I kicked off my return to London, after more than ten years, with something definitely new for me. I had been looking for a course and by accident spotted a conference hosted by the UK Feng Shui Society. At 80 GBP for the day I thought why not . . . A couple of the talks went completely over my head, however one by Simon Brown (president of the Society) was brilliant. Aimed at those new to Feng Shui, Simon talked about the harmony between humans and nature and how everything and everybody share the same energies. Maximising the use of energies in your home therefore seems to make sense. Making best use of the sun, (the largest source of energy), using mirrors, plants, colours and of course our own energy all combine to make a home feel right. Clutter disrupts energy flows – which pretty much makes sense. Except if it’s my clutter of course. My first two nights in London were based in the Euston area, a stones-throw from the conference venue, and which I also used as a base to reconnect with the area I sort of remembered when I was five. William Goodenough House (where we lived in a two bedroomed apartment) is still there with its gated park opposite. And so is my primary school – St George the Martyr which, funnily enough, I could retrace my steps. It was a sunny and clear Sunday and I realised, not for the first time, how many parks and open spaces London possesses. 25% of the city according to my mate Jane. I visited the newly-weds Jane and Andrew, and Monty the dog, in their apartment in Stepney. They have a fabulous view down Regents Canal in what is a more gentrified area in E1 than I had remembered. We drank far too much wine and had a great evening with Thai takeaways, reminiscing and planning. I also caught up with Stephen and Tracy - living in New York and in London for the week for Stephen’s Board meeting. I decided to bike over to their hotel in Park Lane using the Santander bike share service. Using your contactless credit card you can hire a bike (which you could describe as sturdy rather than sleek) for two pounds. So there I was weaving my way in and out of the London traffic down busy Oxford St – clutching my iphone and listening for Siri’s instructions. I have decided I need to change Siri’s accent from Australian by the way. My final catch-up was with Anna, a colleague from the Electricity Commission and EECA. A long Friday lunch in Chelsea . . . Anna worked with me in the same team as Jane - joining after Jane left. Great times. For the first time I found myself in London purely as a tourist. Not working or travelling on business – free as a bird with no agenda. Now that might seem ideal - but in London, with so much to see and do, you risk leaving with regrets. So aside from retracing my past, catching up with old mates and feng shui-ing I decided to focus on three things: the arts the west-end and historical stuff. For my arts binge I headed over to the Tate Modern – a simply enormous museum of contemporary art on the south bank of the River Thames. It’s based in the former Bankside power station with four floors ranging from the truly spectacular to downright weird. I also visited the Design Museum just off High Street Kensington – devoted to contemporary design and architecture. The exhibit on the design of London’s transport system was super interesting. I was so into it I even sat down for a geeky half hour with a book on fonts . . . Like the Tate Modern, this was yet another free museum in Central London. Honestly you don’t need to spend a lot of money in London to be royally entertained. And in keeping with my free art theme I decided to detour past Brick Lane, which not only boasts some of the UK’s best Indian restaurants but also graffiti street art. For my West End theme I headed off with Danielle and her mate Madi to see “Everybody’s Talking about Jamie” – a musical about a sixteen-year old living in Sheffield with designs to become a drag queen. It’s a sort of Billy Elliot plot with a drag twist – great music and dancing and a standing ovation at the end. And for my history binge, which sounds all a bit ho-hum after my Sheffield drag queen story, I went to the British Museum in Bloomsbury. I know the museum has been going for 200 years and reportedly houses some of the world’s greatest collections of antiquities – but I just couldn’t get into it. For one thing, many of the collections raise the question of whether it is appropriate to maintain ownership of items that have a cultural significance to another country. The Greek government, for example, has long been arguing for the return of the Elgin Marbles which once adorned the Parthenon. And another thing – the Museum was packed, and I couldn’t find a seat in the cafe. I had been in London for a week, and on a whim decided to go to Brighton for my last two nights. I remembered Brighton, from 29 years ago, as slightly dull with the most depressing beach front ever. Well the beach front has definitely not changed – but away from the beach tat Brighton is now one funky place. It’s the UK’s unofficial LGBT capital and has more vegan cafes than you can shake a stick at. I’m not into shopping – but I have to say, the Lanes in the historic quarter are jam packed with the quirkiest places – including one massive flea market. I rued the fact I only have about 1kg headroom in my luggage – there is so much daggy stuff I could easily have purchased - old maps, vintage cameras, overstuffed arm-chairs (well I was admittedly never going to fit one of those in my bag) and art. So for the time being (we may return later in August) it’s goodbye to the UK. Next stop the Netherlands where I reconnect with Jolanda.
