pints
This weekend was a holiday weekend here (What holiday you may ask? "August Bank Holiday". Apparently you don't need a very good reason or a fancy name to take the day off work.) which meant that the city was quiet, emptied out like San Francisco during Burning Man. OK, maybe not that quiet, but nice. No hustle, no bustle. A vacation from the crowd.
Saturday we met up with some people from the interbunny, Aussies who are in this country to make lots of money, more than they could do back home. Which is funny because we're not here to make more money, and in fact our income has taken a steep drop since making the move. We're here for the culture! We hung out near the river somewhere in Hammersmith, outside a pub where the wait staff hovered uncomfortably, ready to pick up an empty glass as soon as you set it down. It rained on us for a few minutes but then remained balmy and cloudy the rest of the day. The sun bled through the clouds in long rays like it always does, making me feel like Zeus or some other god is going to appear and have a few words with me. Of course that didn't happen. Instead we went to Leicester Square and had Japanese food at some hole in the wall place that was actually pretty good. Then we took too long at diner to catch Pirates of the Caribbean (oh damn!) so we went home and passed out from the exhaustion of riding the steamy underground all day. Man, I forgot how bad it is this time of year.
Sunday was better as we headed out on our scooter & motorcycle, picked up tons of goodies and had a little picnic at Hampstead Heath. Then we proceeded up to Kenwood house for a night of classical music and fireworks. We sat in crappy outdoor lounge chairs that looked like they were leftovers from the some war and watched the array of picnic wares our fellow Londoners had brought out for the occasion. I was amazed at the variety of foodstuffs as well as the sturdy cooler bags, flatware, china and crystal just for a picnic. The couple next us enjoyed at least a five course meal complete with champagne. The music was relaxing and the fireworks were whimsical, the best being a string of white sparks that streamed down like a waterfall into the pond in front of the orchestra.
Today I did nothing useful except contemplate the meaning of my life and go grocery shopping. I watched two episodes of Lexx from a DVD. I haven't had much energy lately, dunno why. I've been slacking on the one project I have to work on. oh. well.
Posted by shannon at 11:04 PM | Permalink
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I went to Putney today with a camera, which meant that there would be nothing interesting to shoot. It was high tide, deserted and dull.
I found this a bit amusing though. C-1 Parking! Mine is the blue one. Guess I'm not the only dork in town.
And last but not least, can you guess whats going on here? Click for full photo.
Posted by shannon at 11:48 PM | Permalink
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We have an early autumn in Battersea park, created by the heat wave: crinkly dried leaves on the ground because the heat shrivelled them off of their branches. I see lots of runners wearing American university logo t-shirts. Which could mean any number of things, but I find it a bit unnerving. You don't see people back home running in Oxford and Cambridge sportswear.
I love going to Putney now, I am so glad I discovered a new place to run. Someone recently asked me what is my favourite place in London, and they laughed when I told them Putney embankment. I love all the boathouses and rowers, the river and the shady path next to it. I love the boat launches, steep concrete beaches sloping almost straight down into the river. I love it when there is driftwood and other bits of debris washed up on the road from high tide. I love the happy hour and weekend crowds with their drinks sitting outside, and the barbeques at the boathouses full of tanned and toned people in beachy clothes. It doesn’t feel like you are in a city at all. Maybe that’s why I like it. I want to take some photos there. I will get to it soon and then you will see what I mean!
I think we may be able to get away for a few days next month, dunno yet. I still want to go surfing before it gets too cold. But planning a vacation with a dog is not an easy thing to do. Too bad we don't know anyone here willing to dog sit.
Posted by shannon at 12:23 PM | Permalink
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I think I will feel more at home here when I can go anywhere near Waterloo and not get ABBA stuck in my head. It's been over a year, you think I would get used to it. Maybe it just means: don't mess with the power that is ABBA! They certainly have more staying power than say, other combos of bands/places that I have lived near like REM (Rockville) or Dionne Warwick (San Jose).
We went to the movies this afternoon. Hopped on the back of the bike and went to see the indie flick All The Real Girls. While I didn’t feel the movie was as great as most of its rave reviews, I do think that any movie that makes you feel that you are watching real people, and that you are in a real place is worth something. And it felt really nice to get out of London and visit rural North Carolina, even if it was only for two hours.
I've been reading Cryptonomicon over the past few weeks, and even though the characters are great and there many many good parts, its just a bit tedious. I'm supposed to come up with a book for my book club to read next month, and I'm having trouble thinking of anything interesting. I'm tired of reading unsatisfying fiction. I don't see why I should inflict the crap on anyone else either. I wish we could just sit around and drink wine and chat like a proper book group, instead of actually talking about a book.
Posted by shannon at 08:12 PM | Permalink
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