Saturday dawned wet. Very wet. Strong winds too just to add to the fun of it.
We had guitar practice, moved the settle downstairs to the hallway and all had baths :-). Clo made an excellent cartoon cat card for Megan, using one of the How to Draw books I'd found in a charity shop this week for 25 pence. Then went to Beccy's to handover some of the moisture traps we use around the house - they are excellent and I'd wanted to buy 3 more so all windows upstairs have them as well as in the cupboards which have outside walls and obviously can get damp with condensation. I added a couple for Beccy to my order and got free P&P so was happy. Lakeland is a fab company to buy from.
Made Beccy meet us at the end of the slip as it was miserable weather and we were running late anyway. She looked pretty soggy!
Slowly drove towards my sister's, driving very sedately as there was so much standing water (more flowing in wide rivers really). I got spooked a couple of times by people who were driving far too fast for the conditions.
There's a large bicycle shop near my sister's and so we went in there to try and get C a new bike helmet as she doesn't find the one she has comfortable and so doesn't want to wear it. Comparing it to both my and M's helmets, it really is made of inferior materials with bits of plastic in uncomfortable positions and we could accept her point. She found a style that was comfortable but they only had pink and she wanted blue. Now we know, we can mail order it so it wasn't a wasted trip.
Got to my sister's exactly on time for Megan's 2nd birthday. She was asleep when we arrived so chatted to Mum and Keith for a bit whilst Ady made me a very much welcome cup of tea :-). C was happy to see Jordan and Declan, Ad's boys. Then Meg awoke and I got her out of her cot, she snuggled into my shoulder as she was so sleepy. :-).
More family arrived, Dad & Josie, Anna and Duncan, James. Was a good family gathering for a little girl's "nd birthday celebrations :-).
We then left to drive into Westminster for the handover Christmas Lectures lecture. Marcus was so stressed in the car as the traffic was so heavy. We don't work very well as a team really, I just get annoyed at his stress levels building. Offered to drop him and C off at a tube station instead but apparently it was not the right tube station.
Got to Albermarle Street with the intention of dropping them off whilst I went and parked. We were so lucky though as the end spot was empty to simply drove into that and tehy dashed off whilst I paid. It was one of these credit card spaces and I didn't have an account so had to set that up. Then only had to pay for an hour as the spot was free after 6:30pm. Was very lucky. Then was only delayed as I forgot where I'd slipped my credit card so ran back to the car to see if I'd left it on display but it was okay as I eventually found it in my bag. That did make me a teeny bit late though so I had the mad dash up all those stairs to the gallery. Was breathing very hard when I got seated! The lectures were ace - I loved sitting in the gallery - was far more comfortable for my long legs. C didn't find it comfortable and was really very wriggly. If she was sat back on hte bench, she couldn't see the floor to see what was going on so I think she'll definitely avoid the gallery in future. A bit of a shame really as they could have had two seats in the main seating area but as they knew I'd be late and latecomers are only allowed in the gallery, they sat up there so as to sit with me.
"Join the presenter of The 2008 Royal Institution Christmas Lectures Chris Bishop for a highly interactive exploration of the science of computation, and a look at the future of digital technology. Could we use DNA to do computation? Will quantum computers ever become a reality? With explosions, liquid nitrogen superconductors, and exotic chemical reactions: expect loud bangs!
We also . . . have a special preview from this year's lecturer Sue Hartley, showcasing some of the demonstrations that will make up the 2009 Christmas Lectures."
Chris Bishop was brilliant as to be expected, we are motivated to rewatch last years lectures now. It was essentially a summary of his lectures last year with nitrocelluslose explosions and oscillating chemical reactions and application to computer science, quantum computing and quantum physics. I loved the flying magnet on the race track demonstration he did.
Sue Hartley was less engaging, I felt she was a bit nervous, maybe because it was her first lecture and the audience had largely come to see Chris Bishop. Kenny the caterpillar made an appearance and some giant leaves. She told us how someone fell into a stinging nettle patch in Australia and died 5 days later.
I was trying to link to the story but have now accidentally found a sado botany site so I'm not looking any further! I have lived a very sheltered life - but I like it that way!!!!
Left and checked the car was okay before wandering up Picadilly and admired the Fortnum and Mason Christmas windows. This year it's Swan Lake. I do think it's magical with the music being piped out when you stand in front of the windows :-).
Fortnums was still open so we popped in to show Marcus the paintings by the staircase. Every time C&I go there we say we should show him the paintings, that include a Battle of Trafalgar one. He wasn't that interested though and only glanced at that one briefly. I'm wondering if he wanted to exploit the brief shopping opportunity afforded to him.
He bought some Asafoetida. This was an ingredient in one of the recipes he looked at with Chloe when we were "visiting" India. We're now on an extended tour of Italy (due to being too busy to have the required number of meal we have decided to spend two weeks in Italy instead of one), but we will return to India once our tour has finished.
