Two weeks in the UK -- slowly and gently
Oct 27th, 2012, 12:13 PM
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Two weeks in the UK -- slowly and gently
October, 2012. Time to visit the United Kingdom. No matter that we've done this 18 or 19 times before. No matter that it's been a rough summer, No matter that we're old.
Pack the pills and the folding cane. Arrange for wheelchairs at the airports. Thank the credit card marketers that we have enough points to fly business/first. And stop complaining.
Okay, we can complain about never having qute enough light for reading without using the lamps in the Kindle covers -- but only once.
There are concerts to attend, favorite places to revisit, new places to explore, and old friends to see.
Oxbridge Apartments in Kensington has changed little since we were there in Spring, 2011. The flats are small, reasonably clean, convenient to tube, bus, supermarket, and laundry. And for less than $2000 we have a one-bedroom apartment with decent cooking facilities and a modern bath for two weeks.
Sainsbury's Supermarket on Cromwell Road hasn't changed much either. Oh, they've moved the newspaper rack to the front entrance, cut back a bit on the flower shop, and re-located the quick checkout, but the food and household products are in the aisles I remembered and I feel a certain pride as I confidently push my cart to acquire milk, tea, washing-up liquid, shampoo, and the steak pie and caesar salad that has been our traditional first-night-in-London dinner since 1994. These and other essentials acquired, it's a quick walk back to the apartment to complete the unpacking.
Moved in, fridge stocked, feet propped up until it's time to heat dinner, we explore the wonderful world of British television: quiz shows, cooking shows, shelter porn, re-runs from the U.S.; we nap until dinner time.
We'll go exploring tomorrow.
Pack the pills and the folding cane. Arrange for wheelchairs at the airports. Thank the credit card marketers that we have enough points to fly business/first. And stop complaining.
Okay, we can complain about never having qute enough light for reading without using the lamps in the Kindle covers -- but only once.
There are concerts to attend, favorite places to revisit, new places to explore, and old friends to see.
Oxbridge Apartments in Kensington has changed little since we were there in Spring, 2011. The flats are small, reasonably clean, convenient to tube, bus, supermarket, and laundry. And for less than $2000 we have a one-bedroom apartment with decent cooking facilities and a modern bath for two weeks.
Sainsbury's Supermarket on Cromwell Road hasn't changed much either. Oh, they've moved the newspaper rack to the front entrance, cut back a bit on the flower shop, and re-located the quick checkout, but the food and household products are in the aisles I remembered and I feel a certain pride as I confidently push my cart to acquire milk, tea, washing-up liquid, shampoo, and the steak pie and caesar salad that has been our traditional first-night-in-London dinner since 1994. These and other essentials acquired, it's a quick walk back to the apartment to complete the unpacking.
Moved in, fridge stocked, feet propped up until it's time to heat dinner, we explore the wonderful world of British television: quiz shows, cooking shows, shelter porn, re-runs from the U.S.; we nap until dinner time.
We'll go exploring tomorrow.
Oct 27th, 2012, 06:29 PM
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When I rule the world, all showers will work exactly the same way. Until then, first guy up gets to figure out how to keep from freezing or boiling. Being first guy up also means running over to Sainsbury's to gather a selection of British newspapers. At home in New Jersey, we each have a newspaper to hide behind until we have finished our coffee. In London, we each have two.
Today we have work to do as well. Himself has an assignment for his next camera club meeting to submit photos representing Halloweeen. Londoners do not appear to celebrate the holiday with the same enthusiasm as Americans. No tombstones materialize on front lawns; no ghosts hang from trees. What to do?
Go to the Victoria and Albert, of course. If you can't find something there that suggests the holiday, you just aren't looking. And the V&A has a world class gift shop.
It is possible to walk to the V&A from the apartment, we've done so in previous years. Today, we're taking a cab. Indeed, the cab option is one we will select many times on this trip. We've brought along our old oyster cards for the London Underground and buses but never top them off. We'll use our energy for seeing things, not getting there.
On the first floor of the V&A we find evening dresses by Dior and day dressed from Victorian times. In the theatrical collection, there are costumes from a 1954 production of Eugene Ionesco's "Rhinoceros" at the Royal Court theater and Jocelyn Herbert's masks for a 1981 production of the Orestia. A three hour wander around the museum and the assignment is finished. And there's still that wonderful gift shop to explore.
On the way back, we pop into Sainsbury's to choose dinner. We pick up a Thai chicken soup with coconut and a couple of sandwiches. Our block of Cromwell Road is replete with casual restaurants but it's nice to have cooking facilities. Sometimes we don't want to get dressed up and pretend to be sophisticated just to get something to eat.
