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!
Showing posts with label eating out. Show all posts
Showing posts with label eating out. Show all posts
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
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!
Monday, February 02, 2009
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!
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!
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Entertaining
We've just had a lovely evening with friends. Always great to chat to them - she is in the same line of work as H - and it's nice to extend our conversation beyond our usual!
Unfortunately I mucked up my timing a bit - leaving everything to the last minute isn't always the best idea! - but apart from cold lamb and roast potatoes, everything seemed to go down well!
Starter - Olive and sundried tomato hummus with gluten-free pitta bread, cucumber and cherries.
Main - lamb, roast potatoes, and a sort of roasted/stewed veg - carrots, parsnips, sweet potato, fennel, onion and beetroot cooked with chopped tinned tomatoes.
Sweet - fruit salad and cream (pineapple, pear, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, plum, nectarine).
Cheese dish - gluten-free savoury biscuits with 5 cheeses: brie, jarlsberg, danish blue, port salut and medium cheddar.
Chateauneuf-du-Pape was served, along with a Blossom Hill White Zinfandel rose wine. The driver and the cook were drinking freshly squeezed (although not by me!!) lemon juice.
Too full for tea and coffee, which was a shame because I had bought new coffee! Mum and Dad will need to return soon to drink it!
So, all in all, a lovely evening, and a day on which I have done very little else other than do the dishes, the shopping and the cooking.
This was because we were out rather late last night, first of all at the going away party of one of H's school friends who is travelling to Egypt then home, and then we went to the Double Club to celebrate the birthday of another dancing friend. Lots of lovely people at both events, it is nice to get out and about and meet new and interesting folk!
I do have quite a bit of marking to do tomorrow though:
* Finish Year 7 marking (this has been going on for the past three weeks, I think).
* Year 11 Mock Exams (2 and a half sets)
* Year 11 books
* Year 10 books
* Year 12 / 13 assessment booklets
* Year 9 assessments (2 sets; I set them the assessment for classwork to try to get them to do some work, which they haven't been doing recently. Not my class.)
Other things I need to do before the Christmas holiday on Thursday:
* Phone all the parents of the Year 7s who have not brought back their trip letters.
* Tidy up the office!! (A HUGE job ...)
* Write and send the Christmas cards.
* Return a document/booklet/resource to a teacher in another school.
* Write Year 11 and Year 13 reports.
* I'm sure there are many other things .... !!!
Off to bed now. It's after midnight and I have church tomorrow!
Unfortunately I mucked up my timing a bit - leaving everything to the last minute isn't always the best idea! - but apart from cold lamb and roast potatoes, everything seemed to go down well!
Starter - Olive and sundried tomato hummus with gluten-free pitta bread, cucumber and cherries.
Main - lamb, roast potatoes, and a sort of roasted/stewed veg - carrots, parsnips, sweet potato, fennel, onion and beetroot cooked with chopped tinned tomatoes.
Sweet - fruit salad and cream (pineapple, pear, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, plum, nectarine).
Cheese dish - gluten-free savoury biscuits with 5 cheeses: brie, jarlsberg, danish blue, port salut and medium cheddar.
Chateauneuf-du-Pape was served, along with a Blossom Hill White Zinfandel rose wine. The driver and the cook were drinking freshly squeezed (although not by me!!) lemon juice.
Too full for tea and coffee, which was a shame because I had bought new coffee! Mum and Dad will need to return soon to drink it!
So, all in all, a lovely evening, and a day on which I have done very little else other than do the dishes, the shopping and the cooking.
This was because we were out rather late last night, first of all at the going away party of one of H's school friends who is travelling to Egypt then home, and then we went to the Double Club to celebrate the birthday of another dancing friend. Lots of lovely people at both events, it is nice to get out and about and meet new and interesting folk!
I do have quite a bit of marking to do tomorrow though:
* Finish Year 7 marking (this has been going on for the past three weeks, I think).
* Year 11 Mock Exams (2 and a half sets)
* Year 11 books
* Year 10 books
* Year 12 / 13 assessment booklets
* Year 9 assessments (2 sets; I set them the assessment for classwork to try to get them to do some work, which they haven't been doing recently. Not my class.)
Other things I need to do before the Christmas holiday on Thursday:
* Phone all the parents of the Year 7s who have not brought back their trip letters.
* Tidy up the office!! (A HUGE job ...)
* Write and send the Christmas cards.
* Return a document/booklet/resource to a teacher in another school.
* Write Year 11 and Year 13 reports.
* I'm sure there are many other things .... !!!
Off to bed now. It's after midnight and I have church tomorrow!
Thursday, November 13, 2008
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.
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Quantum of Solace - Warning: Possible Spoiler Alert!
First of all, I'm not sure if I'll give anything away, but my parents have been known to comment that I may have said more than necessary ... so read on at your own risk!
We have just arrived back from an enjoyable evening out at the O2. To begin with, we had a tasty and satisfying meal at Gaucho. We started with a rectangular glass plate of scallops. This time, the scallops arrived as a heap of white, tender and cold baby scallops, mixed with sweet little orange segments, chilli, coriander and thin circlets of roasted purple carrot. Very different from our warm, seared scallops at Cafe Des Amis, and perhaps not quite as delicious, but succulent and tasty nonetheless. The chilli in particular meant that although the dish was cold, my mouth was quite hot by the end of it. However, Gaucho is not best known for its fish dishes; its speciality is Argentinian beef, which is brought to the customer on a wooden board, so the waiter can explain the cuts and show the amount of beef you get for each weight. I decided to have a Bife de Ancho (ribeye steak), while H had sirloin (Bife de Chorizo). Both medium on the rare side. I had a Bearnaise sauce; H had peppercorn. We shared chips and spinach. Absolutely delicious. My steak melted at the slightest touch of my knife, with the barest of blood oozing from the barely pink insides. Succulent, tasty, mmmmm. I think I had the best deal, although H made short work of his, too. We finished by sharing a pancake with vanilla ice cream and a caramel sauce. Highly recommended.
