One day like this a year will see me right

The more learned of readers will spot this as a quotation from One Day Like This by Elbow, appropriate as I ended the day at an Elbow gig, but also because this was just such a lovely day start to finish. Although maybe I have higher ambitions than just one such day a year.

I had friends staying with me, which is always nice, making full use of my new loft conversion and extra bathroom. This helped get 5 of us up and out early to see the Viking Exhibition at opening time. My third visit and I do appreciate how much easier it is to go round first thing than later in the day when it gets ever so crowded. Having seen it twice before I felt happier taking the youngest member of our party round at perhaps greater speed than his mother. But that's not to say we didn't give it a decent amount of attention and chat about Viking technology, from sword making to boat building as we went. He is a fine lad.

Following that I had arranged to meet another friend of mine and her son mid-morning. So we had a little meander around the Elgin Marbles before getting both groups together for lunch. Fortunately it was a glorious sunny Spring day, as I had planned having lunch outdoors. Now the British Museum simply gets hordes of tourists so its not really such a restful place, not even for lunch. However just a short walk away and totally hidden is Pied Bull Yard, a little courtyard down an alleyway. It is really pretty and an excellent spot to have lunch for 7 by bunging together some outside tables. Anyway, we all got on very well and it was a genuinely pleasant social occasion, as a good lunch should be.

After a quick return to the British Museum and walk around the Anglo-Saxon galleries (which sparked off a lively theological debate between the 14 year olds!), we split up, leaving my house guests to spend the afternoon in the Museum and then go on to see the Piano Guys in Shepherds Bush while I took my friend and her son to the Shard for Tom's 14th birthday treat.

I have to say this was well worth doing. The Shard is a phenomenon. It is just scarily high, scary even looking up from the ground.

Nice contrast with the war memorial don't you think?

 You can't beat a good view, and this is just the best view in Town. The lifts are amazingly fast and smooth and before you know it you're at the 68th floor.

A good view down on London's new skyscrapers going uop

The birthday boy

HMS Belfast

The Olympic Stadium

Tower Bridge

St Pauls

Train coming into London Bridge, but looking like a toy train set.

Monument

And if the 68th floor isn't enough, one can go up from that entirely enclosed viewing platform to 72nd floor which is open to the elements so you can feel the breeze, although it is entirely wrapped in glass.

HMS Belfast in the shadow of the Shard

A different view of the Tower of London

And Tower Bridge

And St Paul's

Mother and child

Looking down on the lower viewing platform

A crane reflected in a glassy office block

We also had a nice walk around Borough Market (with a stop for Turkish Delight - this is the ultimate foodie market) and a drink at the George Inn (a National trust pub) before settling down in TAS for a Turkish dinner. I hope Tom enjoyed his birthday - I think so. He is a very engaging young man. With very adventurous tastes in food, so will need to find something more exciting than a scallop stew for next time! Anyway, a lovely day, but that was only my early supper. Having waved them goodbye at London Bridge, I whizzed off in the opposite direction to meet my mate James and get into the Elbow gig at the O2.

First up was Jimi Goodwin. We arrived part way through his set, and after a couple of songs James commented that the band sounded like the Doves. I pointed out this was hardly surprising since Jimi Goodwin is the frontman of the Doves, plugging his new solo album. Good spot James!

Now I have seen Elbow many times and am quite evangelistic about them. Well very, actually. So it was nice seeing them with someone new. And even though I had extolled their virtues, I don't think James was prepared for quite how good they are live.


The musicianship is of course wonderful - they have a horn and string section touring with them.

Their songs are beautiful - Guy Garvey is a terrific lyricist. They played stuff almost exclusively from their new album before ending on more familiar work. Guy Garvey has an excellent voice with a remarkable range. But what one is particularly left with is Guy's personality. He just oozes niceness. Basically 20,000 of us turned up to be wooed by just about the nicest bloke on Earth. He just leaves one with a feeling of genial warmth. Truly you have to go to appreciate him.

The mirror ball has to come out for "Mirrorball"

And of course the encore ended with One Day Like This, Elbow's Hey Jude really - a song which the crowd could just sing along together with all night. We lapped it up. And they released some big balloons for us to play with. We lapped it up even more.

Wonderful day