Goodness gracious, great balls of fire!

One little acorn, oh were have you been?

I've been to London to visit the Queen...

 

Funnily enough, I traveled all that way hoping to surprise Her Maj with my unexpected visit, and she was thinking exactly the same thing about me. Turns out, she was dropping by my place in Melbourne at the precise moment I was hoping on sharing a couple of scones and pot of tea with her at the palace!

Funny how things happen like that sometimes! I really must plan it a little more carefully next time! We are both busy people afterall...

Art & drama in London...

We continue to keep busy. The pace is relentless and the list of destinations is seemingly endless.

I'll admit to craving a day of rest. A day where we can stay local, stay away from London underground, a day where we can hang out and do pretty much nothing... But then, as we did this morning, we look again at the list of things we still want to do and realise there really isn't time to rest. For now in any case.

Today, as every day, it was worth the extra burst of energy.

First up this morning we headed to Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, followed by the Tate Modern. Both were high on our must see list, and both were new destinations since the last time I was in London.

The Globe Theatre is open by tour only and was introduced to us by a very theatrical and excellent guide. It is a remarkable building and it was easy to imagine a play on the stage. Unfortunately the season is over for this year so we were unable to view a performance, but it was still well worth a visit.






After we had finished there, we walked less than 5 minutes to the converted Bankside power station next door, which is now home to the Tate Modern.

The 7 levels of modern art ranging from photography and sculpture to multimedia, painting and art installations is extensive and too much to absorb in one visit. But wow.

I was especially taken with a temporary exhibition by artist Taryn Simon called "A living man declared dead and other chapters. I-XVIII" which was created over the course of 4 years. It was a touching and insightful photographic display and narrative. Well worth a visit if you happen to be in London anytime before January 2nd 2012. I'd love to hear your thoughts if you get to see it.

Tomorrow we are having a break of sorts... a day out of town with a trip to Oxford. At least on the trip there and back we get to sit down for a while!

Squeezing all we can into six weeks...

I sat on the tube on my first day in London... Listened to the scraping and squealing of the wheels on the rails, the beeps announcing the closing of the doors, the "mind the gap" warnings... I felt the uneven jolting and rocking of the carriages and the gusts of stale air as underground tunnels were negotiated... And I felt as if I had never been away.

So many things have remained as I remember them. I have been genuinely surprised to find streets are lined with many of the same shops. That buses travel the same routes to the same destinations. Pubs still smell the same (sans the stale smell of cigarettes) and bar staff still welcome patrons with the standard "alright?"

The chaos of central London is certainly more frantic, and yet the relative calm of Richmond (where I used to live, and am now lucky to be staying) feels like the haven it always did.

And as for my long list of things 'uncool' about London in yesterday's post, rest assured, there are so many more things that ARE cool. London public transport is awesome. The history, the tradition, the icons of London are ageless and still take my breath away. The art is brilliant. The shopping is varied and full of treasures (and a lot of crap too!). The shows are vibrant and affordable (if you're willing to sit in the gods!)

The scale of everything here is breathtaking. Each turn uncovers another icon or a hidden treasure. It's easy to fill hours just walking the streets and catching the sights or grabbing a seat somewhere and watching the world go by.

I am loving being back here after all this time. Every now and then I pinch myself to remind myself I am here and how lucky we are to be able to spend six weeks exploring and enjoying it all.

So far I have returned to many places I have been before, but I have also explored new areas too. Windsor and it's castle, Trafalgar Square, Big Ben and parliament, the London Eye, Covent Garden, Piccadilly Circus, Oxford Street, Hyde Park... Hampton Court Palace, the National Gallery, the British Museum, the Wallace Collection, Kew Gardens. Les Miserables. A long weekend in Aberdeen, Scotland visiting family friends.

Phew! Did I say we'd been busy?

Being a tourist is exhausting. But there's still so much to see and do...

