My dear family & friends
The sun is beating down from a deep blue sky. It looks even bluer, almost African when I put my blue-tinted sunglasses on. The birds are singing and the bright colours of the crocuses are pushing up through the grass in the parks and along the roadside. The sun felt so warm on my back as I walked the dogs to favourite coffee shop no.2 in Leamington Spa this morning. Even as I write, the sun is streaming in through my study window. Spring is in the air. Or it would be if the weather forecasters weren’t predicting more winter weather from tomorrow. Bastards.
I don’t have much activity to report. Lucia got sick the week before last just as I recovered. Still, we had Anne, Richard and daughter Polly around for a pleasant dinner on the Friday night last weekend (that is, two Fridays ago) as much to show off our new home as to thank Richard for his invaluable assistance in helping us move. I cooked another stirfry from my Australian Women’s Weekly Stirfry Cookbook. I like cooking stiryfry’s because they’re easy and tasty; almost as easy as a braai (British: barbecue.) The rest of the weekend was spent kicking back, taking things slowly so that Lucia could nurse her cold/flu.
Moving on to the highlights of the week: We bought a new vacuum cleaner. Weyhey, way to go! Beat that! Actually it’s fantastic. There was nothing really wrong with the old one except for the fact that it wasn’t picking up the dog and cat hair from these crap carpets which was driving me to distraction. So Lucia spent hours poring over vacuum cleaner reviews on the internet and we eventually settled on the Miele Cat & Dog which, albeit quite expensive, gets the job done to my specifications and satisfaction.
I also spent a lot of time last week raking the moss out of our grass having covered the alleged lawn with a good sized dose of moss and weed killer and lawn feed. The price of the tools annoyed me once again. The rake cost £17! For a broom handle and a moulded piece of plastic. And even at that price it still sandpapered away the skin in the soft flesh between my thumb and forefinger. When I finished the job it was quite apparent that the previous tenants had not tended the garden well and that the “lawn” was more moss than grass. A proper thick green lawn is important to me because 1) I like it, and 2) the dogs walk less dirt into the house. I also gave a day away to cutting back some of the shrubs and bushes that line the fence.
And speaking of perfect lawns, I was doodling around on Google Earth the other day when I happened to take a look at our old home at Pinoak Road in Cape Town. I was greatly distressed to see that the pool was green and the lawn looking a bit dry and battered. The previous satellite picture on Google Earth clearly showed Hazel paddling in a sparkling blue pool next to a deep green lawn. I felt a bit sad.
My adventure last week was a trip into London on Thursday. You may think I’m a bit mad, but one of the objects of my mission was to go and see the new Westfield Shopping Centre in Shepherd’s Bush. I don’t really like shopping at shopping centres and usually avoid them when I can, but I’m fascinated by the architecture of these structures much like I’m fascinated by great bridges. (I still have to go and see the Millau Bridge in southern France.) As a shopping centre, Westfield definitely gets a thumbs up. It reminds me in many ways of the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town. The roof is mostly made of opaque skylights, which makes for a really light and airy feeling, as do the wide passageways. But I really couldn’t imagine a worse time to open a shopping centre given the global economic downturn. Westfield is quite upmarket and prices are not cheap. For instance, I stepped into the Marlborough shop because I really like their clothes and found a shirt that I desired greatly ... for £77. That’s just silly money and, in my opinion, one has got to be either very rich or a complete sucker to spend that sort of money on a shirt.
I had also intended to catch a couple of markets but I forgot my list at home. Instead I travelled across London on the Central Line to the financial district in the City of London to tour the grand landmarks like the Bank of England, the Royal Exchange (now a small, exclusive (read: very expensive) shopping precinct), Mansion House (home to the Lord Mayor of London), the London Stock Exchange, the Lloyd’s building, the Swiss Re building, the Leadenhall Market, and The Monument. Strange as it may seem, I had never really been interested in these institutions when I visited London before (long before I became a financial journalist.) I confess to being completely captivated by the modern landmarks of the Lloyd’s and Swiss Re buildings along with a couple of hundred other tourists and photographers. (See pictures in the usual spot at http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/llewellynijones.)
At The Monument, Christopher Wren’s memorial to the fire of London, I paid my £3 to climb the 311 stairs to the narrow viewing deck 60m up in the air. I must be getting old because I felt really scared up at the top. I remained pressed against the stone column as I edged my way around the viewing deck. It was probably the breeze that unsettled me. Heights have never really bothered me, but it just needs a little wind for me to reach desperately for things to hold on to. It reminds me of my time working as a waiter for a couple of months at the restaurant on the top of Table Mountain years ago while putting myself through university (second time round). Obviously we had to catch the cable car up and down every day, and it wasn’t always apparent what the wind was like on the first cable car up at 05h30. One morning Michael Palin, the ex-Monty Python travel presenter , was waiting with a film crew to join us on the first car up. About half-way up we were hit by a really vicious wind whipping across the face of the mountain. Palin cried out of sheer terror and huddled into a corner of the cab with one of the cooks who was just as terrified as he was. A member of the film production staff caressed his hand and whispered reinsuring encouragement all the way up. I wonder if he has forgiven me for exclaiming “Wheeeeeeeeeee!” Well, I thought it was funny.
Afterwards, I made my way back across London via the Jubilee and Victoria lines to Vauxhall for a late lunch at a Portuguese restaurant on the Albert Embankment called Casa Madeira. It’s a really nice spot; nothing fancy, very friendly, generous portions; the sort of place that transports you out of England to Portugal. The next time Lucia has to go to London for the day for work, I’m going to catch a late (cheap) train into London so that we can go there for dinner.
After lunch I strolled up the Albert Embankment next to the Thames, across the Lambeth Bridge, past the Houses of Parliament, and along Whitehall to Trafalgar Square where I went to the South African embassy to find out where we can vote in the coming election. But they knew nooooothing. Am I really surprised? They told me to call the IEC (Independent Electoral Commission) in SA. It would seem that although the ANC government has failed in the courts to exclude expatriate South Africans from voting in this election, they will do everything possible to make sure that we don’t. Do I hear echoes of Zimbabwe?
Back outside the embassy, I stood on Trafalgar Square wondering what to do next given that it was getting late in the afternoon. I looked across at St. Martins-in-the-Fields and at the advertising boards which promised music nearly every night in this historical church and felt a bit glum that we live so far away. But I crossed the road and went in as a baroque ensemble was practising for that night’s show. I sat in the pews for an hour as they rehearsed Summer and Winter from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and felt much enriched for the experience. Then I headed to Marylebone Station for the hour-and-twenty train ride home.
This past weekend was quiet again. Lucia had only just recovered from her cold/flu and was looking for a relaxing break after another hard week. She found some more wicker furniture for our conservatory at the tip and spent hours painting it blue. (See pics.) It’s looking rather good.
That’s it for now
Love, light & peace
Llewellyn
