Pompeii (again), Resposible Other, Reunion

A bit of a tidy up entry this.

Starting with a visit from friends who were down to see the Pompeii Exhibition at the British Museum, which I had already seen on a quieter day. But it was great to see them again, and spend a sunny afternoon with them.

Russell Square

After the exhibition we sauntered down to the Thames, walked down Embankment Gardens

and ended up on the Terrace at Somerset House. Quite a pleasant place to sink an overpriced beer served by youngsters from Eastern Europe.

Then back to the Blue Door Bistro for dinner on their terrace. Not many evenings in the year you would want to eat out on a terrace, but this was certainly one of them. A really nice restaurant and another chance to be served by our brethren from Eastern Europe. They really do all the service jobs now.

Next night was theatre night, but a bit of an experiment, our first trip to the downstairs theatre at Hampstead. This is a really small space, rather like watching a play in someone's lounge. Needless to say elaborate stages were out. But they did well with what they had, and it was a highly engaging story about a teenage girl with an immune system disease (lupus) and in need of treatment. Her hard-pressed widowed father needs to call in the assistance of her aunt, herself clearly struggling with mental illness, to take her on the regular hospital trips needed to treat the condition. Much of the focus of the play is on the unreasonableness of being a teenager, the tantrums etc, but somewhat understandable given the backdrop. The teenage parts were very well written and observed (and acted) and overall it was a good experience, the moral being perhaps how caring can bring out the best in people, the angry teenager and the dotty aunt ultimately appreciating each other, and in a way making each other better.

The weekend saw a trip up to Stratford for a reunion of university friends, some of whom I hadn't seen in 30 years. At least we all recognised each other which was a plus point! A beautiful day, and conveniently for the adults, the kids neatly broke down into a bunch of teenagers who got on well with each other, and a group of kids of around 10 who similarly entertained themselves around the garden, leaving the adults to chat and catch up. A lovely way to spend an afternoon. My only regret is not taking any photos. It all went so quickly in a blur of Pimms and conversation.