29 September 2008
Franklins' new farm shop has opened at last in the old tyre shop, opposite the Franklins restaurant. It's still new and sawdusty with a select display of goods. There are unusual species of fruit and veg, juices and sauces from small local producers, homemade sauces and meals, organic household products, freshly baked cakes and patisserie, local organic ales, big hunks of local cheeses and the like. A most tasty addition to East Dulwich.
A new bakery and teashop called Luca's opens a few doors down quite soon. The neighbourhood is on the up and up.
A new bakery and teashop called Luca's opens a few doors down quite soon. The neighbourhood is on the up and up.
27 September 2008
Still no broadband. All due to the pig dog old provider who wouldn't provision the telephone line to my new provider. I have to wait until 8th October now. I hope they fold under the weight of the economic crisis - that's my modern day curse for you.
Went to see Emmanuel Gat at Sadlers Wells. Apparently an up and coming young contemporary choreographer and troupe from Israel. They could all definitely dance but I'm afraid dull was the order of the day. There was also far less musical accompaniment than I usually prefer in a dance offering. That's the problem with a low budget - sometimes you are pushed to finding new heights of creativity, other times it just looks like you couldn't afford music.
Have started climbing again at the gym. Need something else to do now that I can no longer afford personal training and they've cut another dance class, again. Or there's Budokan, which is the replacement class which seems to involve yoga and animal movements. Could be interesting or could be just like a session of Grotowski at drama school when you don't quite know what you're trying to achieve but attempt to look pained and full of angst anyway.
Went to see Emmanuel Gat at Sadlers Wells. Apparently an up and coming young contemporary choreographer and troupe from Israel. They could all definitely dance but I'm afraid dull was the order of the day. There was also far less musical accompaniment than I usually prefer in a dance offering. That's the problem with a low budget - sometimes you are pushed to finding new heights of creativity, other times it just looks like you couldn't afford music.
Have started climbing again at the gym. Need something else to do now that I can no longer afford personal training and they've cut another dance class, again. Or there's Budokan, which is the replacement class which seems to involve yoga and animal movements. Could be interesting or could be just like a session of Grotowski at drama school when you don't quite know what you're trying to achieve but attempt to look pained and full of angst anyway.
14 September 2008
I did my first ever treasure hunt today. It was Monopoly themed and I was invited along by my old university buddy, L, and his boyfriend. It was such fun!
I came equipped with two pens, a compass, a Maglite (in case we had to read something in a dark place), an A to Z, water, chocolate, an umbrella, a list of all the Monopoly properties and a notepad.
L and man turned up late (as usual) with no pens and a gammy leg.
We started down by the river and charged about looking for answers to clues and discovering lots of plaques and beautiful architectural detail, finding out lots about London that we didn't know and showing off about the stuff we did know. The city was beautiful today in the gorgeous sunshine and there was a lovely festive atmosphere due to all the concerts and processions and stuff that was going on. Even the feckless tourists were not a bother.
We were, of course, highly competitive and tried to look nonchalant whenever we spotted the answer to a clue.
And best of all...
...we won! We got back to the finish with six minutes to spare and wiped the floor with the opposition. Spent 30 mins gloating in the pub and then spent half of our winnings on a slap-up tapas meal.
A near perfect day.
I came equipped with two pens, a compass, a Maglite (in case we had to read something in a dark place), an A to Z, water, chocolate, an umbrella, a list of all the Monopoly properties and a notepad.
L and man turned up late (as usual) with no pens and a gammy leg.
We started down by the river and charged about looking for answers to clues and discovering lots of plaques and beautiful architectural detail, finding out lots about London that we didn't know and showing off about the stuff we did know. The city was beautiful today in the gorgeous sunshine and there was a lovely festive atmosphere due to all the concerts and processions and stuff that was going on. Even the feckless tourists were not a bother.
We were, of course, highly competitive and tried to look nonchalant whenever we spotted the answer to a clue.
And best of all...
...we won! We got back to the finish with six minutes to spare and wiped the floor with the opposition. Spent 30 mins gloating in the pub and then spent half of our winnings on a slap-up tapas meal.
A near perfect day.
7 September 2008
I forgot to add, I am without broadband for THREE WHOLE WEEKS. I might die. It is like living under a rock - bereft of my hotline to all the information I could ever wish to know (and much more that I couldn't care less to know). I am reduced to a paltry 56k dial-up connection. It's like the Stone Age I tell you.
My CGI wizard friends and I finished the Polymath crossword in the Weekend FT for the first time! (Well, since I've started doing it with them). It's a most pleasurable ritual - Saturday afternoons in Franklins with the FT, good food, drink and company and a bit of confounding ungeneral knowledge to keep the old brain cells scraping along.
I have just heard about the Hadron particle accelerator and its potential ability to end life as we know it. Although I think the big sis did mention it a while back. I must have been living under a rock. Perhaps I should just crawl back under it.
I have just heard about the Hadron particle accelerator and its potential ability to end life as we know it. Although I think the big sis did mention it a while back. I must have been living under a rock. Perhaps I should just crawl back under it.
4 September 2008
We climbed up here...
...and we didn't die. 800 metres above sea level. There was a secret lake high up in the hills which you could only see if you dragged yourself up there.
Snowdon was wild, wet and windy with a bit of sun when we arrived to lull us into a false sense of security. We were caught in a North Atlantic squall and I heard fighter jets flying overhead at five in the morning.
But it was a big adventure and we were fortified by bacon, sausage and fried egg sandwiches on good old white bread with lashings of ketchup, steaming plastic mugs of tea and chilli and spag bol. All worthy of a modern-day Enid Blyton novel.
Will we do it again? Damn straight.
On another note, I had an exciting e-mail telling me I was shortlisted for the Guardian Travel Writing competition but sadly it came to naught and I didn't even make the runners-up list. Ah well.
...and we didn't die. 800 metres above sea level. There was a secret lake high up in the hills which you could only see if you dragged yourself up there.
Snowdon was wild, wet and windy with a bit of sun when we arrived to lull us into a false sense of security. We were caught in a North Atlantic squall and I heard fighter jets flying overhead at five in the morning.
But it was a big adventure and we were fortified by bacon, sausage and fried egg sandwiches on good old white bread with lashings of ketchup, steaming plastic mugs of tea and chilli and spag bol. All worthy of a modern-day Enid Blyton novel.
Will we do it again? Damn straight.
On another note, I had an exciting e-mail telling me I was shortlisted for the Guardian Travel Writing competition but sadly it came to naught and I didn't even make the runners-up list. Ah well.
