I kicked off my return to London, after more than ten years, with something definitely new for me. I had been looking for a course and by accident spotted a conference hosted by the UK Feng Shui Society. At 80 GBP for the day I thought why not . . . A couple of the talks went completely over my head, however one by Simon Brown (president of the Society) was brilliant. Aimed at those new to Feng Shui, Simon talked about the harmony between humans and nature and how everything and everybody share the same energies. Maximising the use of energies in your home therefore seems to make sense. Making best use of the sun, (the largest source of energy), using mirrors, plants, colours and of course our own energy all combine to make a home feel right. Clutter disrupts energy flows – which pretty much makes sense. Except if it’s my clutter of course. My first two nights in London were based in the Euston area, a stones-throw from the conference venue, and which I also used as a base to reconnect with the area I sort of remembered when I was five. William Goodenough House (where we lived in a two bedroomed apartment) is still there with its gated park opposite. And so is my primary school – St George the Martyr which, funnily enough, I could retrace my steps. It was a sunny and clear Sunday and I realised, not for the first time, how many parks and open spaces London possesses. 25% of the city according to my mate Jane. I visited the newly-weds Jane and Andrew, and Monty the dog, in their apartment in Stepney. They have a fabulous view down Regents Canal in what is a more gentrified area in E1 than I had remembered. We drank far too much wine and had a great evening with Thai takeaways, reminiscing and planning. I also caught up with Stephen and Tracy - living in New York and in London for the week for Stephen’s Board meeting. I decided to bike over to their hotel in Park Lane using the Santander bike share service. Using your contactless credit card you can hire a bike (which you could describe as sturdy rather than sleek) for two pounds. So there I was weaving my way in and out of the London traffic down busy Oxford St – clutching my iphone and listening for Siri’s instructions. I have decided I need to change Siri’s accent from Australian by the way. My final catch-up was with Anna, a colleague from the Electricity Commission and EECA. A long Friday lunch in Chelsea . . . Anna worked with me in the same team as Jane - joining after Jane left. Great times. For the first time I found myself in London purely as a tourist. Not working or travelling on business – free as a bird with no agenda. Now that might seem ideal - but in London, with so much to see and do, you risk leaving with regrets. So aside from retracing my past, catching up with old mates and feng shui-ing I decided to focus on three things: the arts the west-end and historical stuff. For my arts binge I headed over to the Tate Modern – a simply enormous museum of contemporary art on the south bank of the River Thames. It’s based in the former Bankside power station with four floors ranging from the truly spectacular to downright weird. I also visited the Design Museum just off High Street Kensington – devoted to contemporary design and architecture. The exhibit on the design of London’s transport system was super interesting. I was so into it I even sat down for a geeky half hour with a book on fonts . . . Like the Tate Modern, this was yet another free museum in Central London. Honestly you don’t need to spend a lot of money in London to be royally entertained. And in keeping with my free art theme I decided to detour past Brick Lane, which not only boasts some of the UK’s best Indian restaurants but also graffiti street art. For my West End theme I headed off with Danielle and her mate Madi to see “Everybody’s Talking about Jamie” – a musical about a sixteen-year old living in Sheffield with designs to become a drag queen. It’s a sort of Billy Elliot plot with a drag twist – great music and dancing and a standing ovation at the end. And for my history binge, which sounds all a bit ho-hum after my Sheffield drag queen story, I went to the British Museum in Bloomsbury. I know the museum has been going for 200 years and reportedly houses some of the world’s greatest collections of antiquities – but I just couldn’t get into it. For one thing, many of the collections raise the question of whether it is appropriate to maintain ownership of items that have a cultural significance to another country. The Greek government, for example, has long been arguing for the return of the Elgin Marbles which once adorned the Parthenon. And another thing – the Museum was packed, and I couldn’t find a seat in the cafe. I had been in London for a week, and on a whim decided to go to Brighton for my last two nights. I remembered Brighton, from 29 years ago, as slightly dull with the most depressing beach front ever. Well the beach front has definitely not changed – but away from the beach tat Brighton is now one funky place. It’s the UK’s unofficial LGBT capital and has more vegan cafes than you can shake a stick at. I’m not into shopping – but I have to say, the Lanes in the historic quarter are jam packed with the quirkiest places – including one massive flea market. I rued the fact I only have about 1kg headroom in my luggage – there is so much daggy stuff I could easily have purchased - old maps, vintage cameras, overstuffed arm-chairs (well I was admittedly never going to fit one of those in my bag) and art. So for the time being (we may return later in August) it’s goodbye to the UK. Next stop the Netherlands where I reconnect with Jolanda.
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AuthorHi - I'm Richard Norris. Jolanda and I are heading off overseas for another adventure in 2019. No real formal plans - but definitely a desire to seek something different . . . Archives
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