london wanderings

so my best friend nick came to the big city last week as we had tickets to see Barbra Streisand in concert....now don't shoot me but I'm not a big fan and before the concert i could not name a single song she had done, but my David and nick were rather excited to see such a living legend do her stuff, our tickets were 100 quid each and we were about a mile from the stage in the gigantic o2 arena, but it was OK, a bit sedate and civilised but i did enjoy it, tickets near the stage were £600 each, now that's just bonkers..but apparently 70% is donated to charity so its not all bad....now anyone who knows my David knows he is a proper bargain hunter and amazingly he found some Barbra tickets for her 2nd show on eBay for only £20 each and we were much nearer the stage...and i think a better show because we were nearer...David is eBay king.



so the following day after nick had calmed down from his excitement (he does not get out much) i dragged him to see some London sights, namely the new shop at the royal festival hall that my fave blog, print and pattern, talked about last week, i was expecting something bigger, but it was still packed full of lovely heart beat increasing things...i will let the photos speak for themselves, but i will say one thing, i think I'm gonna start displaying my cushions on shelves...


so after this little bit of excitement, well i was slightly more excited than nick was...we went to the Hayward gallery to see the Anthony gormley exhibition, which was, well just OK, not brilliant, but the best thing he has done is cast his own body and made steel copies and has placed them on buildings all around the outside of the gallery.


they are on ledges and on rooftops , some are easily spotted but some are across the river and look like suicidal strangers about to leap of the edge. my journey into London is much more fun now as i go past this gallery on my train and i can spot at least 10 of these guys just standing about...i often think about all the other passengers who never look up from their newspapers to see the world around them,and missing this public artwork.


but the most fun aspect of this exhibition was inside and it was called blind light, and it was advertised as "like walking inside a cloud" well actually it was more like walking inside a sweaty steamy glass box...but it was excellent, only 20 people were allowed in at once as visibility was about 5 inches in front of you, and me and nick were giggling like school kids, trying our best not to grope a stranger, it was more fun actually watching from the outside where you could see peoples shadowy figures searching for the exit by following the glass wall around till they found the door.


so when we eventually found the door and escaped the steamy nightmare, we had a look in the newly refurbished royal festival hall,and in the gallery space there was an interactive exhibition called operation soapbox, which was about asking questions and possibly getting answers, you were meant to leave your question pinned to the wooden boxes which were built together to make a maze like structure, and maybe if you went back someone would have answered you query, however i thought this was an opportunity for some promotion, so left my etsy details.


but possibly the best statement i read on one of the first boxes you see simply said,..what a waste of trees, and it was so true, i just don't see the point of things like this.


however at the entrance to this display was a printed box that i really liked, i think this would look rather nice in my living room with my feet resting on it. don't you think its lovely...


so the rest of our day was just spent wandering about, jumping on and off buses and stopping for refreshments and nibbles along the way.....this nibble did not last very long at all..


and this next picture is just something that really made me stop in my tracks, it was a display of local kids artwork, and the simple way it was presented and the bright colours just helped to make it really excellent.


and my final picture of my wanderings show what many might call the odd couple, but what attracted me to this couple was the fantastic dress the lady was wearing, what a pattern, she has probably had it since the day it was printed and made, as it looked that old, but she was strangely cool....don't you wish your girlfriend was hot like that !