Sunday 9 November 2008

MY SON, ME AND TRAFALAGER SQUARE




I'm back and have I had a wonderful time!

Got to west London, where Kit lives mid afternoon, a few cups of tea and lots of chat ensued. Followed by my doing three haircuts, as in son and his house mates before we two set off for dinner. Fantastic Sri Lankian restaurant within walking distance. The food was wonderful and the restaurant got jam packed withing 30 minutes of us getting there. Don't think it was that word went round that we were there though, more the quality of the food!!

Next stop was the pub, with the house mates and one girlfriend of a housemate. Sort of pub that has board games lying around, so there was no choice but to get the Scrabble out. Now I'm no slouch at Scrabble, but playing it with four Cambridge graduates, well lets say I held my own but only just.

Saturday Kit went to the local bakery for fresh croissants. My perfect breakfast coffee and warm croissants, my idea of heaven.

Exit housemates, and then we set off to Leicester Square tube, to go to the National Portrait Gallery to see the Annie Leibovitz exhibition.

An amazing exhibition, the juxtaposition of her astonishing professional work with small snaps of her family, and some of her best friend Susan Sontag's struggle with breast cancer and eventual death.

There were many breath taking photos, but the ones that particularly touched me, were two small snaps of Susan lying in the bath. She has had a mastectomy and has her hand over her scar, so that you see her the rest of her naked in the bath, as you would expect. For me it echoed the photograph that I have put up on my blog of my showing my scar as a badge of acceptability and my hand over my breast as I didn't ever want the picture to be seen as a sexual come on.

The power of photographs really resonates with me. Not that I would in anyway compare myself to someone of Leibovitz's skill and wonderful talent. It was just the irony of our perceptions. Both very valid and pertinent and saying something about the people involved.

From there it was round the corner to the National, the rain had stopped and we stood on the steps admiring Trafalgar square with the view down to Big Ben and the Palace of Westminster. So photos had to be taken!

In the National Gallery, Kit and I are of the same mind, and go straight, and only to the Impressionists. And then we narrow that down to Monet, who we both adore. They have some very fine paintings of his there.

After some lunch we go to Foyles bookshop, made famous by the film Charing Cross Road. About the woman who started the shop, Christina Foyle and her correspondence with an American for many years. I bought books and went for coffee to start reading one of them, whilst Kit continued his perusal of all things literary.

Charing Cross Rd is one side of Soho, so we went further down into Soho and on to Covent Garden and watched the street entertainment there. A guy in a kilt, juggling three massive knives, whilst balanced on the top of a ladder that he maneuvered around to stay upright, after first, or course making music by blowing through one of the holes on the side of the ladder!!

Then to the days final activity, Leicester Square Odeon for James Bond. This cinema is the most famous in England, and is where, if they have film premieres they will happen there. So the seats are leopard skin print.....

James Bond, was good enough, but that's all. Kit was disappointed with it. We both agreed that the story line was weak, in that it's about getting revenge for the death of Vespa in Casino Royale. Daniel Craig was needless to say gorgeous and Judy Dench was very good. It seemed to have messy fight scenes. Don't get me wrong I was entertained by it, but it wasn't the nearly as good as Casino Royale.

Then tube home to sit around with milk and biscuits.... me, and wine and garlic bread.... Kit. I know that's sad, but I had drunk enough the night before and I was too knackered to be able to enjoy drinking.

Today I took Kit to Richmond Park to see if we could spot any deers, which we did. And in the way of these things I said 'Hello Deers' to them and they of course replied, 'Hello Sweethart' to me. Think about it!!

I've been invited to go back soon, not only by Kit, but also his housemates, which I think is really lovely. And so we have planned to go to the Bodyworks exhibition next, followed by Kew Botanical Garden when the weather warms up.

How lucky am I???

Now I've just got to hang around for a couple of weeks before I go to New York for Thanksgiving, to stay with an English friend who's having a sabbatical over there for 4 months.

It's a tough life......

25 comments:

Wild Cat said...

Glad you had a great time x

Lori ann said...

Lucky I'd say! What a wonderful time you had. A perfect get-a-way. Bond was only so-so? We'll have to wait till it comes out this friday. There is another award for you at my place FB.
xx

Dark Side said...

Sounds like a perfect weekend after the week you have had...roll on New York..x

virtualjourney said...

Glad it went well - must get up to the portrait gallery and have a look. Just been having a look through your book.
Think one of the best things you're doing is putting it down so its easy for people to read.

You done anything on blogging addiction? - the number of posts/comments I read from people who say it's a problem (to some extent) is surprising. I've just written a bit on my wordpress blog.

(No professional background, but did a bit of basic counselling training a few years ago as we're in a people job).

