travelswithalice

August 29, 2015

Still a quintessentially cool city

Over drinks last night, Lorna and I planned our long bank holiday weekend. And beyond.

There's the Notting Hill Carnival on Sunday, dinner at Tom and Lorna's Hampstead home on Monday, and a cabaret show on Friday, our last evening in London.

The city offers far too many possibilities and we are spoilt for choice for things to do. There are however two variables: the famously fickle weather and the availability of show tickets.

An English summer can turn from this...

...to this in no time at all...

...which throws our carnival plans somewhat in the dark. I was also hoping to catch a boat race at the Totally Thames festival. And maybe visit a few buildings participating in Open House London. I'm not keen enough to go trudging about in raincoats and wellies though.

Tickets to Black Cat Cabaret are proving scarce. And Stuart is still hard at work trying to get me my birthday present: tickets to Benedict Cumberbatch's Hamlet, the cheapest presently being royally scalped at £700 apiece. Our front row seats at last week's La Bayadère at the Coliseum only cost £50!

Other possibilities include Dr Sketchy's Anti Art Class, a one-act Macbeth, Dear Lupin with James Fox, and Yo Yo Ma at the BBC Proms.

There's a third variable too. Stuart may not be up to doing much of anything as he had minor surgery only the other day. A non-event really as far as the patient is concerned and the only remarkable thing being that the venue turned out to be the hospital where both Princess Diana and Kate Middleton gave birth to their royal babies. I sent this photo to family and friends: