Black Saturday

It is a cold, cloudy London that anticipates Easter. Streets were full with people getting preparations for Easter and two day holiday with markets closed.  I slept until 9 this morning--no idea how or why.  After coffee, I decided to take the #46 Bus to Notting Hill Gate and walk through the famous Portobello Market--the largest antique and fresh food market in EU.

Well, large it was and not for me.  What was I thinking?  Crowds, not high on my list of fun.  Shopping?  Even lower on my list of enjoyable activities.

The roads are torn up with detours and I wandered for awhile looking for a Bus stop for # 46, #18 or #24.

Instead, I came across the Paddington Arm of Regent Canal.  Students had mentioned taking canal rides, but this was the first sighting I had.  For 5 squid, "seniors" get a 90 minute ride through the Grand Canal past the London Zoo and on to Camden Town.

If I have not mentioned it before, Camden Town is a 2012 version of 1960 Haight Ashbury. And how iconic are these?

On a nicer day, it would be fun to take the waterway to Islington.  The chill today was too serious.  After a sandwich (salted beef--which we would call corn beef) and coffee, I came home and took a 3 hours nap.  What is up with all this sleep? I did not accomplish anything on the "to do" list except answer student emails.

Tomorrow I meet Shannon at Paddington Station, on the Heathrow Express platform at 8:30am.  My job is to keep her awake until at least 5pm so that the jet lagged tourist can begin getting sync with London time. She left home this morning to catch an 8am flight in Portland to Dallas.  Her Dallas flight is about 11 hours in coach.

We have reservations for an early dinner at the neighborhood gastropub--Wells Tavern with its divine chef.

I expect Shannon to crash soon after dinner, leaving me to do laundry and other trivial endeavors that were neglected today.

Shannon has packed an Easter Egg Color kit, so I get to do EGGS, Eggs,   Eggs and more EGGS!!!


Lucky me.  We'll be eating lots of omelettes if I can find a sharp enough tool to blow out the yolks and whites.  This girl can only face about 3 boiled eggs a month--so I need intact egg shells for the project--something I use a sheesh kebob skewer to accomplish at home.  This little flat has no skewers.  There is a pair of children's scissors (blunt edge) and a corkscrew in the utility drawer-- so it will be an experiment.
Happy Easter to all.