Last day: I stretch, buy art and pack

At home, I always start Saturday with an early morning Pilates reformer class. Here, to stretch me out and get my body prepared for the long journey home, I signed up for another mat class at the studio up the hill from where I'm staying. This class was taught by a tall, lean German woman who was very serious and scared me a bit. I struggle with mat class because of my scoliosis and the exercises being different to the ones I do on the reformer or other apparatus. In my Saturday class at home, there's always chatter and laughing and here I couldn't help myself trying to crack jokes. I did get a couple of chuckles out of the other participants and even one from the German. 

Wonder of wonders, it was not raining on Saturday morning. As I walked out of Pilates, I decided to head over to Parliament Hill for a last visit to the farmers' market. Be still my heart! I saw a sign at the entry that Sire Hill Bakery was there this week. They are the makers of my second favourite savory pie, made of sweet potato, red onion and goat's cheese. I reckoned one of these pies would make the perfect last meal in London, and I got a small cobbler as a gift to my hosts as well. 

After dropping my tasty treats back at my gaff, I headed over to Chelsea for the Moniker Art Fair. Roger and I have been going to Moniker for many years, back to (I think) the second one when it was in the Village Underground space in Holywell Lane. After a few years, the fair outgrew that space and moved into the Old Truman Brewery. This year is the first that they've been in the old sorting office in Chelsea. Moniker is comprised of various galleries who represent young, up-and-coming artists as well as some more established ones. Many of the artists started out doing street art and have now begun making works on paper or canvas to sell. 

Most of what was on offer was way out of my price range, but I yielded to temptation and bought a small print. It's of Tony Blair and George Bush with Special Relationship painted over their images, by Alex Bucklee.

Then it was an evening of organizing and packing. I just got up, before the sun, and am putting the finishing touches on that. I'll be out the door in an hour. It's pouring, of course.

Stats:
£10 to top up me Oyster card
£15 Pilates
£9.65 Moniker entry fee
£££ for art
£7 farmers' market purchases
16,522 steps
7.26 miles