livers. Delicious, and spot on starter size. The small mound of livers were succulent and just a little pink, resting on a coral reef of hummus. I had watched the waitress carefully brown the pitta bread on a big metal dome on top of the smoky, firey grill earlier - it was crispy, not too much, just right.

H's first starter turned out to be a spinach and soft cheese filo pastry with salad. The pastry was very slightly too oily for my taste, but the spinach and cheese was just right. The salad - which also came later with the main course - was the only time that I thought H might have a point about food coming from a plastic bag in Tesco! Red and green cabbage with carrot and a spot of mustard dressing. Anyway, the filo parcels were not the calamari rings expected, but when they came, they still had the slightly too greasy batter but with tasty squid that was not too chewy or rubbery, the main reasons why I don't really like squid.

We were probably getting full on bread and extra starters before the main course arrived. I had a very tasty vegetable moussaka with more of the salad and some mint yoghurt raita sauce. Lots of tomatoes, peppers, tomatoes, courgettes, aubergines and bechamel sauce! Very tasty and, once again, a good size for lunch. H had lamb sheesh kebab and rice; it's always a good sign when he finishes something quickly!

We finished by ordering "a cup of tea" which, in translation, became "a coffee", but, once again this mistake was quickly rectified. I had earlier had a delicious, and thick, strawberry milkshake.

I would definitely take any friends or family here for lunch if we are ever in the Bond Street area ... although we passed many other good looking cafes, creperies and trattoria in that same area that we'll need to try some time!

I should point out that we ate out having spent a very interesting and enjoyable hour and a half or so at the nearby Wallace Collection. Hope to go back at some point in the future to peruse further the collection. Not too impressed by the Damien Hirst's this time; well, H wasn't anyway, I didn't really have much time to have an opinion before I heard his!

Martin Creed

What would an evening with the man who created the whole world plus the art equals the whole world, and lights switching on and off, in a dance studio in Islington, consist of? Some mathematical ballet, arty videos and repetitive drumming and strumming, along with Creed's distinctive vocals and slightly awkward but endearing gait. A very funny and relaxing evening, full of surprises and amusements, pauses, possible improvisations and planned happenings. In the midst of it, the choreographer called out seemingly spontaneous and random letters - "We'll have L followed by T front to back" - and the dancers rhythmically entered the space, producing ordered and controlled movements that reminded me of square numbers and logorithmic equations. Creed joked throughout the evening ... In one distinctive piece he commented that he had got the timing wrong, in another he stumbled over that he was glad to be there - he thought. Some may ask, as Creed did in his first song, what's the point? But that is, I think the point. A great evening.

Day Four

Sunday - a day of rest?! Not today it wasn't!

I left the house at 9am or so, after having a delicious banana, blackberry, natural yoghurt and lychee juice smoothie and a toasted bagel with honey, and walked to church.

After a nice service, I left church and started walking towards the Tower of London. I popped into the Whitechapel Art Gallery for a bit, to rest my weary feet, then continued onwards and arrived at the Tower about 12:30pm or so.

I then spent the day exploring. There is so much to see and do there! First of all, I arrived just as the free Yeoman-Warden guided tour was starting, so I joined the huge group to begin exploring. The former sergeant major (I think he said all Beefeaters have to have reached that rank and been in the army for 22 years - he certainly had a Major's voice!) was very funny, if quite cynical about a few things, and was very dramatic. He enjoyed frightening the little children by lowering his voice then suddenly SHOUTING something, normally about EXECUTIONS and people losing their heads.

We finished in the Chapel of St Peter Vincula (in chains) (we weren't in chains, apparently it means St Peter in chains. Just thought I should clarify.) and I left to begin to wander round by myself. I can't quite remember the order in which I wandered, but I think I first of all went to the cafe to have some lunch. Had already decided that I would probably have soup, but the cream teas looked exceedingly good! As did the Tudor beef pies ... However, I stuck to the thick tomato soup with giant croutons and a slice of bread, with pink lemonade on the side. £6.15 altogether (I have since discovered that there's another cafe outside which does the soup for £1 cheaper, but I think next time I would just take my own packed lunch). A short break, then I thought I'd go and see the crown jewels.

As I approached the Jewel House, there was a fairly long queue that went along one wall. I decided to go to the toilet first, and a few short minutes later I was back in the courtyard - but the queue now would all the way around the square! Fortunately it moved quickly. I liked the first room which had a chair for each of the English / British monarchs from William the Conqueror on. There was a gold line along the top that stated the name of the Royal House (eg Norman, Tudor, Windsor), and the name of each monarch above their chair. Interesting that after Elizabeth II there were only two empty chairs, then the room ran out of space ... ??!?

Obviously the highlight of the Jewel House was seeing the Crown Jewels. There is a moving walk way that you stand on that takes you passed the main crowns, sceptres and orbs. You stand and watch them go by, so no one can hog one crown or the Koh-i-Noor too long. The jewels, the diamonds in particular, sparkle like little rainbows, and are simply amazing. Towards the end of the tour is the gown worn by the Queen at her coronation. Or rather two pieces of clothing, both of which were golden, embroidered, and heavy.

Back outside again, I decided I ought to visit the White Tower. But on my way I was stopped by the re-enactment that was going on - two knights were about to fight for the honour of representing Elizabeth, the Queen Consort of some king or other. I happened to be nearest Sir, or Lord, someone Neville. He was very funny, and engaged our half of the audience, while the other, younger, man, the brother of the Queen, was talking to those further down. This meant that when they started fighting, we were cheering on Neville and booing Woodville - and we were definitely louder! It was great fun, but as the time was going on, I decided to leave and explore the White Tower, so I don't know who won in the end - I fear it may have been the younger man.

The White Tower is the place where all the armour that still exists that belonged to Henry VIII is gathered. What was special was that, as so much of the armour fits fairly snug to the body, you could really see how Henry changed in shape and size over the year. The suit of armour that may have been the last suit made for him is quite huge, just like those big portraits of the overweight man that we are so used to. Another particularly strange piece of armour was a horned helmet, which had a bizarre looking face with buck teeth and spectacles on it.

