3 January - Walks and Talks
Not often in the country at Xmas/New Year and doing it once in a while reminds me of why I should always be away. Too many days with not enough to do in a city that's so large that the thought of going to visit friends etc. is too tiring and you're trying to avoid shops and their sale temptations of products you don't need so you stay in and get more fidgety /bored as there's only so many pages of a book you can read in one go and TV/movies don't take your fancy.
However I should record that a nice walk was had in wet Hampsted with the lapsed lawyer who's now a fresh judge and his g/friend and two kids, the friend with the chocolate dog and the friend of hers with the ten year old and Toph. Due to all the others having lunch first at the old pub, the walk was not that long and for once I could have really gone round the park. Instead we took a long route to get back to the car and marvelled about the massive houses and who lives in them. It's such a mystery. What do they do with all the space? Including the space that's concealed from view? It's not like they can have 20 servants and 12 kids each and at any one time 8 guests staying? Or maybe they do? For sure it's a life lived with a limo driver whisking you away to wherever any time you step out of the door, but I don't know, never really liked it up here... never coveted it.
On another day with friend with dog, Toph and his mother we followed around Maida Vale the friend who's become a city guide and this was her practice tour of the area where she lives. And very interesting it was too, tough slightly too long at 2 hours (will come down to 90 mins eventually) when it's bitterly cold out there. Also, she did not make it clear that the rules of the course say that you have to have your group stood somewhere at any one time before you tell them the history/info ie. walking and talking is forbidden. It's kind of obvious as that way all the group can hear, maybe rest a little if they're not young etc. So for someone with my kind of manic energy it was super hard and not knowing the rule I kept breaking off ahead with friend with dog and then urging Toph and mother to walk faster. The one thing I took away from this walk, apart for more respect for my friend as there's soooo much work gone into devising it, is that we all matter as much as a grain of sand. She told us about all manner of well known figures who had lived in the area and with the exception of Paul McCartney, Billy Fury, Vivian Leigh and Alma Tadema and Oskar Kokolska (spelling?) the others I can't remember. And had we had a 15 year old on the walk, she'd have known NONE. Sure I sort of knew some of the names but truly in their time they may have been a famous artist, entrepreneur, philosopher or engineer or soldier but it's all lost in mist and an in 50 years McCartney will be remembered but not Billy Fury (why anyway?) so you really are insignificant despite your achievements in your lifetime. Good one to remember if I ever get depressed about the lack of mine.
I also had a fab little dinner at Dishoom with the departing Angolan queen and Vindaloo Vic and his family (and Toph). Only 2 out of the 3 daughters and a rare appeareance of the youngest one who is praeternaturally beautiful and only 14 but 5'11" and budding model. The 20 year old was beautiful too but in a different not so captivating way. Vic and wife thanked us for chatting for a longtime to the daughters but it was no chore. They are perfecly formed in social situations. Clever, smart and when not knowledgeable, still interested. I think I performed a parents' good deed by persuading the 14 year old that if she wants to follow a career in fashion she should not drop out of expensive private school to go work in Topshop. Sure you can work your way up and enough people have done it but why not wait to find out if Philip Green's daughter is in they year above yours and cultivate that friendship whilst you're studying. And if you can get a masters in business you can run the shop, no need to re-fold jumpers. Ok you get my drift, I think she did too. And by all means start with the summer job and see how you do.
Dishoom food very good. Toph was finally able to clear one of his puzzles of old. He's always thought VV was odd, his energy, his mannerism and frankness and Angolan Queen revealed he has mild Asperger and so unable to read signs and talking too directly and moving on too fast or overpowering your wishes when ordering in a restaurant, a little like manic child. But that's probably also what makes him a successfull company owner. If you have little empathy and you tell everyone to moves swiftly along then maybe enough people like you for that? I mean, they get their answers straight away? Didn't much help his wife when they had some earlier tragedy in their life and a child was lost to incurable illness but they seem a happy enough family apart from the daughters mild anorexia.
