Last Softball Game Before the Quarterfinals

Regents Park this evening.



The Thrashers in action - the other team did not have enough players so we won the game and reached the quarter finals - we then played a friendly with the other team until it was almost dark.

Pogo Cafe In Hackney

After we did not make it to Pogo Cafe, a little volunteer run vegan cafe in Hackney, during JJJ´s stay I paid it a visit via bike today. The food was delicious and a huge portion - just right for you John, so we definitely need to go next time! -Sharms

London Sky Over Hampstead Heath

The weather is terrible in London as always - Saturday was a little summery though and everyone seemed to be out and about in Hampstead Heath.

Morrisey At Brixton Academy

Last week I went to my first Morrisey concert ever at the Brixton Academy. I was happy to get a ticket last minute after I had missed his concerts in the Variety Playhouse/ATL and in the roundhouse in Camden.

Aruna's Empty Office at CNN

Sharms, they have not done a thing to it since you left...

Vegemite Sandwich?

It was very thoughtful (and humorous) of Donna, who works in London
but is from Austrialia, to send some vegemite over to Atlanta.
James, let us know if you like it!

Back in the ATL

It was great to drink wine and eat pizza with our Atlanta gang!

Brockwood Park or Weekend Without JJJ

Today I decided to travel far south to the Lambeth Country Show 2009 which was taking place in Brockwood Park near Brixton. Although the weather has been terrible on this weekend (as usual) I made it to the park, partly because I want to beat Hutch in our inofficial "who has seen the most London parks" competition. Also I had to distract myself from being on my own again after my visitors JJJ have left me behind. It took me over two hours for the return travel but was worth it because I saw a completely new part of town (again)!



Although the park was very crowded I managed to find Chad without any previous calls or text and spent a little while listening to the reaggae bands on the music stage.



London sky with plane.



Brixton starts behind the stage.

Hutch's Last Day In London

... was of course rainy. After our previous visit in the Blues Bar (see below) we went all the way to Bethnal Green (under my constant complaints about the weather, the tube and everything else) in order to see Hutch´s friend Chris in the pub the Florist (where Hutch had been a regular last year).



Adrian and Hutch having a laugh after several pints.



We are meeting for drinks with some department members in the Blues Bar (a truly American Style Bar according to Hutch).



Hutch is diligently working at the receptionist's desk.

Softball Without Hutch

What was meant to be Hutch´s last Softball match this season turned out to be a match without him as he had to work Atlanta hours and could not make it in time. It was the first match which we won and the team showed a great attitude because we still kept playing after a heavy rainfall.

Fave Pix, Part One

Just prior to my departure for London, my father gave me his Leica C-Lux2 digital camera.  (Thanks, Dad!)  Rather than sifting through the entire 112-page manual for the camera, I chose instead to begin snapping away.  The law of averages being a wonderful thing, a handful of these came out to my liking, so I thought I'd post a few here.

This first shot was taken at the rooftop 4th of July barbecue in Knightsbridge, described elsewhere on this blog.  If you look very carefully in the distance, you'll see ANOTHER rooftop 4th of July barbecue going on simultaneously.  I like the one reveler who is waving eagerly to her fellow revelers down the street ....

From fave pix

The second shot was taken at Primrose Hill on the same afternoon described in the "London Parks" entry below.  I think something about it captures the mellow vibe of the day:

From fave pix

This next one is a sentimental favorite because it features my friend Walter (far right) and his wife Shannon (far left), who live in London's Chiswick neighborhood (pronounced "Chizzick").  I had not seen Walter for more than 15 years prior to this night, and I had a wonderful time catching up with him and getting to know Shannon.  We dined at The Roebuck (http://www.theroebuckchiswick.co.uk/), a charming gastropub in their neighborhood.

From fave pix

Finally, here's a shot from a display featuring Meissen porcelain (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meissen_porcelain), taken at the Victoria and Albert Museum (http://www.vam.ac.uk/)which may have eclipsed the Tate Modern as my favorite London museum.  I'm not sure what's going on with this pair, but it seems vaguely naughty:

From fave pix

More pictures to come later ....

London Parks

Hello:  James here.  I've been silent up to this point -- not because I didn't have anything to say, mind you, but because I had not yet mastered the nuances of using Blogger.  (Thanks to Jen and John for helping to educate me!)  I flew home to Atlanta from London on Sunday the 12th, so I can't really post "real-time" comments here.  Instead, I thought I'd do a series of posts with some random thoughts/observations about my trip.

One of the nice things about this visit was the fact that I didn't feel any pressure to hit the typical tourist spots.  I had visited London twice before, so this visit was more about relaxing and enjoying London's quieter charms.   I was fortunate to have Aruna as a wonderful tour guide, not to mention John and Jen, who both know the city better than I do.

On past visits to London, I spent virtually no time in the city's parks.  This time around, I visited four:  Primrose Hill, Hyde Park, Regent's Park and Hampstead Heath.  Our first full day in the city involved basking in the sun on a warm Sunday at Primrose Hill.  It was a perfect start to the vacation: we bought wine, bread and other tasty treats, spread them out on a picnic blanket and alternately ate, drank, and snoozed in the sun.  Here's a shot of Aruna and Jen contemplating a vast expanse of green.  (Note the carton of chocolate vegan ice cream in Aruna's hand, which proved to be delectable):

But this day was not all about relaxing.  As you'll see from the next photo, we brought our softball mitts in order to brush up on our softball skillz for an upcoming match.  Here's John, looking rather majestic against the bright blue sky, pondering the possibility of playing some pitch and catch with his trusty mitt:

After downing bottles of chablis and rosé, munching a variety of tasty snacks, and tossing around the ball, we made our way home from the hill, but not before snapping this heroic photo of our silhouettes:

 

All in all, a wonderful day, notwithstanding our close encounter with a flatulent and scantily clad gentleman who chose a spot near our blanket for his afternoon calisthenics, and notwithstanding our accidental disposal of a corkscrew, chronicled elsewhere on this blog.

