Spring is in the Air

This weekend has finally felt like the end of winter.  I think it was something like 17 degrees this weekend, that's possibly an exaggeration, but the cold-acclimatised body certainly felt that it was that warm.  So in honour of the beginning of spring here's a sunset from our balcony.  Bring on summer!

The Lake District

Amazing views from Scarfell Pike

We have been very remiss in not getting up to the Lake District since we have been here.  I had the chance to go up recently for a long weekend of walking, and I gotta say, we have been missing out.  That region is aaaamazing, definitely better than the Peaks.  I can understand now why Wordsworth loved it so much.  Even in November, with not particularly great weather it was still so pretty.  The plan was a 3-day circular walk starting at Seathwaite, and visiting 3 of the best dales in the area with hopefully a shot up Scarfell Pike, the highest mountain in England, at a mighty 977m.

The views and the colours - wonderful!

High House Tarn - very misty and no path to speak of

It which such a great weekend, if only all walks could be like that, there were 4 of us, which I gotta say I enjoy.  It's funny walking in a group of 4, you just feel so much safer, even though the terrain is the same and it would still be a pain if one of you got injured.  I guess the idea that even if something did happen there would still be 3 people to share the load of getting everyone back to safety is a lot more reassuring.  When it's only 2 of you, if something happens, it's all up to the other person, which can be a heavy burden to carry.

Looking down on Borrowdale and Seathwaite

But this was like luxurious walking, first of all to have the safety blanket of 3 other people there, as well as staying in great pubs every night.  The Lakes are seriously set up for walkers, it was so easy.  There's all these trails, and if you stay off the Cumbrian Way you actually get up pretty high, well high for England, and you don't have to carry any bedding, because you are staying at a hotel that night.  And no need to carry dinner or breakfast either because that's all laid on, and since it's freaking cold you barely need any water.  So all in all a very easy pack to carry plus some nice beers at the end of each day.  Bliss.

We started off in Seathwaite - which is basically a farm house at the very southern end of Borrowdale.  It seems that the valleys are all called dales here, I think it's something to do with the Vikings.  In the Lakes it's all about the dales and the lakes, and we got to tour 3 of what I think are the best dales, though I've only seen 3. If there are better ones than what I saw, then I am definitely going back.  It was Borrowdale, Langdale and Wasdale, for those who have been there before.  

Looking out on Langdale - a knee crunching descent

Amazing views from the mighty summit

We started off on a pretty cold morning, this was mid November after all.  I was nice and overdressed for our ascent straight up out of the valley.  It wasn't long before we were all shedding layers.  The mists seemed to come and go, every now and again they would clear and you would get a great view across the valley.  The colours were amazing, even in winter the grasses and bracken were looking good.  Since there are no real trees to speak of up there you didn't have the depressing dead tree look either.  It started off pretty misty, but by lunchtime it had started to clear and we were getting amazing views.  I can see why poets were so inspired, it really is so nice up there.  

Looking along Wasdale - as the weather closes in

We couldn't dawdle too much, since the sun was setting at about 4:30pm at that time, but that was one of the best views, coming down into Langdale as the shadows were getting long.  The light and the blue sky was really, that alone, worth the whole weekend.  We were super lucky with our accommodation over the whole weekend, it was uniformly good, and all of them had walkers bars.  Just what you need.

The next day was in stark contrast to the calm, blue skies we had finished the day before with.  This was seriously blowing a gale, with some incredible gusts.  It's really a day that you think, hmmm perhaps I shouldn't be outside.  But we had to battle on, since there was Wasdale to reach.  Mother Nature certainly took her toll that day, there were a few things ripped out of bags and hands.  At some points we had to crouch down on the ground or else it felt like we too would be ripped from the hillside.  I've never had the wind so strong that it actually gets up your nose and pulls the mucus out.  That was both disgusting and fascinating at the same time.  Though it did save on hankies.

