Out and about in Paris and London - Part 2

My sadness, the tear in my eye and my trembling lower lip on leaving Paris was somewhat assuaged by first class passage on the Eurostar to London.  More leg room, a table for the free lunch.  Not as exciting as having the compartment on the train from Amboise to Paris - something I wanted to do since reading things like Sherlock Holmes as a child, and watched all of those old films, not to mention Harry Potter in both book and film - but exciting enough to appeal to my shallow side. 

The driver of the black cab to the hotel barely survived the effort of lifting our bags into the cab while pretending they weren't heavy, but cheerfully announced that he expected them to be heavy, since we were women.  Not only strong, but smart, those black cab drivers. I can but hope he wasn't hospitalised after lifting them out again. 

Spring was just starting to come to London, the weather was warmer, the blossoms and the bulbs were starting to appear and there was so much to do and see. So many old things in markets and museums, red buses, black cabs, the stuff of English crime fiction and literature, and the mix of the very old architecture with the very new gave the place a sense of living and breathing and evolving and moving. Paris is romantic history, but London is living it.

I loved the river - as I love all water, the oceans,rivers,interestingly shaped puddles.  I wanted to get to Greenwich, but time got away.  We went on a pub crawl in Wapping, where the pubs were older than Australia. We walked around on the streets which used to be on Monopoly boards when I was a child.  We saw the Prime Minister's car whiz past several times, preceded by motorbike policemen who slid sideways to stop oncoming traffic.  

Everyone had a brother who lives, or had recently lived, in Australia.  Everyone knew that  Australians live surrounded by death - redback spiders, crocodiles, funnelwebs, a host of venomous snakes.  They seemed surprised that we had survived long enough to get out of the country.  Some people thought we were from New Zealand, where life is reputedly slightly less dangerous. 

Although there were less optometrists and hairdressers than in Paris, I was glad to see that the UK has warmly embraced vintage, and there was no shortage of charity shops. They ranged from the traditional to the recycled designer specialists, priced accordingly.  I saw one right behind the Big Palace, from a bus, but couldn't get back there on foot. A vintage tuxedo shirt in a vintage shop on Portobello Road - exactly 4 times the price of  almost the exactly same shirt in the charity shop around the corner.

 

even the dentists have fashion sense

Vintage markets abound and we know how I like those.  So much taxidermy, so many darned import restrictions. It's probably just as well, or I would be surrounded as I type by stuffed pheasants, hedgehogs and a budgie in a cage - I kid you not.  Not to mention hares, rabbits, deer.... Haggling seems to be expected, but it helps if you know the difference between actual vintage and faux old. 

I found lots of little treasures and trinkets at various markets, but left so many behind. Some of the prices were, in the parlance of The Castle, dreamin'.   The UK postal people really haven't kept up with the whole sending mail overseas thing, pricewise.  Compared to other countries, an English postman could fly out and drop off my parcel for the price.  Perhaps they do.  Why does it take less time for a postcard from France to get to Australia than one from England?  Slower planes?  

Before I go again, I will be checking freight options.

You know it's really been raining when ducks take refuge on next door's roof.

So much sunshine, so little weekend.  Quite a few things to show you this week.

You know it's been raining when the ducks take refuge on next door's roof.

 

I weeded garden bed #1 today, in preparation for planting.  I've hired a new lawn mower man, who managed to cut the lawns and trim the edges without making a huge mess or doing my head in. He seemed to grasp that the lawns are to be cut once a month and not whenever he's short of cash - the reason for the demise of the previous arrangement.  So far, so good. (Relative) garden normality has resumed.

Various outgoings this week: one of my fave fish drawings went to live in Tasmania, in an unexpected but pleasant symmetry.  Handed on some clothing to a friend for use or re-purpose, depending on her mood.  A glimpse of the spare bed, with less spare clothing storage.

I made some Mad Men-type necklaces - really a quick re-purpose of some vintage finds into a more wearable length.  I also found some finished pieces which I'd forgotten I had, while sorting out the 'in progress' drawer. I found a positive pile of sterling silver jewellery this week.  Some of it will no doubt surface later on this page.

I found, repaired and repainted a bookcase to match one I had - thus reducing the tottering tower of acquisitions. It wasn't a big job but not bad for 50 cents.

Before...

Sometimes I find something that just wins my heart, and this week it was a dear little hand carved rustic boat, and an old sieve, which I found in the rubbish pile outside a house where there was a garage sale.  One man's sieve is another woman's hanging shadow box.      I. Love. This.

There were a few other must-haves which arrived this week:  glass squirrel bowl, anyone? 

The room divider will be a work in progress, I suspect.  The girl child has already remarked that she would like it in white in her room.  It needs some TLC on the improvised hinges but otherwise is in good condition, if a little over-varnished. It goes to that vintage 60's/70's decorating theme.

 

But stop, what are these interesting round ceramic plates marked "Edison", I hear you ask?  I'm glad you noticed them.  They were the tops to Edison battery jars, and will make nice trivets.  There was also another old wooden crate, to go towards a larger crate construction in the planning and development stage.

I found a tin of wooden puzzle pieces, destined for re-purposing for jewellery and other things, and a friend who collects kitschy religious pics will just love this one in 3D.

Don't forget Father's Day is fast approaching and you can find my original art for sale here.