Jan's and John's Peripatetic Adventure

Digging Redux aka Let's Dig It Up Again!

We're in London, continues...

One of the questions our friends asked us when we got back to London is whether the construction on our street is done. The answer is: yea, but no, but yea, but...

When we arrived, the water mains replacement work on our street was finished and traffic was moving once again. But the next day we noticed that traffic was not moving. The street was blocked off. They had made no progress on the sidewalk widening project while we were away and have apparently decided to start it up again. Now. Of course.

It looks like they are widening the sidewalk on both sides, or on one of the sides they are putting in a bike lane. Yesterday, they started digging up the actual street which looks like they are planning to resurface it. Or not. We won't know until they get around to doing it which will be... in... er... eventually. I really believe they could have done the various projects at the same time, rather than digging it all up multiple times. But they didn't '-)

Yesterday, when we turned the corner we discovered the next street over is also having its sidewalk widened (now that is a great idea, it really really needs it). Lots of other streets are in various stages of being worked on and the chaos is quite impressive. In the taxi on our way home from Paddington last week the driver told us that it is more impossible than ever to drive around London because of all the construction. Everywhere we go the street is being dug up. I think it's mostly the desperately needed Victorian water mains replacement but there is a lot else going on, as well. I miss the mountain '-)

My favorite photo is the one with the two large trowels and a couple of tires. Did they dig up those tires? Did the tires fall off one of their machines? Have they been laying there since 1955? We'll never know.

Eating Lite. Still.

We're in London, continues...

Last night we went out for a casual dinner at one of our favorite London restaurants, Kobe London, which has now changed its name to Hakuba. We're a little confused that they changed their name again, and that there is a job posting for a new chef in the window. Is the restaurant going to stay fabulous? We hope so.

Last night it was very good, although my beef was a bit overdone. It was all still scrumptious. And a bottle of Bollinger made it all the more perfect.

Our plan of eating lite is working, I've lost three pounds since getting to London. Having just one reasonably sized main course, or two small starters, for dinner has done the trick. And no dessert and no bread. I miss the bread but I know it's evil. And no snacking, particularly jelly beans. That's the toughest. I'm very very crabby so John made funny faces while I took photos of him to cheer me up and it worked '-)

They're Back

We're in London, continues...

Yesterday was the release of the teaser for the upcoming film Iron Sky, made by the guys who did the amazing Star Wreck.

John and I had met some of the team when we were in Finland. And then some of them came to visit us in London last year. John is chairman of their new company Wreck a Movie and we are both excited to be involved in their new film, Iron Sky.

The premise is that in 1945 the Nazis left Earth and colonized the dark side of the moon. In 2018 they're coming back. Hilarious! The effects are amazing, I just love the saucers. Here it is:

The Connected Lunch

We're in London, continues...

Yesterday Kirsty was in London after performing the night before (at 1:30 a.m. so I couldn't go unfortunately). It's so great to finally spend time together. We went to lunch at our usual place, the Covent Garden Hotel. We both had the tuna because we're both trying to eat lighter and healthier. It was scrumptious. And pink champagne, of course. We didn't see any famous people this time, dammit. Oh wait, Kirsty was there! '-) Her cleavage was so scary that I told her to be careful not to lose a bread roll down there. LOL.

After lunch we went back to my house and spent the afternoon working on Kirsty's new island "Connected" in Second Life. Yes, Kirsty took the plunge and bought an island and put it right next to mine, so now we're neighbors, yay! Our other Real Life friends, Mark Loverush in London and Mary from the U.S (damn, I don't have a photo of her), live on the island too so it will be great to have all the SL and RL friends together. Oh! And Anji Bee from Lovespirals lives there too. Fabulous.

It was a hilarious afternoon, with me at my computer and Kirsty sitting next to me at John's computer, and both of us in Second Life. Since I've had two islands for over a year now, I showed her the shortcuts on terraforming and how to change the ground textures so she has lush, green grass.

