I'm back!!

London Living is back - sorry about the delay, lots of reasons...... But it's great to be writing about London again and giving some insights into what's on and what's fun in town.

Paris and packing

September saw another trip to Paris - sorry London I've not been around much! Eurostar was in a mess following the tunnel fire the week before, so I decided to drive to Paris which was fine, even tho' we had to traverse the entire width of Paris in the dark in the busy traffic of a Friday evening. But it was worth it and we had 4 glorious days there and it was all going well until the return.... A flat battery in a underground carpark 5 floors below the Paris streets was not a good start to our journey back to Calais. However, we were saved by a mobile jump start kit and chap from the local garage and we were finally on our way at very high speed to catch our ferry. Odd being on a ferry again after so many years of the train. The train still gets my vote so let's hope the tunnel is repaired soon.

What's the 'packing' about in the title? Well, I'm off to South America for 2 months to do some voluntary work with conservation projects and local communities. I'm looking forward to a different life for a while but at the moment am just hugely relieved that I have got the bag shut for the first time. I hate packing for any holiday but a 2 month trip with outside work clothes, temperature uncertainties and a long list of extras that don't usually get bag space (sleeping bag, water bottles, head net - don't ask! - travel towels, head torches etc etc) have meant I've driven myself mad trying to make sure I pack all the right things and can still close and lift the bag. It's a bit heavy....

I managed to squeeze in a visit to the Rothko exhibition at the Tate Modern today which is good and needs time to really look closely at the painting to appreciate the brush work. All to easy to rush through and wonder what the fuss is all about when faced with a seemingly black canvas - anyone seen the play 'Art'? Also saw Hedda Gabler at the Gate Theatre which is a very small room in Notting Hill. It was good and well performed tho' the lead character was hard to feel any sympathy for and therefore the play lost a bit of its power but was well worth seeing.

So, back in a couple of months when I shall be ready for all that London has to offer.

Sue

Sunshine - remember that??

Menorca has sunshine, something we all know but it was still a bit of a shock after our rotten summer to feel the heat of the sun on the skin all day long! We sat in the sun, explored the island, went out on a boat for a day and had a roller coaster ride back to port followed by very strange attack of unsteadiness during dinner even before the wine started. We saw bronze age remains, went to local fiesta and became part of the parade by walking alongside the floats and giant figures in an odd foreigner not realising what they were doing sort of way. Of course we had lots of lovely meals and drinks from Pimms on the veranda to sangria on the portside. All very good then back to the rain, cold and storms of England.

My last post had mention of a visit to the Edinburgh Fringe. I penned a short article for a travel writing competition on the trip - sadly no prized publication in the Guardian but here it is for posterity and because I've not been in London to report anything of interest..

More next time!
Sue


Peeping through the Fringe
It’s August and it’s Scotland so we are simply hoping to miss the rain, there seems no danger of exposing still pale English skin to the northern sun. Avoiding the guilt of a carbon footprint we take the train from London which zooms up the West Coast of England and we feel smug if a little cramped as everyone else has the same thought and there is not a spare inch to be had.
We arrive at Edinburgh Waverley armed with 6 bookings and 2 days in which to pack in comedy, theatre, an exploration of the city, some galleries and a big brunch on the last day – it’s Fringe time, the annual burst of performance which Edinburgh hosts each August. Edinburgh is a fabulously physical city which you can navigate by its hills, valleys and the wonderful volcanic ridge at the heart of the city on which sits the Royal Mile. Now there’s a thing, the Royal Mile is in fact the High Street and therefore does not appear on maps, guaranteed to confuse the tourist who has this on their list of ‘must sees’.
We dash from comedy to comedy, desperate to arrive on time and miss the walk through the dark to the special seats in the front row saved for late comers. Thankfully cabs are quite cheap to those from London so we treat ourselves, dodge the showers and slip safely into our seats.
Edinburgh is buzzing, the Royal Mile is full of street acts and hoards of students dressed up as who knows what handing out flyers by the hundred. Every street has lines of excited punters waiting eagerly for their next show to start. But it’s not just the Fringe in town, an altogether posher crowd gather for the Book Festival who clutch their volumes for the many book signings and the chance to get up close to their favourite author. If that was not enough, or not to your taste, Edinburgh looks to cater for all comers: the Festival is all dance, classical music, opera and proper theatre, I’m sure there’s a circus somewhere and there’s a Tattoo in the castle every night, the greatest exhibition of military music in the world (they say) but it’s outdoor so is a great excuse to buy a tartan rug. Did I mention there’s a lot of tartan in town? It’s everywhere so beware.
Time accelerates so an art gallery and a jazz brunch have to be squeezed in before a dash back to Waverley and we pull out of town in the blazing sunshine as the blue sky has come to wish us a good journey. We did get our blast of warmth in the end as the air conditioning on the train broke down and short sleeves suddenly appeared. Our peep into the Fringe was exhilarating and just made us want to go back for more and to really get to know Edinburgh, whatever the weather.

Back for Carnival, what a blast.

London Living has been out of town and missing London. 2 visits to Scotland and one to Bristol have taken me out and about around the UK which has been fascinating but I was pleased to be back home in time for Carnival. It's a fabulous event and being a Notting Hill resident is even more of a treat at this time of year. The build up starts a few days before as posh shops start boarding up their windows, giving a very odd feel to the area. On the day it starts quietly but by mid morning the noise begins to build and the smoke rises from the BBQs, then it's all go and the place is rammed full of visitors. Some areas had rather more police than usual which was odd and somewhat unnerving. We wondered around, soaked up the atmosphere, felt the music blasting our ribcages, smelt the jerk chicken and imagined we were in the Caribbean for just a little while.

As for my time out of town, I can recommend Mull and Iona for the big skies and fabulous light, although we were not blessed with much sunshine which is a big feature of summer 2008 wherever you are in the UK. The second Scotland trip was my annual foray into the mad world of the Edinburgh Fringe where we rushed around town to see 4 comedies, 2 plays, a BBQ and a jazz brunch. What an wonderful opportunity to fill your days with a bunch of different shows and take a chance on new names.

Bristol has its charms too - SS Great Britain, a fascinating visit, its surrounding countryside, Bath, and we managed to get to 2 very constrasting music shows - a blues band in a tiny cramped buzzing pub and a classical concert in the cathedral. Always love those contrasts...

Back in London with a second trip to the Proms to see a more conventional classical programme which bizarrely featured one piece from the Bristol concert, Vaughan Williams's Lark Ascending.

Next week sees me off to Spain for a week in Minorca in search of sun and lazy days on a lounger - can't wait! So back in a week.