This has been a very peopley week, but in a good way: these days organising what ought to be a simple catch up takes quite some doing. Managing two in a week is pretty impressive.
I’ve been housesitting in Buckhurst Hill again this week which put me quite close to Debden and my friend Elaine, who I haven’t seen for what seems like forever. We met up after work and wandered over to a Turkish mezze restaurant in the Broadway, where we annoyed the staff by not looking at the menus for ages while we gabbled away merrily about life, books, friends, TV and more. Eventually we ordered and the kebabs were worth the wait, with a lovely fresh salad and lots of flatbread.
Waiting for the bus back was an experience – 9pm and there was a group of four kids zooming around on e-scooters, not being terribly pesky as they go, but quite cheeky. One of them informed me that the buses were done but if I wanted to hop on the back of his scooter he’d give me a lift home….he must have been all of 12. I declined and went for the train instead…I think it was the pelvic thrust he added as punctuation that really put me off.
Wednesday was an Amanda evening and this week we headed for Black Bear Burger in Exmouth Market, where we were disappointed by the lack of frozen margaritas but toughed our way through with normal ones. We’re good like that. The burgers were delicious, medium cooked and juicy with good cheese and pickle relish, and the Cajun fries were just spicy enough.
I also saw J, one of my friend’s daughters who has been having independent London adventures these holidays. She found her way to the Centre and explored the galleries.
Work was also quite busy: a catch up with someone at Kingston Uni about a project, a firing-on-all-cylinders meeting at all The Charterhouse about maps as illustration, and on Wednesday I read ‘Whatever Next?’ by Jill Murphy for the story session and we made cardboard box rockets. Families stayed for over an hour creating joyful chaos in the Studio with tape, stickers, chalk, pens, all sorts of bits I had hanging around. This week we’re reading Angelica Sprocket’s Pockets by Quentin Blake and making pockets.
Things making me happy this week
- Early morning walk with Jill on Saturday, which we haven’t done for ages
- Ted Lasso still – onto season 3 and I’m HORRIFIED by Nate’s betrayal.
- The tributes to Dolly Parton and Tim Curry flooding my social media feeds (though of course I’m sad that they’ve died). Two people who made it OK to be unapologetically themselves, to be a little bit weird and out there, and to give people the courage to be the same.
- Rain. Not much but it’s a start. Discovered that Miriam’s dog is scared of thunder when he burrowed under my arm at the first roll.
- Catch up with Rhiannon when I went to retrieve my bags, entertained by R&O on top post-holiday form
This week we’re opening on Bank Holiday Monday for the first time and I’ll be there hoping it doesn’t rain. My plan is to arm the public with lots of chalk and turn all our concrete into a rainbow of colour. If it’s raining we’ll cause chaos inside instead.
Same time next week then, gang! I’ll be the one covered in chalk.
Kirsty x
What I’ve been reading:
Tipping the Velvet/Fingersmith – Sarah Waters
What Kirsty did next 