Whew, that was quite an effort but I think we are all up to date now. You might want to go back and check May and June if you haven't read all about Mum and Dad's trip. Oh, and we may have added photos if you have read it, so you might want to check for that too.
Life in London has become that little bit more stressful, not helped by all the talk of what the Government plan to do to combat terrorism. So much of it sounds like the cure being worse than the disease. Of course, there is good reason for concern but undermining some fundamental human rights and even ways of life seems a dubious way to address the issues. I suspect it is like the advice given to those coping with the death of a loved one, don't rush to make any changes make sure it is what you really want before overhauling aspects of your life. Hopefully, there is a balance to be reached between protecting people and making them feel safe and draconian controls about how people live their lives.
The summer in England also continues to be mixed. The last couple of weekends haven't been so good weather wise so we have retreated or in the case of tonight, will retreat to the movies. Our first foray was to Batman Begins. We thoroughly enjoyed this movie. It was more like what you think Batman should be like and less like what his recent movie incarnations have been. Christian Bale is also yummy which doesn't hurt. Last week we saw the Fantastic Four. I'm sure if you were seven and liked shiny things it would be your favourite movie. While I do like shiny things I'm not seven so lets say the movie was watchable and leave it at that. It had its moments but it seemed a bit like it was trying to rehash scenes from previous action movies. Might be worth a watch on DVD on a wet afternoon but don't rush to the theatres. Tonight we are going to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, hopefully it will be better!
Posted by Hayley
Well, we had a bit of a fright in the night. Nick and I spent the day yesterday at Cannizaro Park, sitting in the sun, eating a picnic, reading, listening to podcasts and just generally enjoying summer. We had a really nice day and relaxing evening. So it came as somewhat of a shock to awake in the middle of the night feeling truly rotten. I stumbled out of bed to the bathroom and next thing I knew Nick was shaking me awake. I wondered why as I thought I was still in the cosy confines of my bed. He had heard a big bang and come to find out what was wrong and there I was on the floor. It took quite a lot to wake me so he thought it best to call the ambulance as I wasn't really with it and he wasn't sure if I had banged my head. When the ambulance arrived it turned out I had a very low blood pressure and that they thought I had probably fainted. They decided with my blood pressure so low they really ought to take me to hospital to be checked out. They also put a line in. At the hospital they put more liquid into me, did blood and urine tests and had me lying tipped back to try and bring my blood pressure up. They didn't find anything particularly wrong but I had a splitting headache and very sore tummy none-the-less. They sent me home with some prescriptions and a letter for the GP. So all-in-all an eventful night. I am now home tucked up in bed feeling as though I have been hit by a truck. I had today off as leave but I think I may have a couple more days off to make up sleep and try and get my tummy right.
Posted by Hayley
We hope you have an excellent day, even if you have to celebrate it without us!
Posted by Hayley & Nick
Just a very quick update to say we are ok, very shocked like the rest of London, but ok. I was evacuated from my building at about 11.30 am and with the transport situation still in chaos I chose to head home with one of my colleagues rather than brave the city alone. My colleague very kindly drove me home today. I am pleased to be home and am looking forward to a quiet weekend.
Posted by Hayley
Nick and I have just had an extra long weekend to celebrate his birthday. We decided there was not much point in going to work Monday if we were just going to have Tuesday off so we had four days of rest and relaxation.
The day itself started with a morning phone call from Nick's parents and presents. He always does rather well. As his main present he is getting the author's edition of Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys but as this isn't due out until next year I felt guilty about not getting him a few (or possibly many) other things. We decided after some deliberation to visit the Tate Modern as the day looked rather grey and uninspiring and the outdoors did not beckon. Tate Modern is also one place neither of us had previously visited.
We arrived safely if a little wet after getting caught in a downpour. We decided to start on the third floor which has two major sections of display, Landscape, Matter, Environment and Still Life/Object/Real Life. Well, we decided to start there following a brief reconnoissance of the main bookshop. It is a really cool bookshop and has excellent adult books as well as some unusual children's books. So, our brief stop wasn't so brief after all. Having torn ourselves away we headed up the escalator.
I think we both agree that our favourite work was Michael Craig-Martins's An Oak Tree. The piece is a glass of water that the artist has 'transformed' into an Oak Tree it is accompanied by a series of questions and answers given by the artist. It made us laugh, always a good thing. I think it was the Q and A more than the work itself that made it memorable. We also enjoyed the Picasso's, Braque's and Pollock's and are getting a wider appreciation for these things as we visit various galleries around the world. I also liked Mark Dion's Tate Thames Dig, a collection of objects recovered in 1999 from the foreshore of the Thames at low tide along two stretches of beach at Millbank and Bankside (the homes of Tates Britain and Modern). They aren't given any particular order and it is an interesting meditation on history and its meanings.
We decided to call it a day after doing this floor. When we can we like to make multiple visits to museums and galleries so that we don't get overloaded by new information and images. We walked along South Bank taking in the sights and sounds as we headed for Waterloo Station. Nick hadn't been that far along the river before and it was fun to walk there with no particularly pressing need to be anywhere or do anything. We caught the train home and proceeded to make a birthday dinner of Schnitzel, mashed potato, peas and parsley sauce, carrots, zucchinis and to finish a home made carrot cake with cream cheese icing.
Posted by Hayley