Jan's and John's Peripatetic Adventure

Paris: Dinner at the Louvre

When we were at the Louvre on Wednesday we noticed they had an elegant restaurant: Restaurant, Le Grand Louvre. And it was, ta-da, non-smoking. John checked out the menu and declared it magnifique.

So we booked a table for Friday and here we are. Again I got a photo-op at the glass pyramid (can't get enough of that) and down the spiral stairs we went. (BTW, you can go to the restaurant without buying tickets for the museum and stay after the museum closes.) The museum itself looked not as busy as when we were there so it may be fun to go to the museum in the afternoon and then have dinner in the restaurant.

It was perfection. We took photos of all the food for all you food fans out there. Here's what we had and what you see below:

Jan had:

starter: salad with melon
main: filet of beef with bernaise on the side and beans and potatoes
dessert: fruit and sorbet in a bowl made out of cookie (yea, we ate the bowl)

John had:

starter: salmon (raw)
main: lamb with rosemary sauce
dessert: fruit tart with sorbet (no photo)

As you can see the presentation is spectacular. So was the food, it was completely fabulous and a wonderful conclusion to our stay in Paris.

Paris: La Menagerie

Today we didn't have a plan so we thought it would be fun to just walk around. We walked along the right bank and then crossed over to the left bank and went to the Jardin des Plantes which is gorgeous. Then, surprise, there was the Paris Zoo: La Menagerie du Jardin des Plantes.

I adore animals but I'm not fond of zoos because they seem cruel. But looking through the bars made me want to see more so we went in. It is a fairly small zoo and nicely maintained. Some of the animals have more space than others but they all seemed healthy. I took a zillion pictures, as always.

The only thing that completely broke my heart was the monkeys. The orangutans were so human that I kind of got upset. Anyone who doesn't believe in evolution needs to see an orangutan up close. Intelligence and, more importantly, emotion, are clearly visible on their faces. The way they use their hands is also amazing. The baby was adorable, playing with its toys and licking the rope. But when people started to cluster around the window the baby took its pillow and moved to the far end of the (very small) enclosure and turned its back. The adult did pretty much the same thing, climbing up to the top of its enclosure and cuddling with the other orangutans on a platform nearly out of sight. That was pretty disturbing and really sad.

But the real heartbreaker was outside. There was Nenette, curled up sleeping right next to the glass. She looked tranquil and... sentient. The sign on the glass indicated she'd been incarcerated there since 1972. That is sad. I do think it's incredibly important for people to see these animals. It's amazing being able to see them up close. But it still breaks my heart.

Next we walked up a small street in the left bank which was charming, with many little shops selling cool stuff like cheese, wine, vegetables; it all looked good. Then I lost my momentum from all that walking and was really tired and got really crabby. We made our way to the Jardin du Luxembourg where we had some beverages and then I went back to the hotel to rest and John continued to explore Pairs.

He went to the Cite de la Musique (musical instruments museum) which he said is stunning and a must-see for musicians. Then he went to the Cite des Sciences et de l'Industrie which he also enjoyed and highly recommends. I will definitely be seeing them next time, I love that stuff.

Paris: Smoke Free

Like most of the population of planet Earth, the people of France are addicted to smoking. Ew.

Although many countries have a smoking ban, France is not one of them. Yet. The only good thing about smoking is that it kills people. Unfortunately, it doesn't do it fast enough. In the meantime, we don't want to smell it. Ever.

What? I'm being too harsh? Too bad. Smoking is about self-hatred and killing yourself. And it's completely disgusting. If you hate yourself that much then just throw yourself under a bus and get it over with. Then maybe we can have dinner without feeling like we want to vomit because of the stench.

Anyway, before we went to Paris, John and I researched non-smoking restaurants in Paris. There are quite a few and even some that aren't on that list. In fact, our entire trip to Paris was smoke-free. We did not have to deal with it at any meals. The few times John went to a smoking restaurant he sat outside and it wasn't a problem. Although it can be, from what we saw walking down the streets lined with outdoor cafes.