Anyway, you are probably not reading this for my food review. (Well, maybe some of you are!) But my main reason for writing is the latest James Bond film, Quantum of Solace.
First of all, the theme tune. I saw the premiere on TV, and was disappointed then. I've grown a bit used to it since then, but I still think it sounds vaguely out of tune, although I'm sure it's supposed to sound that way. H says it's supposed to sound like that, and the reason I don't like it is because it's not the sort of music I listen to, and it's more R&B. Now, we listen, I think, to quite a bit of R'n'B, and I think I like most music we listen to. And I'm sure there are other Alicia Keys songs that I like, it's just that this is a bit, well, out of tune sounding. The credits were okay, though. Quite traditional, lots of women and sand and guns.
Next, the plot. Ahem. I wish I'd rewatched Casino Royale before going to see Quantum of Solace! I was able to remember bits and pieces, and occasionally I would think, aha, that is related to Casino Royale, but I was a bit at sea in places. For example, I can't quite remember the details about why and how Vesper Lynd died (I mean, I can remember how she died, but not the events surrounding it). However, that didn't really matter, the main plot was fairly straightforward to follow, and where it was a bit incomprehensible or bizarre, it was still followable. (I don't think that sounds quite as clear as it should be!)
Thirdly, the girl. The main weakness with Casino Royale, for me, was Vesper Lynd. I just couldn't believe the relationship. That the whole plot for this film rides on Bond's love for Vesper seems a bit unbelievable when taken in context with the lack of chemistry in Casino Royale. However, since we never see Vesper this time, that's okay. Instead, Bond has a good, strong relationship with ... excuse me while I go and find out what she was called ... Camille. I don't think it's too much of a flaw that I did not really take any notice of her name, since she is a strong enough character without one. The other "Bond girl", Fields, was very familiar (I have just looked her up and discovered that she is Gemma Arterton, who was recently in St Trinian's, which I haven't seen, but that has made me realise she reminded me of Tess in the BBC's Tess of the D'Urbervilles ... yes, that's who she was). Although not a big part, I thought she was very good. And in many ways, she was also a more typical Bond girl ...
Product placement was one of my main grips with Casino Royale. Omega this, Virgin that, Ford the other ... He kept on using his mobile phone in very conspicuous ways, and as for using a laptop on a boat in the middle of the sea with your girlfriend to check into work ... well. I was a bit worried when I heard Mark Kermode mention product placement on his radio podcast, so I wondered if there was going to be a lot of it, and if it would annoy me. However, this time round, I didn't really notice it as much, even though I was looking out for it (which I wasn't first time round). The first - and only - time I really noticed it was when Bond was drinking in a bar in an aeroplane. Someone asked what he was drinking - the opportunity, in Bond's of old, to say, "a martini, shaken not stirred" - but here he didn't really care so he asked the bartender, who replied precisely, "Two shots of Gordon's, a shot of vodka ... (or whatever the ingredients are) ... and a thin twist of lemon peel", or something like that. I think he said it was shaken, and I think he said it wasn't a vermouth or something. Anyway, Gordon's got their placement. Then when Bond moved out of the way, you could see he was in a Virgin Atlantic plane. So another Virgin placement. Other than that, the product placement was not obvious. In the car chase we were aware that there was an Aston Martin being chased by a ... oh well, I noticed at the time, but I'm afraid I've forgotten. Someone else will need to watch out for it and remind me! Later there was a Range Rover, and a Ford was driven at some point, but those were the main things I noticed. Bond did use his phone a lot, it's true, and I can just imagine that Orange executive saying, "Let's have him taking pictures of the villains with his mobile phone camera!", but when he used it, it made sense - we all use our phones for taking pictures these days, don't we?! - and I did not notice what make of phone it was, because it wasn't important. I have to say, it does seem like there may have been quite a few placements there, but that's only because I deliberately wanted to mention them, and they did not seem out of place, so it wasn't a problem.
Daniel Craig. Still great as Bond. Still either the best or number 2 after Sean Connery ... still tough to place them! Craig's Bond is tough, gritty, violent at times, focussed. He also has a tender side, seen in a couple of unexpected places, which makes him human and likeable. This film continues the theme of trust, started in Casino Royale. He is still working out who to trust. As is M. And possibly the British government ...
The chase scenes are great, real edge of the seat stuff, holding your breath for ages, finally able to breath out and then something else exciting happens. Lots of chasing, lots of fighting. Mostly this all seems very real. My only gripe would be that many of these scenes are so quick, with so much cutting, editing, on the move shots, that it is often difficult to work out exactly what is going on, who is doing what, where things are happening etc. This makes the film dynamic, but it would be interesting to compare it to a slightly slower, clearer cut.
