In the spirit of putting off what's fearsome, I woke up early and dozed in romantic fantasy, hoping that H would come in and say she had made other plans. Eventually rushed off towards London at about 10. Traffic heavy, conversation light and pleasant. Hilarious episode when the only car parking space was so tight that I couldn't get out of the car. Got to central London by 1 but took ages to orientate ourselves. Got the the NPG dehydrated and needing the loo. Tried to make the best of it, but felt disappointed.
The main buzz was wondering around Nelson's Column and feeling the rush of positive change. The last time I was there, it was a belching roundabout. Now it is all clean plaza, street entertainers and foreign students. The Church of StMartins in the Fields has truly been 'lovingly restored' as they say, and was gleaming in its sunny spot.
Chinatown was just as I remembered it from the times that Paul and I would go with a big group of friends, all sitting at a round table feasting on the duck they keep in the windows, the vegetarians nibbling seaweed and moaning. In theatreland I had the sudden wish to stay on and catch a play, or one of those too rich musicals. By afternoon, we were exhausted though. The NPG had been airless and we had eaten and drank too late. H said she had a great time, but I Feel I should have planned better. Never mind. Will write more about the NPG on Notes From The Back of the Envelope.
On the way home, H converted me to the Arctic Monkeys. They have sat in my MP3 player unlistened to beyond the first track, but as the album played on, I got into the lyrics of urban youth. It's a bit rocky for my taste, but I intend to give it another go.
Got KFC for tea and watched the Brits on TV. There were only a handful of nominated acts, mostly indie pop rock, with Duffy winning soloist slots over and over. I loved seeing James Corden hosting though. As usual, the best fun was to be had watching the big stars fluff the autocue.
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