There's still the Globe Theatre, Portobello and Spitalfields markets, The Mousetrap, the Foundling museum, the Tate Gallery... And a few trips out of London... a trip to Bath or Salisbury where we can also catch up with blogging friend Trash... we have a four night trip to Barcelona booked and (time permitting) we might even squeeze in a two night break in Paris. Not to mention catching up with Lucia & Felipe when they get back from Brazil.

Busy times.

Busy busy times.

Incredible London...

Well here I am, back in the motherland and still a little bit amazed I am here!

Good friends from when I lived here 15 years ago contacted me in July to say they were off to Brazil for a month and offered me and my Mum the use of their flat. Refusal was not an option of course. What an incredible offer.

As you know, I have been here since Sunday... since then I have been jumping on busses into central London and locally, walking heaps, and stopping every now and again to pinch myself. I have been talking about returning for so long now, it still doesn't quite feel real. And yet funnily enough it all feels very comfortable and familiar. Strange.

Mum arrives tomorrow and will take a few days to recover and then we'll be go go go. Mum is keen to do some family history research and the national archives are within walking distance, so that's perfect and London is definitely calling!

We have no set plans, but will spend quite a bit of time in London, galleries, museums, soaking up the atmosphere visiting a few old favourite places, and probably do a few side trips.

We're planning a trip to Aberdeen to visit with friends and hopefully a short break in Barcelona to get some sun and see the Gaudi sights.

No doubt it all sounds rather vague, and it is... But we will make some decisions in the coming days and then prob change them as we go! We head back to Australia via Abu Dhabi on Oct 29, so we have time to be a bit flexible.

I have never been to Barcelona before, so any advice/recommendations would be great.

London Calling...

There was a time I called London home.

I returned to Australia in 1996, having lived there for nearly 8 years, and I have missed it ever since.

It's been a long time. Too long, yes?

Well, in September, I will be returning at last. And I am totally excited. I can't wait to visit with old friends, go back to some favourite places, to see the sights, to haunt the galleries, to soak up the atmosphere.

In some ways, I feel like I'm heading home.

Not just pink boas and heavy make-up...

Today is the anniversary of the birth of Dame Barbara Cartland. Happy Birthday Babs!

Some time ago, I stumbled upon a documentary about Dame Barbara Cartland. I paused for a moment to amuse myself, and found, to my total surprise that I was transfixed. She was an incredible woman. I had always imagined her pink outfits and thick make-up to be an indication of a woman of little substancce. I was wrong. She became a mainstay of the popular media in her trademark pink dresses and plumed hats, an expert on matters of love, marriage, politics, religion, health and fashion. To most people she was known for her prolific romance writing, but in reality she was so much more. Barbara Cartland was an amazing woman.

Not only was she a successful and well-loved author but she also lived a truly amazing life which spanned two world wars.

She was born 9th July, 1901 and her father was killed on a Flanders battlefield in World War 1 and her mother raised her and her two brothers - who were both killed (one day apart) in World War 2.

Cartland became successful as a society reporter and writer of romantic fiction. After a year as a gossip columnist for the Daily Express, Cartland published her first novel, Jigsaw (1923), a slightly naughty society thriller that became a bestseller. One of her plays, Blood Money (1926), was banned by the Lord Chamberlain’s Office. She sold over 1,000 million books sold in over 36 countries, giving her a place in the Guinness book of Records.

During the Second World War Barbara Cartland was Chief Lady Welfare Officer in Bedfordshire looking after 20,000 service men and women. She had the idea of gathering as many wedding dresses as she could for hire, so that service brides would have a white dress to wear on their wedding day. She bought 1,000 second hand gowns without coupons and made many brides’ big day, very special. In 1945 Barbara Cartland received the Certificate of Merit from Eastern Command.

The war marked the beginning of a life-long interest in civic welfare and politics for Barbara Cartland, who served the War Office in various charitable capacities as well as the St. John Ambulance Brigade; in 1953 she was invested at Buckingham Palace as a Commander of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem for her services.