Lady in red said...

glad you had a good time, remind me not to play you at scrabble

Lady in red said...

glad you had a good time, remind me not to play you at scrabble

Miss Robyn said...

I loved reading this post.. I breathed it all in - thanks!
what a wonderful time it sounds.. making more memories with your son, fantastic xoxo

Annie Wan said...

i liked it for its fast pace and action but yeah the baddie was not quite bad enough and bore a disturbing resemblance to the darling!

sparrow said...

Niiiiiice. You make biscuits and milk sound delicious, LOL!!!

See how you are? You take something 'ordinary' and make it 'original' and beautiful.

I love that.

I love that you had a wonderful time. AND, you're going to be on our continent! Yay!!!!!!!

trousers said...

Sounds great all round. I think it's about time I got myself back down to London for a day or so...

Fire Byrd said...

cat, I did. It was also good to know that where he is living is close by where I used to live when I was there a million years ago. I lived in Kingston.

Lori you're right I am very lucky indeed. and I get an award as well, even better.

raexx it was simply the antidote to it all. And now I feel relaxed and ready to take on whatever comes.well at least tonight!

VV, uuumm blogging addiction, that would include me then.... I'm a lost cause here, but it's cheaper than retail therapy!!

lady, you've spoilt the surprise of the party then!!! NOT ....LOL

robyn, it was lovely to have the time with Kit he is such good company.

mel did you see the baddy when he was in the film the butterfly and the diving bell, now that was a good film?

pixie, I quite often have milk and biscuits, it's a childhood thing to make me feel safe. As it was what we had for supper as children.

xxxxxxxxx

Fire Byrd said...

trousers, it's a great place but exhausting. That's why it was so nice in the middle of the day to stop have a coffee and ground myself in reading a couple of chapters of a book, just to get back to me in alll the hurly burly.
x

Merkin said...

Hiyah, FireyOne, glad to see you had a good time.
Warm croissants?
Too late at night and nowhere ope here.
First thing tomorrow.

PS had to put you out of your misery over your last post on my blog.


http://tinyurl.com/6ctjzv

see ya, x

virtualjourney said...

lol - I better set up blog addict anon then; I scored 94% on that test (and that was after cheating on some of the questions!!) Mind you, I've probably learned more this year blog browsing than I would have doing a PhD. (and met a lot of very nice people on the way....)!

Mel said...

Wow...what a wet but wonderful day for an outting with the kiddo.

Heck, any day's a good day for an outting with a kiddo....I just had mine on Thursday--it was grand!
AND we set another date to do it again. :-)

Ronjazz said...

I am envious...I am glad you had a good time, my dear.

Trixie said...

Tough life indeed!!!! Don't know HOW you do it, lol. And I'm with you on the bond film, saw it with the kids last week, didn't think much to it.

Fire Byrd said...

merkin hon,I'm sure I'm grateful for being put out of my misery if only I could remember what for!!

vv, ooohh your addiction score is worse than mine. but I daren't say how much time I spend messing around here!

mel, glad you had time with your kiddo, can't beat mum and offspring bonding as far as I'm concerned.

ron, thanks, it was fab.

trix, I just owe the bank lots of money!!!!

xxxxx

virtualjourney said...

Thanks FB - and thanks for your comments on mine. I go in creative phases with it if you know what I mean. Tend to roll with it - but switched off almost completely in the summer with other necessary off-blog stuff taking priority.

Judging by what I've been googling, its a bigger problem than I thought.

Guess fessing up on the blogs could be one way of dealing with it, though, either that, or going professional!!

justme said...

You sound very upbeat and I am so glad you had a good time! What a joy to have grown up children who have their own lives but who welcome your visits. You are lucky indeed....but then, you deserve to be.

Fire Byrd said...

vv, I think we hook into it when we need it. And it's all a matter of balance and enjoyment.

justme, what a lovely thing to say,thank you..... I'm blushing now.
xx

CAMILLA said...

Please you had a wonderful time in London, reading your lovely post takes me back to my early days when I used to live in West London.

Charing Cross Road about the book shop was one of my favourite films with Ann Bancroft and Anthony Hopkins. I also saw this on stage live at one of the Theatres here in Norfolk many years ago, although not as good as the film.

Loved the first James Bond movie, although I have not seen the second one, but many are saying they are disappointed with this one.

Love your new hairstyle, they have some great Salons in London.

xx

CAMILLA said...

P.S. Thank you for visiting my blog, and thank you for the info on the Author Elizabeth Goudge, I had not heard of this author before. I shall pop to local Library on Friday and check author out, thank you once again.

xx

Walker said...

Sounds like you had a great time.
I like photograohs to especially black and whiotes.
I find they catch real life more clearly.

nitebyrd said...

Sounds like you had the BEST weekend, ever! You're very lucky.