Last days

Over the past week, I've been aware of little changes signaling to me that I've been here a rather long time. The conkers have all dropped, my summer tan has faded, my grey roots are showing and I've worn holes in my socks. The adverts on the tube platforms, escallators and carriages have changed over to new ones. On Monday, I started to get more overt messages that it's almost time to go home. Vodafone sent me a text letting me know that my PAYG package would run out in five days. And TfL is displaying a message at the gate line every time I tap in or out of the tube saying "Ticket soon expiring". But there's still time enough to fit in a few more things before I pack for my departure at stoopid o'clock on Friday morning.

The rain was chucking down on Monday morning, so I stayed in, did laundry, wrote my previous blog post and tidied up at bit. In the afternoon, I went to Kensington. My first stop was at the Japan House to see their exhibition about food replica culture called "Looks Delicious." The only place I've ever seen replica food before is in the window of the Noodles restaurant on Main Street in Northampton, Mass. I never gave any thought to where those replicas came from or how they were made. Now I know. Japan House always has fascinating exhibitions about some aspect of Japanese craft and culture. In this one, they showed how replicas are made -- initially, they used agar jelly to make moulds from real food and then to cast the replicas in wax. Now, moulds are made from silicon and the replicas are cast in vinyl resin. Once the items harden, they are painted and presented, with different skilled craftspeople taking on each step of the process. The gallery space is full of plates and bowls of food -- fish, lobsters, tofu, noodles of all types, fruit, veg, even eggs. It's a fun exhibition and yes, it all does look delicious. 

The skies continued to look a bit iffy, so I next headed for my go-to spot when the weather is crap or I don't have anything else planned: the V&A. The place is so vast -- it's like the nation's jumble sale on a massive scale -- that there's always something new to see. I like to pick a couple of galleries that are new to me and just wander through them. This time, I chose Britain 1500-1760 (lots of silver, carved wood and jewels) and Theatre and Performance, which had recently re-opened after an overhaul of the displays (costumes, posters, set design models, other memorabilia). Both were good choices and I happily whiled away the time. I also discovered a loo I didn't know about (and apparently few other people do either) on level 0 just off a stairwell below the photography centre. 

I had been hoping to do another day trip (in addition to the one to Lewes with friends), but not wanting to go somewhere when the weather was dismal, I didn't ever choose a destination and buy a train ticket. It dawned on me that I could do a reasonable facsimile of a day trip without leaving zone 2 by spending the day in Greenwich. It takes an hour to get there by tube and DLR, so by my standards that qualifies it. I hadn't really roamed around Greenwich in years, and I'd never been to the Queen's House, so I downloaded the Greenwich walking tour map from Stephen Millar's London Hidden Walks books and set out. 

Initially, I followed the map through some quiet streets east of Greenwich station, but I parted ways with the route and didn't go up to the Ranger's House or down through the park. I saw a couple of ghost signs, some lovely Georgian houses, and cute shops. I mooched around in the covered market -- it seemed to have fewer antique traders and more food stalls than when I was there last, but I had fun looking at the treasures and trash. I wandered down towards the river and ate my lunch on a bench along the Thames Path near the Cutty Sark, with the Royal Naval College at my back and the towers of Canary Wharf before me. 

After lunch I headed to the Queen's House (my first visit) to have a butcher's at the interior (the house was designed by Inigo Jones in the early 1600s) and the art hanging in every room. Most of the paintings are either portraits of dead white men or sea scenes, with the odd king or queen here or there. I finally got to see the famous Tulip Stairs! My favourite was a large painting by Kehinde Wiley (one of very few contemporary pieces) called Ship of Fools. It was nice to see Nelson's Ship in a Bottle by Yinka Shonebare, which was on the fourth plinth years ago, in its permanent home behind the Maritime Museum. 

On the way back to my flat, I had time to see the brand new mural by Mr Doodle on the bridge over the railway on Regent's Park Road (see top photo).

