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<p>On my return for California I collected Helene on my way back to Lincolnshire and we spent the hot weekend getting the vegetable into shape. Helene is very motivated and after a couple of days there wasn't a weed to be seen. Sadly that cannot be said about the flower beds.</p>
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<p>On Monday morning we drove over to Newark, parked up and caught the train the Kings Cross. We had booked a show and Richard and Nicola had offered to host us for a couple of nights. We had lunch in the <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.kingscross.co.uk/coal-drops-yard?gclid=Cj0KCQjwnMWkBhDLARIsAHBOfto1s2oj7AryCBk6SjDY35YMFTlHyhjeRy3rh9JOhXwelQiKtbSCoNgaAqB8EALw_wcB&amp;gclsrc=aw.ds" target="_blank">Coal Drops Yard</a>. As we sat chatting there was a concern that it might rain. Unfortunately we sat for to long and on the walk to their house the heavens opened. We were soaked to the skin.</p>
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<p>Tuesday morning we went to the <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://lightroom.uk/whats-on/david-hockney/" target="_blank">Lightroom</a> to see an immersive experience of David Hockney's work.</p>
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<p>The event had a voice over by Hockney explaining his 60 years of artwork.</p>
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<p>It was so good we sat through it twice. Highly recommended.</p>
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<p>Afterwards we walked the Grand Union canal to Camden Market and then up to Hampstead, across the heath to catch the train back to Islington.</p>
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<p>On Tuesday evening Helene and I travelled into the West End. We had dinner before making our way to The <a href="https://www.lovetheatre.com/shows/rose-tickets/?gad=1&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjwnMWkBhDLARIsAHBOftoQFMNaA3eb_mK8UpSV5zsBF-UHTA2cZcwMvlaFoqw1xB2IdiTVPJcaAkC6EALw_wcB&amp;gclsrc=aw.ds" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ambassadors theatre</a> to see Maureen Lipman in a one woman show called Rose.</p>
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<p>She told the story of her life. A Ukrainian Jew who survived the <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/warsaw" target="_blank">Warsaw Ghetto</a> by living in the sewers. She related her attempt to emigrate to Palestine/Israel on the <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/exodus-1947" target="_blank">Exodus</a> at the end of the war and how the emigres were brutalised by the British. The story goes full circle with her children emigrating from the USA to Israel when they grow up and adopting similar attitudes towards the Palestinians the Jews had experienced in Germany during the 30's and 40's.</p>
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<p>Lipman's performance was superb. At times she was light-hearted and at others it was very sad. We caught the bus back, deep in conversation about the complicated issues that surround the state of Israel.</p>
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<p>We caught the train back to Newark where we collected the car and the on to Lincolnshire. We spent the rest of the week in the garden and walking through the local countryside. I had the Porsche serviced and Mot'd without problems and it didn't cost the earth.</p>
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