Sunday, January 29th

I’m having a very quiet, contemplative day.  It remains very cold, but the snow forecast has been pushed back a few days. The TFL website is an incredibly useful tool that helps plan which public transit to take from any given address to a point of interest or another address.  Today I eyed it with the mindset of reducing exposure to the elements and picked the route with the least walking possible.

My plan to spend several hours at the Tate Modern was smashed. I got to two exhibit rooms—Calder’s sculptures and Kandinsky’s paintings.  There is no possible way I could take in more than that.  How Calder gets so much movement into inanimate objects is a mystery.  Absolutely joyful in how the sculptures dance and play with light and color. Most of it was magical except there were pieces I did not “get.”

Kandinsky’s colors and shapes spoke to some primal feelings that are, frankly, beyond my ability to articulate or even comprehend sufficiently to process. I really had to leave the museum and breathe some cold air to recover. I have appreciated his work before, but I guess it was either in a singular dose or in reproductions.  The room full of his paintings pulled on many emotions—serenity (rarely), vibrant excitement, warmth, calmness, depression, confusion, joy.  The experience bypassed my senses and played my emotions like a piano improvisation with each note coming at me as a surprise.  Didn't always take me somewhere welcome. Whew.

Back at home, I prepared and posted the lecture for Tuesday.  This prowling cat looked very annoyed that I busted in on his afternoon in the garden. Is that not a dirty "mad dog" from the cat?

Life is simple here.  When is the last time you saw a front door entry skeleton key?

I have my bedside now set up with the essential morning tools--two alarms so I do not arrive late to classes on Tuesday or Thursday.  Systems tested and working.

Anyone thinking about a a visit?  Here are dates I will be around.  It would be nice to have company for Paris.
Dates I will be traveling outside UK

Feb 17  Meet my friend, Nancy Harlan, in Madrid. Fly to Lisbon;  Return London evening of Feb 20

March 1 Meet my sister, Patty, in Barcelona.  Return to London March 4

March 8  Meet Nancy in Prague; return from Amsterdam evening of March 12

March 26—April 2 Jessica & Sonny in London (not staying here)

April 8^th Shannon arrives from Oregon stays with me  to the 15^th

April 19.  Last day of class.

April 20-24 Paris?  No definite plan. 

April 25 Frankfurt

Now that I have had a little tea and sandwich, I am ready to venture out to High Street again.  Here is the sound that best captures the mood.