Thursday, July 15, 2010



A knit tag, discovered en route to my beloved Konditor and Cook.



We took some day trips over the last weekend, complete with handouts containing background info and thinking questions.



You would not believe how hard it was to get a picture that would let me pretend I was alone in the middle of nowhere without a concession stand or car park in sight.



I nearly added Mousie to the load while doing laundry in a rush--luckily, I spotted her as I was adding detergent and a little rinsing in the sink and drying under the window put her to rights. Had I not gotten her out, it would have been disastrous on two counts--Mousie is not at all superwash, and the load in question was my whites.



Dover Castle--a real live castle!



Dickens frequented this tavern. They also have fantastic Welsh rarebit (or rabbit).



The Prime Meridian!



The garden behind Shakespeare's birthplace in Stratford-Upon-Avon



More Shakespeare--if you can get to a good performance, be assured it will blow the printed version out of the water.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

A Very Busy Week

Mousie and I have had a very busy week and a half:

The Tube to the Barbican, with its funny above ground Tube stop--once to see the library



And once to see a play (Nevermore)



Running with petroglyph beasties at the British Museum on a proper field trip, on which we did not get lost



With just a little time for coffee breaks. It's a funny fing that there is no drip to be found in London--just espresso. Not that I'm complaining, I just think it's unusual.




Sunday, July 11, 2010

It's a Taxi!



I finally got a picture. I've been too busy not to get run over by them to get a good picture of one in action, so here's a parked taxi Mousie and I found on our way to this place:



You may have heard of it. By the grace of a stranger, we got a groundling ticket for the box office rate and got to stand right up front for King Henry IV, Part One. It was a fabulous show, enthusiastically performed, and humorous enough to set straight anyone with the idea that Shakespeare is meant to be completely solemn and dignified. Being a groundling is essentially standing, like at a rock concert, and it's the best--the actors walk through the crowd to make many entrances and exits, you can see really well, and unlike most rock concerts I've been to, the crowd was really well behaved. The two ladies behind me even suggested a good angle for a photo:



Mousie and I were quite pleased.

Friday, July 9, 2010

Right Book, Right Time


On Thursday, we visited the British Library, and by luck or fate, I found a copy of Neverwhere. I'd thought of that book when we were on the Circle Line (which actually makes a sort of curlicue shape) and passed the closed Blackfriars station, which features in the early part of Neverwhere.

Then I remembered more of the story--how Richard comes to London from a small town, how he gets sore feet in the Tate, and how he eats curry in the Floating Market. And the more I remembered, the more I wanted to reread it--and there it was, in the British Library bookshop.

I started rereading it almost immediately, and it is perfect, the right book at the right time. I am generally terrible at reader's advisory, but I will say without reservation that anyone traveling to London for the first time and suddenly feeling that it might be a bit much for a person (and who doesn't mind a little fantasy, either), Neverwhere is required reading. Don't argue. It is.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Very British Things

After a solid day of taking pictures of architectural detail, I realized I had hardly any of the iconic British things--so here's a stab:



Organic Wensleydale wool from Annie Sherburne!



A building on either Fleet Street or the Strand, I can't remember which because we were sort of lost from the group at the time!



A red telephone booth!



Fish and chips from The Plough!



No surprise, Mousie and I are in serious need of rest at the end of each day.

Sunday, July 4, 2010

London So Far

Already, we've seen and done a ton, so here's a few quick things:



My hair had a bit of trouble adjusting to the fact it's rawther humid, for one.



But there's a lovely church with a garden next door to the dormitory...



Where Mousie and I go to enjoy our Konditor and Cook.



Yesterday we got a bit lost, but ended up finding a pretty little park



...And the British Museum.

Friday, July 2, 2010

We're Here



I am not thrilled with the bathroom, but Mousie likes the view.