Saturday 30 December 2023
Between Christmas and New Year
Monday 25 December 2023
Christmas!
Saturday 16 December 2023
It’s beginning to look a lot like …
Thursday 7 December 2023
Two Magpies and the journey home
“I would like toast please.”
“Would you like white or brown?”
“Not white but not too brown.”
“I mean the colour of the bread not the colour of the toast.”
“Ah I understand, brown please!”
What impressed me was that they could sort out their misunderstanding so quickly. I’m not sure if I could ever manage that in another language, except possibly French.
Anyway James and I had a delightful brunch at the Two Magpies and then travelled to Tottenham Court Road where we did some successful shoe shopping for James. We then went back to the flat to relax because James’ bad cough has become even worse and is deep in his chest. It was sad to leave Ally and Cat’s flat in the afternoon, they have been such welcoming hosts and the flat is fantastic, with the ever changing colours of the Thames just outside the window. However it was just as well that we left quite early, because there were delays on the Elizabeth line. * It took us two and a half hours to get to Heathrow Airport and then we more or less walked straight on to the plane after queuing through security. It was good to get home and to see the cats, who gave us a big welcome by escorting us to their (already filled by Angela) food bowls.
Wednesday 6 December 2023
Winter Wonderland
Tuesday 5 December 2023
National Gallery and Harold Pinter Theatre
Then we had a really interesting time looking at more Northern Renaissance paintings such as the Arnolfini Wedding Portait. It was amazing to see some of the paintings up close that we have studied in our history of art course. We walked from there to the Tate Britain and had lunch in the members’ room which is very attractive; the tables surround a carved stone stairwell with an impressive high ceiling. We didn’t really have a plan for this visit so just had a wander around. There was some modern art; we saw an art exhibit made entirely out of mounds of rice, with neon light strips along it. Hmmm. It was kind of striking I suppose, and the rice, I think, had been poured carefully into position rather than glued together. There were also lots of Gainsborough paintings; dull and brown landscapes, not my favourite artist. We didn’t get any further, for example to my beloved New Romantics, because it was time to head to Andalusia, the little Spanish tapas restaurant beside the Harold Pinter Theatre. We had a tasty meal with Ally and Cat, and the service was nice and quick so we felt very relaxed. We met Andrew, who was joining us, outside the theatre, and were soon ensconced in our seats ready for the play; Lyonesse, starring two top luvvies, Kristin Scott Thomas and Lily James. They were very good and so were the rest of the actors, however the play was not the best. It did raise some very interesting issues about how women are treated by men (and other women) at home and in the workplace, and the blurring of truth and falsehood, but it rather laboured its points and could have dealt with the subject better. The fact that it was still somewhat enjoyable was mainly down the valiant efforts of the talented actors. We headed back to the flat for a cup of tea, en route showing Andrew where we had walked yesterday with Sir Ian McKellen striding in front of us. Ally very amusingly played the part of Sir Ian, rushing along the pavement while giving frightened looks over his shoulder, which I must emphasise is not what happened yesterday!
Monday 4 December 2023
We did not follow Sir Ian McKellen home
Sunday 3 December 2023
Curry and Mince Pies
We woke to a snowy landscape on Saturday morning which looked very pretty, however I didn’t appreciate it as I should have because I had a really bad headache and spent the morning in bed. Luckily it cleared up and I was able to accompany James to Heather and Ewan’s in the evening, where they treated us to a tasty takeaway curry from Rasoi and a convivial evening of chat.
On Sunday morning we were up bright and early to go to the Claymore Hotel in Arrochar to meet the rest of the hill-walking club including Davie and Chanel. This was our annual Mince Pies outing, which for us signals the start of the festive season. As usual it was a lovely and friendly occasion, organised by Steven and Hilary, who had put a lot of work into organising it. My contribution was a quiz for the adults and a matchbox treasure hunt for the children. I had changed up the treasure hunt from last year, with new items to hunt for. The six children, who were grandchildren of hill-walking club members, were absolutely delightful young people; polite and enthusiastic. At the end of the walk I marked their excellent efforts and prizes were handed out to all. Steven and Hilary also held a popular chocolate tasting challenge. Soon Santa (who bore a suspicious resemblance to Steven!) arrived amid jingle bells and singing, and it turned out that we had all been good this year because we all got presents. It was a joyful afternoon.