My next park visit was with John, with whom I traversed Hyde Park on a rainy Tuesday afternoon, following a visit to the utterly fascinating Victoria and Albert Museum, whose cafe is pictured here:

Unfortunately, I failed to photograph Hyde Park, but I was struck by its immensity and by its "wildness" -- it is much less manicured than most of the major urban parks in the U.S. that I have visited.

On Wednesday, we visited Regent's Park for a surprisingly eventful game of softball with Turner's London office.  (See the blog entry entitled "Taking One for the Team" for the gory details.)  Londoners use Regent's Park for all sorts of athletic activities.  On my brief visit, I witnessed matches of cricket, football (i.e., soccer), and, of course, softball in the park.  Here's a shot of the Regent's Park softball pitch where Turner's "CNN Thrashers" team worked its magic:

Finally, on Saturday the 11th I visited Hampstead Heath with Aruna.  Unlike some of the balmy days that we enjoyed previously on the vacation, this was a typical English summer day:  a bit rainy and blustery, with some pretty chilly temperatures.  Nonetheless, we were undaunted, and we managed to have a picnic lunch notwithstanding the inhospitable weather.  As with Hyde Park, I was struck by the wildness of Hampstead Heath.  There are certain locations within the park where you can easily lose sight of the fact that you are in the midst of one of the world's largest cities.  For example, consider this view:

Looks pretty remote, doesn't it?  Fortunately, Aruna brought an umbrella to protect us from the elements:

I was happy that I had the chance to visit these various outdoor oases in London.  Each had its own distinctive character and added its own little bit of flavor to my London visit.

Of Montreal at Shepard's Bush Empire

It was great to see a Georgia band play such as well received gig here in London. Having seen Of Montreal several times in the past, I noticed that they have become increasingly theatrical and frankly bizzare. I personally think the music is so great that some of the onstage antics - specifically the dancers running around stage in various costumes without much in the way of choreography - detracts more than it adds to the performance. Still, it was a great time and it seems Adrian, Jessica, and Dan also enjoyed it. After the gig we got fantastic kababs at Fez Mangal on Ladbroke Grove.

Carnaby St Sing-a-Long

There is this cool programme going on in London where numerous pianos have been placed outdoors with a sign saying "play me". Yesterday on my way home from work I was stopped dead in my tracks by a group signing rollicking versions of Do the Locomotion and I'm Easy Like Sunday Morning out in front of Oneil's on Carnaby street. I just had to join in for a bit, and it put me in a great mood for the tube ride to Shepard's Bush.

UK Bandmate

Was good to grab a coffee with David, the guy I played music with
while I was over here last year. We may try to do some recording by
sending music files over the Internet.

Cookout in Queen's Park

I stayed at Adrian, Jess, and Zanes last night and they cooked up a proper bbq

on the large weber grill in the backyard. Afterwards we watched a hilarious late night

comedy called The Inbetweeners. In the morning I jogged around Queen's Park in the

northwest section of London prior to taking the Bakerloo line in to work. Good times!

Kyoto Garden in Holland Park

After sending Jen and James off to the airport, Sharms made a lovely
breakfast and then we cycled to Holland Park where we enjoyed some
sun. Eventually some dark clouds scared us off and we pedalled home.

Last Meal with the Gang

Aruna was such a sweet and generous host that to show our appreciation we took her out to London's oldest vegetarian restaurant, called Manna. http://mannav.com/ It was really good, and after the meal we walked home from Primrose Hill in the rain - with umbrellas it was actually very nice and typically English.

The next morning Jen and James flew back to Atlanta. I'm sticking around here for the rest of the week working from Turner House.

Charlie's Birthday Party

Saturday afternoon had us down in Wandsworth Common south of town for the elegant yet spirited 30th birthday party for Charlie (in red dress).

Broader Than Broadway at the Social

After the gathering at the White Horse Friday afternoon, a bunch of us went up the road
to The Social where our friends in Broader Than Broadway spun the best of
reggae, soul, and house beats, check 'em here: www.myspace.com/broaderthanbroadway

Back at the White Horse Pub

It was very nice to catch up with old friends at Turner House's favorite pub!


Below with favorite Aussie, Donna Lewis

Victoria Miro Gallery - Islington

On Thursday we walked to this gallery www.victoria-miro.com/ and observed this interesting outdoor floating exhibit by Yayoi Kusama. Then I took a conference call from Atlanta on a busy street making it hard for me to hear.

Washing Up

James and Hutch doing their fair share to help
keep the flat tidy.

Zone 6 Pedalers - London

We had a very inspired Zone 6 Pedalers outing in London - starting from the bottom up:


We ended the night at a Sam Smith pub in Holburn - very good beer
at very good prices!

James and Aruna give the Z6P gang sign at The Big Chill/Brick Lane.

Chad from Vancouver has his own very convincing sign...

At Young's pub on the South bank.



Crossing the bridge at Westminster.





Z6P in Chinatown below...





First Stop in Soho Square