London sojourn

Had a cool trip back into London on Friday,13 degrees in London compared to 30 in Sofia so a little adjusting to do.
It was great to meet up with the girls and have a catch up over a meal , I made them a Shopska salad  and served it with a nice Bulgarian pepper and tomato paste served on pita bread.
I spent a couple of days catching up on washing and relaxing from our non stop lifestyle to date . It was nice to just do some domestic chores for a change . Did I really say that!
Claire invited us up for dinner on Saturday evening and we sat out in the garden until quite late in balmy conditions and then enjoyed one of Claire signature dishes of roast NZ lamb and a salad of new peas and cooked lettuce followed by a yummy dessert of frozen berries served with a white chocolate sauce . Very spoilt we were .
I went garden nursery shopping with her on Sunday morning and then did some replanting and potting up so the outdoor area looks revitalized for the summer.
Lou and I did some packing and sorting stuff ready for her move so a pleasant time in the local area.
I did go into London to visit the Summer Art Exhibition at the Royal Academy and the National Portrait Gallery where I saw the newly acquired self portrait of Van Dyke and the current 2014 Portrait exhibition which I found quite compelling,more so than the Summer Exhibition,interesting as that was. I thought the design work and models really interesting and enjoyed some of the sculptures this year.
I went to the Caulfield Gallery and Somerset House as well as some of the iconic parts of the city such as Picadilly Circus,Trafalgar Square,Holborn and Shaftsbury then  rode home via the suburbs on a double decker and on a balmy afternoon.
Claire Louise and I then went to an amazing play at Fins bury Park called Intimate Apparel, a play set in New York in 1905 involving the aspirations and trials of a negro seamstress who dreamed of love,marriage and a dress shop but life dealt a blow and we were witness to the destruction of her dreams,powerful stuff . Great cast and we thoroughly enjoyed our night at the theatre.
Wednesday was very hot again so could not face being inside so went to Regents Park and spent a lovely time in the rose gardens and sitting by the ponds . Quintessential British venue and sure enough the tummies were bared and bikinis came out!
My final evening in London was spent with Nick and Els who kindly hosted me at theirs and we went to an outdoor theatre performance of The Pirates of Penzance in the grounds of Cheswick House . They had a very fine picnic packed up so a lovely evening was rewarded by the promised thunderstorm avoiding us until the performance was over.
Nick drove me up to Euston Station to catch my train to Manchester for a stay with Kristen and family . What a mission driving through London even on a Saturday morning.