FEEL MY HAPPY

My play is about motherly love.

It is 5:00. Happy Hour!

Tomorrow, apparently, will be like today in terms of the weather. I find the temperature very comfortable (roughly 12°) and I am very happy to be outside if it is not raining, so tomorrow, to get away from crowds and bustle, I decided to go to Kew Gardens on the train and then come home before going to meet Liz. That is an ambitious plan for this about-to-be senior.

And goody goody!! David is not working tomorrow, so I am taking him with me. We will go walk in the gardens and talk, and if there is a shower, we can go into the Conservatory. A garden!! Heaven! It brings tears to my eyes contemplating the joy of a garden. That is not new for me, but feeling this way in winter is!

Then dinner with illustrious and illuminating Liz and her man, Tom, in Brixton.

In the V&A, the project images on a domed ceiling 

and is is stupendous but few people notice.

Thursday; London

Subway to South Kennsington and a short visit to the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Museum of Natural History. Not so much fun alone, I must say, but busy, busy places. Again, as at LACMA in LA a while back, the costume exhibit is irresistible. I could not afford the time to see the Hollywood Costume Exhibit or the British Ball Gowns, but I saw some of the permanent collection.

This one is silk printed in a design by Jean Cocteau and made into a dress by Charles James.

Ever girl needs a wool bathing suit. Not.

Conrad Dressler's terracotta portrait of his wife. Mmmmm!

Then lunch with Liz! Hooray!

This is a huge chandelier in the cafeteria of the Welcome Collection. The various containers of different shapes go on and off in patterns and at random, and colours move through like waves—all clearly computer controlled and fabulous!

War Horse!

War Horse: I was in tears the moment it started. The young horse was a miracle of movement. And the adult horses were overwhelming—and the sounds added so very much. The vocalizations, the footsteps, the breathing added so much to the performance, words do not suffice. The handlers, the staging, the tank, the set—it is supreme theatre and now I want to see Book of Mormon.

And I came home able to see stars. Perhaps it will not rain tomorrow, but geez Louise, the prices and the crowds here are absolutely overwhelming. I could not live here; I even think that staying too long would be enjoyable. The tubes are THICK with people; it is a piece of cake to get around, but I feel like a rat in a maze.

Almost midnight and not tired, whereas at home, I'd be comatose by now.

WAR HORSE

Great sleep! Great drugs to help me!

Wednesday has dawned very wet. This is my first vacation I have every had in winter. I am a warmth and sun lover, so I have only vacationed in the north in summer and to India and Africa or Los Angeles in winter, so this is different. But it is only four and a half days.

Last night while walking with David, we passed the National Theatre so I went in to see if they had a good ticket for tonight and they did. So that is where I will be tonight. YAY!! And today we will go to some galleries, David and I, and have a nice lunch somewhere.

The hotel is fine. It is in a nice neighbourhood with PLENTY of restaurants around—especially Indian ones—and the tube is a half-block away.

Hopefully, I will get a camera cable today so that I can share my photos with you.

We had a lovely day walking around the National Gallery and the National Museum.

This contemporary African work is a huge limp

tapestry made of flattened aluminum wine bottle top wrappers.

It is absolutely stunning.

This is an exquisite ivory mask that sparkled.

This photo does not do it justice. The intricate carving

of the hair is not visible in this shot.

African hats from Sierra Leon.

Glistening marble statuary everywhere;

this was a particularly beautiufl one.

Arrival; London

My last three days in Vancouver were festivals of tension. I have never had pre-travel anxiety like that. I took an atavan to try to stay calm. The last thing I did, was have a bath and instead of relaxing me, it got me rushed instead. I came out of the bathroom in a rush and bolted.

So now it is 8:00 pm and I have just discovered I do not have the cable for my camera that allows me to download images to share. Nor did I remember my sandals, my glasses and hat—and there may be more discoveries ahead. But I am on vacation, less anxious and ... whatever...

When I checked in, the terminal was almost empty. The plane was less than half full and so I got an aisle seat in row 39 — four empty seats so I could lie down.

The hotel is fine. I am near David van Berckel Jr. in the east end of the city, on the edge of downtown. I am near  The Gherkhin. David and I went for a walk and wound up having an early dinner so I could come home to sleep. It is raining but nice and mild.

I rested but did not sleep on the plane, as usual. I have been awake since 4:00 am on Monday and now it is Tuesday night here.  Good night.

Departure Day - Africa, Take Two

I leave today.

Bwana is off to the south of Africa this time. And Bwana hate hate hates research.

I go to London today and I visit friends until Nov. 25th., then I go to South Africa and while there, all choices about where to go and when have been made by my ex, Steve. But his planning included choosing a special site that works for  us both for my birthday, Dec. 4th because this is NUMBER 65!

We end up in Ukutula Camp in South Africa. From there, Steve goes to Johannesburg and then home, and I pick up an itinerary developed by my travel agent Valerie who made such great choices for me last time.

I am full of anticipation about a close encounters I hope to have with some animals and Steve and I always have fun together. I also have anxiety about traveling—the long flights and one tour I am taking with another person. Last time I was on safari, I had my own truck.

I am also dealing with more anxiety than normal—not a full fledged anxiety attack, just a long low level of anxiety making me feel very flat and dull for the past few days. It's as though I have regressed to the high anxiety state of my youth. BUT, looking out the window on the Canada Line skytrain as we arrived on Sea Island, there was a rainbow and I took it as an omen of good fortune to come.

Really—that rainbow meant a lot, like a sign from God that I am going to get through this. Maybe I will even find my way back to that incredible joy and enthusiasm for travel and life that I found in Tanzania.

Back January 1st.

RETURNING IN 2012

In case there were not enough superlatives in this blog about my African trip 2011, no greater proof of my love of life as a tourist on the African continent exists than my decision to return.

In November 2102, I will depart again and this blog will resume to cover my adventures—this time in the south.

All my life I dreamed of going to Africa to see the animals. Last year, those animals changed my world view for sure, but the spectacular geography of Tanzania, its flowers, its minerals and most of all, its people, overwhelmed me. So back I go, and after a lifetime of never having set foot on this amazing continent, when I come back from my next trip, I will have visited and will have a sense of six countries: Morocco, Egypt, Tanzania (All in 2011), and South Africa, Botswana and Namibia (my itinerary for 2012).