Thursday, January 9 – Harrow on the Hill

Only one night of jeg-lag-interuppted sleep? Maybe (hopefully!)? I got in a full 8 hours last night, straight through. Whoo hoo! And I ended up spending another lazy two hours doing some reading before I was finally motivated to get up and do something! Come on, I’m on vacation (sort of). Give me a break!

I attended a Harrow School event this evening with Mary & Tony. It was a conversation with Sir Gregory Doran in The Ryan Theatre. Sir Gregory is the former artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, amongst his many other accomplishments.

It was a fun event. Sir Gregory had interesting stories to tell, and there were some good audience questions, mainly from Harrow School students.

Subsequent to the talk, Sir Gregory was available for a signing of his book, and Mary ended up buying one as a gift.

Following the event, we made our way back to Byron House and sat down to a wonderful meal prepared by Mary.

Thank you so much Mary & Tony for a most enjoyable evening!

Friday, January 10 – Harrow on the Hill

I’m back into the city today, mainly to attend a play this evening.

I made my way in early so that I could partake in a favorite activity – just walking around this picturesque city (even on a cloudy winter day!). I made a loop from Green Park into Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens, then into Kensington and back to Trafalgar Square.

It was a little chilly, so I wore my Motion W stocking cap on the walk. Well, near Hyde Park Corner I got an “On Wisconsin” shout out! That was pretty cool. Badgers are everywhere!

Located in an obscure alley in Kensington is this classic car dealer. I like stopping by when I’m around to see what’s on display.

I also like checking out the Burlington Arcade, off of Piccadilly, to take a look at what’s on offer – mainly at the vintage watch shops. Classic cars and vintage watches. I can dream, right?!?

The play I’m attending didn’t begin until 8pm, and the theatre happens to be located near Trafalgar Square. That worked out nicely, because The National Portrait Gallery just happens to be open late on Friday nights. The perfect spot to roam while I warm up a bit!

And wow! My favorite piece in their collection is back on display! During my last two visits to London (last year and in 2020) it was in storage. This is a large piece, as you may be able to ascertain based on the size of the placard on the left: 64 in. x 61 in. Do you know who this is?

I think one of the reasons I like this piece is because of the title. Funny!

Okay, I’m off to the show!

I would say the main reason I chose this play was because it is the stage debut of Lily Collins. Folks of my generation will probably know her best as the daughter of Phil Collins. While most everyone else will recognize her from Emily in Paris.

The play takes place in a Barcelona apartment, and starts out as a possible one night stand between a Spaniard from Madrid and a tourist from the United States. It turns into much more though, as layers are revealed. It ran about 90 minutes with no intermission. I liked it! And was lucky to book a ticket, because the production ends tomorrow!

Travel Note: Another great night of sleep!

Saturday, January 11 – Harrow on the Hill

A couple items of financial note today…

I’m paying my rent in cash. That entails a few ATM withdrawals (due to daily limits, etc.). The notes I received were a mix of 20s and 10s. Of those about 5% were of this type…

Kait tipped me off last spring when the King Charles notes were introduced. However, here we are several months later and only a few are in circulation. Interesting…

And speaking of interesting, how about this?

A letter coincidentally arrived for me in the mail this week! I haven’t lived here since 2010, and I emptied my Barclays bank account in 2014. At least I think I did; maybe I should check! (watch this space) The letter is a request for me to fill out a tax residency form. Crazy!