Finishing out the weekend

Busy, busy, busy

On Friday, I saw my coworkers's art/theatre exhibit at 93 Feet East. She looked beautiful and the performances were really interesting... I swanned around in a pouffy skirt with Jess and we both had fun talking to everyone else from work. Sadly, they all left early. We got food at the Old Truman Brewery down the road and then took a bus back to Oxford Street and more bars.

Saturday was gorgeous in London-- it was 70 degrees in the shade, sunny everywhere else, and everyone was outside and near a park. I started out in Abbey Road for a couple of pictures. Jess and I ate moules and croques monsieurs in St John's Wood, walked around Lord's Cricket Fields, and then made our way over to Regent's Park. The whole place was crammed with all manner of folk, most of them playing cricket or sunning with dogs and children. I walked up to Primrose Hill to meet a few friends. Everyone lazed around on the grass for a while. Then it was off to Camden for a quick market visit (the food stalls blow my mind every time) and a loong leisurely cider by the lock. Some house boats were drifting through, so we were treated to bunches of drunk men urging them on and even handing their beers off to their friends for a quick nip across the bridge to help. It was extremely entertaining.

When the sun started to set, we took a bus to Little Venice, just north of Westbourne Park. It was nice to wander around the streets, looking at houses and the canal. I hope I can take a boat down the canal someday.

Sunday was a bit colder, and I was on a mission: Anita's Vintage Fair in Battersea. I ended up fixated on one stall, featuring all sorts of dresses and suits from the 1860s to about the 1930s. Half of the clothes should be in a museum! It was incredible to see the skirts with their matching bodices and corseted jackets from the 19th century. I almost had a small breakdown when I saw that a dove grey silk jacket from the '30s was priced under 100 pounds (bad, Anna, bad... that's two hundred dollars). I also managed to slip into a full-length blue beaded dress from about the 40s, but I came to my senses and realized I didn't have any use for a gown, while shortening the gorgeous fabric would have just been a waste.

I did pick up two cheap embroideries to wear in my hair.

From Battersea, I took a bus to the riverfront and saw King Lear at the Globe. It was really incredible-- the setting was perfect, the acting was top-notch, and the melon/raspberry juice? Pretty tasty. Our seats, at only 20 pounds apiece, afforded a perfect view of the stage, somewhere comfortable to perch during the (somewhat rather) long, dramatic scenes, and kept us dry from the random rainstorms. I pictured sitting in the same spot during Elizabethan times, and was pleased to realize I would have been one of the fancy people there.

Today, I went to Hampton Court with a few friends. It was another seriously fun time. The weather was pretty nice again, and I was happy as a bug to see all the Tudor history tied in with Georgian sensibility and style. The gardens were my favorite, but I loved roaming through the enormous kitchens and seeing the Henry VIII rooms. We finished off the exhaustive visit with a cream tea, and then got back on the train for Waterloo.

We had our last pub quiz tonight, which was a bit weird. I've been going nearly every Monday night for a couple of months now, and we haven't won once. We did come in second and third several times, but tonight was not one of those. The quiz master was nice enough to rustle up some Aspall's glasses (from the basement, I'm sure), and then we all took a big happy picture together. I'll miss pub quiz with the group at our beautiful pub in South Kensington.