We saw purple carrots for £5 a kg! (yes they do resemble muddy regular orange carrots) We've seen pictures before but never irl. Also wondered at the saleability of a jar of giant toasted leafcutter ants for £18 or a Baked Tarantula ( wash down with ice cold beer) for £15? It said on the packaging to remove fangs before eating. For gimmicky joke Chrimbo gifts that's really pricey! Maybe not for the super rich though.
Had a delicious pizza dinner (we are still in Italy remember so that fits :-). The bar deal was a pizza and a beer for £9.95. Pizzas were excellent and the beer was Peroni so all were happy. Clo and I shared a pizza as we had availed ourselves of the party food spread at my sister's earlier. So had Marcus actually but he can put away more food than us!
Walked up to Regent Street to note that the lights were the same as last year, past Veraswamy (would like to go there some day) and discovered a couple of decent looking fish restaurants too. Back down the other side of Picadilly, taking in the current Royal Academy of Art courtyard piece by Anish Kapoor on the way:
"Anish Kapoor's towering new sculpture, Tall Tree and the Eye, has gone up in the courtyard of The Royal Academy of Arts ready for an official unveiling on Tuesday as a major exhibition of the artist's work opens in the London gallery.
The steel structure, an arrangement of 76 shiny spheres which bubble up to the level of the surrounding Palladian buildings, is inspired by the words of the German poet Rainer Maria Rilke.
"It is a conjunction of images I have always loved in his Sonnets to Orpheus and this work is, in a way, a kind of eye which is reflecting images endlessly," said Kapoor.
Fifteen metres high, it has a look of weightlessness when viewed from the ground below. "Now it is up, I am surprised by its fragility," added the artist.
"There is nothing heavy or imposing about it, but there is something quite improbable. You cannot tell how it has been put up and that is part of its mystery and dignity."
The Kapoor said he is intrigued by the empty spaces between the shapes he has made, and by the endless, repeating "fractal images" reflected on its polished surfaces. "Inevitably the shape recalls DNA as a reference, but that is not what it is," he said.
Kapoor, who won the Turner Prize in 1991, has become one of the world's most highly-regarded creators of public art since 2002 when his red, trumpet-like work Marsyas, dominated the Tate Modern's Turbine Hall.
Born in Mumbai in 1954, this week he will become the first British contemporary artist to be given all the main galleries at the Royal Academy for a solo show.
"This is a venerable institution where some of the greatest of art of all time has been seen," the sculptor said. "Its galleries are some of the most beautiful spaces in the world. So it is a great honour for me and the academy has been incredibly courageous on going with me on this project."
The show features more than 50 sculptures not seen before, as well as several controversial works, such as Shooting into the Corner in which gobbets of red wax are fired into a gallery wall from a cannon. The mobile centrepiece, or show-stealer, inside the galleries is Svayambh, Kapoor's large moving block of red wax that rubs itself around the doorways and walkways of the gallery. The title of this work comes from a Sanskrit word meaning "self-generated".
Kapoor, who studied at Chelsea School of Art and was elected to the Royal Academy 10 years ago, created the most expensive piece of public art in the world in 2004 with his 20m polished steel shape, Cloud Gate. The piece stood in Chicago for two years and cost $23m to make.
The artist, honoured with a CBE in 2003, is now making the world's largest commission, a £15m series of five pieces, known as the Tees Valley Giants, which will stand in the north-east of England.
Anish Kapoor exhibition is at the Royal Academy, London W1, from 26 September to 11 December."
[Guardian article 20-9-09]
We just thought it was a collection of Christmas baubles ;-).
Driving home was a bit nerve wracking as we drove through a heavily policed area with crowds of one nation on one side of the street waving flags and cheering with crowds of another nation on the other side of the street. No idea what match must have been involved but it was like driving through the middle of a riot.
Sunday dawned sunny.
We slowly got up, guitar practice was done and I got laundry underway. Then headed over to Cambridge for the music festival, "We're all going to the Zoo" by The Classic Buskers;
"A Cushion concert for families The Buskers' hour long Zoo programme is naturally all about animals, with excerpts from Saint-Saens' Carnival of the Animals, Schubert's Trout, El Condor Pasa, a Romanian lark and Daquin's Cuckoo. Sheep will graze notably safely, Rossini's Cats will duet, and Bizet's Carmen bulls will be fought. A great variety of instruments will be used, some of which lok, and a few sound, like animals."
Remembered cushions too :-).
They were very funny, we all enjoyed it lots. Especially the ocarinas. They had a polar bear ocarina, double elephant ocarina as well as the usual style in all the sizes. They are very talented performers.
It's about 10 minutes long so grab a cup of tea and enjoy.
1 comment:
Gosh. I've never seen a violin played like that! (1:39)
Post a Comment