Exiting, I thought I might go and see the torture instruments next, but then changed my mind when I saw the queue and went in to St Thomas' Tower instead. There began a long walk along the walls, passing through Medieval bedchambers, the ghostly Salt Tower where condemned prisoners were kept, along the ballistrades where we learnt how to handle weaponry, and finally into the Diamond room. One of the funny facts about the Culliane diamond was that a heavily-guarded decoy was sent back to the UK, while the real thing was sent by ordinary post! Very interesting display.

And then it was time to close the Tower, so I slowly made my way to the exit, and headed towards Tower Bridge. I paused, and bought an ice cream (£1.90) and looked forward to reaching Tower Hill and settling down for a tube ride home. Alas, this was not to be - Tower Hill station was closed, so I then had to walk all the way back to Whitechapel, where I caught a bus which dropped me ... about another 20 mins from home! Still, I made it eventually - but I am not sure if I will be able to move my legs tomorrow!

Since arriving home I have cleaned the bathroom, been on the internet and cooked and eaten - mackerel with boiled potatoes, leeks and sweetcorn. I am now exhausted - this has taken me ages to write, in between doing other things, like cleaning silver with toothpaste - so I am off to bed, for some much needed sleep!

My fourth walk of the holidays

It's been a lovely day here in London, so H and I have been for yet another wonderful walk. However, rather than through the buildings and admiring great architecture, this walk was along the Bow Locks all the way to the Olympic Stadium. Like yesterday, this was another popular walk - there were about fifty of us - but it didn't feel as big as we all spread out over the tow paths and the parks. We passed the last pylon, standing majestically next to the main Stratford Road; we waited as a canal boat passed through one of the Locks; we admired the swan gliding on the shimmering canal; we took photos of the tiny purple flowers, the blue ones, yellow; we tried not to fall in the canal or push the cyclists in either. And all this in bright, warm sunshine, under blue skies. The walk took over two hours, and we finished in McDonald's. Well, we don't go there often!

Detectives' London

My third London Walk this holiday! This time we started at Green Park and explored the London of Miss Marple, Hercules Poirot and Lord Peter Wimsey, as well as the London of their creators, Agatha Christie and Dorothy L Sayers. Once again, we saw amazing architecture, although this time I think a lot of it was Georgian rather than the Gothic look of the Royal Courts of Justice et al, and the guide, Jean, was fantastically fitting, a rather Miss Marplian character herself, with a great maroon hat and tartan waistcoat, and a piercing voice, which was only occasionally drowned out by the traffic. The group was the largest I've seen - I counted at least fifty of us, but on occasions it looked more like one hundred! A discovery for me was Audley Street, which had cosy looking coffee shops that I must return to, and my favourite sight was when we stopped at Brown's Hotel, possibly the inspiration for Bertram's Hotel that I read about recently. We also got to walk through Park Lane Hotel, where those enjoying their cream teas - which looked delicious, and were being enjoyed in elegant splendour - must have wondered about the fifty or so waifs and strays that wandered through.

And, two hours later, when we returned to Green Park, the sun was still shining, a glorious 5pm evening, so I went and sat on the grass in the park, which was wonderful. Another great day out in London!

Legal and Illegal London

Well, more of the legal than the illegal, I think, but without the latter there would not be the former, so both are important ...

I'm just back from another excellent London Walk, this time through the four Inns of Court, Lincoln's Inn, Gray's Inn, Middle and Inner Temple. This time we were guided by Angela (the link is a recording of Angela giving another tour, from the London Walks website). She had a good, dry wit. We started round the corner from Holborn Tube Station, in the second oldest square in London. Lincoln's Inn Fields used to be just that, fields, owned by the Templar Knights before the were disbanded. After some interesting history while looking at the picturesque buildings that surround the square - I think the first of their type in London - we walked through the beautiful gardens, where we learnt the not so beautiful origins of the word "gala" - a gala day used to be a gallows day, a day where people were being hung, a grand day out for all the family. The slightly more palatable Sir John Soane's Museum was also pointed out - I must go and visit that one day.

From there, we walked across to the Inns of Court, where we wandered from one to another, admiring and admiring, never ceasing to be uplifted and entertained, overcome by the ornateness of the architecture or the sublimeness of the gardens. We learnt about the process of being called to the Bar, or becoming a solicitor. We heard about some of the more well known people who have belonged to each of the Inns. We wandered through Staple Inn as well, one of the Inns of Chancery, and passed by the Temple Church again (closed this time). One of the most interesting stories explained the meaning of John Donne's famous line, "ask not for whom the bell tolls" - the benchers were people with a certain position in the law courts, and when they died, a bell would be tolled. Barristers (I think) would send a junior clerk to find out who had died, and therefore what position had become vacant. Another particularly exciting find was the Ede & Ravenscroft office, familiar from my graduation documents - they also supply gowns and wigs as well as gowns and mortar boards. Unfortunately no wigs were on show today, but Angela gave a vivid description of the legal dress worn by different types of lawyers.

Our two hour tour ended up at the Royal Courts of Justice. I went inside, and they really are beautiful - the architect always wanted to build a cathedral, but was never asked to build one, so when he was given the commission for the courts he decided this would be his cathedral. They are certainly soaring and ornate. Unfortunately there were no court cases in session, but it was interesting to look through the glass panels on the doors into the courtrooms themselves.

Then a walk through the rain, and back home again. Another great day, courtesy of London Walks!

Tour of Da Vinci Code London

Well, I’m on the train on the way north, but there is no wireless internet access on this route. So, I’m going to update my blog by typing this and copying it later. It’s Good Friday ... unfortunately I missed all the services by travelling. Had hoped to go to the Stations of the Cross this morning, but I had a dream that tired me out and I slept in. I dreamt my class - a music class, funnily enough, that I was sharing with another teacher - kept on going into cupboards, drawers and then rooms that they weren’t allowed to be in, so I had to keep running round after them, shouting, “Go away!” at the top of my voice, and trying to look the rooms before they could get in and unlock another door and thus get in by another way. It was extremely frustrating, and a perpetual struggle. No wonder when I eventually woke up I was too tired to do anything other than lie with my eyes closed for some time.