Right. I've been back for an hour or two now, and it's definitely time for bed. So, my final, overall view? A very enjoyable and exciting film, one that made me feel happy, with just enough of a social conscience to raise issues in someone's mind without being at all preachy, Daniel Craig is excellent, and all is right with the world. Roll on 2010.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Ladies Who Lunch
I joined that select group yesterday, meeting up with a couple of friends for a delicious lunch at the Boathouse Restaurant, in Little Venice.
We met up at Warwick Avenue tube station, then braced the chilly air (no blanket of clouds to keep us warm, once again!) to walk a short way along a road next to the canal. I would have missed the Boathouse if my friend had not been before, as it is built into the wall, but once inside, we were met with a beautiful view. We sat in the terraced section of the restaurant, next to the canal, and were warmed by the sun, sparkling in the water. As we waited for our order to arrive, we ate olives and french bread (only one and a third slices each, this time).
I ordered, after some debate, the duck confit with black pudding and dauphinoise potatoes. A lovely crunchy skin covered the melting duck flesh, with a succulent black pudding also resting on the plate of tasty gravy. The spiciness of the black pudding was nicely off set by the creamy potatoes. I also had a plate of rocket and parmesan, which made me feel healthy, as well as providing a sharpness to the meal. Delicious, and a good amount.
It is always nice to go out for a meal with friends who are prepared to share their food, especially with desserts as good as these. I think I had the most sublime dessert: roasted figs with lavender honey and vanilla pannacotta. Three different tastes, blended together so eat mouthful was fragrantly different and delectable. I scraped the golden seeds out of the plump, burgundy figs, before I realised I could eat the skins and got to enjoy the figs all over again. Small lavender flowers were sprinkled on the honey, exploding in the mouth along with the vanilla seeds in the pannacotta. The creaminess of the pannacotta was sigh enducing.
I have always had a suspicion of creme brulee. No longer. At least, not in posh French restaurants. Delicious, creamy, caramelly. Not plasticky or thick, but smooth like cream rather than like lumpy custard. And the pot of Valrhona chocolate was equally divine. Yum!
We finished our coffees - a macchiato, cafe latte and a cappuccino - then continued chatting and catching up for another hour, until the waiters had to politely kick us out! As we headed, full and happy, into the cold early evening air, we were able to reflect on how good it is to be ladies who lunch!
We met up at Warwick Avenue tube station, then braced the chilly air (no blanket of clouds to keep us warm, once again!) to walk a short way along a road next to the canal. I would have missed the Boathouse if my friend had not been before, as it is built into the wall, but once inside, we were met with a beautiful view. We sat in the terraced section of the restaurant, next to the canal, and were warmed by the sun, sparkling in the water. As we waited for our order to arrive, we ate olives and french bread (only one and a third slices each, this time).
I ordered, after some debate, the duck confit with black pudding and dauphinoise potatoes. A lovely crunchy skin covered the melting duck flesh, with a succulent black pudding also resting on the plate of tasty gravy. The spiciness of the black pudding was nicely off set by the creamy potatoes. I also had a plate of rocket and parmesan, which made me feel healthy, as well as providing a sharpness to the meal. Delicious, and a good amount.
It is always nice to go out for a meal with friends who are prepared to share their food, especially with desserts as good as these. I think I had the most sublime dessert: roasted figs with lavender honey and vanilla pannacotta. Three different tastes, blended together so eat mouthful was fragrantly different and delectable. I scraped the golden seeds out of the plump, burgundy figs, before I realised I could eat the skins and got to enjoy the figs all over again. Small lavender flowers were sprinkled on the honey, exploding in the mouth along with the vanilla seeds in the pannacotta. The creaminess of the pannacotta was sigh enducing.
I have always had a suspicion of creme brulee. No longer. At least, not in posh French restaurants. Delicious, creamy, caramelly. Not plasticky or thick, but smooth like cream rather than like lumpy custard. And the pot of Valrhona chocolate was equally divine. Yum!
We finished our coffees - a macchiato, cafe latte and a cappuccino - then continued chatting and catching up for another hour, until the waiters had to politely kick us out! As we headed, full and happy, into the cold early evening air, we were able to reflect on how good it is to be ladies who lunch!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
First snow and Toni Morrison
It's so cold!!! It snowed all the way home from the Southbank Centre, where we had been to see the great Toni Morrison. To be honest, I can hardly call her "the great", because I have only just started reading her first book, The Bluest Eye. However, the first couple of chapters have drawn me in and I am looking forward to continuing reading. Also, she is probably the author that has most inspired H, and he talks about her a lot, so I was delighted to get to see her in the flesh.
It was an interesting evening, particularly when the conversation touched on politics. Toni Morrison never mentioned Barack Obama's name, instead she spoke about "he", and tried not to say too much about the election - as if she did not want to jinx it.
Afterwards, we had dinner at Wagamama ... then stepped out into the snow and ran across the bridge to Embankment. Very, very cold.
On another note, some nice meals recently. These include pasta with pesto, poached egg and asparagus; lamb shanks in a red wine gravy full of root vegetables; chorizo and veg stir fry with noodles. Yum!
It was an interesting evening, particularly when the conversation touched on politics. Toni Morrison never mentioned Barack Obama's name, instead she spoke about "he", and tried not to say too much about the election - as if she did not want to jinx it.
Afterwards, we had dinner at Wagamama ... then stepped out into the snow and ran across the bridge to Embankment. Very, very cold.
On another note, some nice meals recently. These include pasta with pesto, poached egg and asparagus; lamb shanks in a red wine gravy full of root vegetables; chorizo and veg stir fry with noodles. Yum!
Saturday, October 25, 2008
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!