For a change, the BBC has something we want to watch: conductor Gareth Malone is whipping a group of workers at the Water Board into an accomplished chorus. In other years, we've watched him work his musical magic on residents of a Hertfordshire town and on a contingent of military wives and girlfriends. We wish we saw more of Malone on BBC America instead of their standard fare of Gordon Ramsey and Top Gear.
Tonight we will kick off our shoes and relax.
Today we have work to do as well. Himself has an assignment for his next camera club meeting to submit photos representing Halloweeen. Londoners do not appear to celebrate the holiday with the same enthusiasm as Americans. No tombstones materialize on front lawns; no ghosts hang from trees. What to do?
Go to the Victoria and Albert, of course. If you can't find something there that suggests the holiday, you just aren't looking. And the V&A has a world class gift shop.
It is possible to walk to the V&A from the apartment, we've done so in previous years. Today, we're taking a cab. Indeed, the cab option is one we will select many times on this trip. We've brought along our old oyster cards for the London Underground and buses but never top them off. We'll use our energy for seeing things, not getting there.
On the first floor of the V&A we find evening dresses by Dior and day dressed from Victorian times. In the theatrical collection, there are costumes from a 1954 production of Eugene Ionesco's "Rhinoceros" at the Royal Court theater and Jocelyn Herbert's masks for a 1981 production of the Orestia. A three hour wander around the museum and the assignment is finished. And there's still that wonderful gift shop to explore.
On the way back, we pop into Sainsbury's to choose dinner. We pick up a Thai chicken soup with coconut and a couple of sandwiches. Our block of Cromwell Road is replete with casual restaurants but it's nice to have cooking facilities. Sometimes we don't want to get dressed up and pretend to be sophisticated just to get something to eat.
For a change, the BBC has something we want to watch: conductor Gareth Malone is whipping a group of workers at the Water Board into an accomplished chorus. In other years, we've watched him work his musical magic on residents of a Hertfordshire town and on a contingent of military wives and girlfriends. We wish we saw more of Malone on BBC America instead of their standard fare of Gordon Ramsey and Top Gear.
Tonight we will kick off our shoes and relax.
Oct 28th, 2012, 08:02 AM
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Sometimes I do really dumb things -- like misplacing my American Express card. So it's checking phone numbers on my netbook, placing a few calls, and this morning a trip down to the Amex office on the Haymarket to pick up a replacement. While we're at it, we take a walk down Piccadilly to visit one of our favorite churchyards
There's something quite wonderful about St. James Piccadilly beyond its Christopher Wren architecture. It's a connection to the community that extends from the faded green caravan open for drop-in counseling to the fleamarket in the churchyard to the concerts in the chancel and the charity holiday cards available in the vestibule. But what has touched us for decades are two mmemorials in the garden, one to Mackerel, the parish cat, and one to Taffy, a lonely man who made the garden his home.
And they're gone! The garden has been remodeled. Some of the plantings have been replaced by built-in bench seating. The benches probably serve the public better. Maybe a new Taffy will be able to lay his weary head here. But I wish those touching little painted signs had found a home here, too.
Maybe it's the absence of the memorials, maybe it's that four friends are coming for drinks before dinner tonight and we want to be rested, but we decide against continuing down Picadilly to Fortnum and Mason and grab a cab home. We'll pick up cheese and crackers and some sausage rolls at Sainsbury's.
There's something quite wonderful about St. James Piccadilly beyond its Christopher Wren architecture. It's a connection to the community that extends from the faded green caravan open for drop-in counseling to the fleamarket in the churchyard to the concerts in the chancel and the charity holiday cards available in the vestibule. But what has touched us for decades are two mmemorials in the garden, one to Mackerel, the parish cat, and one to Taffy, a lonely man who made the garden his home.
And they're gone! The garden has been remodeled. Some of the plantings have been replaced by built-in bench seating. The benches probably serve the public better. Maybe a new Taffy will be able to lay his weary head here. But I wish those touching little painted signs had found a home here, too.
Maybe it's the absence of the memorials, maybe it's that four friends are coming for drinks before dinner tonight and we want to be rested, but we decide against continuing down Picadilly to Fortnum and Mason and grab a cab home. We'll pick up cheese and crackers and some sausage rolls at Sainsbury's.
Oct 28th, 2012, 08:15 AM
#15
Londoners do not appear to celebrate the holiday with the same enthusiasm as Americans.>>
virginia - it's not a holiday. There is a modern tradition of "trick or treat", and and older one of apple-bobbing, and some energetic folk spend some time hollowing out pumkins but generally unless you are very religious, [in a christian sense] it goes past with nerry a thought.