In 1955 Barbara Cartland was elected a councillor on Hertfordshire County Council and served for nine years. One of Barbara’s passions was fighting for better conditions and salaries for midwives and nurses. Through this cause she became a Dame of Grace of the Order of St John of Jerusalem, Chairman of the St John Council in Hertfordshire and Deputy President of the St John Ambulance Brigade.

In the early 1960’s she campaigned for the rights of gypsies’ to have a permanent place to live which resulted in an act of Parliament. One of the first gypsy camps was opened by Barbara Cartland in 1964 and called Barbaraville and there are now 14 in Hertfordshire. This has meant thousands of gypsies and their families have a place to call home and their children can be educated in their local area.

In 1964 Barbara founded the National Association for Health in the UK, of which she was President.

As well as her romantic novels she also wrote books on health and vitamins and was a great believer in the healing power of honey and the benefits of vitamins. She also wrote a number of cookery books; the recipes from which were often used in the House of Commons.

In 1978 she sang an Album of Love Songs with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

In 1981 Barbara was made a Dame of the Order of the British Empire in the New Year’s Honours List by Her Majesty the Queen, for her contribution to literature and for her work for the Community.

Barbara Cartland produced a total of 723 titles. After years of wearing her trademark anti-wrinkle cream and heavy makeup, she had herself photographed repeatedly without any cosmetics before she died. She was 98 years of age at her death.

Due to her concern for the environment, she requested to be buried in a cardboard coffin. This request was honoured and she was buried at her estate in Hatfield under a tree that had been planted by Queen Elizabeth I.

Much of the information for this post was found at barbaracartland.com

What I miss about London #3...

Of all the things I miss about London, I miss my friends the most.

I lived in a number of houses in London, sharing with as many as 10 other people in Stoke Newington, to just the two of us (me and Al - my partner at the time) in Chiswick, Kew Gardens, Shepherds Bush, Manor House and Richmond.

In such an incredible city, many of my memories are connected with my beautiful friends. Amongst them, we shared a house (and became good friends with) our Brazilian buddies Lucia, Felipe and Monica (and her Pommy partner Robert). We shared home-made chocolate brownies, tv show Friends, a good laugh and a passion for car boot sales! We often ate together, and celebrated many special occasions in their good company.

We had a couple of great parties - this one was a 'crazy' party. We all had to dress up in something 'offbeat'. It was a funny funny night. When they first entered our room - converted into the dining room for the night - we stood and laughed at each other uncontrollably for ages before we all got it together! I couldn't find a photo of me, but I wore a garbage bag with a trim of pegs and a plant pot on my head, complete with plant!
from left, Robert, Al, Lucia, Monica and Felipe.

We don't write often, and even emails are pretty sporadic. Nevertheless, I think of them a lot, with a smile on my face, and miss them to this day.

It happens to be Lucia's birthday today.
Happy Birthday Lucia!

Banksy

I was catching up on some regular blogs last night and came across a post by Brooke at Boobooksausagedogs. It reminded me I had been intending to post about the very same artist for a while now. On the first day of my arts course we went exploring some of Melbourne's galleries and was introduced to Banksy's work (in the street not in a gallery). I had taken a photo of his graffiti in Melbourne and was going to post it - so at last - here it is.

Keeping his identity a closely guarded secret, the graffiti artist Banksy has made a name for himself with provocative images stenciled around the streets of London. This British street artist with an international reputation has also left his mark in a narrow Melbourne laneway... It's near a corner of a small alleyway just off Flinders Lane, between Degreaves and Swanston Streets.


Funny thing is, it has been valued at $400,000 due to the artist's notoriety! Melbourne council, in it's wisdom, have decided to cover (protect) the artwork (due to it's rumoured value) with a piece of perspex. Hmmm. This is totally against the intentions of the artist, and it is likely will do little to protect the original, but rather be the perfect surface for Melbourne graffiti artists to comment on the councils intellect.

I thought the Banksy website was interesting and I liked a lot of his work. It's worth a look if you are interested. There is a range of images of indoor and outdoor work and some films too. He even has a shop!

"Everything in the shop is free, simply download the file and process the artwork. This shop is for personal amusement only. Please don't use it to start a business. Thanks."