One restaurant that is on the list is "Le Copreaux" and it was great. It's in the 15th district which is not posh, but not bad either. We took the Metro and then walked one block. The restaurant is very small and very charming. It's not posh, it's an old fashioned family business with a small menu of excellently cooked French country cuisine. We loved it.

And the restaurant is 100% non-smoking. Not one of those jokes where they pretend to have a non-smoking section that is 2 feet away from the smoking section with no barrier. We just walk out of those kinds of places.

The chef's wife is the hostess/waitress and was delightful. She spoke some English and spoke at length with John in French. It's worth a ride on the Metro to eat in this charming, non-smoking Paris treasure.

I usually get some nasty email when I go off on smoking like this but I don't give a damn. None of my friends smoke. None of them. And I know a lot of people. Get a clue.

Paris: via Segway

Our friend Ted Nelson emailed John when we got to Paris and told him that he and his wife, Marlene, recommended the Segway Tour of Paris.

John had ridden a Segway before in Oakland, California with our friend Bob, so he was really excited about it. I was a little... nervous. But I've always thought Segways were amazing so, what the hell, I said I would do it.

Wow, it was some of the most fun we've ever had. We signed up online and then met the group at the Eiffel Tower in the morning (after I took a zillion photos). The leaders took us to their shop a few blocks away and after about an hour of instructions and lessons we were ready to go. John didn't need lessons because he already knew how to do it. You can see me having my lesson, trying not to run over the instructor. It turned out to be really easy and after a couple minutes I totally got the hang of it.

Then everyone in the group got their own Segway and our guide took us out into Paris! We passed the Eiffel Tower (more photos) and down various avenues, crossing the street carefully and stopping along the way for our guide to elaborate on various landmarks. He was really really nice and did a good job of looking out for everyone and dealing with the traffic, etc.

We stopped and had lunch at the Tuileries (see photo) and then on to the Louvre where our tour ended and then we retraced our route back to the Eiffel Tower and the shop to turn in our Segways.

It was so much fun. Amazingly fun. The Segway is an incredible machine. It made me want to own one although given the reaction of the crowds as we passed by (everything from disdain, curiosity, excitement and requests to sign up) I don't think I will.

But we're definitely going to be riding a Segway again whenever we have the chance!

Paris: The Eiffel Tower

Today we went to the Eiffel Tower because we had... an activity scheduled... which is my next blog entry.

I got all fluttery and excited again to see something so famous and so incredible so close. I was stunned. It was astonishing. The photos are great, I'm really pleased. No, we did not go up the tower because I'm a coward. The weather was perfect, the sky really was that blue.

After taking a zillion photos we then waited at the south tower for today's activity which is next...

Paris: Caviar

In the evening we had arranged to have dinner with Laurent Kratz who runs Jamendo, a music web site that we think is very cool. John had met him during his recent trip to Paris so I was glad our schedules were synced and we had a chance get together.

Laurent had a meeting near the Champ Elysee so we agreed to meet in front of the Virgin Megastore there. I had the crazy idea that I would find a cd box set of Couperin harpsichord music I wanted and incredibly they had it so I was very pleased.

We went to a restaurant nearby called Petrossian. They specialise in caviar. Oh dear. I'm not into that stuff but Laurent and John are so I figured they'd have something not repulsive that I could eat and they did. John and Laurent loved the caviar (see photo). I had a lovely soup and then lamb as a main.

We had champagne, of course, and the restaurant was lovely. We requested to be seated in the non-smoking section and I don't know if it's that good all the time but we were not bothered by smoke at all during the evening.

Laurent is a really fun and interesting person and I'm glad we had the opportunity to spend some time with him. He and John will be able to get together pretty soon during a future trip John is planning.

When we walked back over the bridge to the Champ Elysees to catch the Metro I saw the Eiffel Tower was illuminated! So pretty. Wow, I'm in Paris!