We were afraid Mark's "Loverush UK! Digital" zeppelin might be a bit of an eyesore but I actually enjoy seeing it when I look across from my island. It reminds me of what talented and amazing friends I have in Real Life and Second Life and how much fun it's going to be having them as virtual neighbors. I just know Kirsty's parties are going to be more fun than ever.

The Well-Tempered Afternoon

We're in London, continues...

Yesterday afternoon we went to a concert at The Royal Festival Hall by one of my favorite pianists ever, Angela Hewitt playing J.S. Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier Book 2. OMFG!

She was amazing. I have all her cd's and have admired her for many years. In fact, of my three favorite pianists currently recording the Beethoven Sonatas (Andras Schiff, Mitsuko Uchida, Angela Hewitt), hers is my favorite. Her J.S. Bach is extraordinary and her Couperin is amazing and, wait, all her recordings are fabulous so go get them.

Our friend Mary invited us to the concert but then had to travel (wah) so Eliza, John and I went. It is so fun going to the Royal Festival Hall which is just a 15 minute walk from our house over Waterloo Bridge.

The concert: Wow! There were many spine-tingling moments. As all my friends know, I am a Bach fanatic (e.g. the wall-o-Bach). To hear the Well-Tempered Clavier Book 2 live is an awesome experience and Angela Hewitt was astonishing. I was amazed that she played it all from memory. Super-wow! The amount of energy it took to perform the whole thing is impressive and her nuanced interpretation was exquisite. I was verklempt many times throughout her performance.

Mary had told me that she would arrange for me to meet Angela Hewitt after the concert. What? Meet her? What do you mean? What?! Indeed, before the concert we hooked up with Frieda and Vern who are friends of Mary's who we've also known for a few years now (they've come to our house concerts) and it turns out they know Angela Hewitt and have worked with her. OMG. So, after the concert Vern, Eliza and I got in line while she signed cd's and when it was our turn she greeted Vern warmly who then introduced me to her. She was charming. I gushed my admiration which I'm sure she's heard a zillion times before and she was gracious and lovely. I hadn't gotten anything for her to sign but Vern surprised me by getting me one of her Souvenir Programmes and had her sign it for me. Eliza took a quick photo, a very quick photo (well done, Eliza!) because the line was very long and I didn't want to hold it up. I think that for her to sit there after such a demanding performance and meet her fans is extraordinary and I admire her even more.

What an amazing afternoon. Thank you Mary, Eliza, Frieda and Vern for giving me such a memorable and incredibly meaningful musical experience!

Eating Lite

We're in London, continues...

Since John and I both gained weight during our dining out extravaganza the last time we were in London, we are eating lighter this time. We are attempting to have just one course and I'm trying to lay off the bread (it's not easy).

Last night we went to our ongoing all-time favorite Indian restaurant ever, Moti Mahal. We each just had one dish. John only had a starter (Crisp Indian pastry, it's amazing). I had the Murgh Makhani and it's gorgeous. They changed it a little bit since we were there last and it's still fabulous.

And instead of a bottle of pink champagne, just one glass each. I feel thinner already. Not. LOL.

Dinner with Our Peeps

We're in London, continues...

Last night we went out with our friends Tyler and Jayme. Yea, it was our first night back in London, it's never too soon to party! At last, I have a photo with Tyler and Jayme and baby-any-minute-now, yay. Jayme always makes faces for the camera which is hilarious. I think John has caught it from her and it cracks me up every time.

We went to Tamarai which again was exquisite. Great food, excellent service and fun atmosphere. We had a terrific evening, it's great to be back in London and hang out with our peeps!

Massage be Gone

We're in London!

It was one of the quickest, easiest and quietest flights ever.

There we are in our traditional photos snacking at the Virgin Atlantic Lounge at SFO. I'm sad, thinking about leaving and John is making funny faces to make me laugh.

Speaking of Virgin Atlantic, a couple days ago I got email from them announcing that they have eliminated in-flight massages. OMFG! YAY! This is amazing good news. The massages were a noisy and annoying disruption and I have complained about them many times. Now that they are gone the whole front section of the plane will be a pleasant place to be. Ok, not pleasant, but definitely more quiet. In theory, as quiet as the upstairs where John and I always sit.

