shoppin’ & culcha
Well, the TorJen boys were visiting this past weekend, and we had fun. It went a little something like this:
Thursday arrive 07:55 am. That’s right : The ‘0′ stands for ‘Oh My God! I’m on vacation and I’m still up at the crack of dawn!’
Thursday pm with Jens around the British Museum, maybe not my favourite Museum in the whole world, but one that I have a great deal of love for on so many levels. Look at the Rosetta Stone, stroll around the shop.
Thursday evening. Meet my Uncle and some friends of TorJen and, with my husband in tow, head, firstly, to Rupert St Bar for a Libation and an induction (by my uncle) into the cult of Spring Awakening. Must sort out decent disc space on pc so I too can have video on myPod. Onwards to Balans for dinner, with a flirty and charming waiter (who made the evening very special for some of us), some good Gin Martini’s, and a hazy journey home.
Sat down to have a nightcap as everyone went to bed. Became aware that the beep beep beep every time i got a text from my increasinly inebriated uncle (who was now trolling around the less glamorous nigtclubs of the West End) was echoing around the house, tried to switch to mute and switched the phone off, listened to a couple of albums, read a bit of “I hate myself and I want to die (the 52 most depressing songs of all time)” and thought I’d die laughing at the section on SeaLion’s “All by Myself”, and consumed way too much booze for a thursday night when you had perky and almost teetotal germans visiting next day 8), and nursed a hangover til Lunchtime.
Next Day, whilst Torsten D and I went to PC world for a new bit for the computer, Tesco’s for groceries and the chip shop for Fish ‘n’ Chips (the hangover cure par excellence) Jens worked his magic on my home PC ( a memory smaller than a goldfish and the processing power of dynamo-powered bike light) to get me something that at least moves faster.
Evening was a trip to town for Avenue Q. En Route, my boss calls on the mobile to tell me my bonus number and new salary for next year. Still, we had a lovely time 
D and I saw the show in NY two years ago, and I loved it (he liked it). Froday nght we were three rows from the front, and we both L O V E D it. Fast, slick, funny, catchy, and with a heart (something a lot of musical theatre forgets nowadays). Brilliant. Especially my next new boyfriend and my next new hag, whose new album is a real treat: Poppy tunes mixed with nu-cabaret and songs from musical theatre (as opposed to showtunes) all done by a voice that’s rich, sparkly, and, at times, not unlike Olivia Newton John (and that is a compliment, btw).
Saturday, D went off to Newcastle for the day to watch Football, so T and J and I went back up to London. A stop at the Colliseum (home of English National Opera), a trip around their shop, a little detour into Dress Circle (the showbiz shop; rename that the expensive showbiz shop) and a detour back to the gift sop at the British Museum (for Jens to buy the ties he hummed-and-hahhed about on Thursday, then we were off to Islingtom to meet up with J’s friend M and his wife and their little girl.
A fabulous time was had by all, I made some nice new friends, we had great food, and M (an actor) pointed me towards a weekly group meeting to write and perform just the sort of stuff I’m doing right now, so hopes are high that, right after Christmas, I’ll be off and running on the writing job again.
Saturday night finished off with a trawl around Fortnum & Mason’s (known by J as ‘The marmalade shop’ because of the vast selection and the fact that that’s what he purchased). I got singe estate coffee beans for the Christmas Dinner. Then on to Waterstones, Europe’s largest book store. Five floors of books that, at 8pm on a Satruday night, were wonderfully deserted. Huge sofas to flop into, a great cafe in the basement, all in all a wonderful way to spend a wintry weekend evening.
Purchased:
Chronicle of the Egyptian Queens
S.U.M.O.
How to Do a Great Job and Go Home on Time
Plus This and this .
Sunday was a lie in (hurrah! my god, I’d forgotten how luxurious such a thing was. Mental note: Must have more lie-ins next year) followed eventually by a lovely roast lunch with Great Beef, Yorkshire Puddings, the works, and (to follow) Baked Alaska ( my god, I’d forgotten how sickly such a thing was. Mental note: Must have less Baked Alaska’s next year) at the Hillside Inn (my god, that place has improved greatly in the couple of years since I was last there - three, actually. Make mental note: Must visit Hillside for Sunday Lunches more often next year).
Lunch done, home to slump, then freshen, then off to see Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake at Sadlers Wells. Fabe, it was too. Especially Alan Vincent as a very horny swan.
Then last night, it was off back to Germany with the visitors, promising to return next spring (Like swallows, I assume), and home to begin final preparations before the christmas visitors descend on us.
The weekend, in summary: Wonderful. Shopping, culture, art, friends, food, drink, and a possible audience for my creative work. All told: Superb.