V&A

We went back to the Victoria & Albert museum today, as an antidote to another nasty London spring day. It's a brilliant place, and I think after today it ties with the British museum as my favourite place in London. There are so many cool little collections of stuff - islamic art, wrought iron, stained glass windows, sculpture, casts of european architecture, medieval carvings, contemporary fashion exhibitions, it's just a cool place. Unfortunately today, on the Monday of spring bank holiday, it was also a very crowded place... And like anywhere else in London when it's crowded you always cop plenty of elbows and shoulders. So we didn't stay there too long - we'll have to visit again another day before we leave. Here's a pic of one of the stained glass cathedral windows. And here's one of Mark on one of the staircases.


We went out in Islington yesterday at one of what's apparently 3 very similar Turkish restaurants all called Gallipolli, to have lunch and some drinks for the birthday of a friend's mate. It was pretty cool, then we went out to this bar afterwards, where I had a coconut Fruli. Fruli's this great beer made with strawberries, which I haven't had since I was in London last time. This bar we were at had a coconut version advertised, so since I love coconut and Fruli, it made sense to give this a try. It was too much of a good thing though - way too sweet and rich somehow. What a shame. There was also a banana version though, which someone else tried and judging by the smell if it that would have been way too much. Think the flavour of lots of those fake banana lollies, not actual banana flavour. All in a beer too mind you. Now I just need to track down some pear cider that I was hooked on last time and my alcohol experience here will be complete...

We also did some cooking the other night, or at least Mark did. He made some absolutely fantastic semi-smoked salmon, with rocket and balsamic salad, with a starter of bread with olive oil and balsamic - so yummo!! To capture Mark cooking for posterity, here's a pic.

Near miss with Madonna

Well, despite a couple of slow walks past the movie set downstairs today, yet again I didn't see Madonna. Annoyingly, Matthew at work went downstairs to get a coffee for a meeting, and saw her buying brownies at a stall in the Friday markets. Here's one of the pics he took on his phone. I work just around the corner behind Madonna. She looked small and old evidently. All the papparazzi around the place were hilarious. Some guy with an enormous camera came up and asked us where "she" was, and Elize (somewhat optimistically) asked him to email his photos to her. Evidentally he couldn't, but only because the photos "go straight to the office"...

On the way home tonight, Mark and I also stopped by Trafalgar Square, where to promote tourism in the "villages" surrounding the city, they had laid turf all over what's normally a concrete surface in Trafalgar Square. It was kind of cool, but a bit underwhelming overall - they'd already started to take it up when we were there, and it was only covering the central bit and already starting to go a bit brown where people had walked the most. I took a pic on my mobile, but don't think I can get it off the mobile and onto the laptop right now, so will have to post it later.

Morning!

Friday morning. Cup of coffee. Nothing to do.

Brilliant!!

(I was going to say "What could be better?", but thent I thought if I was having this coffee in Oxford, after a quick fang up some nice B-roads, well, that would be better wouldn't it?!)

The immigration guy at the airport was a bit concerned about me. I showed him my itinerary:

Immigration Guy: Why are you here for so long?
Me: I'm on holiday.
Immigration Guy: Are you going to Europe?
Me: No.
Immigration Guy: What are you going to do for three months?!?
Me: Umm. See London.
Immigration Guy: Are you working? What are you going to do for money?
Me: Ah, my girl is supporting me.

Anyway, you get the picture. He made me realise that, from their point of view, it's probably a poor decision to let into the country. No job. Here for three months. My girlfriend is supporting me becuase I have no money. - I bet they love people like me! haha!

So! Today, I'm not sure what I'm doing. I'm still "bringing myself up to speed". Working out what I'm going to be spending my time on for three months. Difficult choices ahead!

Do I:
a. Take my CISA study materials down to a local library and learn about IT Governance, intrusion detection systems and IT general controls? or do I
b. Fall out of bed at 11am, stroll down to Soho and get a coffee and a bacon and egg roll, wander off to a pub in Marylebone (full of pratts no doubt) and stagger my way home at 2am?

Difficult choices indeed! Maybe I should ask the Immigration Guy.

"Filth and Wisdom"

Today I saw Madonna... 's trailer. She's directing a short movie called "Filth and Wisdom", and they're shooting a couple of scenes around the corner from my building in this dodgy little chemist shop today and tomorrow, so all day there were crowds of people all around the place with lots of really big cameras. The equipment trailers were in the street outside my building, along with supposedly Madonna's trailer, where she was having lunch at one point with this crowd of people at the end of the street staring down at it. It was kind of funny. What a pain in the butt to be a celebrity and have to put up with that everywhere you go.

Anyway Elize at work and I had a look out the window every so often to see if Madonna was wandering around the street or anything, but funnily enough she wasn't. Evidently her movie-directing outfit is a bright green tracksuit the colour of those Woolies shopping bags, with a matching hat. Stylish stuff hey? The movie she's making is apparently based on her life experiences. I think I'm more likely to watch it to see the street I work in than I am for the movie itself. Who knows, maybe we'll get it out on dvd one day back in Sydney.