My Mum is amazing...

My Mum is amazing...
She turned 68 on Sunday and she rose at her regular time of 7am, dressed and then walked the short distance to the local beach and went swimming. It was only 9 degrees. It is a daily routine in Summer and she generally continues well into April when it eventually gets too cold. As she swam, I went for a walk and met her as she emerged smiling and pink from the cold and the glow of the rising sun.

My Mum is amazing...
She has raised 3 brilliant children (all now in their 40's) and loves them all despite the fact none of them have produced any Grandchildren. She has an oak trunk full of hand knitted goodies ready and waiting for gifting to friends and family with new babies.

My Mum is amazing...
She cooks an incredible traditional Christmas dinner which has been enjoyed across the years by extended family and friends from all corners of the globe. Her Christmas pudding is impossible to stop at one helping.

My Mum is amazing...
She understands the importance of silence without the need for conversation.

My Mum is amazing...
She is an extensive reader. Of course this often makes it a bit tricky to buy her books as gifts, but she always has a book at hand to recommend and a pile more at her bedside waiting to be read.

My Mum is amazing...
She has a wicked sense of fun and likes playing jokes. When she was visiting me in London once, I returned home from work on Halloween night, to find a burning jack-o-lantern in our darkened room and her draped in a sheet, waving her arms, and making ghost noises in the corner. I was in my late 20's at the time, but boy did we laugh!

My Mum is amazing...
Last year Mum was instrumental in helping 2 local elderly ladies escape the constraints of a greedy niece who was intent on locking them into a nursing home and selling their home in their absence. After a rather lengthy and stressful battle, their home is now safe and they have now returned to live in peace in their own space. With the support of Mum and a few local women who visit them daily, they will hopefully stay there for some time to come.

My Mum is amazing...
At 68, she loves a round of golf, cooks a wicked roast dinner, is a tough scrabble opponent and is a cryptic crossword guru. She always greets me with a hug and a smile and enjoys the company of a large group of friends. On Sunday she turned 68 and yet I know she still feels like she's in her 40's. No wonder we are such good friends!

Happy Birthday Mum. I love you, and just in case you didn't know, I think you're amazing.

What I miss about London #2

Squirrels. I love them.

Apart from the fact they are cute and tiny, they have a mischievous way about them that makes them appealing. They are timid yet curious. And they are everywhere. These guys live in the middle of London and out in the country. Go to a park and have a picnic, they will come and say hello.

My first encounter with one was in the middle of winter as I walked through the local gardens rugged up in scarf, hat, coat ... layer upon layer of wool. There was a squirrel jumping through the grass looking for food and it was so cute I decided it was a worthy friend with whom to share my malteezers. So I threw one in his general direction, in a friendly manner so as not to scare him away.

Well... his little nose twitched and he came quickly upon the bounty, holding it to his face to draw in the smell. It was the size of a small football and no doubt too good to be true. It was gone within seconds.

I had a few laughs as he downed a couple more without hesitation. I watched as his eyes began to sparkle with his first sugar rush. It probably wasn't the best of things to do, but it was entertaining. In the following years, having decided malteezers weren't the healthiest of options, I fed them nuts.

One Christmas I lined up a row of different nuts just to see the reaction... A walnut, a hazelnut, a peanut and an almond.

It didn't take long for a squirrel to appear. And it didn't know where to start. It immediately went to the familiarity of the peanut. Shoved it in it's mouth, went to run away and then spied the hazelnut. It was a small balancing act, but he managed to pick it up. With bounty in hand (and ready to retreat), he glanced to his right and came upon the nut of his dreams... The walnut.

He was cartoonish in his reaction. "What do I do? How can I carry that too? What the *@?$! is THAT thing? It's huge. All my Christmases have come at once." (Yes, I believe, squirrels celebrate Christmas!) It didn't take him long to bury what was already in hand an return. I hope he burried that walnut and let it soften a little, there was no way he was going to get into it otherwise.

What I miss about London #1

There are many things I miss about London.