Paris: Lunch in the 7th

After the Louvre we walked across one of the bridges and thought we'd try the Musee d'Orsay and possibly eat lunch there but the line to get in was too long.

So we walked into the seventh district and did a little shopping. Yea, I shopped. I bought 3 gorgeous scarves and a beautiful handmade paper purse that is more like a piece of art than a handbag.

Then I had the same problem every tourist everywhere faces: I have to pee. Now. Thankfully we shortly found a department store. Yay, department stores always have clean, free, bathrooms! This one was Le Bon Marche and it was nice. Then we had another brainstorm: department stores usually have non-smoking restaurants. Yep. The Cafe was wonderful. Cool, modern design, quick service and amazing food (see photo). I had the beef, John had the ham. I particularly like how the dressing was in the little test tube attached to the salad bowl. It was all delicious.

Then we headed back to our hotel because we were kinda tired after the Louvre and exploring the seventh district (which is fabulous btw, I think it's my favorite part of Paris).

Paris: The Louvre

Today we went to the Louvre. It was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen in my life.

First of all, it's a must-see. Duh. It gets incredibly crowded so go early. It also looks less busy in the evenings on Friday. As we approached the glass pyramid I got all fluttery and excited. The panorama photo is amazing. We went through security (they x-ray your purse, etc.) and then down the stairs inside the pyramid. Because we were early it was a short line for tickets and we were in.

We headed straight for the Mona Lisa because I just had to see it. It wasn't that crowded yet so we were able to get really close (no photos allowed, of course). I cried after seeing the Mona Lisa because seeing such a monumental work of art right here in front of me was a very emotional experience.

We walked through the museum and saw the famous statues "Wings of Victory" and "Venus de Milo". Photos allowed, yay! I got all emotional again at the Venus de Milo. Famous art apparently does that to me.

While stopping for a diet coke in a snack bar we noticed a cylinder going up and down inside the spiral stair coming down from the glass pyramid entrance that turned out to be an elevator (primarily for disabled people). It was so cool and futuristic and was really interesting to think about the combination of 21st century technology, architecture and the ancient history and art of the historic Louvre.

We walked around for about 2 hours. They had amazing things; from the Mona Lisa to sculptures from 2400 BC. Incredible. There's so much to see that it's really overwhelming so we knew we were only going to have the energy to see a small portion of the museum. We'll be back.

Paris. It's what's for dinner.

We're here in Paris. The train ride was easy, even with a couple delays which didn't matter because it was so comfortable. A couple glasses of champagne and we felt like any delay wash not sush a problm. Lunch on the train was also particularly good.

We arrived at the Paris train station Gare Du Nord, which was my first time there. All of Paris pretty much looks like that. Spectacular architecture, usually beautifully maintained.

We walked to our hotel which turned out to be a bit too far for me but we made it to the Place De Vosges (see photos) where our hotel is located down a little street. It's lovely and we have the exact same room John had a few weeks ago.

A little rest from all that walking and then we took the Metro to the seventeenth district for dinner at a restaurant called "Le Marcande," where John had eaten a few weeks ago and wanted to go to again. It was a gorgeous meal. There was champagne and yes, ok, we had dessert. This trip to Paris is all about food. I can starve myself back down to my normal weight when I get back to London '-)

More tomorrow, I think we're going to the Louvre.

An American in Paris

Yep, today is the day John and I go to Paris for 5 days. We're taking the Eurostar which is so much easier than flying. We haven't been there together since 1995 and we're really looking forward to it.

We're staying in the same hotel John stayed in a few weeks ago.

I expect to have dsl so hopefully I'll be blogging from Paris. Stay tuned.

P.S. I'm still number 3 at Magnatune today. Buy me now!

An Evening with King Arthur

This evening we went to see Purcell's opera, King Arthur at the English National Opera. It was a must-see because it was directed and choreographed by Mark Morris. We've seen the Mark Morris Dance Group many times, they're our favorite dance company.

