London Lives

Beach at Aberystwyth

London Lives decamped for a 36-hour jaunt to lovely Wales last weekend. The journey was in honour of a good pal’s significant birthday. Boo to not being able to have more time off work  for the visit to Aberystwyth; I had to shoot there and back over a very short period of time. But what’s not to love about a long train journey, complete with coffee, iPod, book, writer’s notebook (always…)

There were football fans travelling up to Birmingham where I had to change. Good-natured banter, thankfully. Even when I noticed they were cracking open cans of Stella Artois at 11.00am. Then there was a very pretty journey on the section to mid-Wales.

Aberystwyth was beautiful. My first visit there and I was excited to see the sea for the first time in ages. There were walks along the seafront, new buildings to look at, introductions to new people, the pebbled beaches to explore. And great tapas and good wine with pals old and new. On to a pub for more wine, then we ambled back to hotels long the seafront, a brilliant and huge moon hovering over black sea.

After breakfast, another walk far along the seafront; far along past the university, the war memorial and on up to the marina and the river Ystwyth. Then we walked back along the beach, with its smooth grey pebbles. Splendid dogs roaming over them, their owners calling them back. And then I had to go back myself, through the pretty countryside, the occasional wind farm and hillsides of shaggy cows. Back to change at Crewe and a straight run to London Euston.

I picked up a beautiful smooth grey pebble from Aber. It rests on a cabinet in my bedroom, next to the conkers I picked up from Hyde Park last week.

Above is one photo of the beach.  And I’m fond of a nice building with a date on it (below). More Aber pics to follow.

The Old Vic, Waterloo SE1
Kevin Spacey, David Troughton
Directed by Trevor Nunn

Jerome Lawrence and Robert E Lee’s play about freedom of thought is as relevant as ever in this, the 150th year since Darwin’s Origin of Species was first published. A classic battle between science and religion, Trevor Nunn’s production is a tense and sweaty courtroom drama. It was also surprisingly comic in places, with the house laughing along to Spacey and Troughton as they delivered their performances with conviction.

Kevin Spacey seems to divide opinion: I’ve discovered that some of the people I know really don’t like him. I loved American Beauty at the cinema and wasn’t disappointed by The Usual Suspects. To me, he excels in playing an apparently ordinary Joe with a sinister underbelly. While his role in Inherit the Wind doesn’t immediately call for these things, there is a seeping sense of him wearing down his opponent’s argument amid a climate which doesn’t promote freedom of thought. Spacey is a prowly presence on stage against Troughton’s Biblical bluster. Stunning stuff, even better than I expected it to be.

Beforehand, we ate at the Waterloo Brasserie, new place for both of us. It’s the first time I’ve booked a restaurant online and it all worked. Fish and chips for me, followed by apple and pear crumble with cinnamon ice cream. My pal had the crab linguine, which I sampled some of and it was luscious. She also had the crumble. The Brasserie was good: smart and busy with pre-theatre diners. Lots of red design and dark woods. We will return.

It’s been a while since I was out and about in Covent Garden on a Friday night (and after posting that I don’t often do Friday night pubbage…)

We had some great Prosecco in the Globe, which was thronging with a pre-theatre crowd. The streets outside were busy with people heading to theatres and restaurants. Buzzy, busy and full of purpose. It’s good to get that feeling of ‘going out’ in the proper sense. I think when you go out after work in London, you are often quickly freshening yourself after the day and heading out. Being off work this week, I had time to soak in the bath, potter about doing domestic stuff while drinking cups of tea and just get ready to go out in a way I don’t have when I’m at work.

In Loch Fyne, I had potted shrimps, which I’ve never had before. They came set in mace butter with crusty bread on the side. Really lovely. Then the salmon with a mushroom, whiskey and horseradish sauce. Unusual-sounding sauce, but it didn’t disappoint and none of the ingredients overpowered one another and the dish came with new potatoes (very grown up!). My pal had the whitebait followed by the mussels.

Back to the Globe for a brandy to finish, then we walked back to the Tube, among the chill, the striding people and the rickshaws.

Right. I recently became a lady of a Certain Age and had a splendid weekend of celebrations. After agonising about where to go, I plumped for a favourite Italian restaurant in town that most of my pals have been to at one time or another.

If I was nervous about gathering various people together, I needn’t have been. There was something special about seeing friends of mine who’d never met before getting on like a house on fire at each end of the table. Lush food (as always), Prosecco, wine, puddings and liquers. Wonderful.

The following day, my brilliant best friend took me to lunch at Brown’s, a great brasserie in Covent Garden. I haven’t been there for years and I like the fact that it is buzzy and smart, without being stuffy or full of nightmare people. I had a lovely crab and avocado salad followed by fish and chips. Sometimes F&C just really fits the bill and I wasn’t wrong this time. We had great natter over Prosecco and Gavi. My pal had the goat’s cheese and red pepper tart (which I purloined a mouthful of), followed by quail and rice.

There was a smart wedding reception taking place at Brown’s; lots of men in kilts and women in gowns, although there was one woman in a kilt and staggeringly high heels. She looked ace.

Afterwards, we went to see Stomp! at the Ambassadors Theatre. Fantastic, vibrant and something completely different from anything I’ve seen before. The Ambassadors is a lovely theatre, very small and with an interesting history.

Brilliant weekend. I love my pals.