Yesterday I managed to go on one of the London Walks that I enjoy so much. I had hoped to go on two, one on Tuesday and one on Wednesday, both glorious days with bright blue skies, but I didn’t manage it - something about the holidays means that being allowed a lie-in is too tempting, then H and I have headed off for lunch meaning I’ve missed the afternoon slots. Anyway, I got myself up and out (well, it was a 2pm walk!) and down to Temple for a walk entitled “The Occult and the Da Vinci Code”, or something like that. It ended up being mainly the Da Vinci Code, in fact the occult was never mentioned at all, but it was very interesting nonetheless.

I arrived an hour early, so after a baked potato at the Temple Bar next to the tube station - nice little place, very friendly woman - I decided to do some exploring of my own first. I wandered up a picturesque little street and was amazed to find the beautiful gothic buildings of the Royal Courts of Justice. I’d never been before. Then I thought I should really take some money out, and the bank that I went into made me take some more photos. The walls were all tiled, and there was an oval protuberance which reminded me of a holy water stoup, which at first made me wonder if this bank had formerly been a church; however, the amphibian stone carved creature that lurked above this stoup seemed out of place in a church, and made me think more of a butcher’s or some such place. Very curious.

My wallet thus topped up, I wandered back along the Strand, and stopped to admire and take photos of two churches, situated in the middle of the road. One had two figures outside it; a man sitting drinking in the early afternoon, and another standing spouting forth on topics of the day. Neither made much noise, however, with the second being Samuel Johnson, immortalised in bronze outside the church of St Clement Danes, the RAF church. Two wing commanders or so stood guard on plinths at the front. The second church, I soon realised, was the renowned St-Mary-le-Strand, where many of the great and good discussed all sorts of matters during lunchtime debates. It was busy again that afternoon, with a Maundy Thursday Eucharist being celebrated, so I did not go in.

Having wandered in the drizzle for some time, I thought I should start back to Temple. As I wandered down a little street, I passed more places of interest. Aldwych Tube Station, proud and resplendent in its tubular tiles, proclaiming “Entrance” and “Exit” to all that passed by, but barred up ever since the little line that serviced it had been closed down. Then a little sign, quietly pointing the way to the Roman Baths - “Down the stairs and to the right”. I decided to investigate, although the bleakness and sombreness of the alleyway reminded me a little too much of crime fiction and murder haunts. I soon found the window that separated me from the bath, and as I bent down, I had visions of being pushed through the glass to meet a bloody end on the ancient Roman flagstones. However, I survived, and was able to admire the rest of the Strand Lane on which I now found myself.

I arrived back at Temple as the drizzle tried to decide whether to get worse or give up and whimper out. Already, ten minutes to two, there was quite a crowd of people, looking round furtively, anxiously, eagerly, as befits a group of people who want to discover London’s hidden secrets and are trying to work out if the leader of the group is one of the them, or if they have wandered into some secret society by mistake. A woman in a billowing red anorak cape stood in the middle, and I mistook her to be the guide; however, I did not approach her, simply keeping my eyes on her, wondering when she would whip out her London Walks guides with a flourish. As I waited, I noticed a woman next to me - a tourist from Singapore on a working holiday, as it turned out - leafing through her own copy of the guide, so I asked if she was waiting for the Da Vinci Code Tour. She was. As we chatted, another woman approached us. She, too, was looking forward to learning more about the occultish mysteries of London. As 2pm approached, a sombre looking man in a red anorak appeared, propelling himself forward by means of an outstretched hand full of guides. The crowd that had seemed to me to have dispersed as the rain had become briefly heavier now stepped forward out of the shadows of Temple tube station and bustled around him. Dark faced and sullen, the man took the coins and notes from the outstretched hands, and we wondered if this is what became of people who spent too long dabbling in the Da Vinci enigmas.

However, Richard the Third - for it was he - was a wise if solemn guide, and over the next two hours he recounted the journey of Langdon and Sophie - or Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou, if you prefer - from the floor of the Louvre, through the dash around Paris, greater France and London, all the way to the Rosslyn Chapel. We were impressed at the way he managed to summarise the twists and tales in the plot, and my question - “Do you think he really believes all this?” - became moot as he pointed out the mistakes of geography and place in the Da Vinci tale. We were shown both the places of interest in the book, told about encounters with the action in the film, and also learnt about the real life drama in the Dan Brown v Leigh and Baigent court case.

One of the first places we visited was the Temple Church. As we stood outside, we saw the symbol of the poverty of the Templar Knights, at first anyway, two knights sharing one horse. One part of the church is Roman, with rounded gables, the other Gothic, with pointed arches. The little courtyard had a tree in full blossom, although the skies overhead were slightly overcast. When we entered the church, I was surprised and delighted by the blueness of the interior. The long stained glass windows were mostly blue glass, which highlighted the blueness of the marble pillars, which reflected the blue hymnbooks laid out on the pews. The effigies of the knights were surrounded with many tourists, like myself on this occasion, snapping away and marvelling at the contrast between the crumbling stone and the smooth wood of the interior. As we sat down to listen to some more history, I was more taken with marvelling at the decoration than in listening to the tales of Sophie and Langdon. The Ten Commandments are in the middle of the nave, at the front, with the Lord’s Prayer and the Creed on either side. I wondered if that was because the knights had been in Jerusalem and had seen Jewish synagogues, which also have the Ten Commandments on display. Then, as we listened to Richard, the organist arrived, and began to play. Fortunately it was a quieter tune, but it seemed very fitting to be accompanied.

Our next stop was to be the building of the Department of Systematic Theology of King’s College London. However, this was one place where, as our guide pointed out, Dan Brown got his facts wrong. Apparently he places this building as being opposite the Houses of Parliament, but it is not there. Secondly, Richard pointed out the building that Dan Brown describes - but that is not the real Systematic Theology building. As we made our way to the correct place, we passed the Royal Courts of Justice again, and took photos of a dragon that protects one side of the City of London. We were on the border between the cities of London and Westminster. I also noticed a small plaque next to some brightly coloured windows, which announced that the building was the only surviving building on the Strand after the Great Fire of London.