Before the opera I got my first gift bag (it's full of opera stuff). It was a very Kathy Griffin moment. Then we hung out at the Bollinger Bar at ENO and there were many familiar faces, including Laurel, Skip and Bruce from dinner on Saturday as well as several people who've been to our house concerts. That was really fun.

The opera was fabulous: the music, the dancing, the costumes (by Isaac Mizrahi), it was all incredible. One of the best things we've ever seen (or heard).

Then! After the opera, our friend Mary introduced us to Mark Morris! We were so delighted to meet him. He was hilarious and kindly agreed to let John take a photo of us. Then I turned around and my favorite Mark Morris Dance Company dancer, Marjorie Folkman, was standing right there! So, I threw myself at her (I'm not kidding) and told her she's my favorite, etc. etc. She was extremely nice and also said yes to a photo. That was amazing.

Many thanks to our friend Mary Deissler for taking us and introducing us to Mark Morris!

Working Frets

Yesterday afternoon we went to a concert at Wigmore Hall, by Fretwork, one of our favorite viol ensembles.

It was their 20th anniversary concert and was beautiful. Live viol music is amazing and we had seats close enough that we could actually see them play. They had some guest musicians because it was their anniversary concert, including countertenor Michael Chance who was excellent.

Although they played a variety of lovely early music, we were distressed that they also played two new modern atonal works. Horrible, ugly music. We don't like modern atonal music. We think it's very the emperor has no clothes and just can't stand it. As if the first one wasn't bad enough, the second one was completely appalling. If we want to hear modern atonal crap we'd go to a modern atonal crap concert. Except we wouldn't.

Anyway, it was only two shortish pieces and the rest of the music they played was heart-wrenchingly beautiful. They have many cd's out and we highly recommend all of them. Amazing musicians playing exquisite music made for a great late afternoon.

BTW, today I'm still #3 in Magnatune's Top 10. Pinch me.

Dinner at Goldingtons

Last night we went to Chorleywood, a pleasant half-hour train ride from Marylebone Station.

We were invited to a dinner party by Laurel Powers-Freeling and her husband Anthony Freeling at their house, Goldingtons. It was a totally Masterpiece Theatre evening. The house is gorgeous all by itself and the decoration and landscaping that Laurel and Anthony have done has made it even more lovely. The view of the countryside was fantastic (see photo). It was a welcome change from the chaos of London, we loved it.

Some of the other guests included harpsichordists Skip Sempe (see photo), Carole Cerasi and James Johnstone. You know me, I'm always happy when I meet people whose cd's are on my shelves and this was particularly fun. It was a very harpsichordish evening!

Laurel and Anthony are wonderful hosts, dinner was delicious and the whole evening was fabulous and fun. Thank you, Laurel and Anthony!

Number 3 of 10

Unbelievable: I'm number 3 in the Magnatune top 10 today! Up from number 6 yesterday.

When I launched my desperate campaign here and on my MySpace page I never expected this to happen. Amazing.

That's as high as I'm going to be able to get because Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra's recording of Handel's Atalanta is the biggest Magnatune seller of all time.

But if you haven't bought me yet, buy me now! I may not make it to number 1 but hovering at number 3 for a while definitely makes my head spin.

I hope I don't get too full of myself and start abusing the staff and double-parking my limo. Wait a minute, I don't have any staff or a limo. Whew, no Madonna-like shenanigans from me! Yet.

Even if I tailspin back down into obscurity it was wonderful being in the top 10 this long. Thank you everyone for making this happen. You have no idea how much I appreciate it.

Vespers

Last night was a very, very special evening.

My friend Laurence Cummings invited me to a performance he was conducting of Monteverdi's Vespers of 1610, which is my favorite piece of music of all time after Bach's Brandenburg Concertos. I went alone because John went on an all-day excursion to the London Wetland Centre with a good friend of ours. It's very unusual for me to venture out that far by myself but it was a concert I couldn't miss. And Laurence inviting me made it even more irresistible.