Now if Virgin Atlantic would only eliminate the open bar during flights, there would not be a bad seat in upper class and I wouldn't panic every time I book a flight wondering if I'll get put in the quiet or the noisy section. If all the upper class sections were quiet then Virgin Atlantic would truly be the best airline. Get a clue, Virgin Atlantic!

(P.S I would pay extra for flights that banned infants and toddlers, hint-hint.)

On the plane I watched Jumper and loved it. John didn't watch anything and went to sleep almost immediately after take-off. After the film I slept the remainder of the flight. Amazing. If all flights were this easy I wouldn't dread flying so much.

I must admit it was great riding through the streets of London and arriving home. It's as beautiful as ever.

I took a lot of photos of San Francisco and London from the plane window. I'm surprised I was able to get so many famous London landmarks in the photos, including: Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace, The London Eye, The British Museum, Trafalgar Square, Albert Hall, Wembley Stadium, Westminister Abbey, etc. Yea, I am a window seat fanatic and love the views no matter how many times I fly.

An Evening with Figaro

Today we fly to London! Already? Yea. I am going to miss the mountain so much. But I'm excited about seeing our friends in London and all the activities and trips we have planned.

We had a spectacular final evening in California. First we had dinner with Bob at our favorite restaurant, Venus. Sadly Teresa couldn't make it, so it was just the three of us. Wah! But dinner was great and it was nice to be able to say goodbye to Bob for a few weeks.

Then John and I went to Berkeley Repertory Theatre to see "Figaro." It was fabulous. An ingenious production incorporating part of Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro. They had live music, with excellent musicians and world-class opera singers. They were amazing. The play itself was also very well done, we particularly enjoyed Dominique Serrand.

My opinion of Berkeley Rep has fluctuated over the years. We have seen a few clunkers but we've also seen some excellent productions, including the recent Carrie Fisher performance. I'm putting it back on our radar and will keep an eye on them for future theatre excursions.

Tomorrow: London!

Sky Pillow

We're in California for a few more days, continues...

It's been very chilly in the mornings, not much warmer than it is in the winter. There is sometimes a little fog clinging to the ridges across the valley but, unlike in the winter, it disperses quickly. London is cold and wet right now so I'm going to miss the California sunshine, even if summer keeps coming and going. It'll be here for sure when we get back.

Deer Critic

We're in California for a few more days, continues...

A few times in the morning when I've been getting dressed I've looked out the window and there was a deer standing in the yard looking at me. The idea of being naked and being stared at by a deer is strange and hilarious. This morning my camera happened to be nearby. I was hoping to get a photo of the morning turkey wake-up caller but he didn't show up today (he is so fired...) so I got some photos of the deer. She was eating grass and stood there for a long time before trotting on down the hill (where I think she lives with Bambi).

From the 80's to the 60's

We're in California for a few more days, continues...

Summer is almost here, arriving for a few days and then retreating. It was a warm weekend, no, it was a hot weekend. It reached 87 yesterday afternoon and it was delicious. We had lunch at the Marin Farmer's Market with our peeps Victor and Cindy. The market has expanded now that the weather is nice and they have widened the aisles a bit to handle the crowd. We had super-yummy pizza made on the spot. I've been craving pizza but I don't like going to places like Roundtable so I was very happy to get a pizza fix at the market.

John and I spent the afternoon hanging out at the pool. The water is not yet warm enough because the ground temperature needs more consecutive hot days. But I did sit by the pool and put my feet in to cool off and it was great. John actually swam (he's very brave) but admitted that it will be nicer when the water warms up.

A strong, cool wind came in the early evening, the signal that the hot weather was done and the 60's were coming back for a while. The wind made for a very dramatic sky, blowing the clouds in all directions and creating amazing patterns. We opened all the windows in the house and it cooled down within a few minutes.

We're trying to get a few projects finished up before we go to London later in the week. In London we have a few things planned including some travel and an amazing surprise.