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!
Monday, October 13, 2008
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 ... !)
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 ... !)
Sunday, October 05, 2008
Weekly Roundup
Well, I'm glad to report that there do not seem to have been any negative side effects after Wednesday's taxi ride home. Although I have not seen the boy in my form since. But that could be because he doesn't want to return his report card.
Other than that, I had a very positive meeting with our headteacher later in the week, and the department seems to be going well. We are all very busy, though. And I think one supply teacher might want to leave ... Anyway, we'll keep on going, trying to paddle away furiously to keep our heads above water.
Had a lovely afternoon yesterday with my B-i-L's stepsister and parents. She lives in a picturesque little village and we went to a tasty French restaurant for lunch, where we all laughed loads until we started getting looks from the waitress that she'd really appreciate it if we freed up the table. It was a pleasant afternoon, but as we left the rain started, and it doesn't seem to have stopped since. I drove to church today, which is a bit lazy, but at least it kept me warm and dry. Quite quiet at church today. I wonder if many of the parishioners were on pilgrimage to Lourdes, as at least one was, or whether our own life-giving water fresh from the sky was encouraging them to stay at home?
Lots of preparation to do now. I'm in the process of making a video, and it's taking a long time to download where I want it to go ... I think it should be finished now so I'm off to have a look.
Other than that, I had a very positive meeting with our headteacher later in the week, and the department seems to be going well. We are all very busy, though. And I think one supply teacher might want to leave ... Anyway, we'll keep on going, trying to paddle away furiously to keep our heads above water.
Had a lovely afternoon yesterday with my B-i-L's stepsister and parents. She lives in a picturesque little village and we went to a tasty French restaurant for lunch, where we all laughed loads until we started getting looks from the waitress that she'd really appreciate it if we freed up the table. It was a pleasant afternoon, but as we left the rain started, and it doesn't seem to have stopped since. I drove to church today, which is a bit lazy, but at least it kept me warm and dry. Quite quiet at church today. I wonder if many of the parishioners were on pilgrimage to Lourdes, as at least one was, or whether our own life-giving water fresh from the sky was encouraging them to stay at home?
Lots of preparation to do now. I'm in the process of making a video, and it's taking a long time to download where I want it to go ... I think it should be finished now so I'm off to have a look.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
The end of the holidays ...
Tomorrow, I go back to school. Last week I had a couple of dizzy spells, so I've been trying not to be on the computer too much. But I should really give an update!
Tuesday 19 August - Can't remember much! I think I was helping H with his work. Packed in the evening to go home. Went to the doctor about the dizzy spell I had yesterday. She didn't know what it was.
Wednesday 20 August - Took the train back to Scotland. Worked on the train. Arrived in time for a late dinner. Good to see Mum and Dad.
Thursday 21 August - Tried to get some more work done. Wrote a bit that I blogged yesterday. Enjoyed being home.
Friday 22 August - My Canadian cousins arrived! Lovely to see C again, and her daugher, D, is lovely! Had a short rest, then hit the town. I showed them the sights, and when we visited the main city church, we got an impromtu visit to the roof!
Saturday 23 August - Visited Discovery in Dundee. Took loads of photos! Another nice day. Visited my sister and her husband, then went to collect H from the station.
Sunday 24 August - Loads of relatives came round. I think C enjoyed seeing them again, and they were all delighted to finally meet D!
Monday 25 August - Went to Edinburgh. H realised he needed to get back to do some more work - exhibition next week - so he managed to get the last direct train to London. Mum took C and D to see the castle, while I visited my grandparents.
Tuesday 26 August - Busy day! First of all we went to the Deer Centre, which was great. We fed the deer - red, roe, fallow, St someone or other - and decided that the Highland Cow was stubborn. Then we went to St Andrews, and went down the mines at the castle, before heading along the pier and then to Janetta's for ice cream. Finally drove to Anstruther, for the best fish and chips in Scotland!
Wednesday 27 August - Took it easy. I got my hair chopped off and dyed, for the first time ever. Visited the castle where my sister got married, then came home and played some card games. Finally, went out for dinner, where we finished with a huge happy birthday ice cream sundae with a flaming sparkler.
Thursday 28 August - Took the train back down south. Sat beside a nice Dutch couple from Pittenweem.
Friday 29 August - Finished the essays I had to write - yeah! H got back late from the Midlands. I decided to lose weight.
Saturday 30 August - Diet started today! Breakfast - bacon, tomato and salad on a muffin. Lunch - Nando's chicken breast on pitta. With shared sides. Dinner - two poached eggs on a muffin with salad. Snacks - mini bag of carrots. Feel very good - until I realise how many calories are in a Nando's chicken pitta. And that's before the mayonnaise ... Went into the city in the evening to try to find a book. Had a really sore head and felt sick. This followed waking in the night with the room spinning round. Not good. Will need to see the doctor. Probably should try to use the computer less.
Sunday 31 August - Well, that's today. Because I felt so grotty yesterday, I switched off the alarms and slept until I woke up, then took it very easy all day. Had spatchcock poussin for lunch, then made a healthy beans and rice with avocado for dinner. When I was hungry I had a bowl of peas from the pod. Tasty. Have been good all day! But have also realised just how much I still have to do for school, that I have not done! And, it's already past my bedtime. So - goodnight!
Tuesday 19 August - Can't remember much! I think I was helping H with his work. Packed in the evening to go home. Went to the doctor about the dizzy spell I had yesterday. She didn't know what it was.