The concert was at St. Nicholas Church in Chiswick (pronounced "chizick"). With the help of Google Maps I planned my journey. The only glitch I could see was how to get across that huge highway from the tube station to the church. Once I got there I discovered an underground pedestrian tunnel that ran under the highway (see photo). Icky but convenient.

I got there very early which my nerves required. I got my ticket and then walked over to the river to pass the time and to see the sights. It was very nice. The Thames appeared to be at low tide and I'd like to see it a high tide some time. A boat full of people passed by which reminded me that I want to take the Thames boat to Kew Gardens at some point.

Chiswick is a lovely London neighborhood. It's really far from Covent Garden but was easy to get to on the tube. It has lots of great shops, some of them posh, restaurants and lovely houses. The only negative I could see was the jets landing at nearby Heathrow going over one every minute. They are so low the wheels are often down. But the people I spoke with said you get used to it and don't even notice it after a while. It can't be worse than the effing buskers in Covent Garden.

After my walk on the Chiswick Mall I ran into Laurence on the street on my way back to the church. He is so much fun. Actually hilariously fun and incredibly nice. I can't believe I know him.

The concert was... amazing! I loved it and was verklempt several times during the performance. I sat in the second row. I was going to sit in the first row but then thought that people who paid might want to sit there (yea, I'm a giver). Laurence continues to amaze me. He conducted from the organ while playing and then also sang. All at the same time. He's incredibly talented. The soloists were all excellent and the orchestra perfect in every detail.

The audience was one of the most enthusiastic and respectful I've ever seen. Unlike concerts in Berkeley, no one snored, I didn't even see anyone dozing. I was very impressed. Although I'm not into churches, St. Nicholas was really beautiful. It's incredibly old and the wooden ceiling was really lovely and something different from the fussy, ornate churches one typically sees. It's enormous and the concert was packed.

Once again I spoke with a couple sitting next to me who were delightful. I'm going to invite them to our next house concert. Pretty soon, our house concerts are going to be full of people I've picked up at other concerts '-)

Although Laurence invited me to hang out at the pub with the performers after the concert I decided to head back to Covent Garden because it was late and I had to walk in the dark to the tube, etc. However, at 10 p.m. it wasn't quite yet dark so the walk wasn't scary at all (except maybe that pedestrian tunnel). It was an easy tube ride home.

Thank you, Laurence, for inviting me to a very special musical evening.

Climbing the Top 10

Wow, I'm number 6 in the Magnatune top 10 today! Up from number 7 yesterday. Thank you everyone!

I even beat the monks.

So please buy me.

The Top 10

I'm in the Top 10! Thank you to everyone who bought my album yesterday in my desperate attempt to get into Magnatune's Top 10. Today I'm number 7!! Thank you!!!!!! For those of you who didn't buy my album: hurry! The sales statistics are cumulative so buying it now will definitely help. This is my first time in the Top 10, anywhere, and I'm stunned. Thank you.

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Ironically, after all my complaining about the heat, it's beautiful now in London and awful in California. So, I no longer have Berkeley weather envy, it's effing hot there this week. 94 yesterday. If we were there we'd be miserable because there's no air conditioning there either. Like London, temperatures that high are unusual and are only a few days of the summer but it's still a nightmare.

The photos are from our newly refinished roofdeck last night of the gorgeous sunset. Looking north is Centre Point and the BT Tower and then south is the sunset reflecting off the Royal Opera House. Lovely.

Buy Me!

Ok, it's time for a little shameless self-promotion. I've never done this before but I just have to give it a try.

Yesterday I was excited to see that my album 24 Preludes for Solo Piano was number 11 at Magnatune.com! I almost made it into the Top 10!

Today I'm number 18. Damn. It changes daily so who knows where I'll be as that link ages. :~(

But if a few of my loyal readers buy my album I might actually break into the top 10. That has been my dream for ages, to be in the Magnatune Top 10 (or any Top 10 for that matter).

Please buy me! Buy me now! You will make me very very happy. You might even like the music.

Roof Deck & The D-List Continues

So, now that we're in Season 3 of Our London Adventure, what's happening? (ok, I don't have a tv show but I can dream...)

