Roses in January

[london1967]

 

This week I've been keeping up my resolution of burning a few more calories by shunning buses and walking after/before my train journey (normally Blackfriars in the morning, Victoria in the evening).

 

Walking makes you aware of the city much more (on the bus, I would normally go past Westminster Abbey, the Parliament, Downing Street and Trafalgar Square without even looking up from my paper).

 

I have sailed the world

beheld its wonders

from the Dardanelles,

to the mountains of Peru,

But there's no place like London!

I feel home again...

I could hear the city bells ring...

Whatever would I do?

No there's...

 

No place like London...

 

This morning I passed a blue plaque on the wall of the Savoy Theatre that states that it was the first public building in the world to be lit by electric lights.

 

You also see people queuing: yesterday well over a hundred people outside the Indian High Commission, and today a much shorter line outside the Donmar Warehouse for the day tickets to Othello with Ewan McGregor (the box office doesn’t open until 10 am).

 

Call me jaded but I don’t think I would spend hours in a queue for a show. Have you ever done it and what would you queue for?

 

*-*-*-*-*

 

I stopped at The Phoenix Garden just round the corner from work. It’s one of the many small hidden city gardens and rather pretty, even in winter.

I was amazed to see two rose bushes in bloom!!

 

*-*-*-*-*

The lyrics above are from Sweeney Todd: we went to see it last night (Mr. Todd’s “No place like London” wasn’t exactly meant as a compliment!).

 

I had planned to walk all the way to the cinema in Fulham Road but when I was in Green Park I didn’t feel well: I was very lightheaded and feared I would pass out (something that has never happened so far). I still pushed myself to walk as far as Harrods where I jumped on a bus (and also lost my woolly hat).

 

We enjoyed the film despite latecomers, people running in and out, the guys behind us talking. I would have happily turned them all into meat pies!

 

I thought that the “certificate 18” rating was rather excessive. It is really no bloodier or more realistically violent than an Itchy and Scratchy episode.

 

We left the cinema hungry for pastry. Good job that this Sunday we have some friends coming round for afternoon tea as we will have an opportunity for baking.

Comments

[djmadadam.livejournal.com]

Maybe it's a hemishpheric or regional figure of speech but, ewwww, do you know what a "meat pie" is, at least one of its connotations? Sure, turn them into that ;o)

[london1967.livejournal.com]

I am afraid I have no idea! And Google hasn't turn up with anything remotely gross.

[djmadadam.livejournal.com]

Think.

[london1967.livejournal.com]

Cow pat?

[djmadadam.livejournal.com]

Hint: "Hairy Taco".

[london1967.livejournal.com]

I see! I had to look that up too!!!
Not my cup of tea! LOL!

[le-lapin.livejournal.com]

What amazes me most is not so much that you pass by Westminster and the rest without even looking up (although...) than:
- you are capable of reading a newspaper while riding a bus.
- that you don't sync your PDA every morning and read the news from there or listen to some podcast.

[london1967.livejournal.com]

I can read almost anywhere! (well maybe not on a boat).

I'm afraid I'm quite old fashioned: I haven't got a PDA and don't really need one! :-)

[paulintoronto.livejournal.com]

1) Being healthy is good, of course, but as recently as late December 2007 you were looking pretty good.

2) Sweeney Todd -- the stage version that played in London a few years ago was excellent. Did you see it?

3) I'm too old to queue for hours, but in theory I would do so to see a play directed by Mnouchkine or Lepage or a dance performance choreographed by Pina Bausch or Jan Fabre.

4) 80% of the people who go to cinemas in Toronto should be made into meat pies. (Of either sort, but I admit I've never heard "meat pie" being used to refer to anything but meat pies.

[london1967.livejournal.com]

1) Well, thank you!
2) No, I missed that, I'm afraid.
3) I'm such a philistine that I had to look them all up!
4) Maybe we should start a business together. Meat pies are too unhealthy: let's make calzoni. You provide the meat, I'll bake! ;-)