Helicopters

Oh, yeah, and the helicopters buzzing overhead... It's like LA. Wanna see a picture of our neighboUrhood?
The Beeb today
That's what it says pretty much all the time now. We're leaving for a week in Barcelona & Sitges this afternoon.

Sirens

Sirens have taken on a whole new meaning here. You hear or see a bunch of police cars and ambulances speeding in a particular direction. Everybody notices. Everybody notices each other noticing. We know we're all thinking the same thing: what now? Yesterday I visited the Russell Square tube station (still shrouded in white plastic sheeting) and Tavistock Square (you'd never know except for the pile of flowers and book of condolences). Maybe I wasn't paying attention when the bombs went off, but the Tavistock Square gardens are dedicated to peace: the victims of Hiroshima; Gandhi; conscientious objectors; the "International Year of Peace" (1986). Every tree, rock, and statue is a monument to peace.

Miscellany

Over the past couple of weeks I have been observing things other than CNN and BBC News...
Jack Morton Summer Party - June 30th:
Steven & Nicole (Jessica)
Decor
More decor
Steven & Martha (Fiona)
Random shots:
Rabbit (cousin Jane)
New Wedgwood
Olympic confetti
Pub madness
Regent's Canal house I
Regent's Canal house II
Chihuly at Kew Gardens
Hampstead Heath art I
Hampstead Heath art II
Hampstead Heath art III
Convertible Smart
Underground found art I
Underground found art II
They just know how...

About Bloody Time

We finally had our official "welcome to London" event today. We were supposed to picnic in Kensignton Gardens, but it was raining so we wound up at a pub in Notting Hill Gate called The Champion. In attendance were: Kevin (a friend of Tim Schreck from SF); Philip, Peter and their pal Luke (Kath & Philip became friends when they both worked at Wunderman); Tim Warmath (Tim & Ned - who was in bed - are friends of Max from SF, and also friends of Kevin somehow); Rachel, Suzette's sister; and Kath (Craig is in SF). We had bloodies. We had nibbles. We had beer. We had Sunday Roast. Then we walked through Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park (the weather had cleared) to The Blue Bar, where we were joined by Eric and David (Steven & I met Eric in Istanbul) for cocktails and more nibbles. After that, Kath accompanied Steven and me to Automat for dinner. Here is the only evidence of the day's proceedings:
Espresso Martinis, etc.

South Bank Saturday

Steven & I had one of those amazing "only in London" days. After the best coffee in town, we took our time wandering in all the Portobello Market arcades. It's just astonishing what's for sale there. Then we walked up Golborne Road to Harrow Road (where they thought some of the suicide bombers were on Friday) and along the Grand Central Canal to Paddington. We had lunch at Beiruit Express on Edgware Road, followed by a stoll through Hyde Park & Kensington Gardens. We met up again after Steven's workout and hopped in a taxi to the Tate Modern for the Herzog & de Meuron and Frida Kahlo exhibits. We then made our way along South Bank and across the Hungerford Pedestrian Bridge to Soho, where we did a bit of a bar crawl, had a David Schwimmer sighting, and ate our supper at Boheme. BTW, David's kinda short.
Jubilee Bridge & St. Paul's
Book stalls
Hungerford Bridge
Big Ben
The Eye & Parliament

Helsinki

Tom... in Finland
Bookshop ceiling from Cafe Aalto
At Cafe Carousel
Tame seagull
Kiasma
Neon tea pouring into cup
Pihlajasaari
Hakaniemi
"Expander" at Kiasma
Outsider installation at Kiasma
Main post office ceiling

King's Cross

July 8th (the day after):

July 15th (the week after):

Timeline