However all of the above filled 2 days out of the long holiday so you know, I still think it's best to be awayyyyyyyyyyyyyy.
However I should record that a nice walk was had in wet Hampsted with the lapsed lawyer who's now a fresh judge and his g/friend and two kids, the friend with the chocolate dog and the friend of hers with the ten year old and Toph. Due to all the others having lunch first at the old pub, the walk was not that long and for once I could have really gone round the park. Instead we took a long route to get back to the car and marvelled about the massive houses and who lives in them. It's such a mystery. What do they do with all the space? Including the space that's concealed from view? It's not like they can have 20 servants and 12 kids each and at any one time 8 guests staying? Or maybe they do? For sure it's a life lived with a limo driver whisking you away to wherever any time you step out of the door, but I don't know, never really liked it up here... never coveted it.
On another day with friend with dog, Toph and his mother we followed around Maida Vale the friend who's become a city guide and this was her practice tour of the area where she lives. And very interesting it was too, tough slightly too long at 2 hours (will come down to 90 mins eventually) when it's bitterly cold out there. Also, she did not make it clear that the rules of the course say that you have to have your group stood somewhere at any one time before you tell them the history/info ie. walking and talking is forbidden. It's kind of obvious as that way all the group can hear, maybe rest a little if they're not young etc. So for someone with my kind of manic energy it was super hard and not knowing the rule I kept breaking off ahead with friend with dog and then urging Toph and mother to walk faster. The one thing I took away from this walk, apart for more respect for my friend as there's soooo much work gone into devising it, is that we all matter as much as a grain of sand. She told us about all manner of well known figures who had lived in the area and with the exception of Paul McCartney, Billy Fury, Vivian Leigh and Alma Tadema and Oskar Kokolska (spelling?) the others I can't remember. And had we had a 15 year old on the walk, she'd have known NONE. Sure I sort of knew some of the names but truly in their time they may have been a famous artist, entrepreneur, philosopher or engineer or soldier but it's all lost in mist and an in 50 years McCartney will be remembered but not Billy Fury (why anyway?) so you really are insignificant despite your achievements in your lifetime. Good one to remember if I ever get depressed about the lack of mine.
I also had a fab little dinner at Dishoom with the departing Angolan queen and Vindaloo Vic and his family (and Toph). Only 2 out of the 3 daughters and a rare appeareance of the youngest one who is praeternaturally beautiful and only 14 but 5'11" and budding model. The 20 year old was beautiful too but in a different not so captivating way. Vic and wife thanked us for chatting for a longtime to the daughters but it was no chore. They are perfecly formed in social situations. Clever, smart and when not knowledgeable, still interested. I think I performed a parents' good deed by persuading the 14 year old that if she wants to follow a career in fashion she should not drop out of expensive private school to go work in Topshop. Sure you can work your way up and enough people have done it but why not wait to find out if Philip Green's daughter is in they year above yours and cultivate that friendship whilst you're studying. And if you can get a masters in business you can run the shop, no need to re-fold jumpers. Ok you get my drift, I think she did too. And by all means start with the summer job and see how you do.
Dishoom food very good. Toph was finally able to clear one of his puzzles of old. He's always thought VV was odd, his energy, his mannerism and frankness and Angolan Queen revealed he has mild Asperger and so unable to read signs and talking too directly and moving on too fast or overpowering your wishes when ordering in a restaurant, a little like manic child. But that's probably also what makes him a successfull company owner. If you have little empathy and you tell everyone to moves swiftly along then maybe enough people like you for that? I mean, they get their answers straight away? Didn't much help his wife when they had some earlier tragedy in their life and a child was lost to incurable illness but they seem a happy enough family apart from the daughters mild anorexia.
However all of the above filled 2 days out of the long holiday so you know, I still think it's best to be awayyyyyyyyyyyyyy.
posted by Lisa Taylor @ 2:34 AM
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