last hurrah

i was privileged this morning to be able to have coffee with a dear friend, then receive a private tour of the recently installed "Saints Alive" by Michael Landy at the National Gallery. (Landy is perhaps best known for his piece Break Down where he famously documented - and subsequently publicly destroyed - all of his possessions: from his car to his birth certificate. some 7000+ items in total.) he speaks of being influenced by Tinguely and the notion that works of art can elicit laughter, and self-destruct. he was included in the 1997 sensation show at the RA that i visited - though i must admit i don't remember his piece (others were much more "sensation"al). anyway, this show is great. my friend - and organizer of this installation - talked about his desire to bring a younger audience into the national gallery. to show them that there is inspiration to be drawn from the collection. new interpretations. new excitement. it really is quite brilliant. saints meet steampunk so to speak. if you are in London go! (sadly again, no cameras allowed. but i'd suggested looking for it on youtube if you are interested!)

i wandered up to St. James's Square and enjoyed the tulips before being treated to a working lunch at The Wolseley. picadilly posh. and learned that we were seated at Lucian Freud's table. (a great painter-hero of mine.)

after that i tramped regent street (uniqlo, and superdry for the girlies, and of course liberty for me!) before heading back to hammersmith for a nap before dinner. sushi say.

all in all a pretty fabulous final day.

and did i mention that by mid-morning the sun was shining?

it has been a great week. oh how i do love london.

V&A

yesterday was work (the best kind of work mind you) with visits to the jewish museum and the british museum. (the shows at both venues look wonderful.)

today i'd set aside for play. on my first visit to London in 1991 i spent much time at the Victoria & Albert Museum (deemed "the world's greatest museum of art and design"). i fell hard. i'd decided i wanted to work in a museum, and this was it. strangely, i haven't been back since then. (the national gallery, and national portrait gallery, and the royal academy are my regular London stops - and I'll be visiting them tomorrow.) today was for the V&A (and a pop down to Harrod's for some souvenirs to take home).

maybe its the grey, but i haven't been taking too many pictures this trip. and those i am taking are mostly on instagram.












aside from the permanent collection which is just as great as i remember (e would flip over the fashion/costumes on view), they had a really great david bowie show. completely theatrical and over-the-top, as it should be.

scheming how to get us all here. soon.

chichester

by train


countryside




pallant house


rbk's the ohio gang (collection museum of modern art)


medieval market cross


chichester cathedral


vaulted ceiling*


chagall window

*the first time i really spent in england was in 1992 during a summer of studying art history at the university of cambridge. game-changer. i haven't looked at cathedral architecture (esp. gothic) the same since. and my love affair with england began.

mind the gap

took an overnight to london yesterday. navigating has become comfortable. i like that. {wishing my peeps were with me.} i can imagine living here.

mainly working in the city this week - but off to chichester tomorrow on pilgrimage to this (and to visit the cathedral as well).

looking forward to a good night's sleep.

summerland

we expected the day to be overcast and chilly. it fooled us.

i miss these peeps. xo

in deep

it is that time of the year where the weeks are just flying and the calendar is packed with endings. last violin recital; last pta meeting; last...



last week i took a stand-up paddle board lesson. i have been dreaming of an SUP for a long time now, with visions of me paddling around the island with girls in tow. the lesson cemented the dream. it was even better than i expected. amazingly peaceful (even on a day of choppy seas that took us much further out from shore than i anticipated). dolphins. sunshine. salty air. and a great workout too. i spent just over 2 hours paddling back and forth along the santa monica shore. i stood up. i fell down. i stood up again. it was a great morning.

next time the girls will be joining me. i was just talking to friend about kids and self-esteem. i think especially for girls (or maybe just because that is what i know best) it is so important to think about. and i truly believe that modeling behaviour and providing strong role models is the best way to go. strong and smart.

the next two weeks are chock full. i'm away for 1/2 of it to take in an opening at the british museum and visits to exhibitions at the jewish museum, and over to chichester and pallant house. while it is always a pull for me to be away, i am excited. i am looking forward to walking the streets of a favorite city and staying in one of my favorite homes.

before that we will be meeting up with dear friends we do not see often enough. and after that... the last day of school is circled boldly on the calendar. we are all looking forward to summer: birthday celebrations, horse camp a visit from gram and escaping to our refuge.

::

instead of going on a planned mother's day hike we planted ourselves by the pool to sit out the triple digit temps. (sigh. spring, where have you gone?)

i had breakfast in bed saturday, as k spent that night at her first (successful) sleepover with her BFF. (these two crack me up. they are so alike. they even look alike. feeling very blessed for this friendship.)

the heat has me cranky. and tired. there is a pile of projects i want to put to bed before i leave at the end of the month. we will see. 80s in the forecast keep me hopeful.

a hill of beans

we had fresh garbanzo beans in our csa box last week. it was first. and a surprise.

somewhere between a pea, and edamame. we ate them raw. they tasted like spring.

they'd be great in a salad. and i imagine good steamed in their pods too.

any favourite recipes using fresh garbanzos?

...

our screen-free week was pretty successful. it is always a good exercise - and i am always impressed how easy it is for the girls. (and i look forward to a relatively screen-free summer just around the corner!) i'll admit, it was hardest for me. with the spring fire developing at the end of the week i found myself drawn in to following its path. as it neared friends and favourite spots i couldn't look away.

i am relieved to hear it wasn't started by arson. nor was there any loss of life or homes. but i can't help but wonder what this landscape we know so well now looks like. the fire tore through one of our favorite camping spots. by fate, this year, we have booked our annual adventure to a nearby campground that went untouched by the fire. but we will be visiting "old sycamore" as soon as we can...


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