Honest Iago

I arrived in a very sultry London on Tuesday evening and was rather proud of myself for navigating myself to Ally’s flat, although it did help that Cat met me at King’s Cross on her way home from work. Alasdair was at a work “do” so Cat and I popped into a nearby Carluccio’s for dinner while we waited for him to arrive. The food was fine but the service was reminiscent of the television series “Fawlty Towers” - there were long delays, we were were given a breakfast menu by mistake, and the waiters could be seen remonstrating with each other in the background. At one point we asked for some focaccia and saw the waiter staring mournfully into a Tupperware box before coming back to tell us that the oven was broken. We then were given a complimentary basket of different breads which were very stale. However it was actually quite funny and our waiter was very good-natured and knocked money off the bill, so we ended up leaving him a tip. Ally arrived during the meal and consumed some seafood linguine before almost falling asleep at the table because he was so tired. Back at the flat, Ally and Cat again very kindly insisted that I have their bedroom. I opened the window wide to get as much cool night air as possible.

I had Wednesday to myself while Cat and Ally were at work. I strolled through the humid streets to the British Museum. Yes, it’s my third visit this year! I’m making the most of the membership that Jennifer gave me for my birthday. This time I decided not to linger quite so much as I still had a lot of ground to cover. So I paid my respects to most of the well known artefacts that I hadn’t yet seen, such as the gold armour from Sutton Hoo, the Portland Vase and the amazingly intricate Lewis chessmen. I enjoyed myself mightily. As a bonus, James was also in London on a business trip so he met me for lunch in the (delightfully air-conditioned) Members Room! 

I then made my way to the river and crossed over Waterloo Bridge, being rewarded with a welcome breeze as I walked along the South Bank. My destination was the Globe Theatre, where I met Ally, Cat, Catherine and Thea for dinner at the Swan Restaurant before going to see Othello. The meal was good although they were a bit slow to bring our bill considering that we were clearly going to the play. But we got to our seats in time and oh boy, what a brilliant production! Mark Rylance was fantastic as Iago, but the whole cast were great and they interacted with each other and the audience so well. I enjoyed the lively dance at the end which lifted everyone’s spirits after the tragic events of the play. 

As we crossed over the river after the play for the short walk back to Ally’s flat, the buildings of London were all lit up in the darkness; the city was so beautiful. Again I opened the bedroom window wide and lay on top of the duvet, however this time I was rather disconcerted to notice a shadowy figure standing at a window in a flat very nearby. I wasn’t sure if they were watching me but I quickly slipped under the duvet!