It's Official

[intertext]

I love London. At risk of sounding impossibly gauche and squee-ish, I'm having a wonderful time. The reason I haven't posted, well... you don't come all this way and spend all your time in an internet cafe!
I went to Roydon and exlored my mother's home village. Mum is scattered to the winds in a beautiful glade filled with cow-parsley and bluebells. I couldn't find Granny's grave under all the undergrowth, but when I announced to the universe that I'd done my best and thought that just there would be okay, the sun suddenly came out and a bird began to sing. I took that as a "yes." After a pub lunch, I walked the perimeter of the village, across some fields and down to the river and the lock, just as my mum had described doing, and then returned to London. Found my way to Camden Town (now I know where to buy the best Goth clothing!) and spent much time whizzing around on the Underground, but got quite acclimatized. Shopping at Waitrose and sleep

I meant to go to the British Museum, but overslept (jet lag finally caught up with me). Walked through Bloomsbury, though, then up to meet oursin for a lovely Indian buffet lunch (thank you, oursin, it was great to meet you!)
Then went to the Covent Garden area - strictly "Seven Dials," I think, and did some shopping at "Forbidden Planet" and the Dover Bookshop, then to the National Portrait Gallery for a marvellous Shakespeare exhibit. Then down to the South Bank for a concert - I'm in love with the Schumann Violin Concerto in D! Also Mozart and Hayden and a very funny bit of Stravinski. And here I am, back at Base2Stay (check it out - it's a very inexpensive but cool hotel with kitchen facilities!). Tomorrow, I'm meeting gillo and owlfish; not sure yet what else I'm going to do, but no doubt it will be fun. Oh, and my hip is holding out... just :) More tomorrow or the next day.

Comments

[oursin.livejournal.com]

Did you manage to locate the Persephone bookshop?
It was lovely to see you.

[intertext.livejournal.com]

I think I'm going to look for it when I go back to the British Museum, seeing as it is in something of the same neighbourhood. Only in England could you have a street name like "Lamb's Conduit" :) Although, I suppose we have "Medicine Hat" and "Moosejaw" so can't really talk. When I get home, if you'd like another hedgehog icon, in the way of thanks for lunch, I have plans to make one for you from a picture by the artist who has done the latest Folio Society edition of Wind in the Willows. (no hedgehogs in that, but I have another book he illustrated with a lovely one).

[oursin.livejournal.com]

Lamb's Conduit, because one of the old water-ways of London used to be there, and there is still a pub called the Lamb on one corner. There are a lot of old rivers still running under the surface of London, only bricked over in the C19th.

One can never have too many hedgehog icons! Thank you.

[gillo]

Looking forward to meeting you. I will ring your hotel around 9 in the morning.

[owlfish]

Your trip sounds so satisfying!

I'm looking forward to seeing you tomorrow.

[ellarien]

I'm glad you're having a good time.