Penzance

A glorious blue sky and blue sea today (it is Cornwall of course) with temperatures of around 12 degrees. Zimmy and I have thoroughly enjoyed our "Song of the Sea" cottage that has sea views from the bedrooms and is a wonderful home away from home. We are centrally located near St. Mary's Church with views over the harbour and pathways lined with palm trees. We spent some time there yesterday sitting on a bench in the sunshine soaking up the peace. Today we took a three mile walk along the windy sea front to Marazion to tour St. Michael's Mount, a castle on top of a rock in the sea that one walks to over a causeway when the tide is out. The St. Aubyn family still runs the castle and has a 999 year lease from the National Trust so they can live there as well. Windy is a mild term for the weather today! Warm behind a stone wall then just about blown away in the open. Dinner of fish and chips and fish pie at the Old Turk pub. Perfect.

Penzance

After arriving in Penzance in Cornwall yesterday on a 5 hour train journey from Bristol and a meal of fish and chips at the Dolphin pub on a rainy evening, we woke to sunshine but cool weather. Amazing bus trip from Penzance to Land's End up hill and down on a road on which cars had to duck into driveways to avoid our double decker bus. Zimmy and I braved the open upper deck to gaze at cows and sheep and fields and blue sea views on the journey. My wool gloves came in handy today. Land's End proved to be a granite rocky point where the blue sea surrounded us and birds whizzed up and down without flapping on the air currents. Had a Cornish cream tea which was the last item on my list of food that I yearned to have on the trip.
Dinner at the Admiral Benbow pub which also has something to do with Robert Louis Stevenson. A popular claim to fame in these parts.

Bristol

A bracing walk across the Clifton suspension bridge to Ashton Court, an impressive 850 acre park complete with a herd of fallow deer, 400 year old oak trees and a mansion from the 1400's. At the top of a steep hill, we met Mick and Jayne, an enthusiastic Yorkshire couple who are on an over 800 mile cycling trip from Lands End to John o' Groats. They weren't even out of breath! An inspiration to us all.
We continued on a circle walking tour of Bristol ably led by Clare and Simon with a ferry boat ride, a visit to the Arnolfini modern art gallery, a pint at the Llandoger Trow pub which was the location of inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island and a performance from some lively street musicians. The grand finale of a grand day was an evening out at the Plantation Club with a buffet of Caribbean food (jerk chicken, curried goat and channa and plantain for the vegetarians) cocktails with little paper umbrellas made by the Cuban bartender (of course he made a perfect Mojito) and an outstanding jazz and R and B performance by Celestine and her band. Ran in to a friend of Simon's who has just completed a project on the end of the Motown music organization in Detroit. Interesting.

London to Bristol

On the move again. Met up with my friend of 40 years, Zimmy, and we traveled to Bristol by train to have a great reunion with Hilton and Clare, friends from the 70's. Memories of escapades and the eternal confidence of youth.
🍴Delicious take away Indian meal which was on my list of food to have while in the UK. Devon cream tea and fish and chips at the seaside remain after knocking off the Cornish pastie, a Scotch egg and Polo mints.

London Day 4

Beautiful sunshine to be enjoyed once again. Another trip over Waterloo Bridge gazing at the sights on the way to a musical, Top Hat.🎩 Utterly charming with lots of tap dancing and Irving Berlin classics. I still enjoy the fashions of 1935 and the witty repartee that entranced me as I watched old movies in my teenage years.
The visions of growing up and wearing elegant gowns, the evenings at nightclubs and the days swanning around in a satin house coat chatting on the telephone with my friends.

London Day 3

Sipping my daily frothy cappuccino in the cafe at the end of the road as I work on the updates. I feel very fortunate to have had another beautiful weather day yesterday. Snow in Ontario seems impossible however I do believe the news. I thoroughly enjoyed the West End musical, The Bodyguard, yesterday. Definitely a rather mundane story but outstanding singing and dancing with a beautiful black woman the star.
As usual, another fabulous meal with my friends. This time in a Thai restaurant overlooking the Thames at Putney Bridge. Scintillating conversation about the state of racism in the world today and our hopes for a better future.

👍Time Out Magazine re The Bodyguard:
"There is surely an excruciatingly tacky musical adaptation of the Whitney Houston-starring romantic thriller 'The Bodyguard' to be made. But this is not it. In fact Thea Sharrock's production could scarcely look pricier if Lloyd Owen's personal security guard Frank Farmer had been charged with protecting an enormous pile of real gold bullion, as opposed to Heather Headley's singing superstar Rachel Marron
The undoubted star of Sharrock's stylish production is the extraordinary set – a series of mobile panels which open and close like a giant, mobile camera shutter, blinking in and out, and panning cinematographically in every direction. It gives 'The Bodyguard' a tightly edited, filmic slickness the likes of which I've never seen in the theatre, and goes some way to making up for one of the ropiest scripts in musical history."

London Day 2

I am thoroughly enjoying the warm spring breezes and sunshine. I spent a wonderful day with a friend that I met in Toronto over 40 years ago. We had many laughs recalling travels and escapades from the early days and catching up on more recent news. Feels trite to say how precious good friends and shared experiences are, but these things do form a backdrop for all that follows. I had asked her if there was anything new to see since my last visit to London about 10 years ago and she said what about the "Shard". Never heard of it I said, so off we went. Wow. It is a very tall glass building in the heart of London that provides fantastic views over the whole city in every direction. Great views of the Tower of London and the Thames. Well worth a visit!

As Samuel Johnson once said,
When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life.

Paris-London

Am now in London after Paris and am on my own after a fabulous time with my friend of 35 years. She is staying on in Paris as I reunite with friends in London and Bristol with a trip to the seaside in Penzance in Cornwall thrown in. London is in full bloom with camellias, daffodils, primroses, forsythia, fragrant verbena and grass and leaves and everything. Spring is glorious here. After a marvellous lunch of salad a la collioure at home with my dear London friends, had an afternoon walk in the newly renovated Fulham Palace Gardens near Putney Bridge. Tea in the Palace and a wander through a garden shop to pick up plants for spring planting (obviously not mine!) My love of London continues. The ripple of the Thames, the slightly overgrown gardens spilling onto the streets, a pint of Young's bitter in the Half Moon pub and lively interesting conversation into the night.

Paris Day 3

The morning began with a brass band marching down the street. That's a great start to a Saturday morning! Very festive. Explored Montmartre and Sacre Coeur and gazing at the Moulin Rouge of course. Then a Parisian meal in cafe ...escargot, scallops, gigot lamb chops stuffed with garlic mmmm..
Fabulous evening with my
pal and her friend, catching up, speculating, reminiscing, philosophizing, laughing......