London - (At Least One) Wrap Up Post

Here it is - the super quick, condensed version of all the other cool things we did, saw, ate, or bought while in London, with bonus photos from the ladyfriend.

St. John - this restaurant, one of the pillars of the nose-to-tail eating movement, was excellent.  I decided to do it right and ordered the bone marrow and parsley salad (which even the ladyfriend liked), the grilled lamb's heart (I love the sheep nose to tail to wool!), which was amazingly tender (I know, it's a lamb) and rich and tasty.  I also had dessert - rhubarb meringue (I love a good meringue and plan to make copious amounts of them when I return to my own kitchen).  Thinking about the meal now just gets me all dreamy.

Other great food?  Tayyabs Indian, Joy King Lau for old-school dim sum, good burgers (actually cooked to medium-rare!) although only okay onion rings at Byron (I'm also going to start trying to perfect the onion ring; Alana take notice, I'll be calling on you to help), a lucky find, the full English (plus a great pint) at The Blue Lion, surprisingly good pizza and antipasto at Spaghetti House (I know!), and one more meal at Ba Shan before we left.  Yum!

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time:  Both the ladyfriend and I had read this book and lucked out and got tickets although it had been sold out for awhile (be nice to ticket agents!).  The acting was superb, the adaptation worked well, and the staging was quite imaginative and inventive.

Modeling with Animals

Ever colour-coordinated!

Did I say mention the pigeons in London were huge?

I'm No Siskel or Ebert, But I Have My Opinions

While we were in London, we managed to see four films.  The movies covered a range of genres - Hollywood, indie, documentary, and film fest offering - and for the most part, they all had their strengths.  We saw Hitchcock (with Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren) and enjoyed it.  I always like a good period piece, and I love Helen Mirren.  This film takes place during the time when Hitchcock was making Psycho, and I'd say that one of the things I enjoyed most was the way the film illustrated his wife Alma's (played by Mirren) instrumental role in his career.  I'd call it stylish and smart even if was light on the way Hitchcock could be overbearing.

The second movie we saw was Vinyl, an indie film that has garnered some attention through the film festival circuit.  This is the film for aging punk rockers, who also happen to be the main characters of the film.  In short, bandmates from 'the day' get back together, record a song (while drunk) that turns out to be very good but face the ageism of the contemporary music industry when they try to get someone to listen to it.  So they make a fake band featuring high school students who, for the most part, can't play any instruments.  This is based on the true story of Alarm frontman Mike Peters'  rock and roll hoax of 2004 (yes, I know you remember it well).  Definitely a good time.

The London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival happened to be going on while we were there, and tickets sold out quickly for many of the programs.  We got tickets to a discussion of Chantal Ackerman (and her place in queer film festivals) that included a screening of the documentary, Chantal Ackerman, From Here.  I have to admit that I had really only known Ackerman by name; the ladyfriend had suggested that this would be a good program, and it was.  The documentary was shot in what I've now learned is similar to Ackerman's style, and I really enjoyed listening to her talk about her work.  The discussion that followed it, which included a paper on Ackerman, was also quite interesting, and the ladyfriend made a very good point about films in queer festivals (a point probably worthy of a post of its own).  I'm glad I went, and we'll be buying Ackerman's films to watch when we return home.

Wool House

I couldn't bear to try to update the blog while we were struggling with the internet connection that seemed to be powered by sleep-deprived geriatric mice, so there will be a few posts with some of the highlights of our trip to London.  Let me also say, before continuing on, that nothing makes you appreciate the snow in Berlin like the rain in London.

Wool House, held in Somerset House, was fantastic. 

Outside they had a pen with some English breeds of sheep, including the Cotswold, which I believe is the dred-locked one.

I can be sheepish.

Inside they had multiple displays of the ways in which wool can be used, from things like clothing to furniture to art, bedding, and more.

The ladyfriend enjoying a display.

The furnishings and wall coverings are all wool, but also notice the navy blue and white skeins in acrylic table.  Crafty!

A child's room.

Details from the child's room

There were plenty of examples of clothing, ranging from handknit sweaters to Saville Row suits and Vivienne Westwood designs.

I love the pattern pieces.  If you remember, there is a picture from Alabama Chanin that also has those kinds of pattern pieces.

One display I really loved was the clothing from Dashing Tweeds.  They make a some really great cycling clothes out of fabric that's 99% wool and 1% reflective yarn, so it glows when lights hit it.  The styles were great, and some of the jackets had sewn-in lights which you could manually turn on or off.  I have to say - super pricey but great designs and ideas.

It ends this weekend, so if you happen to be in London, you should definitely check it out.  It also happens to be free, which is always nice.

Proudly looking forward to more wooly adventures!

Things You Learn

This soap pretty much encapsulates what the Tavistock Hotel is all about - function.  What I've learned?  I'm over super budget accommodations with springy twin beds and a continental breakfast that consists of cold toast, doughy buns, stewed fruit, and weak coffee. 

Breakfast supplements

That's right, my standards have risen.  The fact that the wireless (available only in the lounge) is so slow that it takes over twenty minutes to watch a 10-minute recap of a hockey game just seals the deal.  Next time, despite the ladyfriend's family affection for the place, an upgrade.

Excellent Chinese food at Ba Shan.  My lesson comes from Chairman Mao, "You can't be a revolutionary if you don't eat chilies."  Note, quote is actually on the menu.

The Jurgen Teller show at the ICA?  I learned that he's more than a bad boy fashion photographer.  Great show; glad we went.  Made me rethink some of my conceptions of him as a photographer, what fashion is or isn't, and appropriate/interesting subject matter.  I also gained a new appreciation for how how amazing Charlotte Rampling is.  Seeing art really helps get the creative process going.

And I learned that there's always room for a walk in the park with the ladyfriend.  I'm looking forward to getting some of the shots she took with the fancy-schmancy DSLR she was using, including my "fashion" shots!