Friday May 2nd
Our Veronese Day.
Up at around the usual time but with no dog to walk today,
instead after our shower we zoomed down to the Middlewood Park and Ride scheme
and caught the tram into Midland Station. We weren’t sure how long this would
take but we arrived there at about 7.10 am. Luckily Feli had given us our
tickets in advance so we weren’t worried if she didn’t show. We were worried
when at 7.20 there was still no sign of our mad French colleague. As we had
reserved seats we didn’t bother boarding but stood anxiously on the platform
hoping for a glimpse of a rushing Gallic figure. By 7.25 we were becoming a
little desperate but then a cloud of chiffon and silk came striding down the
stairs to our platform with a diminutive “ma’mselle” at its centre. Phew!
The journey took about 2 hours and we were striking out for
a 91 bus along Euston Road at just after 9.30. Laura and Feli slept for most of
the journey down, I just looked out of the window to watch the landscape
unfolding around me (after I had done the Times crossword and the i crossword
and the two word grids and the word wheels and tried a killer su doku).
The bus journey itself took about half an hour which is mad
when you come to think about it, because the distance from St Pancras to Trafalgar
Square is less than two miles! We saw the way through the traffic was
gridlocked on the Strand, so we got out near Charing Cross and walked the short
distance to TS itself. We popped in to the gallery to see where the exhibition
was housed and then I trooped us across Charing Cross Road and into St Martin’s
in the Fields crypt for breakfast.
This is one of my favourite eating places in London. It is
right in the centre and hardly visited by tourists at all. It isn’t even signed
from the outside so if you don’t know it’s there you’d never find it. Even the
new(ish) glass and steel entrance has no mention of a café down below! Rah, rah
and indeed rah, say I! Mum and I used to come down from Norwich quite a lot
when I was younger. The journey then was about the same time as it took from
Sheffield but was around half the distance! We’d then get the Central Line to
Holborn or Tottenham Court Road and go and do our retail therapy, or visit the
theatre. It was Mum who introduced me to St. Martin’s café.
Laura and Feli loved the idea that all the profits from the
café go to helping the homeless and other local London charities. After a
hearty full English breakfast and a sit for digestion we sauntered the fifty
yards or so back to the National Gallery for the Veronese exhibition. It
started in gallery 15 and took in about six or seven rooms altogether. There
were fifty paintings on display; some were the gallery’s own and a large number
brought in especially for the exhibition.
We decided to have the head set commentary after we’d handed
in our tickets and we ghosted our way through the gallery cocooned in our own
private tour of the pictures. Laura and I walked hand in hand at first but that
became increasing tricky as we wanted to spend different amount of time at
different pictures. So we kissed and wandered individually, kissing every time
we came back together in front of the same picture.
It was truly inspiring. To imagine Paulo was painting these pictures over 500 years ago but the colours were as vibrant today as if they had
just been done! I loved the Martyrdom of St George and the Visit of the Magi
the best (Both of the Magi paintings). I was a little disappointed that Feast
at the House of Levi wasn’t included but, hey, you can’t have everything! I
thought the portraits were exquisite. You could really see the personality of
the sitter in each one. The four Allegories of Love were also quite special.
Lolloster and I walked round those together and vowed we would never do the
negative side of love portrayed in two of the pictures.
You could see a darkening of his handling of colour and
light as we got towards the end of the exhibition as though all the vibrancy
and colour of his earlier work had been drained out of him as he grew older.
They even had his final piece on display right by the exit which gave it even
more poignancy, well it did to me anyway!
Our timed ticket allowed us in at 11 am. We walked through
the shop (stopping for a couple of Veronese fridge magnets – I know, I know) at
about 1.15! The exhibition wasn’t packed but there was a steady and constant
flow of people walking through it. I was amazed at how tiring walking through a
gallery and looking at pictures made me. I suggested we adjourned to Covent
Garden for a cuppa and a bun, this was greeted with delight by Laura and Feli,
so that is what we did.