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I had been hankering to visit the Lake District as part of our trip. I was first there around 49 years ago - in Ullswater with my family, although at the age of 5 you don’t remember much. Roll on 20 years to 1990, when Jo had I had only just started going out - we were there with a bunch of our London friends at Christmas. Sharing our joint situation of being without family at a time when other people in the UK were partying with loved ones. And then again in late 1994 – with a very pregnant Jo, celebrating our last couple of months being childless. And so with Jo and Danielle booked on a three-week yoga and volunteering retreat in Portugal I found myself alone, touching down at Manchester airport and driving up the M6 to my first destination - the tiny village of Bouth in the southern Lake District. Places in the UK can be small, and depending on how small they are, there will be reduced numbers of services and shops, until you get to the very smallest, like Bouth. And that will be a place with just a pub. Aaah I like this country . . . Bouth is situated at the foot of Lake Windemere, in the midst of rolling green farmland and walking tracks. Cragg cottage is just your quintessential old country cottage with 200-year exposed beams, an open fire (yes in late May it’s still cold) and a tiny country garden. Oh and wifi which, while welcome, seems sort of out of place in this quiet and natural spot. My first week’s highlights included an awesome walk at Coniston Water. And by the way you don’t refer to “Lakes” here – everything is either a “Water”, “Mere” or “Tarn”. Excepting Bassenthwaite Lake just so we all clear on that point. Anyway, Coniston Water was on my list of must-dos supplied by Bob, my unofficial tour guide back in New Zealand. I walked up the Coppermine valley where quarrying is thought to have started back in Roman times. The weather was clear, cloudy and with the slightest hint of drizzle, which by the way summed up things for just about the majority of my stay. After reaching a lone youth hostel at the head of the valley I returned via the saddle of Coniston which provided stunning views back over the waters and with a glimpse of Windemere in the distance. Magic. During my time travelling on my own I was determined to see and do as much as possible. And so I developed a daily regiment of yoga, writing, studying and walking. The studying part refers to life coaching, something I have thought about for some time. My professional career to date has included a number of start-ups and change programmes. And it’s always been the people side of this work that I have gravitated to. Undertaking formal coaching training therefore might be a way I can do more of this – both potentially in paid and volunteer work . . . Other highlights of my first week included a visit to Blackwell – an Arts and Crafts House close to Windemere. I know that term conjures up images of teapot snugs and dolls clothes however nothing could be further from the truth. The Arts and Crafts movement, beginning in Britain in the early 1900s, was essentially a bridge between more traditional furnishings considered overly ornate and those that were beginning to be mass produced in factories. The outcome was a new style which was more modernist, simple and functional – but not at the expense of quality. And above all, everything had to synch – with the rest of the house and the environment within which the house sat. The outcome was just superb. I stayed far longer than I had intended – seduced by the cosiness and simplicity of the place. I could have lived there . . . After a week in the Lake District I decided I wasn’t yet ready to leave, and so moved to the village of Ings – close to Windemere and Ambleside but still with that country feel. I stayed at another cottage – they do cottages well over here . . . I had been warned by Bob to avoid Bowness on Windemere, and so purely being curious, and a bit obstinate, I decided to pop over to take a look. The Lake District’s most popular tourist destination is quite a shock to the system when you first arrive. Coming from walking deserted fells to experiencing clogged pavements with trains of overseas tourists following flag-bearing guides takes some getting used to. There is obviously a love affair here with Beatrix Potter (or Beatrix f**king Potter as Bob refers to her) who lived and wrote here. I resisted the temptation to purchase a Beatrix Potter tea towel and instead used my time to do some practical things such as getting my hair cut and posting my wedding suit back to New Zealand. The rest of my second week passed much like the first. The undoubted highlight however was my trekking in the Langdale Pikes. The walk begins about 20 minutes from Ambleside near the Stickle Barn pub (oh yes I had my eye on that place for after) and heads up a step gradient to a beautiful Tarn. I noticed most other walkers armed with maps and compasses at this stage – but, not to worry, I had my iphone. I dutifully followed Siri’s directions until I became a little concerned to find myself in the middle of an amazing mountain vista with none of my fellow hikers in sight. The remainder of my walk/climb consisted of studying my environment, spying other hikers, scaling and scrambling up bare rock, navigating great boggy expanses and finally slip/sliding down a mountain stream to re-join the road – about 3km from the best beer ever. The most awesome, thrilling and challenging hike I have ever attempted. 201 floors and 17km according to Siri. From the Lake District I head back to Manchester in the car and then on the train to London for my last week before catching up again with Jo in NL.
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AuthorHi - I'm Richard Norris. Jolanda and I are heading off overseas for another adventure in 2019. No real formal plans - but definitely a desire to seek something different . . . Archives
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