It was my home for nearly 8 years and was the place I spent the majority of my 20's. There are many things I miss. Friends. The sights. The history. The seasons. The beautiful architecture. The easy lifestyle. Perhaps it is my youth I miss the most.

It is at this time of year, as my garden breaks out in pockets of bright orange and pink and the scent of fresia's magically fills the air, that I am reminded of the beauty of London that I have left behind.

Springtime is my favourite time of year in London. The winter is cold and grey and daylight hours are short. I would leave for work in the morning when it was still dark, and watch the grey light fade entirely from the sky around 3pm. On the whole it was a depressing time of year. Certainly there were winter pleasures - an open fire, a warm pub, the lazy walks to riverside cafes - but I was always glad to see the signs of it's departure.

In early May, the signs began. A few brave daffodils, slowly receding hours of darkness, and clear sharp mornings with frosty grounds were how it began. And then, almost overnight, it burst forth. The daffodils spread in huge panels of yellow through parks and along local streets, birds returned with a shrill song of morning greetings and in the woodlands, bluebells mingled in the dappled sunshine. It was truly beautiful. Magnolias sprung open and bare branches gave way to bright fresh shades of green. Within days, colour had returned to London's monotone pallette.

Moods lifted, smiles returned, life began again...

Ask and the universe shall provide...

A story about white feathers...

Many years ago now, when I was working and living in London, there was a woman who was coming to London to hold a seminar that I wanted to attend. Her name was Denise Linn. Denise is an international lecturer, healer, and author who teaches about the benefits of working with subtle energies, feng shui, and space clearing.

OK, go with me here, I can already hear groaning from some people. Keep an open mind...

She teaches from wisdom she has learned from Native Americans as well as from other native cultures around the world and is a widely acclaimed speaker. Nowadays she has written 14 books, covering areas which may or may not be of interest to you from Feng Shui to Sacred Spaces. In any case, I really wanted to go and see (hear) her speak. The sessions were unsurprisingly rather pricey. And so, whilst I wanted to go - a lot - I couldn't really justify the cost.

Part of her marketing said if white feathers started to appear in your life, then it was a 'sign' you were meant to attend. I am pretty open minded about these things, however I am also of the belief there are a lot charlatans out there. Unfortunately there are also a lot of gullible people who follow blindly without questioning and this sort of ploy could well be looked upon as a bit of a gimmick (or at worst a scam). I was a little bit cynical, never the less, I decided to keep an open mind and be more awake to any signs that might come my way.

Over the course of the next few weeks I did find white feathers entered my life. Or perhaps I was just more aware of them! Of course they were in the park around areas where birds gathered and of course they were around areas where there was open air eating and birds picked their way through spared crumbs. It was, I decided, an excellent marketing tool... I was not an easy convert.

The day I walked to the bus stop and a white feather drifted down from the sky and landed in my hand, it did seem a little out of the ordinary, and yet I remained unconvinced. The week-end before the talk, I sat in my front room arguing within my head as to whether I should just 'bite the bullet', pay the money and go along to the seminar. Finally I decided I needed a stronger sign, something more conclusive.

I asked that white feathers come to me in the form of a pattern. That would be the only way I would be persuaded. And then I went for a walk.

My partner and I walked to Chiswick House and gardens. This heritage house is beautiful and set in a 65-acre estate in West London and it was a local favourite on a Sunday afternoon. I did not speak of my 'request'. We talked as we wandered along and enjoyed the fresh air and quiet escape from the busy streets. Not far from where we planned to stop for a drink in the garden cafe, I looked down to the edge of the path and there, delicately arranged, were 5 single white feathers set out like the spokes of a wheel. Seriously. It took my breath away. There was no question. White feathers. Just as I had asked. Amazing.

Needless to say I attended the seminar and was impressed by what I heard. Denise was indeed an interesting person to hear speak. She had a certain calm and belief I admired. I couldn't tell you the details now (it was nearly 20 years ago and the details have faded somewhat) but I do remember her words touched me at the time. White feathers still remind me of that magical moment.