Shiksa in the city - a morning at the museum

I was meant to meet an old friend for brunch this morning.  Unfortunately, she had to cancel but didn't get me on the phone until I was on the train, halfway into town.  Two choices: go home and mope or continue into the city.  So I decided to take that first step into carving out a little life here in London and went in to Charing Cross.  Trafalgar Square was lovely, all grey and misty as London is meant to be, with the fountains spitting out their beautiful spray, the national gallery just calling out to everyone, the lions around the monument being climbed on by children (and some people who fancy themselves children).  I spent the morning there, especially enjoyed the French section, and then decided to treat myself to lunch at the museum cafe.  I was so looking forward to split pea soup and a crusty roll, but the rather impolite man behind the counter informed me that they hadn't gotten in the soup of the day, nor the pie of the day, nor the quiche of the day, but I could get a sandwich from the cold case if I pleased.  Humph.  Cold case indeed.

I ended up with the chicken and mushroom pie, which was warm and tasty if a bit small, and sat quite happily reading my book until it was time to go.  Worked on the crossword before rehearsal, spent a nice hour with the director finessing the only dialogue I have, and rode the train home with the rehearsal pianist who lives about halfway between where I am and the rehearsal space.  This was very handy, as he alerted me to the shops and cinemas just off the tube in his village.  What does this mean, you might ask?  It means I might not have to fight my way into central London to see the premiere of Twilight tomorrow afternoon.  It means I won't have to ride the train home sooo very late in the cold weather.  And it also means I have one more destination to explore.

The husby arrives in five days and I'm so excited.  We're going to have a wonderful time and I get to make pecan pie for our hosts and everything.  What the world needs now is pecan pie, sweet pecan pie.  That's what I say.

1.  a late start tomorrow means another run with the geese

2.  skype - being able to cook dinner while talking to my husband

3.  discount produce at Sainsburys means I got a lot of good produce for almost nothing

4.  nice colleagues - this is something I'm thankful for every day

5.  roast parsnips

Chicks and ducks and geese better scurry

1.  sunshine on my day off

2.  milk chocolate digestive biscuits

3.  sleeping late and dreaming of mother bear's pizza

4.  six days till husby in London

5.  the local park I just found on my run

So I decided to go for a run on my day off.  I'm still adjusting to the air here so it's hard to keep it going for too long, but I indulged my need for green space and headed over the motorway (only using the crosswalks, I promise) to the big green hill that was calling my name.  Well it turns out this is prime real estate for ducks and geese.  BIG geese.  They were flapping and splashing around in a large pond that just happened to have a path looped around it.  So I did a few loops around the park before I went back to the pond.  I find ducks very sweet.  The little ones, the mallards with their beautiful feathers.  Geese, less charming.  The big ones that migrate through Boston, leaving lots of goose poop all over the Common, are very beautiful but I prefer them from a distance.  Up close, they just look big.  So I'm doing my lap and, just like a recess monitor on the playground, one of the ducks starts quacking and, because I'm still quite tired, I'd swear I hear that duck saying, "Don't you see the enormous human all in black coming this way?  Priscilla, get the hell out of the path!  Florence, take your beak out of your wing and get moving!"  The geese are more calm.  They stride out of my way, well in advance of my footfall, and calmly move back into place when I'm past.  They are not threatened by me, and they know that they have the ultimate weapon:  goose poop.  The last thing one wants embedded in the bottom of their trail runners.  Eww.

There's a street market on the high street.  I'm seriously considering packing up my laptop and camping out at the starbucks to work on my dissertation.  As husby says, I'm inclined to just sit here in my shell when left alone.  And a day off is the perfect time to get OUT into the sunshine and among people, not stay in and wish I were at home.  Right.  Must get on that.

And maybe, just maybe, I'll do an early-morning run tomorrow and see if the ducks are awake.  

Shiksa in metric, Gratitude in grams

Made it to London in one piece.  Bumpy flight, less-than-amazing movies, but I made it through Twilight in one sitting.  I know, giving into my need for teen fiction is probably a contributing factor to the length of time it will take me to adjust from jet-lag, but I like it anyway.

I have always, and continue to rely on the kindness of strangers.  I stayed the night at my friend Chris' parents' home in London.  They are lovely people, pressing a mug of tea into my hand as soon as I got through the door, schlepping my enormous suitcase up the stairs to the top room where I slept last night, offering many varieties of marmalade (my favorite!) and producing the most valued travel appliance: the hair dryer.  

Today we travel to the flat where I'll be staying through New Year.  I still get nervous riding on the wrong side of the car and driving on the wrong side of the street (look right look right look right!) but rehearsals start tomorrow so there's no time for actual fretting.  Both feet, straight in, let's go!

1.  marmalade makes everything better

2.  warm beds

3.  Ambien

4.  the migration of the power shower from Germany to Britain

5.  new colleagues, old show