The actual home of Systematic Theology is known as Norfolk Building. This is because it is housed in a listed building, originally Norfolk Hotel. It is a very pretty building with lots of ornate carvings, including the words “Norfolk Hotel” over the door. Nearby was the old abandoned Aldwych tube station. We learnt that it used to be the only stop on a line which only operated during rush hour, Mondays to Fridays. No wonder it was eventually closed down!

From here we returned to Temple, and, as advertised, like Robert and Sophie, we took a short tube ride. Next stop ... Westminster Abbey! Unfortunately (although understandably) we didn’t get to go inside - I will need to leave that to another day, next Friday perhaps? - but I was interested to learn that it was King Edward the Confessor who had the first Westminster Abbey built. He wanted to go on pilgrimage - can’t remember where to - but his advisers pointed out that he was ill and it would take some time to go on pilgrimage, so he should build a church instead. There was no room left in the city of London, so he built his church to the West - hence Westminster, the church in the West. Of course, it has taken centuries to build the church. In fact, there are carvings of Martin Luther King and Oscar Romero above one of the main entrances. So it’s not done yet! We walked round the back, near the entrance to the Chapter House - not a free entrance as claimed by Brown! - and as we learnt about the drama of the cryptex, a huddle of begowned Westminster choristers alligatored passed us to sing in the Abbey.

The riddle now unravelled, but we still had to see where one of the characters died. A quick wander down some roads - so busy looking and listening that I’m not quite sure where we went - and eventually we were in St James’ Park. I didn’t know they kept pelicans there. Very pretty and pink. Then my first view of Buckingham Palace in the few years that I have been living in London, away in the distance through the trees. While still admiring the palace, Richard told us about Duck Cottage on Duck Island - not named after the feathered creatures that live there, but after the gardener, Mr Duck.

I was then very interested to see Downing Street - even if it was only the back of the Street, on the way to Horse Guards Parade. And, two hours after we left Temple tube station, we arrived just in time for the Changing of the Guard! The soldiers were all very well turned out in their bright red jackets, long glossy black boots and golden plumed helmets. A large crowd had gathered to watch the ceremony, and we were not disappointed. Afterwards I went home, via Trafalgar Square and Charing Cross Station.

All in all, a wonderful excursion, and well worth the £7 plus tube fares. I would highly recommend anyone going on a London Walk - that was my third - and I certainly had a wonderful afternoon!

(And it’s now Thursday ... so this has taken some time to write. At least I’ve got wireless now and can upload it on the train south!)

Exploring

Left H at the Library today and I went exploring. Found the statue of Gandhi at Tavistock Square, plus a post office box place that can send stuff overseas. Wandered through the university area, past Birkbeck and SOAS, then along road to British Museum, stopping frequently to take photos. Met a nice old man in the museum who was showing people old coins and other types of money. Handled 2000 year old money, including a Roman ring. Took lots of photos of other people taking photos. Also practiced changing my exposure - got some nice photos (I hope!) of people floating in whiteness. Then went back to meet H, where I had a huge pink fairy cake and some pear juice, before coming home and making a tasty beef stew.

Happy birthday to my not-so-little-any-more sister!

Long time no write

It has been brought to my attention that I have not blogged here for two months. Which means you have not heard about our pleasant wander round the British Museum, our visit to the Byzantium exhibition or our trip to see the photographs at the National Portrait Gallery.

Don't worry, I am well and keeping busy - I've simply been trying to take a break from this blog and my computer in general - however I am busy elsewhere on the web. Should try to write more here occasionally though!

Now on Easter holidays - however, I have a revision session tomorrow, so I should really go and get some sleep now!

Snow Day!

There can hardly be two words that are as pleasant to a teacher's ear than the blessed, "Snow day"! Growing up in Scotland, we were lucky enough as pupils to have had a fair few; sometimes a few snow days would begin with an early closure, where we would all have to wait in the hall and would be called out a bus load at a time, "Those going to Auchinthingumbyjig, leave now." "The bus to Inverwhatjamacallit is about to depart." Sometimes we wouldn't even need snow; we were blessed in those days with a slightly dodgy boiler, which would occasionally break down and occasion the need to evacuate the school.

Nowadays I live in the slightly warmer parts of South East England, that is, London. Snow days are fair and few between. So it is quite exciting to have one today! Now, I realise that the weather conditions are making travel difficult for many people, and quite a few cars have been going (mostly slowly) along the road this morning. I don't envy those who have to make journeys today. However, I got the call just before I left the house at 7am, and I have spent an hour or so frollicking in the snow, taking photos and making snow angels. Highly recommended! I am sure that many of the photos will turn out to be blurry, because it's not really advisable to use the flash when the snow is falling, unless you like big white blobs all over your photos, and since it was quite dark, they need a longish exposure (and I wasn't going to frollick with a tripod). Anyway, it was fun!

Actually, the fun began last night, when H and I went to the ICA to see Mark Leckey give a talk about the Long Tail. I had no idea what to expect, and thought it would be some sort of pretty boring lecture; I was pleasantly surprised to discover a cross between a lecture and a performance, very entertainingly presented, with good use of multimedia (no powerpoints!!) including music and a gramaphone. Mark Leckey won the Turner Prize this year, which for once had sort of passed me by; I am now more interested in seeing some more of his art. It was also my first visit to the ICA; we are going back on Thursday to see Giles Foden talking to Tom Perotta.

Walking up the road round the corner from the Mall, taking photos in the snow, we passed a nice looking restaurant and decided to pop in. It was a Lebanese restaurant called Noura. Since we are in a credit crunch, I decided to try one of the cheaper main dishes on the menu, Musakaat Batenjan with rice, Baked seasoned aubergine cooked with tomato and chick peas, served with rice. H had the lamb skewers with salad. I have to say, I think I came out on top - particularly on such a cold, wintery night. The succulent aubergines, having soaked up the tomato juices, were just the right texture; soft and a bit gooey, not too oily or slimy. The chickpeas crumbled in my mouth, not like the hard little balls I have eaten before. And the rice, long and wild, each grain separate and special, was the ideal accompaniment.

