I started the week, after much deliberation, with the purchase of a new laser printer. My Epson inkjet was proving to be troublesome and had stopped printing in colour despite dismantling the printer heads and cleaning them with a special fluid. I’ve had a couple of laser printers and they’ve always given good service despite the toner cartridges being expensive. This time I’ve bought a Brother mainly because the reviews on Amazon were good and where a few people had complained Brother had responded with advice and asked the reviewer to contact them for support. It is a beast of a machine and it took all my strength to lift it onto the desk.
I spent three days in London staying with Jane’s brother, Richard. We went to see Knives Out at the local cinema shortly after I arrived. A superb cast and a very quirky film in the style of an old “who dunnit”. Daniel Craig made the film very watchable but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it as a “must see” film.
One of the “joys” of staying in London is that Richard and Nicola use the buses a lot so they know all the routes and timings. We travelled the city hopping from one bus to another. On my first journey I realised that my bus pass was out of date and so every time I showed my pass I kept my finger over the date – it worked.
We started our busy schedule with a visit to the Natural History Museum to see the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition. One could argue that setting up a camera trap and then sifting through thousands of images is hardly photography however the images are truly superb. The photograph here wasn’t a finalist but featured in the people’s choice and I think it is an excellent example of the work on display. The photographers demonstrate skill, dedication, patience and knowledge of the habits of their subjects.
After lunch in the V&A we then toured another exhibition – Cars: Accelerating the Modern World. It was interesting to see the concept cars from the past and how very few them had actually predicted how our current cars would look. The final exhibit was a prediction of how cars of the future would look. This was a collaboration between Audi and Airbus Industries so this small car could be fitted with a set of 4 helicopter blades like a drone and fly. I don’t think this concept will ever become a reality because a lot of drivers have a problem keeping their vehicles on the roads where there are only two dimensions to worry about. What would they be like if there were three dimensions to contend with?
And for me the highlight of my time in London was the RSC production of As You Like It at the Barbican. Pre theatre dinner at Cote Brasserie which is over the road from the Barbican Theatre.
The production was superb as expected – lively, funny and dramatic. The large puppet character that came on for the final scene was incredible. A great night followed by a multiple bus ride home…
The following day after a coffee on Islington High Road I made my way to Kings Cross and an uneventful journey back to Market Rasen via Lincoln on a new Azuma train. There’s been some excitement about these new trains amongst train buffs however I must say, it’s just a train. A little more leg room but quite hard seats.
