Spring heat wave: March 27

Greetings.  Work and company interrupted my blogging, but let me catch up with some highlights.
We are having the warmest March weather since 1968. Average daytime temperature all week has been 24C (75 degrees F).

The fruit trees all over town are in bloom and these crab apple blossums make me swoon.

Nancy arrived Thursday evening and I met her at Paddington Station.  After dropping her bag at the flat, we walked to the Flask Tavern for Fish and Chips. Friday morning we set out before 7am to catch the student field trip coach in Kensington.  The two hour drive (compared to 50 minutes by train) got us to Brighton at the Southern tip of England mid morning.  

We set off to walk the Victoria era (restored) pier.  It was like the Pike in the 1950’s with bumper cars, rollercoaster, food concessions—selling, however, cockles and mussels.  Also, unlike the Pike it was clean without the unsavory characters that frequently that venue.

Then we walked to the Pavillion.  What a strange place the Prince Regent  built in the 18^th C—one that Queen Victoria thought reflected her Uncle’s crassness.  It was over the top opulent, but interesting.  

The Prince built it as an homage to his Roman Catholic wife (a marriage not recognized by the King).  When Prince Regent ran out of money, he had to borrow from the King who insisted on a proper marriage--arranged, of course.  Marriage occurred and Prince could not stand the smelly, unkempt wife.  After one and only night together, she conceived the Princess Charlotte.  The Prince had long since returned to his RC wife in Brighton and continued to work on the Pavillion.

After our tour, we poked through the 17^th Century lanes with an assortment of retro shops and made our way to UK’s most highly regarded vegetarian restaurant—Terre a Terre. 

It was some kind of wonderful.  Nancy had a beetroot soup and some corn cakes which had elegant spices and were delicious.  I had RajRammi (who knows?) which consisted of a potatoe pancake resting on some butternut squash puree covered in aubergine sauté with a topping of cooked pineapple and coconut.  Sounds weird, but was really special.

Nancy brought the bears, of course.

Then we photographed some graffiti and found our way back to the sea to return to London.  

It was a long drive in Friday traffic.  Friday after bathing and wrapping in warm clothes we went out to look at Parliament, Big Ben and the Tower Bridge.  

London Tower bridge

Parliament building.

Walked around Westminster and enjoyed the Friday night sites, although by 10:30 pm when we got on the tube for home, the drunks were beginning to outnumber us. 

Saturday we visited the National Gallery, ate Morrocan food for lunch, had the best cup of coffee I have ever tasted at Monmouth Coffee Company and visited Buckingham Palace.  The warm spring weather took a big chill and we were really cold by 6pm so headed home. Always nice to have a little time with Cezanne, Pissaro, Van Gogh and Monet.

Sunday Morning Nancy went off to Tate Modern while I caught up on backlogged work.

Turns out the “mystery” bird is a magpie. I see them all over Hampstead in pairs.  They are slightly smaller than crows and apparently as universally disliked.

In addition to robbing songbirds' nests, they steal bright shiny objects--like buttons off shirts on clotheslines.  They are often in twoseys as they mate for life and said to be the most intelligent of all birds. 


Nancy returned to Spain yesterday and after class today, I took the train to Watford Junction with the idea of taking photos of signs for the Watford family namesake.  When I discovered the return trains leave only hourly, I cut the photo journey off.

The return was on an express train and allowed me some interesting views of railroad art--as opposed to street art.

I never take photos of children without parent's permission, but could not resist this--I think his face is sufficiently obscured to meet my standard--this 7 or 8 year old is waiting for his 7:30am train while reading the morning paper in his school uniform.

Priceless.


I now have less than a month left in London and it feels like a party ending too soon.  I am so content here, but I am feeling the pull of home too.
Work to do.  Sending peace, love and good vibes.