Wednesday 20 August - Took the train back to Scotland. Worked on the train. Arrived in time for a late dinner. Good to see Mum and Dad.
Thursday 21 August - Tried to get some more work done. Wrote a bit that I blogged yesterday. Enjoyed being home.
Friday 22 August - My Canadian cousins arrived! Lovely to see C again, and her daugher, D, is lovely! Had a short rest, then hit the town. I showed them the sights, and when we visited the main city church, we got an impromtu visit to the roof!
Saturday 23 August - Visited Discovery in Dundee. Took loads of photos! Another nice day. Visited my sister and her husband, then went to collect H from the station.
Sunday 24 August - Loads of relatives came round. I think C enjoyed seeing them again, and they were all delighted to finally meet D!
Monday 25 August - Went to Edinburgh. H realised he needed to get back to do some more work - exhibition next week - so he managed to get the last direct train to London. Mum took C and D to see the castle, while I visited my grandparents.
Tuesday 26 August - Busy day! First of all we went to the Deer Centre, which was great. We fed the deer - red, roe, fallow, St someone or other - and decided that the Highland Cow was stubborn. Then we went to St Andrews, and went down the mines at the castle, before heading along the pier and then to Janetta's for ice cream. Finally drove to Anstruther, for the best fish and chips in Scotland!
Wednesday 27 August - Took it easy. I got my hair chopped off and dyed, for the first time ever. Visited the castle where my sister got married, then came home and played some card games. Finally, went out for dinner, where we finished with a huge happy birthday ice cream sundae with a flaming sparkler.
Thursday 28 August - Took the train back down south. Sat beside a nice Dutch couple from Pittenweem.
Friday 29 August - Finished the essays I had to write - yeah! H got back late from the Midlands. I decided to lose weight.
Saturday 30 August - Diet started today! Breakfast - bacon, tomato and salad on a muffin. Lunch - Nando's chicken breast on pitta. With shared sides. Dinner - two poached eggs on a muffin with salad. Snacks - mini bag of carrots. Feel very good - until I realise how many calories are in a Nando's chicken pitta. And that's before the mayonnaise ... Went into the city in the evening to try to find a book. Had a really sore head and felt sick. This followed waking in the night with the room spinning round. Not good. Will need to see the doctor. Probably should try to use the computer less.
Sunday 31 August - Well, that's today. Because I felt so grotty yesterday, I switched off the alarms and slept until I woke up, then took it very easy all day. Had spatchcock poussin for lunch, then made a healthy beans and rice with avocado for dinner. When I was hungry I had a bowl of peas from the pod. Tasty. Have been good all day! But have also realised just how much I still have to do for school, that I have not done! And, it's already past my bedtime. So - goodnight!
Sunday, August 03, 2008
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!
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!
Thursday, July 24, 2008
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?!
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?!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
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!
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!
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Barriers ...
... to blogging and on the Thames!
It's been another busy week in the life of Nzeru Louisa at school. We had a review this week of the department, and fortunately it all went well. We went out for tapas at the Mason de Felipe in Waterloo on Wednesday then watched the football in the pub across the road. Then I was at a course yesterday - very inspiring. Lots of ideas for school in September. Then we visited the Thames Barrier again today. Lovely day - sunny, warm, I put on a dress and enjoyed the heat, and we took loads of pictures of each other. Fun!
And, finally, Doctor Who was very exciting! Can't wait until next week!
It's been another busy week in the life of Nzeru Louisa at school. We had a review this week of the department, and fortunately it all went well. We went out for tapas at the Mason de Felipe in Waterloo on Wednesday then watched the football in the pub across the road. Then I was at a course yesterday - very inspiring. Lots of ideas for school in September. Then we visited the Thames Barrier again today. Lovely day - sunny, warm, I put on a dress and enjoyed the heat, and we took loads of pictures of each other. Fun!
And, finally, Doctor Who was very exciting! Can't wait until next week!
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Busy Day
What a day.
Woke up far too early - alarm set for an ungodly hour on the premise that it would wake us up and an hour later we would get up - well, an hour later I finally managed to start dreaming again, which meant that by the time I got up I was already pushing it for my first appointment of the day. Ah well. Got my stuff together, and arranged to meet H later at the MOT place.
Walked to my first appointment, nipped into the shops and post office, headed to MOT place, no sign of H. Asked the man if he had been and gone - no. Tried phoning, eventually got through, he was about to leave. By this time the MOT man had another couple of cars to do, so we'd have had to wait a couple of hours, and we had to drive to Nottingham, so I'll now need to get up early again tomorrow to wait for the MOT man again. And he's a bit strange, so I'm not really looking forward to it! Anyway, off we went to Nottingham. Fortunately the weather was fine, so apart from the fact that I'm a lousy passenger - and even worse since the accident a couple of months ago - it was a fine drive. Tried to arrange to meet a friend for lunch, but she's in Spain so no luck there.
Had a typical Wagamama meal, then H phoned the man we were meeting to see about a space. Turned out he'd phoned the house this morning - must have just missed H, we weren't that early - to say that we couldn't see the space. So we decided to go round to his office anyway.
