It Seems I've Locked Myself Out!

Silly me! Jay's in a video conference meeting for god only knows how long... Thank god for the pub!!

Not Much to Report

I seems to have blogger's block. And not much is going on. Just enjoying myself here in Brighton. Nick was down on the weekend and that was very fun (although pretty foggy for bits!)



Paul Kelly & his dad, Harry, are coming on Friday for a couple of days and I'm looking forward to seeing them. Saw John Waters in London a while back, which was awesome. Very funny. He's been around, that guy!

So, bear with me, I'm sure I'll have some amusing anecdotes in the next day or so...

I Funny Thing I Thought Up

I have a photographic memory, but unfortunately I left the lens cap on...

I Got My Money Back from Zoom Airlines

Yippee!

I Have A New Friend

And she's human!

Who Says You Need a London A-Z?

I'm scared of taking the London Tube by myself. Which is obviously an embarrassing problem. But, it does have a few advantages... I see things that not everyone gets to, just because I walk. Although, come to think of it, I would probably see way stranger things if I just hopped on the Tube and hoped for the best. I guess my survival instinct kicks in and tells me that is just nuts.

There's a cool thing called room auction/hotel auction or something like that - you can bid on hotel rooms and we were lucky to end up in a five star hotel for $125 USD a night. What a deal! We stayed at the Wyndham Grand in Chelsea Harbour.

One of the great things about London is that pedestrian signage really very good. I started out and followed the Thames Path all the way from Chelsea and ended up at the Tate Britain, where I checked out the Francis Bacon exhibit. Amazing. Along the way I stopped at the Chelsea Physic Garden, which was started in 1673. Every kind of plant you can imagine, it's there. Over 50,000 plants there. I had a lovely cheese plate and chatted with some older English ladies as they drank tea.





















So far, so good! Then I made the fateful decision to cross over to the other side of the Thames and see London for the other side. Again, the signage for the Thames Walk/Riverside Walk was excellent. However, there is a lot of construction going on and I must have missed the sign because all of a sudden I was in Battersea nowhere near the river. The nice thing about the mountains in Vancouver - you can see them from pretty much anywhere. Stupid rivers and their low ways. Did you know that Battersea has the biggest and most famous dog and cat shelter in all of England? I saw it. (Luckily it was closed, or who knows what might have happened.)I finally realized that I wasn't getting anywhere so I turned right. You won't believe it, but I turned right onto Battersea Bridge Road (honestly, I didn't even look at the road sign) and was back on track. Forty five minutes later I was back at the hotel soaking my tired body in the tub.

Sunny Weekend in Brighton

It’s been sunny and warm the last couple of days in Brighton with, surprisingly, very little wind. Jay went into the office on Saturday. I took my tea outside to the patio and soaked up some sun. It’s strange being so high up in our 150 year old townhouse. The sight line to the street is blocked by the similarly tall buildings so it’s as if you’re the only one out there. Other than the rare sound of a passing car, all I can hear is the seagulls. No music, no conversation, just quiet. In the middle of a city with a population of 800,000. On this rare summery day, dozens of boats were cruising around – even saw a couple of waterskiiers. And lots of sailboats – it looked like a regatta farther down in Hove. It certainly didn’t feel like September in England.


Have you ever been walking in a lovely park and then come across a patch of grass where a dozen or so rats are grazing? No? Well, I have! Those little buggers are hard to photograph, though. The groundskeeper figures they were pet rats that someone set loose in the park. They do have a urbane look about them. The are remarkably fearless, although they aren't fond of sudden movements. But, who is, really?




And now for something completely different – went down to Madeira Road for a motorbike show – Ace Café in London was celebrating its 70th anniversary. There were about 30,000 bikes there – every sort of motorbike you can imagine – it was there. Tons of Rockers, a few Mods and a LOT of leather. Our friend from Vancouver, Karen Porter, came down from London. She is doing r&d for her documentary “Ton Up (the Film)” about Rocker life and motorcycle culture. I lent Karen my camera, so didn't get any shots.

I Need a Moggie to Pet!

One advantage our old place had was a tiny green space out front and door access to passing animals. Victoria Road is like a fortress – nobody can get in without permission. Our front door opens directly onto the sidewalk and our other external door is on the fourth floor. I can see out but can’t entice anything to come in.

I often hear our neighbour’s fat tuxedo cat (I’ve named him Nigel) meowing. I can only comfort him by talking to him – I can’t invite him in for a delicious piece of ham. Today I was looking outside and shrocked (which is similar to a shriek, but in a lower pitch) “moggie!!” But, upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a huge orange rabbit on a shed roof. And I mean large and in charge – he’s the size of Phillip! And in need of a good brushing.

I woke up early this morning and couldn’t get back to sleep (stupid bladder) and decided to have a nice bath . I love that we can see the ocean from the bathroom and the kitchen windows. (If you haven’t figured it out yet, our new place rocks!) I looked outside and the first thing I noticed was that the sky was blue. The second was that the bunny was back on the roof. Chewing leaves, looking in the window, hopping around, shedding, sniffing – you know, bunny stuff.

