London diary, day one (Friday)
Rush-hour London was an unsettling experience. I'd expected things to feel different when I arrived there on Friday and I could understand the looks my bag was getting on public transport, just as the strong police presence was inevitable. No, it was the air of tension that did it, something I felt the proud defiance had yet to overcome.
Once 9:30 was past and I could buy a one-day travelcard, I headed to Kensington to see about getting my parents the "19th hole" sign they've been claiming, forgetting that I wouldn't be able to get there by tube as the Circle line was closed. Asking when the next train would be along really exposed me as a non-Londoner ... By now I was running short of time so took myself to Waitrose in the King's Road, Chelsea, to get a couple of bottles of white grape and peach squash (I can drink the stuff like water but there aren't any Waitroses in Scotland, to my regret), after which I headed to my parents' estate agent to see what had happened to the mail they were supposed to be forwarding me.
Further problems on the underground - the Piccadilly line from Hyde Park Corner this time - meant I was a little late meeting Peter at Trafalgar Square, which didn't stop us spending a little short of three hours nattering, first at the café on the top floor of the Royal Opera House, then at a place in Old Compton Street. Then it was time for me to meet Luke as he finished work (early): we stayed in town for a bit, starting off at Chappells in Old Bond Street, one of my old haunts (no better place for sheet music) before moving on to various off-licenses in search of cherry brandy and the flagship branch of my company so both of us could take advantage of my discount card in their sale.
We got to Luke's flat at about 5pm, at which stage we had a very late lunch and settled down for the evening with heaps of alcohol, a bottle of wine swiftly giving way to a number of cocktails, the last of which (being brandy-based) was notably stronger than anything up to that point. Luke's flatmate and landlord, James, returned at around 11pm and we packed up an hour or so later, Luke and I suitably light-headed.
Plans for the next day would revolve around preparation for the evening's party ...
Once 9:30 was past and I could buy a one-day travelcard, I headed to Kensington to see about getting my parents the "19th hole" sign they've been claiming, forgetting that I wouldn't be able to get there by tube as the Circle line was closed. Asking when the next train would be along really exposed me as a non-Londoner ... By now I was running short of time so took myself to Waitrose in the King's Road, Chelsea, to get a couple of bottles of white grape and peach squash (I can drink the stuff like water but there aren't any Waitroses in Scotland, to my regret), after which I headed to my parents' estate agent to see what had happened to the mail they were supposed to be forwarding me.
Further problems on the underground - the Piccadilly line from Hyde Park Corner this time - meant I was a little late meeting Peter at Trafalgar Square, which didn't stop us spending a little short of three hours nattering, first at the café on the top floor of the Royal Opera House, then at a place in Old Compton Street. Then it was time for me to meet Luke as he finished work (early): we stayed in town for a bit, starting off at Chappells in Old Bond Street, one of my old haunts (no better place for sheet music) before moving on to various off-licenses in search of cherry brandy and the flagship branch of my company so both of us could take advantage of my discount card in their sale.
We got to Luke's flat at about 5pm, at which stage we had a very late lunch and settled down for the evening with heaps of alcohol, a bottle of wine swiftly giving way to a number of cocktails, the last of which (being brandy-based) was notably stronger than anything up to that point. Luke's flatmate and landlord, James, returned at around 11pm and we packed up an hour or so later, Luke and I suitably light-headed.
Plans for the next day would revolve around preparation for the evening's party ...
posted by Anthony at
18:27
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