London and other things

Had an excellent weekend in London -

Food: two meals at Pizza Paradiso on Store Street (we're so recognised now we get offered drinks on the house!), two breakfasts at Bar Brunos on Wardour Street, breakfast at the S&M cafe near Spitalfields market, a curry at the small branch of The Shampan on Brick Lane, tea in the crypt of St Martin-in-the-fields, Med Kitchen at Cambridge Circus

Arts and museums: the NPG, the National Gallery (for the Picasso), Tate Modern (for the Rodchenko and Popova exhibition and tea/cake), the V&A for the Stephen Jones Hats exhibition and a visit through the Photography room and the Theatre and Performance rooms,

Fashion: Spitalfields market and the very lovely Nina of Enienay (I have a new dress!) and Patch (Neil has a new shirt!), a dip into Rokit on Brick Lane (and a spiffy second-hand long red suede coat), tights and socks from Tabio on Neal Street and a new summer frock and a fancy hat from IMSO also on Neal Street

Music: music purchases from MDC Southbank and Rough Trade Truman Brewery, classical lunchtime concert of Stravinsky and Poulenc by Simon Hewitt Jones on violin at St Martins-in-the-fields church

Books: Judd Street, Eastside on Brick Lane, Southbank book stalls and more

Miscellaneous: new headfone covers from Tottenham Court Road (since I started Friday by losing one of the foam covers from Neil's headfones), lots of walking through the City and Fleet Street, and drinks in the Chandos with a friend.

Oh yeah - and I nipped back to the hotel Saturday evening for a delirium inducing hour of Primeval (currently with gorgeous hair).

PS got caught in a fracas between two homeless guys arguing their patch on Saturday night. But no major harm done. Just a bit shook up.

Gradual catch-up: Slow Boats in Rough Trade East

As Cloud said:

Tell them about the honey ... no,not the honey, tell them about someone wearing a Slow Boat Records shop tshirt to go to Rough Trade East. And that someone taking their coat off to flash said t-shirt. And someone else approaching the someone in the t-shirt to say "It's a great shop, isn't it?" expecting a Kiwi accent in response and being surpised.

Indeed. Though I was quick to still praise the Welly-based record emporium, on reflection the guy was probably hopeful of locating a fellow Kiwi. Sorry if I disappointed him!

All that AND seeing Stephen Smith from Newsnight (I felt like saying "you've done the A level now; you don't have to try and hang out with all the cool kids!")