Had a good chat, and H decided to make the most of the meeting by transferring some data from his laptop. Opened the bag - no laptop! It was still on the desk back home. Anyway, we managed to get quite a bit done from the internet, so it was fine, and we headed back home. However, arranged to meet another friend for a drink first, which was nice, at the uni, so a hot chocolate, two buds, a cafe latte and a piece of pecan pie later, off we went. I drove back - in the dark and in the rain, with that horrible feeling of the beginnings of a cold. It's always strange when you can actually feel it getting worse. The sore throat, aching head, nose a bit runnier, glands beginning to feel swollen, neck and throat getting worse, back of nose getting blocked, throat sorer, nose running ... H was feeling a bit under the weather too. Could it be the car?
Anyway, we're home now and it's been a long day and I have to get up and go to the MOT place tomorrow, so I'm off to bed now. Goodnight!
Woke up far too early - alarm set for an ungodly hour on the premise that it would wake us up and an hour later we would get up - well, an hour later I finally managed to start dreaming again, which meant that by the time I got up I was already pushing it for my first appointment of the day. Ah well. Got my stuff together, and arranged to meet H later at the MOT place.
Walked to my first appointment, nipped into the shops and post office, headed to MOT place, no sign of H. Asked the man if he had been and gone - no. Tried phoning, eventually got through, he was about to leave. By this time the MOT man had another couple of cars to do, so we'd have had to wait a couple of hours, and we had to drive to Nottingham, so I'll now need to get up early again tomorrow to wait for the MOT man again. And he's a bit strange, so I'm not really looking forward to it! Anyway, off we went to Nottingham. Fortunately the weather was fine, so apart from the fact that I'm a lousy passenger - and even worse since the accident a couple of months ago - it was a fine drive. Tried to arrange to meet a friend for lunch, but she's in Spain so no luck there.
Had a typical Wagamama meal, then H phoned the man we were meeting to see about a space. Turned out he'd phoned the house this morning - must have just missed H, we weren't that early - to say that we couldn't see the space. So we decided to go round to his office anyway.
Had a good chat, and H decided to make the most of the meeting by transferring some data from his laptop. Opened the bag - no laptop! It was still on the desk back home. Anyway, we managed to get quite a bit done from the internet, so it was fine, and we headed back home. However, arranged to meet another friend for a drink first, which was nice, at the uni, so a hot chocolate, two buds, a cafe latte and a piece of pecan pie later, off we went. I drove back - in the dark and in the rain, with that horrible feeling of the beginnings of a cold. It's always strange when you can actually feel it getting worse. The sore throat, aching head, nose a bit runnier, glands beginning to feel swollen, neck and throat getting worse, back of nose getting blocked, throat sorer, nose running ... H was feeling a bit under the weather too. Could it be the car?
Anyway, we're home now and it's been a long day and I have to get up and go to the MOT place tomorrow, so I'm off to bed now. Goodnight!
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Busy Day!
Woke up around 8am. Got up and ready, out by about 8.40 am. Headed into the city for my conference. Spent around seven hours finding out what has to be done by 14 June ... quite a lot, it seems! But fortunately I might be on my way there - although I'll have to use my week off wisely! Lots to do!
Left around 3.30pm or so and came back home. We had already decided to go and see Indiana Jones and the whatever, so I sat and read half of my recently purchased book, before heading out towards the O2.
When we got there, H thought it would be a good idea to see if there were any tickets left for the Chris Rock gig. He had tried to get them on the internet, but to no avail. There were! And they were in the third row. So off we went into the Arena.
Chicken nuggets, cheeseburger and chips all went down well, and the people on either side of us in the arena were friendly. Since the last time we were in the arena was on the back row of the gods for the Prince concert, this was a little different! Front row seats for the record breaking comic. We were there until around 10.15pm or so. Rock was funny, funnier in some places than others. His observations on the difference between jobs and careers were, for me, the high point of his act. The relationship bit is funny if a bit on the crude side, but his observations on language and politically correctness weren't so hot. So a bit up and down, although we all laughed a lot.
We had paid for our Indy ticket on the internet, so H thought it would be worthwhile to see if we could exchange it. I didn't hold out much hope, but thought it wouldn't hurt to try. So we went and asked, and there was a show on at 11.30pm. So we had an ice cream and waited until we could get in.
Well. The music is still great, and it's nice to see Harrison Ford as Indy. However, it was all quite daft! I mean, aliens and flying saucers. The supernatural is one thing, but this was something else entirely! And a couple of the subplots were a bit silly too. Anyway, it was all fun - and it was nice to see the glow of the ark of the covenant in an early warehouse scene - but not as great as I had hoped.
On the way out, the square outside the O2 had been filled up with barriers. We wondered what sort of queue would necessitate that type of organised system, so we asked - the X Factor auditions. Some people were already there, waiting in the rain! Madness. On the way home we had to wait in another queue, this time of traffic, to go through the Blackwall Tunnel, which was closed in one direction. Glad to be finally home; very tired!
Left around 3.30pm or so and came back home. We had already decided to go and see Indiana Jones and the whatever, so I sat and read half of my recently purchased book, before heading out towards the O2.
When we got there, H thought it would be a good idea to see if there were any tickets left for the Chris Rock gig. He had tried to get them on the internet, but to no avail. There were! And they were in the third row. So off we went into the Arena.
Chicken nuggets, cheeseburger and chips all went down well, and the people on either side of us in the arena were friendly. Since the last time we were in the arena was on the back row of the gods for the Prince concert, this was a little different! Front row seats for the record breaking comic. We were there until around 10.15pm or so. Rock was funny, funnier in some places than others. His observations on the difference between jobs and careers were, for me, the high point of his act. The relationship bit is funny if a bit on the crude side, but his observations on language and politically correctness weren't so hot. So a bit up and down, although we all laughed a lot.