On the home we took photos in the snow, before having a late night - all the more reason to appreciate a snow day! And, there, we're back to where we started. I'm going to go and catch up on that missing sleep now!

Fortnum & Mason's

It's become a bit of a Christmas tradition that I visit this well known and loved London department store and take photos of its famous Christmas window display. I've so far written about the Alice in Wonderland windows, and the Twelve Days of Christmas.

This year the theme is the Snow Queen. I went to the shops in daylight this year; this meant I could see the windows more clearly, but there was more of a reflection, so the quality isn't always as good! However, I hope you like them!

This magical mirror a sorcerer did curse
Where good looked bad, and bad looked worse.

The greatest of friends poor Gerda and Kay
Neath rose framed windows they loved to play.

A splinter of mirror glass pierced the heart of Kay
The Snow Queen flew down, bearing him away.

The Snow Queen's palace, so white and cold
To free her Kay, Gerda must be bold.

To find her friend Gerda soon set forth
The reindeer carrying her far to the north.

Her tears of love melt the ice in Kay's heart
And from this day on they will not part.

Martin Creed

We went to Martin Creed's flat yesterday. A bit more crowded than that sounds, though! He is using his Brick Lane flat as a mini gallery, and the small front room was packed. I had arrived later than H, and was wondering where to find the flat. However, as I paused on a corner and looked around, I noticed a light going on and off just above me, and knew that I had reached my destination! Other than that infamous work, I could not see Creed's other painting - the works on display in the front room were all by other artists. However, the highlight of the evening was first of all recognising, and then talking to, Martin himself. I hadn't realised that H had met him before, although I am sure that he would have been just as pleasant, down to earth and friendly if we were only all meeting him for the first time. It was very tempting to tell him that he was one of my favourite conceptual artists, but I didn't, even though he is. I think that I particularly like his work since I discovered it first not in a gallery but in the house of a friend, before he won the Turner Prize. I remember trying to explain his work to other teachers at school when he won that! Nice to have finally met him.

Lots of random thoughts and filling ins

It's finally the holidays! I say finally, but that sort of suggests that I have been waiting for them, longing for them, and actually that's not entirely accurate. They more sort of crept up on me. I'm sure you noticed the lack of entries over the past six weeks or so. It has been a particularly busy time. I'm running the department again, as I may have mentioned, a bit earlier than expected, which has meant a few extra meetings, more admin to complete, more detentions to follow up (from other classes, not necessarily mine), more letters to write home.

However, I have managed to just about keep on top of all the departmental stuff, and still manage to find time to go to interesting events with H. I've also managed to get up earlier, arriving in later, and leave school earlier, getting home earlier, most nights any way. My marking has been a bit behind, and the office is a mess, but mostly the classes have been fairly productive and I am still enjoying myself. Let's see how long it lasts!

So, a few thoughts. Firstly, my cleaner (C). When I am a bit later in leaving, for example because I'm trying to catch up on a bit of marking, he will often arrive and have a short chat about religion before getting on with the hoovering. So it was interesting to learn that he is in the UK completing his Masters in Law, working constantly to fund the study. He's looking forward to going home where he should be able to get a good career as a lawyer, particularly since he will have a British qualification and speaks English. Recently I threw out a few pages of an old textbook, but the next day I discovered it on the table. Thinking that C had left it there in case I'd thrown it out accidentally, I put it back in the bin. At the end of the day, I was writing letters to parents when he arrived. He explained that in Islam, nothing with God's name on it could be put in the bin, it had either to be burnt or buried. That was particularly interesting, since a Jewish colleague had been talking about the same thing earlier with some students.

Secondly, my report on last night. We went out to the Housing Options Affordable New Homes Show, which was informative. Nice to hear a bit more about the options, which being a Key Worker are perhaps a more than for many people. Anyway, we stayed for a bit, then decided to head out for food. I knew roughly how to get to Wagamama at Covent Garden, so we were heading there, but H kept looking in the windows of nice looking French restaurants that we walked past. So I started keeping an eye out too, and just off Floral Street I looked up a little alley way, and could just make out the title, Cafe Des Amis - Restaurant. Let's try this one ...

Anyway, we had a delicious meal. Pretty extravagant, it's true, but every mouthful was a delight. We started with a selection of bread and olives. Three types of bread ... baguette, a wholemeal seeded bread, and a sweeter loaf with walnuts and raisins. Delicious. With lovely French butter. Then we shared a started of scallops with a chicory and chorizo fondue. The scallops were perfectly textured, firm and juicy, seared to bring out the flavour. The fondue, a large scone-sized pinky mound of chicory and chorizo, was also tasty, excellent. I then decided to have a traditional main course, which reminded me of meals at home, of good food, well cooked - poached smoked haddock, with salty crushed new potatoes and a fried egg, and a "pommery mustard beurre blanc". Every bite was heavenly. The haddock melted in my mouth, and came away from the skin with just the right consistency. H had beef fillet with mushrooms. The mushrooms tasted wild, natural and wonderful. Really, we ought to have stopped there (well, I ought to have ... H had a cup of tea, but left dessert for me ...) but I was intrigued to see what would be on the menu for dessert in such a restaurant. Well, the first item seemed so unusual that I eventually decided I just had to try it. Soupe au chocolat (indulgent soup, nonetheless - I'll say!) with black pepper ice cream. How could I not try such a sweet?! I expected a small amount of melted chocolate with a similar sized portion of ice cream. Instead I received a large, hot, soup bowl, full of melted chocolate with a thick blanket of thicker, cooling chocolate, and a small portion of vanilla-looking ice cream rapidly melting in the middle. Yum! Spoonful after spoonful, I engorged myself on this delicacy, enjoying the delicate taste of the black pepper amongst the vanillaness of the ice cream. But I couldn't finish it! I felt my heart beating faster as the chocolate coursed through my veins in overdrive. So, very nice, but only have it if you have a friend or three to share it with! Anyway, it was a wonderful evening, the waiters were lovely, the food was fantastic, and I'd definitely go back ... for a very special occasion!

