Tate Modern

Yesterday was the hottest day of the year - 31°C (88°F), and it certainly felt like it! Christine and I met up for lunch at that Japanese restaurant she likes... I'll have to remember the name of the place the next time I go! Anyway, since it was Sunday, most places were closed so we decided to walk along the Thames River Path and visit the London Tate Modern Museum. Among the more interesting displays were an original Water Lilies painting by Monet and an abstract bronze, metal and wood sculpture of a fish by Constantin Brancusi called... Fish.

Dinner in Slough

About a week ago, I went to Slough to have dinner with Annalise and Vinod at their new apartment. Slough is located just outside London, towards the west. Although it's not very far from London, it still took me almost 3 hours to get there! A lot of the time was spent waiting for connections, since I had to wait for the bus/trains/tubes 5 different times throughout the journey. But it was good to see them again, my university friends from my Bradford days. Dinner was an excellent Indian Rogan Josh (lamb curry) dish, courtesy of Vinod. Not too spicy, just nice.

Carme's House

You know how some houses make you feel at home once you enter but others make you feel as if you're in some hotel? No, I'm not talking about the marble columns and expensive chandeliers. I'm talking about the cozy, lived-in feel of some houses and the clinical, sterile environment of others. Well, when I was in Barcelona, I stayed with my friend Carme at her 3-storey terraced house and it was decorated in such a way that once you walked in, you immediately felt at home. Among my favourite places were the study in the top floor and the enclosed timber decked back garden (complete with hammock). I think I would like to live in a cozy house like that one day.