David Sedaris is a God

A couple of years ago, my dear friend Carolyn gave me a book for Christmas – Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris. I hadn’t read a book that made me laugh out loud that much ever – even on second and third readings. I (and millions of others) became a devoted fan. Cathy & I went to see him at the Chan Centre in Vancouver two years ago. We had never been there before, and there were some minor mishaps – mostly involving parking, a skill I have not managed to master yet. and brand new knee high boots that were too tight... Anyway, the Chan Centre is beautiful but it is huge – and we had the theatrical equivalent of the nose bleeds, despite the rather steep ticket price. He came out and was brilliant. Of course.

I received the CMPCA News on Friday. What is the CMPCA you ask? It is the Clifton Montpelier and Powis Hill Conservation Area. And, according to the newsletter – “all residents can call themselves members and membership is free”. Alright! Just by living here I’m a member of something and didn’t have to exert one iota (or is that erg?) of energy! So, I read all the articles like a conscientious member and then scanned the events section. There he was in black and white – David Sedaris! There would be no way tickets were still available but Jay & I went down to the book store (the fabulous City Books in Hove) and they did have tickets!! For 6 pounds!! Which included a free glass of wine and 3 pounds off his new book. What a deal. Finally, something that is cheaper in England than at home.

The event was held at the Old Market – a theatre built in 1828 and then remodeled in 1998 – no tiered seating, just fold up chairs squished together to fit the three hundred rabid fans…

Most people showed up early to get their free glass of wine. I got there extra early because Jay doesn’t drink, so I wanted to get my two free glasses. Those literary types kept the bar a hopping! I was chatting with two lovely older English ladies when I looked up and David was standing right in front of me. I had joked to Carolyn via e-mail yesterday that maybe I could stroke his sleeve or at least sneeze on him. This was better! I had brought my copy of his new book, When You Are Engulfed in Flames just in case I was lucky enough to see him. We had a lovely chat – he was charming and adorable. And of course he signed my book.

Booth's Natural History Museum, Part II

I took Jay to Booth's Natural Museum on the weekend. He was impressed, and there was even more stuff than the last time I went. Apparently behind the scenes tours can be arranged where you can check out the thousands of other exhibits they have stored away but don't have the space to show... I can only imagine what they have back there!! The pic is of Herman the Merman. (NB not his real name).

Autumn in England

This it the view from our living room. You can see the ruined pier in the background on the left side... That dilapidated old thing really intrigues me. I wonder how long it will take until it finally sinks below the waves?

I walked down to the sea today and took a couple of photographs. Of course I left from USB cable at home so I can't download them to post. One day I hope to be organized. But for now running back and forth/to and fro because I've forgotten something is my exercise program. (No special gear required.)

During my walk to the sea I realized Brighton is one place where a dollarstore (or poundland here!) umbrella will not cut it. I bought one with an adorable duck handle a few months ago. I used it for the first time and it lasted for all of three minutes.

There's something about getting completely soaked and knowing you can go home and have a nice hot bath and put your pyjamas on. I washed all the towels this morning. They take about four days to dry. We have a combination washer/dryer but the dryer doesn't really work. It didn't work in the last place either. I'm told none of them do. For real. I guess the obvious solution is to buy more towels. Lots more towels.

Lasagna Night

As most of you know, cooking isn't my forte. But I managed to pull off lasagna, garlic bread & salad (all made by me!) last night. We had a friend over for dinner, and he finished his plate. I'm going to take that as a good sign. And, I finally recognized one of my fundamental cooking problems. I don't eat all day, then get nervous and drink way too much, which usually means I don't eat dinner, either.

So, yesterday I went to the pub and ate lunch! Wow! It works!! I was well behaved until MUCH later. Now if I could figure out when to stop before I make the inevitable faux pas. Some many issues, so little time...

Yay! I Wasn't Ripped Off!

Our windows are filthy. And we have four storeys of them. On way to the pub yesterday, I ran into a window washer. And his company is "Bee Clean"! We negotiated a price (well, he named one and I agreed.) Then I handed over the twenty quid and merrily went on my way. It occurred to me halfway down the street that he could easily just walk off with the money. I didn't want to jinx things by writing about it yesterday, so just decided to wait and see. Our windows are no longer scream out "we don't own, we just rent!"

I'm Back in England (Finally)

Zoom Airlines tried to keep me away, but I got here! I flew with Air Canada again, and overall the experience was pretty good. The baggage agent at YVR chastised me for laying my suitcase flat on the conveyor belt commenting "I don't work on my knees". It took a lot of self control not to give her a zippy retort, but I managed to hold my tongue. Ah, the maturity that comes with age.

Our new flat is four levels and has yet to be organized to my satisfaction. I tell, you I'm going to have buns o' steel by the time I'm finished. It never fails that whatever I need, it's on a different floor.

The best feature is the view of the English Channel - just incredible. Last night there was a huge storm and I couldn't sleep... (One would assume I had jet lag, but I really think it was the fact that I had six hour nap in the afternoon.) Anyway, the wind was howling and the waves were churning - it was very exciting. There are views from the kitchen and bathroom, too. I love watching the water change. I find it mesmerizing and calming.

Anyway, that's it for today.