Anyway, I'm hoping that I might be able to write more this week as I'm off, and it's nice to be back ... but don't worry if you don't hear anything, I'm just really busy!

Busy Bee

What a busy week it has been - again! I've hardly had any time in school to think about anything other than teaching or admin, ie no marking, filing, chasing up minutes, phoning parents etc.

Fortunately most of my classes have been fairly straightforward and well behaved, other than one day when my Year 11 class was very poorly behaved, along with many other students from another class. I wrote a long email to their Head of Year, and we are giving them an after school detention this week. Their letters arrived today - so they were not too happy in this morning's lesson!

Other than that, my evenings have also been jam-packed, which has been enjoyable, but very tiring! For example, we had another open evening (the grand total of two parents visited the department), following which I went to the opening of a gallery fairly near the school. H joined me about an hour later, and since he knew people, we then got chatting and stayed until quite late, when we went next door for a Vietnamese/Chinese/Thai meal. Fortunately we had the car, so it was fairly easy to get home!

The next evening we were out late at a reading event, which again was fun and we met up with some friends and relatives. Another late night - we tried to go to Tayyab's for dinner, but by the time we got there, they were closed, as was the Orange Tree, so we settled for a kebab instead!

Friday I managed to stay in and watch Ugly Betty. How relaxing! Now that Doctor Who is off the air, it is the one show I love to watch regularly.

We visited the new Saatchi Gallery on Saturday. Some of the art seemed quite "vacant", like the eyes of so many of the figures on display, but a few pieces were more interesting. Unfortunately my wisdom teeth started playing up at the weekend so I wasn't able to enjoy the experience as much as I would have liked to! However, it was good to finally discover the King's Road, which had a lovely market selling lots of delicious looking food. We had a sausage on a roll each (yum!) and a box of healthy vegetable dishes, which were unfortunately cold, which was quite unexpected having stood for some time beside the (hot) pans. However, we would still like to go back some time.

Sunday seemed so busy from the start to the end of the day (and the beginning of the next ...). From church I went straight to the shops, then I came home, cooked, then marked lots of books (three out of four sets). In the evening we went out to the home of a new friend, and we stayed until midnight. A great evening, loads of good chat and plenty of good food! Arrived home after 1am, so I am pretty tired now.

I got back earlier from a meeting. Another busy day, but at least I have had the chance to catch up a bit on my blog and some admin stuff here at home. Must go to bed now, though - I think I deserve it! (I definitely need it ... !)

Looking back ...

I was just visiting another site called That's My Answer, and it asked the question,

How often do you take a trip down memory lane and read your own blog?

Well, that was a challenge for me! I do occasionally look back, but normally when there is something specific that I am looking for. So I decided to have a little look back at a few random posts, and see what I was getting up to. And where better than to start with my first post? As you can see, I've been blogging for almost two years now! I started on 15 October 2006 ... I must try to remember in a couple of months to write a special celebratory post! As far as my initial intentions went, I think H has definitely benefited from me writing about my days at school, rather than trying to tell him everything the moment I step through the door. I've felt better and been much calmer, I think, about work since I've started blogging. However, I don't think I've necessarily written much about my actual teaching and teaching methods, as I had originally planned to. I have other places for that. But instead this blog has, I think, become a much more personal blog, a place where I share my thoughts and ideas more generally, and a place where, specifically, my family can learn about all the exciting things that H and I get up to here in London.

A year later, without realising that it was the first anniversary of my blog, I wrote a post for Blog Action Day. I wonder if there will be another one this year? I had to write about the environment. But it sounds as if it had been a hectic day at work! And my car was lightly knocked ... it's been in worse scrapes since.

Some of the posts I have particularly enjoyed sharing have been those with photos, for example when we visited Fortnum and Mason's to enjoy the Alice in Wonderland window display. The following year we went to see the Twelve Days of Christmas in the window. These photos were taken with my mobile ... I still hope to get a new mobile that can take better pictures!

As for a completely random post about teaching ... this one, fortunately, looks at the more positive side of teaching - reading it brings back the memories very clearly! I should also confess that the island desks did not last ... I had to return to rows again to help keep everyone focused. A shame.

And I really ought to be getting on with some work rather than reminiscing! However, I hope you've enjoyed this little wander down memory lane with me. Maybe we'll do it again sometime!

Busy, busy week!

Wow, what a busy week! And with so many late nights! I have had a wee sleep, which was much needed, and I hope to have a lazy day tomorrow to catch up on my rest - but also on the tidying up, washing etc! So, what have I been up to this week?

Monday 28 July - Celebrated our anniversary by staying in for once! H was very busy getting ready for some shows, so I did some shopping for him and went to Ikea to buy a new bed, since we were having lots of guests this week.

Tuesday 29 July - My cousin arrived to look at flats in London. It was really nice to see her. She and another friend will be starting work in September. H continued to work on his preparation and I was able to help him. Think we were getting a bit high on the glue he had to use!

Wednesday 30 July - I dropped my cousin and her friend off at an estate agent. At least, that was the plan. Turns out the road she was on was so long, the numbers repeated themselves in different parts, so she was dropped off about a mile or two from her destination! Later, Mum and Dad arrived with my sister and her husband. I went to meet them, then later they met my cousin (who had found a flat - sounds nice!) who then left. After a short rest, we drove to their hotel and had dinner there.

Thursday 31 July - The highlight of the week! Really enjoyed the evening event, which was a great success. Loads of people there, friends, old, new and just met. During the day we had to prepare - it was SO hot, and I stupidly didn't get dressed up in the morning, choosing to come home, get changed, then go back. Silly idea! Anyway, an old school friend of mine had come down in the morning, and he was able to stay and help H get set up. I think everyone seemed to enjoy it. We stayed until we were eventually kicked out, drove home via the Orange Tree for some delicious Lebanese cooking, then stayed up chatting until about 3am, H, F and I.

