London sojorn

My week in London has been very pleasant,the sun shines every day and I have enjoyed the company of Lou and Jonathon in their new home and walked Lou's surrogate puppy,Coco a couple of times.

Initially I had a rest and recover day as I think I have been on the go since I left Dunedin in August and it was nice to chill out and restore some order to my packing.Not much need for the light gear I have been wearing on the Costa Brava. I have dug out the jeans and warmer gear.

So far I have revisited some of my favourite places in London and been lucky enough to see some art exhibitions and plays at the National Theatre and tomorrow morningI am going to meet Wendy and Rod in the city to see the Ai Wiewei exhibition at the Royal Academy and then have lunch together.

Yesterday I went down to the South Bank for a wander in the sun but I was lucky enough to get tickets for a play, 'The Red Lion' at the National Theatre later in the afternoon which was a bonus as it was the final performance after a very successful season.A brilliant play set in a football changing room - not initially captivating stuff but it was a powerful look at relationships between new and old blood,power and corruption and a very sad end to an emotionally complex play.

Today I was lucky to see another play by the same playwright.This was called,'Three days in the Country' and again followed a complex set of relationships between the inhabitants of the country house.This play had a big cast,about twenty people and the staging was effective for how they brought characters on and off the set.
While there I was able to get a ticket for Jane Eyre tomorrow night so that will be my quota done.I would have liked to see Nicole Kidman's in a West End play which is getting very good reviews but very hard to get seats,only ones available you have to be in the queue by six am!!!

I also went to see an exhibition of Doris Day photos at the National Portrait Gallery which was great.Very nostalgia, to see all those beautiful hats,gowns and elegant attire of the era.
So much to see in this place but I am enjoying the vibe of the place and just being in the moment.Walking along the Thames and watching the boats plying tourists back and forth,listening to the buskers and watching the antics of young skate boarders demonstrating their skills is all good fun.Lunch at Gabriels Wharf in the sun and a browse amongst the book shops kept me entertained for the afternoon.
The trip back home was not so much fun as there was a huge traffic jam which forced people onto the tube and you could hardly move.Not much fun.Not sure how people do it years on end.We are lucky in the space we enjoy.