I only feel trapped in London when I can't keep up with the very few tv shows I like to watch in the U.S. Thanks to the semi-evil but undeniably fabulous iTunes, I can download my favorite show: Kathy Griffin's wonderful My Life on the D-List. In this week's episode she went to Iraq to cheer up the troops stranded there by the government (my description). OMG, I cried through the whole thing. She is effing amazing.

Next: the "decorator" is refinishing the roof deck because it's been 2 years and there's a lot of sun damage. It looks great. He also replaced some burnt out lightbulbs in the grand stair and showed me how to turn off the power to change them myself (they can explode if the power is on when you change them. Be very afraid.). Yea, I can change light bulbs. You didn't know that about me did you.

The weather is amazingly gorgeous. I have a totally different attitude about London (positive vs. suicidal) when the weather is nice and I can keep the windows closed to block out the noise. Right now it's 65 with a cool breeze and I'm loving it.

The Adventure: Year Two

It's time for another of those pesky anniversaries.

Two years ago today I started this blog. When we decided to see what it was like to live in London we had no idea it was going to turn out the way it did. It's the most fun we've ever had.

Looking back at those early blog entries the biggest thing I noticed was the photos look a hell of a lot better since I got a digital camera instead of using my palm pilot.

The past two years have been completely amazing.

Life on Avenue Q

Tonight we went to see Avenue Q with Laurel Zucker and Sara Andon, who have been staying with us.

It was one of the funniest things we've ever seen on stage. Absolutely ingenious and hilarious. And R rated, don't take the kids. The songs were wonderful and people were singing them as we left the theatre. We never hear that.

Laurel and Sara are two of the nicest and fun people we've ever met. They are completely delightful. We're sad to see them leave tomorrow but are glad they had such a fun time in London and we had the opportunity to get to know them.

House Concert No. 8

Last night was our 8th house concert! Magnatune artist Laurel Zucker and her friend Sara Andon played flute duets.

They played Mozart and W.F. Bach, it was completely sublime. Hearing the counterpoint up close made for amazing stereo effects as the melodies jumped between the two flutes. The audience enjoyed it tremendously.

John did something a little different for dinner this time because of the heat: salads and cold salmon with strawberries for dessert. And, as always, lots of champagne. Laurel and Sara are incredibly fun and nice people; we're so happy to have the opportunity to know and spend time with them.

The Four of Us at Jaan

Our friend Mary has been staying with us this week and our other favorite friend, Nancy is also in London for a while. So of course we had to have an exquisite dinner together!

Last night we took them to Jaan at Swissotel The Howard on Temple Place, right off the Embankment. They loved it as much as we do. It really is one of the best restaurants in London and too much of a secret. It deserves to be packed every night, it's that fabulous. It's a truly wonderful dining experience in every detail.

I had the same thing as last time and you can see all of us had the duck as our main course. The chef came out to say hello so we had the opportunity to tell him how much we love his cuisine. An amazing meal with super fun friends.

Here Come The Jets

Jets flying in formation literally over the house. I guess it's yet another World Cup thing. Are my taxes paying for this? I want my money back.

Update: Apparently it's for the Queen's birthday. You go girl.

A Little Morning Excursion

We had to do some errands today so we got an early start. The weather is beautiful. Sunny and in the 60's. The temperature is creeping its way back up but for now it's really great.

First was FedEx on The Strand. It's really hard to find. Before we knew where it was, we previously had walked past it a dozen times without even noticing it was there. BTW, you can only send international FedEx's from there, not to anywhere inside the U.K. from the U.K. No wonder it's always empty.

I tried to take a photo from outside but you couldn't see the logo because of the reflection on the glass. So, while John prepared his packages, I took some photos of the logo from the inside (and then reversed it in Photoshop so it's readable). Get this: one of the staff came up to me and said I couldn't take photos. I said that I was taking photos through the window to the outside. He said that was ok then. WTF. He could see I was pointing the camera out the window. If that was ok then why did he tell me not to take photos? Idiot. And if I was taking photos inside so what? It's not like Kinko's is hiding state secrets or anything. I think it's just part of the new, paranoid, pseudo-security that has taken over everything. Idiots.

