Well, as forecast we found ourselves in London today in the hottest start to any May on record, with temperatures reaching 29.3C (84.7F.)
Apparently this beat the previous record of 27.4C in Lossiemouth, Scotland, back in 1990. Needless to say I sweltered in the heat but by judicious walking in the shade when possible, and a lovely time paddling in the Serpentine, I managed fairly well. Most of England was also hot, although I heard that it has been cooler in Scotland.
In the morning we went to the V&A to see the Cartier exhibition. It was certainly glittering and opulent, but James and I agreed that we preferred the Fabergé exhibition that we saw at the V&A in 2022, because the exhibits seemed more skilled and intricate. Still, the Cartier jewellery was very fine and we enjoyed seeing it as well as having a refreshing cup of tea in the courtyard café, one of my favourite cafés in London. We then walked to the Serpentine Lido and found a bench in the shade, and although I was a disappointed that I could only paddle (because it turns out that swimming there doesn’t start until mid May) it was still wonderfully cooling. A few people didn’t see the signs and started swimming but they were swiftly spotted by the safety boats which were supervising the pedalos and told to get out of the water!
We walked through Hyde Park and Green Park in our way to the Bridge Theatre beside Tower Bridge. There were lots of people having picnics on the grass beside the river, it was lovely to see everyone enjoying the sunshine.
We had a very nice dinner in The Coal Shed, just round the corner from the theatre, and then we took our seats for Richard II, starring Jonathan Bailey. It was great! Despite not knowing very much about his reign, the play was easy to follow and the cast were superb. Bailey played Richard flamboyantly as a foolish, vain man, but thus resulted in more laughs from the audience than I think he intended. Jonathan Bailey is very popular just now from his role in the Bridgerton tv series, and I think a lot of the audience had come especially to see him. Anyway it was an excellent production and I loved it. London looked beautiful on this warm night as we walked to Tower Hill DLR station, and we had a brief and pleasant chat with Ally and Cat before bed.
My favourite quote from Richard II is by John of Gaunt, describing England as an idyll under threat from impending civil war:
“This royal throne of kings, this scepter’d isle,
This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars,
This other Eden, demi-paradise,
This fortress built by Nature for herself
Against infection and the hand of war,
This happy breed of men, this little world,
This precious stone set in the silver sea,
Which serves it in the office of a wall
Or as a moat defensive to a house,
Against the envy of less happier lands,
This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England”
Apparently this beat the previous record of 27.4C in Lossiemouth, Scotland, back in 1990. Needless to say I sweltered in the heat but by judicious walking in the shade when possible, and a lovely time paddling in the Serpentine, I managed fairly well. Most of England was also hot, although I heard that it has been cooler in Scotland.
In the morning we went to the V&A to see the Cartier exhibition. It was certainly glittering and opulent, but James and I agreed that we preferred the Fabergé exhibition that we saw at the V&A in 2022, because the exhibits seemed more skilled and intricate. Still, the Cartier jewellery was very fine and we enjoyed seeing it as well as having a refreshing cup of tea in the courtyard café, one of my favourite cafés in London. We then walked to the Serpentine Lido and found a bench in the shade, and although I was a disappointed that I could only paddle (because it turns out that swimming there doesn’t start until mid May) it was still wonderfully cooling. A few people didn’t see the signs and started swimming but they were swiftly spotted by the safety boats which were supervising the pedalos and told to get out of the water!
We walked through Hyde Park and Green Park in our way to the Bridge Theatre beside Tower Bridge. There were lots of people having picnics on the grass beside the river, it was lovely to see everyone enjoying the sunshine.
We had a very nice dinner in The Coal Shed, just round the corner from the theatre, and then we took our seats for Richard II, starring Jonathan Bailey. It was great! Despite not knowing very much about his reign, the play was easy to follow and the cast were superb. Bailey played Richard flamboyantly as a foolish, vain man, but thus resulted in more laughs from the audience than I think he intended. Jonathan Bailey is very popular just now from his role in the Bridgerton tv series, and I think a lot of the audience had come especially to see him. Anyway it was an excellent production and I loved it. London looked beautiful on this warm night as we walked to Tower Hill DLR station, and we had a brief and pleasant chat with Ally and Cat before bed.
My favourite quote from Richard II is by John of Gaunt, describing England as an idyll under threat from impending civil war:
“This royal throne of kings, this scepter’d isle,
This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars,
This other Eden, demi-paradise,
This fortress built by Nature for herself
Against infection and the hand of war,
This happy breed of men, this little world,
This precious stone set in the silver sea,
Which serves it in the office of a wall
Or as a moat defensive to a house,
Against the envy of less happier lands,
This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England”
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