English as She is Spoke
Wednesday was stormy upon departure from Cricklewood, sunny upon arrival on the South Bank. In the AM did a quick skinny in the Tate modern, lunch at Wagamama, then a matinee at the Young Vic. The plays, the first a…
Enough Blue Sky to Make a Dutchman’s Breeches
Tuesday was clear. Tuesday was cloudy. It was dry, it was drizzly. There was a breeze, then still. In short, Tuesday was an autumn day in London. In the morning I took the train down to Richmond and walked the…
Raw Material, Finished Article
BA 84 overnight to Britain. Westminster, Elizabeth Tower (aka Big Ben), the Eye. Kensington Gardens, back yard of Buck House, and a plane from Iran; something you don’t see everyday (or, you know, ever in Canada). The fly…
Sunshine on Leith
Seriously: The sun came out. I mean not for long, not all day, but still. No wonder it inspired The Proclaimers. We decided to make it a non-museum get our steps in final day in Edinburgh; we walked the Waters…
Broken Owl & Wall of Gingers
It drizzled, then it rained, then it pounded; it was June, it was Scotland. It baffled me that thousands of tourists, post-C19, had wilfully chosen Edinburgh for a vacation this summer. But they had, us among them. Not a…
Gardyloo
Despite the two hour time change, we both got a good sleep. We woke up to Edinburgh summer: Freezing. The sun was poking out but the wind was swift and unrelenting. Our efficiency suite has a small bedroom, but nicely…
So Long Swish Chalet
We parted ways with how the other half live and rejoined our tribe: In economy class, sardined inside funnel tubes that aren’t far removed from the Central Services supply ducts of Gilliam’s Brazil. From the seashore looking up, from…
There May Be a Protest
Well the last day was a long one but not much to report except several hours in the Galleries First and then a pretty smooth flight home. An early check-out unfortunately, an uneventful cab ride to Paddington, a delayed express…
I Did Not Dare Miss It
An empty platform midday. Imagine that. First thing, in the blaring sun, I went to Camden Town to run an errand. The 46 gets there in about seven stops from the flat. I had to see someone about a…
Racket Abuse
It was the second double double header of tennis. The morning crowds were not as thick and testy as Tuesday: Monfils had dropped out of the tournament due to his lingering rib injury. But at the year end event, they…