Friday 1 August - Arranged to meet M&D at Camden Market. Wandered around for a bit, had some lunch, then took the tube to Waterloo, where we had a coffee. It was a cooler and wetter day, although the rain tended to be a drizzle, so it made a nice change. Then we took the Thames Cruiser - wonderful! - from Waterloo to the O2, where we met up with S&B. Kylie was playing, so there were loads of crowds, and the queues were long, but we got a good round table at Nandos, where we had lovely lot of food. It was funny when we got there; S, B, F and I followed the waitress up a flight of stairs to the table, then turned round to discover that H, M and D had continued up the staircase - which turned out to end up with the toilets! Fortunately they eventually found us! We had a really lovely evening, lots of chat and laughter, and all too soon it was time to go home. We took the tube, although H, F and I went to the supermarket before going home, had a nice walk, then stayed up talking again until about 3am once again.

Saturday 2 August - This is the day everyone had to leave and go home. So it was an early start in order to catch the lunchtime train. However, everyone managed to get there with plenty of time to spare. H and I had a wedding to go to in the evening, so after waving off the train we went to Oxford Street to get a present. They do excellent gift wrapping in John Lewis! Also got a new SIM card, and H got a new phone, which I have been playing with since. Quite jealous! We both had an afternoon nap once we got home, then had to rush to get ready to head across London. We decided to drive, and H managed to get through the lights as they changed to amber on Tower Bridge - just before the bridge went up! So that was lucky, or we would have been even later in arriving. It was a nice evening; H met up with some old school friends and I was able to chat to an old friend as well. Then we drove back with a couple of friends which was a good laugh, reminiscing. Another late night for H and I again, as we chatted about the wedding reception.

Sunday 3 August - So tired getting up for church, but made it. Hope my closed eyes looked like I was being particularly prayerful rather than sleeping! Came back and tried to sleep for a bit, but the noise of the Red Bull planes outside alerted us to the fact that the Air Race was on, so we decided to try to get a closer view and went to the O2. When we got there, we learnt that the tickets for the seats were £50 a go, so we decided to forego that and just stand and look up for a few minutes, before taking the tube to meet up with yet another friend at the Serpentine Gallery. Took a while to meet up, since the rain meant we changed our plans and first of all met her at her borrowed apartment, but we got there eventually and saw Richard Prince's work before heading home. For a much needed (and hopefully deserved!) afternoon nap. And then I got up, made some dinner, and here I am catching up with my blog. Hopefully this coming week will be a bit quieter! (Although, somehow I doubt it!)

See you next Sunday - if not before!

My first week

Right. I thought I'd write a review of my first week on holiday. So here goes ...

Saturday 19 - Played around with some new ICT stuff and surfed the web all day.

Sunday 20 - Church. Helped H get some stuff ready for exhibitions.

Monday 21 - Lazy day, but a lovely evening walk and bus ride down the Thames. Fell and scraped my knee, which still has the marks of the bruises.

Tuesday 22 - Lazy day, I think I did some tidying, and started hoovering and scrubbing the floor.

Wednesday 23 - Scrubbed the floors for most the day; evening constitutional to Canary Wharf.

Thursday 24 - Went to the V&A; paddled and took photos. Visited Westminster Cathedral then met up with H and his friend.

Friday 25 - Didn't do much during the day, but went to see The Dark Knight in the evening.

Saturday 26 - Too hot to do much. I got up to do the shopping and the washing, then wandered around for much of the day in a long top and not much else.

Sunday 27 - Got up and went to the Doctor Who Proms concert this morning. It was excellent! There were Judoon, Cybermen, Sontaron, Ood and Daleks - even Davros was there! Out of the companions, Martha (Freema Agyeman) did most of the presenting, and there were guest appearances from Mickey, Jackie and even Donna Noble (Catherine Tate)! Which was great. As was the music. A nice mix of Doctor Who themes, including some real classics like Doomsday, along with some relevant classical pieces - Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet, Holst's Jupiter from the Planet Suite, and Wagner's The Ride of the Valkyries, for example. Afterwards, we went to the V&A so I could show H the pool, and I paddled for a bit as well as having a nice relaxing lunch there. Then we came back and I was too hot to move so slept on the sofa (by accident ...) while H went to buy some materials for his work. Eventually I woke up and have done some focussed surfing, mostly uploading photos to the computer etc. And I can't believe the time already!

Right. We have visitors from Tuesday onwards, so it's going to be a busy week. I might not pop by too much here but instead try to update next weekend, when things have calmed down again. But tomorrow I really ought to get this space spic and span, as well as heading to the shops for a bed and an anniversary present. Can't believe I haven't even bought a card yet! Oh dear. But today was lovely! (Although more for me than H!)

Hot holiday day

We had another pleasant evening constitutional last night. Once again, we wandered along the canal to Canary Wharf. This time, though, instead of getting on a boat we headed straight through to the bars near the tall glass buildings that make up Canary Wharf. It was full of sharply dressed business men, and a few smart women in crisp suits and heels. I felt a bit under dressed in my linen trousers and TopShop flowery top. However, I looked around me, and thought, I could teach your children, I have taught your younger selves. None of you would be here without people like me ... I didn't mean it in a snobby way, but I think it would be easy to look around at all the people who look rich with easy lives and think they've got it all and feel a bit inferior, since sometimes it's easy to get the feeling that perhaps those so-called "Masters of the Universe" might look down on we lesser mortals, but we are all people, and we all fit in one way or another, and none of us are greater or lesser than anyone else. We're just all different. So I felt a little less out of place, and we had a nice drink and some chips and prawns, and enjoyed being in the sunshine, and I used the opportunity to try and figure out what shoes I'd like to buy for this nice weather, that I can also walk (and not trip!) in, and then H pointed out a girl wearing the same top as me, except with a black pencil skirt and heels, so I thought I could try that sometime, and finally we headed back home, once again walking all the way.

Today I decided to leave H to his work (a good decision - he managed to complete the work he had been struggling with while I had been around to disturb him!), and headed out into the sunshine. It was a beautiful day and I didn't want it to go to waste. On the other hand, it was very hot so I didn't want to be outside too much! So I went to the Victoria and Albert Museum. I've not been before, and I didn't think H would fancy it that much, so it was a good choice. I wanted to do some research for a school project we've got coming up.

