It was a misty morning in Chiswick, and I awoke to find the last of the tomatoes covered in morning dew. The glistening morning tomatoes became the glistening chutney of the evening. After a very busy and whirlwind tour this summer, the Londonista is back in the kitchen.

Travelling Girl (at London, United Kingdom)

#ukelele night! (at The Albany - Great Portland Street)

Disused tube station is like a time capsule from1962. (at Euston tube station)

Save the rhubarb! I figure it should make a fantastic compote with strawberries and pecans. Just like my great aunt Ruth used to make. Never had the recipe but It did look something like this. I'll try it out tomorrow and if it's tasty I'll pass along the recipe.

The second batch of rhubarb gin is spectacular! I added strawberries for added sweetness. Hoping to turn the remnants into rhubarb gin-jam. Note her delicate pose in front of the fabulous herbs from Sissinghurst Castle. I expect those Will find their way to an culinary experiment in the near future. God save my liver.

Hamlet tights, Ophelia t-shirt.  It’s a thing.

https://www.onlineleggingstore.com/products/hamlet-leggings

Native oysters in Co Wicklow. They make you remember why you love oysters.

#fontcandy @easytigerapps

at Aarhus, Denmark

Viborg, 8:20 am (at Viborg, Denmark)

The rainbow ends at the BT Tower. (at BT Tower)

As You Like It

In the recent National Theatre’s production of As You Like It, which hasn’t been seen at this theatre in 30 years, there is no doubt that the star of the show is the ingenious set design by Lizzie Clachan.   As we enter the theatre, we see the actors already on set, bustling around the desks, lamps, and chairs of what seems to be a trading floor complete with printers that spit out multicoloured papers and 10 second lunch breaks.  Post-It notes fly about as the actors shuffle from one desk to another with some financial purpose.  There is a break for a Mexican wrestling match, which I suppose could be a corporate morale building effort, but it did seem a bit random.  Of course, this merely sets up the banishment of Rosalind and Orlando to the forest of Arden.  And this is where my jaw dropped and the audience was heard to collectively sigh, “Wow!" As the lighting begins to fade from harsh office lighting to muted cool forest tones, we first hear a clatter that soon reveals itself to be the entire office set which is chained together - the chairs, tables, lamps, printers  - all ascending up to form the trees of the forest, with green post-It notes as leaves.  It is a sheer stroke of genius to transform the cold, impersonal office furniture to the cold, impersonal winter forest in which the characters are forced to hide.  Onstage singers, some sitting in the dangling chairs, provide the sounds of the forest from flapping birds’ wings to wind rushing through trees to a haunting melody.  Honestly I could have watched them and the set for hours. Unfortunately, the performances didn’t live up to the set.  Rosalie Craig looks every bit the part of the strong Rosalind, maybe too strong.  Perhaps slightly more Beatrice in her jibes with Joe Bannister’s milquetoast Orlando and not entirely giddy with love.  Perhaps the most well-known speech, “All the world’s a stage,” was delivered by a more tormented than sad Jaques played by Paul Chahidi.  And Mark Benton was engaging as Touchstone, especially in the scene where the actors in wool sweaters play sheep.  (And quite well, I might add.)  Patsy Ferran’s Celia is delightful and bubbly.  And all in all, it was an entertaining evening.  But the night belonged to the designer.

Christmas on Oxford St (at Oxford Street)

Into the fog (at Chiswick Riverside London)

#bb8 #HalloweenAwakens (at London, United Kingdom)

Upon Reflection

As I cruise into another birthday, it barely even seems like yesterday since the last one.  Another year older, and what the hell have I learned?  Nothing.  Everything.  What have I accomplished?  Bits here and there, but not even a fraction of what I had planned.  Gah.  A year has raced by and what do I have to celebrate? You know that feeling when you are on vacation and you realize there are only a couple of days left and so you cram everything into the remaining hours before it all ends?  It’s like that.  So much to do and so little time!  Now, I don’t mean to sound morbid.  I don’t have a fatal disease, just simply middle-age anxiety.  But I do wonder: Does anyone ever feel that they have achieved their life’s purpose? Most days, I break it down into bite-sized chunks.  Things like run 5k, do a bit of writing, eat healthy food, show up on time.  All for the higher purpose of…oh wait.  What IS my higher purpose?  A very wise man once told me that the purpose of life is to be happy.  And if you can make other people happy too, you are doing pretty well. So, maybe it’s all fine.  I live a pretty awesome life.  I live in my favorite city on Earth, travel a lot, have tons of friends that I adore, am remarkably healthy, and on occasion get to do fun and creative things.  To keep it all in perspective, I DON’T have a dryer, dishwasher, quick commute to work, lots of money, children, pets (well, I do but they are 6,000 miles away) and that’s ok.  I live the life I dreamed of living.  And I am happy.  And that is worth celebrating.