The UK is much more interested in Nov 5th - Guy Fawkes Night - when lots of us celebrate the foiling of the the dastardly papist plot to kill James 1st, back in 1605.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Fawkes_Night
There is a recent trend to see it as anti-catholic, but I've never really felt that to be the case [but then, i'm not catholic!] - it's more of a carnival and opportunity to have a lot of fireworks and hot dogs, and most towns and villages have their own celebrations on or around this date.
sorry that your memorials have disappeared, BTW - perhaps they have been put somewhere safe to be replaced when the renovations are finished?
virginia - it's not a holiday. There is a modern tradition of "trick or treat", and and older one of apple-bobbing, and some energetic folk spend some time hollowing out pumkins but generally unless you are very religious, [in a christian sense] it goes past with nerry a thought.
The UK is much more interested in Nov 5th - Guy Fawkes Night - when lots of us celebrate the foiling of the the dastardly papist plot to kill James 1st, back in 1605.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Fawkes_Night
There is a recent trend to see it as anti-catholic, but I've never really felt that to be the case [but then, i'm not catholic!] - it's more of a carnival and opportunity to have a lot of fireworks and hot dogs, and most towns and villages have their own celebrations on or around this date.
sorry that your memorials have disappeared, BTW - perhaps they have been put somewhere safe to be replaced when the renovations are finished?
Oct 28th, 2012, 10:05 AM
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Annhig, the very religious (as in fundamentalist) Christians that I know are positively anti-Halloween. You know, devil-worship and all that.
All I can say is that if I buy sweets, no trick-or-treaters will knock on the door, and if I don't, they will.
All I can say is that if I buy sweets, no trick-or-treaters will knock on the door, and if I don't, they will.
Oct 28th, 2012, 10:31 AM
#18
Annhig, the very religious (as in fundamentalist) Christians that I know are positively anti-Halloween. You know, devil-worship and all that. >>
tarquin - you're right of course. I was thinking about the all Saints day services that most CoE churches will have - for example our local cathedral in Truro celebrates All Saints on Nov 1st, and All Souls on Nov 2nd. I doubt that they will get much of a turnout, but you never know.
tarquin - you're right of course. I was thinking about the all Saints day services that most CoE churches will have - for example our local cathedral in Truro celebrates All Saints on Nov 1st, and All Souls on Nov 2nd. I doubt that they will get much of a turnout, but you never know.
Oct 28th, 2012, 12:01 PM
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We have our anti-Halloween contingent in the US as well, but most accept it as an informal, secular holiday. No school closings, no church services, just kids dressing up and begging for candy.
But in the last decade or so, Halloween has begun -- at least in North Jersey -- to rival Christmas for outdoor decorations. Throughout our neighborhood, yards are festooned with ghosts, bats, spiderwebs and scarecrows. Our yard is restrained. We have only a 3=foot black cat, a (silently) howling wolf, and a two-foot diameter spider -- all lighted and moving, of course. We brought them inside this morning because of the predicted Frankenstorm which is expected to turn off all our lights and flood our homes over the next few days. I hope the forecasters are mistaken. If they're not, I'll be eating leftover candy bars until my jeans burst.
By the way, we've been in Britain for Guy Fawkes Day and love the celebrations. Non-fattening, too.
Next time I write, I'll try to get back to the trip report.
But in the last decade or so, Halloween has begun -- at least in North Jersey -- to rival Christmas for outdoor decorations. Throughout our neighborhood, yards are festooned with ghosts, bats, spiderwebs and scarecrows. Our yard is restrained. We have only a 3=foot black cat, a (silently) howling wolf, and a two-foot diameter spider -- all lighted and moving, of course. We brought them inside this morning because of the predicted Frankenstorm which is expected to turn off all our lights and flood our homes over the next few days. I hope the forecasters are mistaken. If they're not, I'll be eating leftover candy bars until my jeans burst.
By the way, we've been in Britain for Guy Fawkes Day and love the celebrations. Non-fattening, too.
Next time I write, I'll try to get back to the trip report.
Oct 28th, 2012, 12:42 PM
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Our local Sunday paper arrived this morning with Pippa Middleton on magazine insert cover, adorably helping a little girl bite a doughnut suspended from a tree, headline "Pippa's Halloween Party!" P. flogging her book about celebrating holidays. The article has photos of pumpkin with ghostlike globs stuck outside, etc.
"Now wait a minute," sez I. "Are we going to let this British person -- who can't even claim to have been born in the U.S. as Boris J. can -- tell us how to bedaub our pumpkins in the U.S. manner? Even though undeniably very cute?"
"Now wait a minute," sez I. "Are we going to let this British person -- who can't even claim to have been born in the U.S. as Boris J. can -- tell us how to bedaub our pumpkins in the U.S. manner? Even though undeniably very cute?"