We had paid for our Indy ticket on the internet, so H thought it would be worthwhile to see if we could exchange it. I didn't hold out much hope, but thought it wouldn't hurt to try. So we went and asked, and there was a show on at 11.30pm. So we had an ice cream and waited until we could get in.
Well. The music is still great, and it's nice to see Harrison Ford as Indy. However, it was all quite daft! I mean, aliens and flying saucers. The supernatural is one thing, but this was something else entirely! And a couple of the subplots were a bit silly too. Anyway, it was all fun - and it was nice to see the glow of the ark of the covenant in an early warehouse scene - but not as great as I had hoped.
On the way out, the square outside the O2 had been filled up with barriers. We wondered what sort of queue would necessitate that type of organised system, so we asked - the X Factor auditions. Some people were already there, waiting in the rain! Madness. On the way home we had to wait in another queue, this time of traffic, to go through the Blackwall Tunnel, which was closed in one direction. Glad to be finally home; very tired!
Thursday, April 17, 2008
To teleport or not to teleport ...
Just recalled a conversation I overheard when H and I were having lunch in between trying on dresses. (Me trying them on, not him, obviously...)
A man and his nephew (I presume - they looked fairly alike, and the teenager spoke about his mum and dad, so it was not his father) were discussing whether or not people would want to use a teleporter.
Now, the reason my ears pricked up at this (other than the fact that we were right next to each other, barely a gap between tables; you can't have a private conversation in London, I think!) was that I have recently started reading another Man Booker nominee, The Reluctant Fundamentalist (I'll put the review on my other blog when I've finished it), and in that book, the narrator is asked to value a company that specialises in travel - using a teleporter. He works out how much people are prepared to travel by Concorde, thinks of the amount of time saved by being able to go from New York to London instantaneously, and values the company at a couple of billion dollars or so. The interviewer then points out that he has greatly overvalued the company because there is one factor he has not taken into account: whether or not people will actually feel confident in using this means of transport, which would somehow require their atoms to be dispersed and somehow reformed elsewhere.
And this was the topic that the man and teenager were discussing. What were the odds of someone dying using this machine, and what did the odds have to be before people would actually want to use it. The boy suggested if the machine was 99.9% safe, then that was quite good. The man then worked out (and forgive my shoddy maths, the following figures might all be completely wrong, if so then it's because I can't remember what he said so I'm making it up - his figures sounded quite accurate) that if someone was using the transporter roughly three times a day, then they would use it about 1000 times a year; at 99.9% this would mean that ... Sorry, I can't even begin to make those calculations just now!, but let's just say that he worked out that you would be at quite a high risk of dying ... The two recalibrated the figures until they got a percentage they were happy with, where you might by likely to die once in fifty years or so ...
Then there was a philosophical discussion of how someone might die. If it was known how you would die, ie if when you used this machine, the manner of death (on those rare occasions when it malfunctioned) was always the same (eg the box you were sitting in would fill with smoke, the walls would begin to collapse, you would ... ), would that make you more or less likely to want to use this form of transport? The man proposed that people don't mind travelling in cars because they wouldn't necessarily know how they might die if they were in an accident, there are so many different ways.
Finally, there was a discussion on whether or not people would choose to use a manner of transport that they didn't understand. The boy thought that it could be frightening if they didn't understand how the machine worked. The uncle pointed out that by the time such a machine was invented, we would understand how it worked - no one understands anything that hasn't been invented yet. Other than me curiously wondering how that statement would apply to Jules Verne or Leonardo Da Vinci, the boy contemplated the thought that people wouldn't have understood that rubbing two sticks together would make light (and heat) until they did it.
By now the time was passing on, the ice cream sundae had been devoured, and off the two philosophers went.
A man and his nephew (I presume - they looked fairly alike, and the teenager spoke about his mum and dad, so it was not his father) were discussing whether or not people would want to use a teleporter.
Now, the reason my ears pricked up at this (other than the fact that we were right next to each other, barely a gap between tables; you can't have a private conversation in London, I think!) was that I have recently started reading another Man Booker nominee, The Reluctant Fundamentalist (I'll put the review on my other blog when I've finished it), and in that book, the narrator is asked to value a company that specialises in travel - using a teleporter. He works out how much people are prepared to travel by Concorde, thinks of the amount of time saved by being able to go from New York to London instantaneously, and values the company at a couple of billion dollars or so. The interviewer then points out that he has greatly overvalued the company because there is one factor he has not taken into account: whether or not people will actually feel confident in using this means of transport, which would somehow require their atoms to be dispersed and somehow reformed elsewhere.
And this was the topic that the man and teenager were discussing. What were the odds of someone dying using this machine, and what did the odds have to be before people would actually want to use it. The boy suggested if the machine was 99.9% safe, then that was quite good. The man then worked out (and forgive my shoddy maths, the following figures might all be completely wrong, if so then it's because I can't remember what he said so I'm making it up - his figures sounded quite accurate) that if someone was using the transporter roughly three times a day, then they would use it about 1000 times a year; at 99.9% this would mean that ... Sorry, I can't even begin to make those calculations just now!, but let's just say that he worked out that you would be at quite a high risk of dying ... The two recalibrated the figures until they got a percentage they were happy with, where you might by likely to die once in fifty years or so ...
