More art, rambles and seeing me mates

I told myself I was going to slow down the pace, do fewer things and give my back a rest. I haven't exactly done a good job of any of that. Here's what I've been up to the past two days. 

Wednesday:

• Out the door at 8:10 am to walk up the Junction Road to take a Pilates mat class. My back did thank me for this.
• Back to me gaff to change clothes, eat, faff around and then out the door again at 11 am to head into town.
• Took the tube to Charring X and popped in to the NPG to see the BP 2019 Portrait Award exhibition. While I'm not all that keen on photographic portraits, and I avoid them like the plaque in my own photography, I do appreciate a good portrait painting. This year's exhibition did not disappoint and I thought the winners were well chosen.
• Walked over the Golden Jubilee Bridge to the Southbank and made my way towards Tate Modern.
• Stopped in Gabriel's Wharf for lunch — a Heidi pie (my favourite pie) from the Pieminister (my favourite pie maker). I even opted to eat in. I hate when people post photos of food they are about to eat, so here's my clean plate after consuming my pie.

• Popped into the Bankside Gallery to look at their print exhibition. They had a number of really nice prints at reasonable prices, but I resisted temptation.
• Pressed on to Tate Modern, taking photos along the way. 

• Saw two exhibitions at Tate Modern: Olafur Eliasson and Takis. Also wandered all over until I found Yinka Shonibare's British Library, which was what I really wanted to see. 
• Between the two big exhibitions, I went to the caff in search of a bottle of water. At first, all I saw was sparkling, not still, for £1.90. I was about to buy a bottle despite not wanting the bubbles when I saw both the tap water dispenser and the pastel de nata for £2.20. I don't have a huge sweet tooth, but I can't resist a pastel de nata (something I've never seen at home). Got one, sat at a table by the window and consumed a lot of the free tap water.
• While in Tate Modern, I saw that Kara Walker has the Hyundai Commission for the Turbine Hall, opening 2 October. We had a big exhibition of her silhouette prints at the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum a couple years ago. Her work is very challenging and really interesting. I could get a bit of a glimpse of what she has in store for the Turbine Hall. I'm going to have to make a point to come back to see it once it opens. 
• Went to the Bargehouse (behind the OXO Tower, nearby to the Tate) to see an exhibition about mudlarking finds from the Thames foreshore. There is an amazing array of stuff on display, including bits from Mesolithic, Roman, Georgian, Victorian and modern times. Many of the items have incredible stories.  
• Had a sit down in Bernie Spain's Garden next to the OXO, messaged my friend Kathy who lives nearby and she walked over to join me for a cuppa and a lovely catch-up before the 7 pm talk back at the Bargehouse — author Ted Sandling talking on London in Fragments, which is also the title of his book. The talk was informative and really good fun. Glad I booked it online weeks ago. 

What a full day! I crashed within an hour of getting back to my gaff.

Thursday:

• Met up with friends Malcolm and Jane at Shepherds Bush tube station for a ramble through Notting Dale to Ladbroke Grove station. Malcolm has lived in and around here his whole life, as did his dad. His grandparents lived here as well, having come to London from other parts of Britain. I'd asked him to show me around his patch, pointing out what's changed, what hasn't, what's come and gone, for better or worse. It was a thoroughly enjoyable time, zigzagging through streets that were for me uncharted territory as well a some familiar ones I'd not seen for several years. Much of it was new for Jane, too. We spent some of our time walking under the Westway in places you can't get to on Google Maps Streetview. This area is a classic example of London progress, going from abject slum (one of the worst Dickens had seen, and I reckon he'd seen a lot), to middle class housing, to decline (with one of the most notorious slumlords of the 20th century controlling much of the property), to the current gentrification. We walked around the base of Grenfell Tower and felt the impact of the tragic loss of life there and the council's woefully inadequate response to it. We ended our ramble with sandwiches at Pret. 
• Took the tube to Hammersmith and walked down to and along the river to 26 Upper Mall, former home of William Morris and now (part of it, at any rate) the home of the William Morris Society. The society maintains its exhibits in the garage and basement of the house. It's rarely open, and this was the first time I'd gotten the timing right. 
• Back on the tube to Kew Gardens to see some of the Chihuly glass installation. The weather was not cooperating at all, with minutes of sunshine alternating with brief torrential downpours throughout the day. I managed to see a lot of glass and to dodge a couple showers. And when the sun shone through the glass, it looked pretty special.

Stats for Wednesday:

£15 Pilates mat class

£5 Heidi pie

£2.20 pastel de nata

£3 wine at mudlarking talk

22,941 steps

9.8 miles

Stats for Thursday:

£3.98 sandwich and beverage for lunch

£6 veg pie for tomorrow's dinner
26,331 steps
11 miles