Monday, February 28, 2011

Soho Square

Each time I visit the UK, I like to visit Soho Square in London.
It's a place I like to sit and watch the world go by or sometimes use it as a convenient rendezvous for friends.



When Kirsty MacColl was killed in December 2000, I was devastated.
Given that Kirsty wrote a song for her beautiful album Titanic Days, a memorial bench was fitted in Soho Square and this is the reason I make the same pilgrimage each time I am in London.



This time around, I simply sat and watched people as they hurried to work, carrying their coffees and breakfasts or casually meandering. Of course, I had to listen to the right music on my iPod...



As I hadn't planned to meet anyone there this time, I had to ask a (cute) passer-by to take my picture.



Kirsty MacColl was an incredibly talented woman and I think it is sad she was taken from us at such a young age (41) but I am pleased her memory lives on in her music and her fans.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

A New England

My holiday in the UK is coming to an end and, to be frank, I am not exactly loving the idea of heading back to work (funny, that!) I will like being home in my apartment and I can't wait to see my baby Fizzgig. It'll be grand catching up with my Australian friends too, I have missed them. But my time in the UK has been grand. the best holiday I have had in a bloody long time.

I hae tried my best to see as many people as I possibly could, but sadly, there were some I simply could not get to given my hectic schedule. I cannot help feeling guilty, even though it is impossible to manage it all in such a relatively short space of time. For those whom I have missed, I offer a sincere apology and I hope you can forgive me.

England has changed a lot in the last five years though. It seems as though just about everyone has a laptop, an iPhone and SatNav in their car (or whatever these new-fangled gadgets are). I thought tehre was supposed to be a recession... or is it all on credit??

Everywhere is much smaller than it used to be. Not just my old primary school but also the cities. Derby is a TINY place compared to how I remember it and, frankly, London is not as big as people make out. I think people are just too lazy to walk. By the time everyone has faffed about with the Oyster card payments, traversed the underground walkways to the tube and waited for the trains, one could quite easily have walked to their destination! (I hear Nicole scoffing at me now! Mwah-ha-ha. Don't worry, I am just playing Devil's Advocate)

Also, Chavs seemt o be taking over the country. I watched The Jeremy Kyle Show for the first (and I hope 'last') time and I was appalled at the utter scum who seem to be allowed to breed in this beautiful group of islands. (Yes, it's my inner-snob leaping out from under my sweater - beware!) But seriously, tattooing a skull over your face? How incredibly insane. Ah well...
I don't mind watching Chavs in Misfits, but can we keep these dipshit mongrels to the world of fiction?
*shudder*

So, Britain is looking slightly different, but some things never change.
The countryside is beautiful, my friends are amazing and Bruce Forsythe is still on the telly.

This holiday, I have felt so welcomed and loved by my friends and family. I have felt more confident than ever before. Also, when walking through Derby today, I also felt slightly attractive; but then, even John Merrick would feel a sense of pride and elation walking through Derby, so I shouldn't let my ego become too massaged.