I snuck off to the cinema during the day last week to see the new Mike Leigh film, Happy-Go-Lucky. Absolutely loved it from start to finish, although it was rather depressing that no one else seemed to be laughing apart from me in the cinema (ok there were only about 5 other people in there, but all the same... actually generally speaking I find daytime audiences are waaay too serious, but I digress...)
Poppy has stayed with me, and today I had the dawning realisation that she was possibly inside my head more than I'd realised. I've been thinking about what I've been up to this week and have so far:
- Bought some really bright and cheery clothes in a bid to liven up my wardrobe and escape the grey/black combos that seem to have defined my life for the last year or so
- Gone to Regents Park for a lovely sunny walk with J, and admired the boating lake whilst enjoying my first ice cream of 2008
- And finally, just to top it all off, today I bought a bike
Still, I'd rather that Poppy has inhabited my head than the scary driving instructor, I guess. And oh man I found the *best* ever shop to get my bike from. It's called ReCycling (geddit?) and can be found under the arches at the less-than-pleasant Elephant and Castle shopping centre. What a find. There I met Susan, the hungover 40 year old boss who was sweeping the floor and not happy about it, and Sarah, the 6.5 foot tall bike mechanic who was a craftswoman in the way Prof Sennett means it. Amazing. And in exchange for some crumpled notes rather than the usual chip-and-pin rigmarole, they let me have my beautiful little recycled bike for a mere £70. New brakes, cables and a basket chucked in too. Leaving them left me with a warm glow - not just from the slightly terrifying experience of cycling on London roads again after a two-year break...
Now let's just hope the little buggers in my block don't nick this one. And that I find a dress like the one Poppy wore to visit her dull sister by the seaside. C'mon Top Shop, you know you can do it.
Tonight I had a rather magical experience. There I was walking back from a lovely meal and political gossip with D, when I found myself on the Millennium Bridge, absolument tout seule, as if everyone else in London knew something I didn't, and were secretly all crammed into Gordon's wine bar or some other place that I don't like... a rare moment for reflection and contemplation, although I confess it was to no particular purpose other than to gawp at the beauty of London's bridges. The silence and the stillness would have been overwhelming had I not had a similar experience yesterday as I wandered back from meeting up with G via Green Park and St James Park and barely saw a car between waving her goodbye and hitting Vauxhall Bridge. Even more amazing given the huge demonstrations that had filled that whole part of London just hours before.
London's fullness is usually what excites me, which makes these moments all the more precious for their rareness.
Yesterday I finally made it to Kew (it's only taken me nearly three decades!). How magical to have such a beautiful space so close to Vauxhall - to my delight I found you can get there directly, when the trains aren't broken...Anyway. Went ice-skating with B. It was lovely.
One of those places that you just start to take for granted as a grown up living and working in London. But I've just seen that they have started to do twilight tours, which sound super. I know they sometimes do gigs there too - it still grates that I missed the Pet Shop Boys one I had tickets for two years ago. Hey ho. Most excitingly, I read this morning that there is going to be yet another ice rink there: but this one looks amazing - it's set up as the moat. Fabulous. Running from 24th Nov until 13th Jan. Not to be missed. The Tower's also been in the news recently for appointing the first woman beefeater for 522 years. Well done, Moira, I salute you.
This is what every local park should be like. Everytime I walk through it I am struck by how well cared for it is, and what a lot is going on there, despite being on the small side. Above and beyond the standard park-like things, it has a model village (yes! really it does!), a lavender field and a rose garden. Dead cool.
The park's one of several good reminders that Vauxhall is about so much more than a one way system. Others include the gorgeous and romantic community gardens behind hippie Bonnington Square, where I've loved and lost; the city farm squeezed into a tiny space between sprawling estates; and the Spring Gardens Community Centre, which has the most fantastic organic vegetarian cafe but only between 8 and 2 on weekdays. So unknown that I can't even find a link to it on the internet. Come Sunday night it plays host to some *very* raucous parties... what is it about sunday nights in vauxhall? they are apparently the new saturday in this funny little pocket of town.
How have I never been here? Something to rectify asap I think.
This is a place that has been on my to-do list for a very, very long time. It's great: a small, little known park within the square mile. To get there you need to follow Little Britain towards St Paul's cathedral - not that easy to find but so worth it as it really is magical. Very Demos too - with a wall of plaques commemorating 'everyday heroes'. I like. Note: turns out (as i discovered) it risks being quite romantic. Careful who you go with...
I love this place. The views really are quite breathtaking and remind you what a green city London is. Also, the newly-revamped museum is absolutely wicked. There's a giant walrus and everything. I once ate a really nice omlette at the cafe too. What more could a girl want?
I snuck off to the cinema during the day last week to see the new Mike Leigh film, Happy-Go-Lucky. Absolutely loved it from start to finish, although it was rather depressing that no one else seemed to be laughing apart from me in the cinema (ok there were only about 5 other people in there, but all the same... actually generally speaking I find daytime audiences are waaay too serious, but I digress...)
