Oh how I love London when the sun shines and you get to enjoy the quieter bits with a good pal, once out of the less wonderful lift at Covent Garden I wandered to Somerset House to wait for S and look at the outdoor ice-rink. We then had a lovely, very healthy lunch and took a meander across the bridge to the exhibition of Gilbert and George. Very interesting artists that are in the background of my knowledge but I hadn't expected the scale and the light behind the glass looking pieces. The men themselves are so unassuming, you wouldn't think they were able to create what they do. Funny and thought provoking in equal measure. Next we walked by the Thames and decided to throw caution to the wind and celebrate my new job with expensive cocktails, none of mine I remember the names of but we were so full of joy and celebration that the bar gave us a free drink! Which just meant we stayed for another one after that and then had some expensive cassava chips and a very disappointing aubergine dip, but we were so happy that it didn't even matter. We took another walk, now in the dark of the London winter evening, that was so very mild that with our big coats and hats on, we had one last half pint outside at a hidden gem of a pub before our cuddles and goodbyes and I was home by 7:30 to cuddle up to my husband and an early night.
The terrible news about Bondi beach on Hanukkah made that morning feel somber. My pathetic cold was making me feel less inclined to do much but I tried to shake that off and get a few bits sorted and was finally motivated to do a first layer of paint in the dining room, then I had a lovely bath and afternoon nap. For first night of Hanukkah, BigA and I met up with E for a meal at The Beehive followed by a community film event in the back room there. We watched an Italian film 'Cinema Paradiso' from 1988, not something I would normally choose to watch, even though it is routinely considered one of the best films made. It was good, enjoyable and of its time. There was a discussion after with the 5 men left in the room and me. I contributed a bit but was frankly feeling tired and just wanted to head home to my lovely bed which had fresh sheets.
I almost forgot that I had an online OH assessment, thankfully BigA saw the calendar alert and so I dressed and logged on and was greeted with the familiar face of the same Dr who has done the last two for my current school. So it was very quick and he was visibly pleased to see how well I'm doing and declared me fit for work and protected in terms of my characteristics.
I got on with making the veggie lasagna promised to my child upon her return from her first term at uni. Fresh sheets on her bed too and telling the cats, who found the bed sheet palaver very exciting, that she was back soon. BigA went to get A from the bus stop and home she came, she was very interested with the cats reaction, feeling like Patches had spurned her, but it would seem Scruffy is more forgiving. E came over for a Hanukkah meal and we enjoyed the celebration of light and love and we cracked open the box of Quality Streets after.
The next morning we got up leisurely and got ready to head off to Norfolk for a Christmas type few days, me very much making the most of this 3 weeks break, because they don't do that at my new school. However before that BigA and I got the second coat on so we could at least try to finish that room before our Christmas guests arrive. Then off we went and despite the roadworks made good time.
Wednesday was a newly designated Christmas day for my family, I don't think we've done this before, but a lovely tradition for when we can't all see each other on Christmas day and thanks to my 3 week break I didn't feel like we were squeezing everything in. Mum, A and I got the veggies and some other bits and I set about making Christmas dinner. It was an evening of laughs and some present swapping and opening. All in all a really lovely time with the happy moment when BigA got my dad's music system going and his last saved song played out. And we invented a new parlour game called, who has the highest blood pressure! I had too much wine and felt it in my head the next day. We had a quite lazy day after that, two films and sofa based charts and then topped the day off with a really lovely Indian meal at a new place near mum. Some quite different dishes too. Then BigA drove us back to London to the cats who were much happier to see A.
BigA has had a few visits to Moorefield's eye hospital this last week and he bought a blood pressure monitor so we're having fun comparing those and having opposite eye problems, me right, him left. It's strange being the one next to the patient - really not used to it. The tiny Dr he saw booked him in for the first of a series of eye injections there and then and so we went up to the 3rd floor for him to have that. We sat in the waiting room full of people with arrows on their foreheads pointing down to an eye. BigA has a much more discreet little cross which one woman remarked upon. And I felt sorry for a man with two arrows and no sign of anyone with him. Although he felt very tense, he says it wasn't too bad and we're all glad they can make sure this issue doesn't get worse and he may even recover the sight that's currently blurry - the discovery of the high blood pressure needs attention and he's having that monitored and will follow up with his GP.
More painting yesterday and a few steps closer to our dining room being back in action for Christmas.
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