I woke up Wednesday morning to find that the temp had risen to 60 degrees F (16C)! By afternoon, it was up to 70F(21C). Though still partly cloudy, this was proper autumn weather and an opportunity to wear light-weight trousers and a t-shirt again. 

My day started with a wonderful walk on the theme of water around King's Cross, led by my friend Lesley. We learned about the natural waterways (rivers, springs and spas) that were visible in the past, and looked at the canal and basins, as well as various water features in the new development that echo the watery history of the area. The railways and structures also figured in. Whenever I go on one of Lesley's walks, I learn new facts that form the connective tissue around things I already knew. For example, I had a pretty good knowledge of the horizontal movement of goods along the waterways and roadways of King's Cross, but didn't realize how important vertical movement -- coal from the elevated railway, going down into coal drops and then further down to the canal, or grain from the granary building loaded into canal boats underneath -- played into making the complex system work. 

After the walk, several of us joined Lesley for coffee or tea at a nearby caff. I really enjoyed chatting with this bunch of very interesting women. I then retraced some of the walk with my proper camera to take some photos of the buildings and water, loving being outside in the warm air for the first time in weeks. As much as I enjoyed all of my culture vulture indoor activities, I missed being out walking the pavements and soaking up my surroundings. I did pop into one gallery along the way (a return visit to Pangolin to see their latest exhibition). 

Though slightly cooler, Thursday brought more proper autumnal weather. 

In the morning, I walked up to Hampstead, first to Burgh House and then to the Keats Grove Community Library. At Burgh House, I saw The Touch of Light, the latest show of local artists with works for sale. The launch of the show was yesterday, and judging by the number of red dots already on the price list, it must have been a very successful opening. 

My mission to the Keats Grove Community Library was in search of a purchase copy of Under Ken Wood, a walking tour and tour de force around Hampstead, full of local characters and anecdotes, centered on the Magdala Pub. I've been reading my hosts' copy but won't be able to finish it before I leave, so I was hoping to get one to take home. It's written by local resident Neil Titley, who has arranged for all profits from the sale to go to support the library. Alas, the library had long ago sold its last copy, so I'll just have to finish reading it when I return in the spring. 

In the afternoon, I took the number 1 bus down to Bloomsbury and returned to the British Museum, this time to see Hew Locke: what have we here? Although this was opening day, it wasn't very crowded and was a totally pleasant museum experience. In preparation for this exhibition, artist Locke spent two years of unprecedented access to the back rooms of the British Museum, examining objects in the collections and interrogating the connections of those objects to the history of the British empire in Africa, India and the Caribbean, specifically to themes of sovereign, trade, conflict and treasure. Objects are displayed along with Locke's commentary and pieces of his own artwork. Throughout the exhibition, he challenges us to question our assumptions and what we've been told about British colonial power. The objects are beautiful in their own right, but the process of unpicking their history within the context of conquest and domination take them to another level. He does not deal much with the issues surrounding the holding of these objects by the British Museum, but invites us to ponder that big question as well. 

I thought about taking in one last gallery or museum, but the day was so gorgeous that I opted for one last pastel de nata, ate in a Bloomsbury square, instead. Before catching the bus back, I stopped into Skoob, the used bookstore in the Brunswick Centre, to see if they might have a copy of Under Ken Wood. They did not, but their London section has some interesting titles and I'll be sure to go back.

For a final "last", I got off the bus at Chalk Farm and walked up and over Primrose Hill, taking in the splendid view of London spread out at my feet. 

So, it's a wrap. I'll be back in the spring for more.

Stats:

Monday:

£1 biscuits

V&A - free

Japan House - free

16,791 steps

6.96 miles

Tuesday:

£4.50 banana bread

£2.85 groceries

£20 top up Oyster card

Queen's House - free

23,468 steps

9.62 miles

Wednesday:

£15 King's X watery walk

£1.10 pain au raisin

Pangolin Gallery - free

22,080 steps

9.04 miles

Thursday:

£6 British Museum exhibit

£1.80 pastel de nana

£1.20 flapjack (snack for airport)

Burgh House - free

19,901 steps

8.15 miles