An exciting weekend! My Aunt C and her daughter (my cousin) R have come to visit me and see a bit of Europe. It's nice to have company from home...my Aunt and I have the same sense of humour and it is great to share a laugh about some of the English oddities in daily life. This can sometimes lead to major embarrassment for R while C and I pose for pictures with ridiculous signs around the city ("Caution Plant Movements" was my particular favourite).
Friday night we went to Les Miserables which is still as good as the first time I saw it. Perhaps better because last time I saw it from the very last row of the top balcony of the Centre of the Arts in Regina. When you can actually see the people on stage it makes a difference. Go figure. I was able to refrain from singing along but I did mouth the words to a few of my favourites.
Saturday we made our way out to Windsor to have a look around Liz & Phil's family home. It must be so weird to have thousands of people trolling all around your home on any given weekend. I have been to Windsor years ago with my brother J but I was keen to have a second look. The second time around was really enjoyable as I didn't feel like I needed to have the audio guide plastered up to my ear. Instead, I actually looked around!
The most impressive parts of the castle, at least to me, are the bits that have been revealed by and restored after the big fire in 1992. The restored St. George's Hall is a masterpiece. Centuries old construction techniques in timber framing with green oak had to be re-created (and relearned!) and the results are beyond impressive. The Queen's Private Chapel is one of the most beautiful spaces I have ever stood in.
By far the stand out of the tour was our trip into the actual kitchen space used to prepare for Royal banquets. It is a beautiful space (what a ceiling!) and would be a nice space to cook in if you didn't have to cook for 160 people at once. Not to mention dishes...which are done by hand. I've been on the wash brigade at many a Bacon family meal...but we are only about 30 at most!
R and I ducked out Saturday night to a friend's birthday party over in Homerton. Turns out beer drinking runs in the family...I think I would definitely struggle to keep up with little Miss R! Hopefully as we get older (I'm already older so I guess as R gets older) we have more opportunities to hang out together over a few wobbly pops and think up ways to torment our brothers. Look out J and G!
Sunday saw our trio check out a restaurant along Regent's Canal in Shoreditch that I have been running past for months and then a walk around Hyde Park. We managed to snag an ice cream along the way which always makes me happy. The girls are off to Paris for a few days and I am going to bed early!