I was dismayed to discover that the Jubilee Market seemed to
have gone down-market. No Hazle Ceramics anymore, nor the Robes of London
stall; I assume the recession has forced them to move or close. I was even more
upset to discover the Australia Shop has gone! Boo Hoo!
We tottered along Charing Cross Road and spent over an hour
in Foyle’s. Feli was delighted by the foreign language section and bought a
couple of novels which had only just come out in France! I witnessed something
I can’t remember seeing before: a queue of men waiting for the toilet! It is
usually us women who get fobbed off with inadequate toilet facilities but here
there were four guys waiting to us the Foyle’s dunny! I felt like cheering or
making a sarcastic comment as I passed them. I was too ladylike to do so!
I bought the first book in the Dorothy L Sayers series about
Harriet Vane – “Strong Poison”. Laura got herself a book on Probability Theory!
We parted company with Feli at the corner of Oxford Street, amidst the
humungous building works that were going on, as she wanted to buy a couple of
dresses and we were keen to have afternoon tea at the Midland Hotel at St
Pancras Station. We told her which bus to get on to get back and where to catch
it and we hopped almost immediately on a 390 back to Euston Road.
At £35 afternoon tea sounds a bit expensive. OK, it is but
it is the most wonderful experience you can imagine. You are treated like
royalty by the staff in amazing surroundings. The Crayfish Cocktail on toasted
brioche was divine. In fact it all was. I could imagine myself as the Duchess
of somewhere or other, having flunkies attending to my every whim, it was
delightful. Feli phoned us to find out where we were, so we explained and she
came in to the dining space – a huge vaulted ex-entrance hall I believe –
clutching about half a dozen bags. I showed her the menu and she almost
screamed, “Combien?” I asked a waitress for an extra cup for our companion and
she free-loaded a cup of our tea and a bun from the stand. (The very last one,
actually.)
We went out onto the concourse to see which platform our
train was departing from and were amazed to see the information already
displayed on the huge board, 25 minutes before departure! So we found our seats
and prepared for the journey home. Again this was almost two hours to Sheffield
station and another eternity back to Middlewood to collect my car.
I phoned Mum when we got in and told her I would collect
Callie in the morning but she told me not to bother as she was driving up to
Leeds to see Sophie and would drop off the woof diddly on the way. Good old
Mum.
I was really surprised at how tired I felt when we finally
sat down at home to a mug of drinking chocolate. We hit the charp and 10pm and
were too tired even for hanky panky! Phew.
Saturday May 3rd.
The tiredness had vanished with a good night’s sleep and we
actually arrived at the pool for opening time this morning; normally, because I
walk the dog, we get there at about 6.15 ish. Sarah was again unphased by the
fact we’d gone down to London just to look at a few paintings! I think she must
think we lead very glamorous lives.
We almost indulged ourselves in a cubicle in the changing
rooms after our swim but waited until we got home to sate our passions. It was
a good job we had locked the back door as half way through our exploration of
each other’s important little places Mum arrived with the dog! I camouflaged
myself with the head phones round my neck and Laura appeared as though from up
the stairs to let Mum in.
I pretended I hadn’t heard her as I was listening to
Shostakovich through the headphones and Laura pretended to moan at me for
locking the door, forcing her to get up and let Mum in. I think Mum bought it,
though she always looks very doubtful when we try to pull the wool over her
eyes, as though she can see through our subterfuge!
Callie was beside herself to see me again and her little
tail (it’s docked) beat at twenty to the dozen as she tried to nuzzle as close
to me as she could. When she really wants to fuss me she nuzzles her head up
the side of my face and licks my ears! She was a very excited puppy for a while
and then she calmed down when I went to her treat tin. She knows she only gets
a treat if she sits and behaves.