Then there was a philosophical discussion of how someone might die. If it was known how you would die, ie if when you used this machine, the manner of death (on those rare occasions when it malfunctioned) was always the same (eg the box you were sitting in would fill with smoke, the walls would begin to collapse, you would ... ), would that make you more or less likely to want to use this form of transport? The man proposed that people don't mind travelling in cars because they wouldn't necessarily know how they might die if they were in an accident, there are so many different ways.
Finally, there was a discussion on whether or not people would choose to use a manner of transport that they didn't understand. The boy thought that it could be frightening if they didn't understand how the machine worked. The uncle pointed out that by the time such a machine was invented, we would understand how it worked - no one understands anything that hasn't been invented yet. Other than me curiously wondering how that statement would apply to Jules Verne or Leonardo Da Vinci, the boy contemplated the thought that people wouldn't have understood that rubbing two sticks together would make light (and heat) until they did it.
By now the time was passing on, the ice cream sundae had been devoured, and off the two philosophers went.
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
What's been happening during the holidays?
What a good question. And there have been a few days so far! Let's see. Sunday ... ah, it snowed! I remember that because I took the car to church again, despite the bad experience last week! I was almost late as well, since I was trying to get some nice photos of the snow! The sad news was that one of our congregation died last week. He'd been in hospital unwell for some time, so it was expected, but sad news nonetheless.
After church, I had the pleasure of meeting up with an old primary school friend for a couple of days. Well. We had arranged to meet at Angel. When I got to the tube, I realised that the Northern Line wasn't working. That made Angel a bit harder to get to ... So I tried to get in touch, but unfortunately her mobile wasn't working, either! I kept trying to send texts and messages, but with no luck, partly through tunnels, but mostly through a dodgy phone system, I think. Had phoned H to ask him to pass on a message to her as well, but he hadn't heard anything by the time I reached Kings' Cross. I headed up the stairs, looking for signposts to bus routes for diverted Northern Line passengers, but there were no clear signs. What should I do? Head back down the stairs into the tube station to ask about buses there, or into Kings' Cross station? I paused, and noticed a customers' rest area. Perhaps someone could help me there. I took about two steps towards that glass door, before suddenly noticing ... my Friend! She was on the phone, but not managing to get through to me, with her brother, who was also visiting the capital. I ran over to them and flung my arms around her, at which point she shrieked! But it was quite funny, and, as she said, "He knows his own". A bit of a miracle to start the long weekend!
The next task was to make it to Angel for lunch ... So off we headed, in what I hoped was the right direction. I was surprised to find myself in Bloomsbury, near the British Museum. Not sure when we would ever reach Angel (!!!), we decided to stop at Strada for lunch. Very nice ... it's a while since I had Italian and my pizza was very tasty. It was good to catch up with some of the local news from home over pizza and pasta, then F and I decided to visited the British Museum while her brother, whom we'll call B, went to visit his friend. We had a look at a map and discovered we'd probably have had to visit Antarctica before we reached Angel if we'd carried on the direction we'd been heading!
It was good to have a flying visit to the Museum. We saw the Elgin Marbles, the Rosetta Stone, the Lewis Chessmen, the Egyptian Mummies, the Sutton Hoo treasure, the Life and Death exhibition, the Currency exhibition, the African gallery ... loads of stuff!
Feeling suitably cultured, we left when the gallery closed down and headed home for a delicious dinner cooked by S of spaghetti bolognese.
Right, I think that's enough for one blog! Will catch up on Monday's visits later!
After church, I had the pleasure of meeting up with an old primary school friend for a couple of days. Well. We had arranged to meet at Angel. When I got to the tube, I realised that the Northern Line wasn't working. That made Angel a bit harder to get to ... So I tried to get in touch, but unfortunately her mobile wasn't working, either! I kept trying to send texts and messages, but with no luck, partly through tunnels, but mostly through a dodgy phone system, I think. Had phoned H to ask him to pass on a message to her as well, but he hadn't heard anything by the time I reached Kings' Cross. I headed up the stairs, looking for signposts to bus routes for diverted Northern Line passengers, but there were no clear signs. What should I do? Head back down the stairs into the tube station to ask about buses there, or into Kings' Cross station? I paused, and noticed a customers' rest area. Perhaps someone could help me there. I took about two steps towards that glass door, before suddenly noticing ... my Friend! She was on the phone, but not managing to get through to me, with her brother, who was also visiting the capital. I ran over to them and flung my arms around her, at which point she shrieked! But it was quite funny, and, as she said, "He knows his own". A bit of a miracle to start the long weekend!
The next task was to make it to Angel for lunch ... So off we headed, in what I hoped was the right direction. I was surprised to find myself in Bloomsbury, near the British Museum. Not sure when we would ever reach Angel (!!!), we decided to stop at Strada for lunch. Very nice ... it's a while since I had Italian and my pizza was very tasty. It was good to catch up with some of the local news from home over pizza and pasta, then F and I decided to visited the British Museum while her brother, whom we'll call B, went to visit his friend. We had a look at a map and discovered we'd probably have had to visit Antarctica before we reached Angel if we'd carried on the direction we'd been heading!
It was good to have a flying visit to the Museum. We saw the Elgin Marbles, the Rosetta Stone, the Lewis Chessmen, the Egyptian Mummies, the Sutton Hoo treasure, the Life and Death exhibition, the Currency exhibition, the African gallery ... loads of stuff!
Feeling suitably cultured, we left when the gallery closed down and headed home for a delicious dinner cooked by S of spaghetti bolognese.
Right, I think that's enough for one blog! Will catch up on Monday's visits later!
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