I took loads of photos and the art and artefacts I saw were very interesting; however, the best bit by far was when I walked out into a court, into the blazing hot sunshine, and saw a sign - "Do not sit or swim in the pool. Be careful when paddling" - or words to that effect. Paddling!!! I don't remember the last time I paddled. And I had the shoes for it today - easy to slip on and off. It was wonderful to slip my feet into the cool pool, and to feel immediately so relaxed and happy! I walked across the pool to the other side, and felt it was a shame to come out, but it would also be strange not to. So I got out and sat in the sun for a bit, until my feet dried - and then walked back across! Bliss!

From the V&A I had to go and meet H and a friend near Victoria, so took the tube there and visited the cathedral for a while. It was lovely and cool inside, and a lovely place to be. I took some photos, but it was also nice to be a bit contemplative. I have to say, I do like all the candles and the holy water. It's very sensory, I like having things to look at and touch. Then I met up with H and our friend, and we had a nice tapas meal before coming home. And updating the blog.

Another productive day! (As in, I didn't do much, but I did a lot with myself, and it was a definite holiday day.)

Wonder what we'll do tomorrow?!

Evening Constitutional

(Oh dear, I hadn't realised it had been SOOOOOO long since I last wrote - such a busy time of year, the end of term, there have been dinners and dances and leavers' Masses, and H has been hard at work getting things ready for exhibitions etc, so I have been helping him as well instead of blogging here ... Better try and get back into the habit!!)

Last night, around 6pm, we decided to go for a walk. H managed to get some stuff sent off earlier, we'd had a nice lunch, so were not too hungry, and it was a nice day. We had spent most of the day (in fact, most of the previous few days!) inside working and not exercising, so it seemed like a good idea. Our plan was to head along the canal and see what happened.

It was a lovely evening, still warm enough only to wear a couple of t-shirts and a cardi, and the canal was calm and not covered in fungi like it is sometimes. As we walked along, passing a couple of lads fishing, dodging cyclists and runners, H tried to find some big fish to show me, like he's seen before. However, we only saw small fish in little shoals, but since I hadn't seen those before in the canal, I was quite happy. Then we saw a little family of moorhens or coots (I know, I know, I should know by now! These were the ones with the white bits from their foreheads down their beaks.) The four little fluffy ones were following the mummy one, and all were calling out as they swam, with the mum making little high pitched squeaks every so often, and the little ones eeeking as they dived for food and played around. They were very sweet. Another adult, the dad I presume, brought up the rear, making sure the whole family was heading in the same direction.

The next family we came across were much more serene. Two adult swans, and four or five still downy-feathered but almost adult-sized cygnets. They were resting in the water by the canal wall, quietly preening, their soft brown feathers being fluffed up by the slight breeze.

Further down the canal we came across some ducklings, following their tawny mallard mother. They were still small, soft and fluffy looking. They swam to and fro around the canal, enjoying the sunny day.

Eventually we came to the end of the canal, and decided to take a cruise along the Thames. It's the first time (in memory at least) for both of us to take a boat along the river, so we decided to make the most of it, and headed all the way to Waterloo Pier. It was a lovely ride, very smooth, and great to see all the famous views from a different angle, indeed going under many of them! There are so many wharfs along the banks, and we could see the connection between different places.

By the time we got to Waterloo, it was about 8pm or so, so we thought we'd have dinner. H remembered that the Spanish tapa place was nearby, so we tried to find it - the last time we'd gone from Waterloo tube station, so it's interesting that we now have a very different view of it, from the river to the restaurant. It's called Meson Don Felipe, and we once again had prawns in garlic oil, chicken livers, chips, spinach and deep fried aubergines. I also enjoyed the bread and butter. Nice place, but I think this time we had a bit too much and it was a bit oily. I really should have ordered the tuna croquettes and a salad, I think. Maybe next time. Anyway, this time we had a wee man in a pink shirt accompanying us on the Spanish guitar.

Afterwards, we walked home via the IMAX cinema, which was closed but full of black suited bodyguards and Batman's Batpod and Batsuit. Then we headed back to the pier. Turns out it was the wrong pier though, the Festival Pier, which our boat doesn't stop at. So headed back along to the London Eye and the Waterloo Pier. As we neared the pier, we could see the boat. We thought about running for it, but decided not too. However, it was still there a couple of minutes later, by which time we thought that if we ran we might just make it, and since it was now late, the next one wouldn't be for a while. H took off, and I tried to follow - but tripped on something, either an uneven edge or, more probably, the toe of my shoe. I fell forward, and tried to bring my other leg forward to gain my balance, which I have managed to pull off numerous times, but this time I wasn't fast enough. Instead, I slowly felt myself heading towards the pavement, and then found myself sprawled on the pavement. Ouch! I was flat on the ground, and was just glad I am slightly well proportioned enough to take the blow and stop my facing hitting the street as well. As it was, my left knee, my left hand and my right shoulder were all aching. I slowly managed to stand, and hobbled over to a nearby post as the boat behind us headed off into the moonlight. H had heard my footsteps stumble, and turned to see me on the ground, so he helped me up and waited as I caught my breath sitting on the post. I could feel blood on my knee, so we hobbled down to the pier where I was able to sit down and in some privacy roll up my trouser leg. There definitely was blood - I can't remember the last time I scraped my knee! - but there seemed to be a silver lining on the situation - the blood all seemed to come from the wartlike thing I've had on my knee that has now been scraped off! Hopefully it won't come back and I won't need to freeze it off! I do think I'm going to have quite a bruise though.

We waited, with me trying to bend my knee and move my shoulder, for half an hour, under the moonlight, keeping an eye on the time using the Big Ben clockface, until the next cruiser arrived. Then we had a 45 minute cruise all the way back to the O2, and from there to home. We sat out the back of the ship and watched the wash behind us. It was especially exciting when we got to the bit where the London speed limit stopped and we flew off along the river. Definitely would recommend the cruiser at night, or at any other time!

And so to bed. What a lovely evening, and so much packed into about six hours!