Mum asked if we fancied coming with her to Leeds but I cried
off saying we were still whacked out after yesterday’s jaunt to London and
back. Over four hours on a train is enervating enough for the soundest
constitutions! I asked them to pass on our love and showed her the baby sampler
I was sewing for Sophie. To be honest I had started it once I knew she was on
the way, I just had to sew in the name. (I am doing one for Kayber’s baby too.)
All the nieces and nephews have one, framed and hung up somewhere in their
parent’s houses. In Australia, Suze has a wall in the family room devoted to
embroideries I have done over the years, Jill, Jeff and Annabelle’s are all
there.
Mum wandered off to Leeds and after locking the door we
headed upstairs and started all over again!
In mid-arvo we walked the woofie round Agden Reservoir and
then cooked our meal together. Laura was a Dom’s tonight so I completed Sophie’s
sampler and Ingrid’s too.
We had a very laid back day, all in all.
Sunday May 4th.
We went to rock this morning.
More gritstone edges, south of Fox House.
Everyone and their Dad were out on the rock and thousands of
people were walking the edges paths. It turned out later there was a charity
walk event taking place. We had people popping their heads over the rim to watch
us clambering up the rock. Several chaps chose to make the typical sexist
comments, “I wasn’t expecting to see a girl climbing…” Pillocks!
Lunch at the Fox House and afterwards we descended on Mum
who showed us the photo’s she’d taken on her phone from yesterday. She let slip
that Jane’d had complications after the birth and had a hysterectomy. That was
why she and Sophie were in the hospital longer than usual. Why couldn’t they have
told me this? I was sort of hurt about it. Typical bloody Philip, though, as he
has grown older he has become much more of a prat! I said as much to Mum. As
usual she came to his defence – I think she thinks the sun shines out of his
bum! I wonder if she defends me and my lifestyle in the same way when I am not
there? I bet she doesn’t.
Mum had heard from Kaybers about her bundle of joy and was
looking forward to seeing her soon. I think I ought to as well. We have drifted
apart a bit since Laura came on the scene. I wonder if she is upset by me
turning bi-sexual? Even Mum had noticed there was a bit of a cooling off
between us and I came out with, “I think it’s because all of the breeders don’t
want to associate with a non-breeder!” Ooops.
Mum bent my ear about the blatantly offensive term but said
if I chose not to have children, then she was fine with it. I knew this
already. She is right. I do know what my Mum’s opinion is and I should keep my
silly mouth shut at times. She gave me a really long hug and said, “It is
different with Mum’s and daughters. I don’t feel the same about Philip as I do
about you. We have a bond, a link, which Philip and I have never had. I suppose
it is because he is a bloke and you, and Suze, are women so we relate better.
Now you have stopped being a snotty teenager, that is!”
I was all set to take offence but I caught her eye and could
see she was teasing.
Laura came in with, “I know what you mean, Mrs S. I am the
same with my Mum. So are my sisters but Stephen always seems excluded from the
sisterhood just because of his gender. Mum is always at Kirsten and Avril’s
helping with their littlies. I expect she’ll be the same with me if I have
children.”
We went back home mid arvo and had another enjoyable time
exploring each other’s little recesses!
Dad phoned in the evening to moan at me. “You’ve bloody
arranged the van the same way you did my kitchen!!!”
“Well of course, Dad. You are a man and therefore have no
idea the best way to ergonomically arrange a kitchen. You had just put stuff in
the cupboards and drawers willy nilly. It needed a woman’s touch!”
He then admitted he was teasing. He said he had done it
deliberately and had won a bet with Louisa that I would re-arrange things in
the way I liked them. Cheeky bugger! They were on Arran, obviously, and were
thoroughly enjoying themselves. He liked the idea of the excursion book I had
started and was going to add to it with things they had done. They will be back
in time for the Yes gig on Wednesday, so I mustn’t panic if they didn’t show up
until Wednesday morning. I had almost forgotten about that.
We both walked Callie for her last walk of the day and then
showered and hit the charp. I must still have been a bit tired from Friday as I
was asleep before I knew it.
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