Let me rant for a moment regarding the "no photos" policy which comes up a lot. I don't get yelled at much but when I do it always seems to be much ado about nothing. Yes, I understand you shouldn't take photos in the theatre of the show itself. But every time we've been to the theatre there are people taking pictures of themselves (we've done it) and every time I've seen them get yelled at by the theatre staff. Sorry, that is just stupid. The theatre industry depends on the zillions of tourists who go to their shows. Many people want photos of themselves while they're at the theatre. Get over it.

On to our excursion. A quick trip to Boots and then to Ryman for printer paper. There's a photo of Ryman's on The Strand which I don't think I've put on the blog before. Great store. Like most nerds I am an office supply junkie. I don't know what I need post-its for but I want them in every color.

Then on to Tesco, the worst grocery store in Covent Garden. Marks and Spencer is so much better for food, but for things like dishwasher detergent Tesco is the place. We got the detergent but they no longer have my favorite Diet Coke Vanilla. Gone. I guess it was a marketing experiment that failed. Idiots. Now they only have the Diet Coke Lemon, which tastes like dishwashing liquid, and Diet Coke Cherry, which tastes like cough syrup. Regular Diet Coke is ok but I loved the vanilla one. Otherwise I'll just drink sparkling water.

It doesn't sound like it but I'm in a really happy mood today. The weather is gorgeous and I just bought an amazing album by a band called Above & Beyond which is making me bop around the house, smiling.

Shady

We finally have window shades! Well, most of them. One of the colors of the fabric we selected is backordered. But it's only one floor so we'll wait. Meanwhile, it's so nice to have the shades back in the living room, guest suite and especially for our bedroom.

There were shades in the house originally but then we had to have them taken down for the double windows to be installed. The living room shades are the same ones as before and were the only ones that could be reused. All the other windows had to be remeasured and new shades made. It was a long project but now that it's (nearly) done it was worth it.

The closeup is of the bedroom shade fabric. Very smart.

A House Full of Music

Yesterday and today John has been recording The Gonzaga Band, for a future release on Magnatune.

This is the largest ensemble he has recorded yet, with various sessions of different musical combinations throughout the two days. Such talented and nice people! Of course, we're always delighted to see our friend Jacob Heringman, who John also recorded recently for a Magnatune release.

The house was filled with beautiful music all day, I enjoyed listening to them very much.

Handel in Westminster

Last night we went to an invitation-only concert in the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft, Palace of Westminster presented by Handel House.

Well! It was an extraordinary evening. It was hosted by the Baroness Rendell of Babergh, who was charming. Lady Babergh greeted everyone at the reception in the Attlee Room in the House of Lords where we saw many familiar faces and met some new ones.

Then we proceeded to the Chapel which was one of the most beautiful places we've ever seen. The photo barely does it justice. It's quite small and the ceiling is low. The detailing is spectacular.

The performance was by Laurence Cummings on harpsichord (and one piece on the amazing organ in the Chapel), Rachel Brown on flute and soprano Fflur Wyn. They played music by Handel including some arias from his operas, harpsichord suite, and flute sonata. It was perfection, truly gorgeous.

Afterward we went to a dinner hosted by Handel House at The Savile Club where we had a great time with fun and interesting people. A fabulous evening!

The photos are from our walk to Westminster (yes, we walked from Covent Garden to Westminster, it's not really that far). You can see the weather has changed to grey and gloomy. Chilly and grey really is a relief after that heat wave.

Golden Coffee

John's back from Munich, and in addition to The Glass Frog, he brought back a surprise: the coffee cups that we had also seen and admired the last time we were there. They are by Rosenthal and depict scenes from Mozart's opera The Magic Flute in gold. Incredibly beautiful! Probably not dishwasher-safe '-)