"Flashing" across Europe

I felt like a Christmas light last night- one of those annoying flashing ones that you don’t realize you put on the tree until it’s too late and there they are, embedded and flickering relentlessly. Last night I was flinging off the duvet with a hot flash every ten minutes. (Probably not, but it did feel like it.) It is my age, sigh.

Now we are speeding toward the continent, leaving London behind. The time there was good. I felt like I was moving constantly. We stayed in a fellow’s loft space in an African/Turkish section of the city. The neighborhood gave me a start as we walked down a street market with everything from fish to scarves. African music pulsed as the market was winding down at 5 PM. We just found the place when the owner, Richard, sped up on his bike. Up we went 8 flights of stairs to the loft, an eccentric designer’s creation- ingeniously assembled from found, recovered or reused materials and objects. Everything did have its place and was ordered in an aesthetic assembly, for example multiple wildly upholstered couches, a wall of various mirrors, and many curving speakers designed by Richard. He is a design teacher at a private school. It had two bedrooms created with some plasterboard and some cloth covered panels- all recycled materials. The bed was very comfortable, which I can honestly say hasn’t been the case so far on the trip and I appreciated that. Staying with someone has its ups and downs but generally you learn more about the place and I recommend that.

The first day included a tour of Sotheby’s by an aquaintence, Richard Fattorini, who is director of Printed Books. We saw several extraordinary collections including the annual Scotland Painting show, a collection of jewels of the Duchess of Windsor and a rare look at Audubon’s life sized 4 volume set of American birds. Only about 7 of the surviving 119 are in private collections and this one will be up for auction this year. We just watched as another staff member paged through it for someone else- amazing. I had only seen one page displayed in museums. Also saw a Shakespeare original folio and an original English bible. An extraordinary collection of firsts coming up for sale from a collector’s estate. The three students came on the tour and so it was insight into the background of sales for all of us.

Spending time with Erin at the Victoria Albert Museum was interesting. The tapestries she is studying are unusual – very large and such detail of hunting! A look into the past in this part of the country. I hope some of the textile curators respond soon on getting her into the back room and restoration if possible. Sunday I helped the Simon Community hand out soup, bread, fruit and drinks from their van in a church yard in London. Kendra has been volunteering with them to learn more about the homeless, both causes and strategies to assist the homeless. She goes on to Malta in about a week to do the same research there. The night after my afternoon with Kendra all those in London met for an “English” dinner. Many different dishes were tried: Sheppard’s pie, Chicken and Leek Pie, Wild Boar and Sage Sausages and such, not to mention the puddings including Spotted Dick!

Kate is doing a project interviewing Members of Parliament on their views on a reformation proposed for the House of Lords, but parliament was not in session. We took the chance to take a tour of Parliament and had a very informed guide that gave good insights into the building, history and present function of Parliament. The spaces are incredible and worth seeing in themselves. But it was also a great refresher on what we all study but do not always put into place- this tour made it come alive.

Because of the opportunity to interview MP’s Kate had some tidbits to share from a personal tour she had that enriched the visit that much more. My own late night tour with a guard when I went and observed parliament in session one Saturday night in the past had a story I particularly held onto that did not make it into the public tour- which statue a suffragette had chained herself to in a protest for women’s rights – another piece of history we should not forget,

London had more walking than I can remember doing in some time- I walked for a few hours in the V & A just looking for the modern exhibits- and never did find them! But it also has a good supply of old English Pubs that offer a brief haven from the crush of crowds- a place for a small nosh, a pint of cider or ale and a sit in some comfy leather chair. Ah, London!