Wasdale Head Inn

My only shot of a lake - Wast Water

We were very much in survival mode that day, so it was onto the Cumbrian Way, this walkers super highway, but there was no way we were being blown off it at least.  We didn't stop for lunch either, it was just energy bars and head down.  But it's always nice to have one day of fear in a walk, at least nice when you are safe and warm in a hotel pub.  I think we all knew that it wasn't really strong enough to cause any troubles, so long as we didn't do anything too silly.  The other good thing was that my gear really stood up, at no point was I cold or uncomfortable.  It's always reassuring to know that your gear can handle whatever you might encounter.

The wall up to Scarfell Pike

The next day then dawned this amazing, crystal clear, day.  It's so strange how quickly the weather would change.  It was much colder this day, winter was really starting to roll in, but the skies were beautifully clear.  This was our last chance to climb Scarfell Pike, so it was nice that the weather obliged and gave us our best day for it.  You could not have asked for better conditions, well perhaps less ice on the summit, but otherwise perfect.  

This was the only day that we saw serious numbers of people.  I guess it being a Saturday and such a good day probably didn't help.  When I see all those people out in the wilderness I gotta say I'm glad I'm not a park ranger.  I suppose nothing was going to happen to them that day, but it was still winter and we are a fair way north, and up sort of high, and some people really didn't look prepared if it had started to snow.  I wonder how many rescue operations rangers do have to pull off, I haven't heard of many, but you do wonder if circumstances conspired against people what would happen to them.  Perhaps they are hardier than they look.  

We weren't going to make it too easy for ourselves, there's a long way and a short way to the summit, the long way involves a bit of a detour and follows contours more.  Whereas the short way goes straight up the wall.  Needless to say we took the wall.  It wasn't as bad as what it looks, when you got a bit closer you could see that it was no troubles at all, it just looks a little intimidating from further back.  Not many people were going this way up, and overall I think it may have been slower, even though it was shorter.  

Another view from the top - the rocks are all covered in ice

As we are getting closer to the top there is more and more ice appearing, and once we got to the top of the wall all the rocks were covered in it.  Even though the sun was blazing.  That old angle of incidence really has an effect on the temperature.  You really had to watch your footing up there.  I was impressed by all the people in worn out sand shoes, they must be like mountain goats to not slip over.  The views were incredible, it was like there were no towns for miles, even though you knew that wasn't the case.  It almost felt like proper wilderness.  It's good to know that feeling is still achievable in such a crowded little island.

Men In Motion

I got to go along to a dance show at the London Coliseum, where the ENO is based.  This time there were no mistakes made by opera singers, instead it was just an evening of great dance.  I never thought I would actually go see something like this, because not only was it just dance, but it was only men dancing.  It was supposedly a retrospective of male dance throughout the ages, and I gotta say it was really good.

It started off pretty slow, with this weird faun dance.  Some guy was dressed up like a satyr and then there wasn't really any dancing, just really slow, controlled movements, which I suppose is a skill in itself.  It didn't really grab me though, and I was a bit worried that the whole evening would be like that.  Luckily each dance after that was better than the one before, so perhaps it's best that they started off on a real low point, otherwise there would have been no where to go.

Not only was the dancing really good but they had a live orchestra, which I always like.  It has been on tour a little bit, so seriously if it comes through your town I would go see it.  The dances don't go for that long, so if there is one that isn't so appealing you know it will be over soon.  Or you can just close your eyes and listen to the music.  But they were so good at capturing the feel of the music in their dance, I never really appreciated that before, probably never having seen such good dancers/choreographers before.

British Museum - Gold Exhibition

Somewhere in South America there must be a major museum closed for renovations, since suddenly museums around the world are having a gold bonanza (there is also one on in Canberra at the moment).  We went to see the British Museum one on the weekend.  They had a lot of stuff, but that's always true of the British Museum, you just wish they added a bit of history to what they have as well.  You would think being the curator of the British Museum would be one of the most sought after jobs in that space, so you would think they would have someone who could put a little more effort in.

Don't get me wrong the audio guide was quite good and there were definitely descriptions around what you were seeing.  It could have just done with a bit more broader historical context, what was happening in the areas around these people, a bit of a timeline as to what happened to them, how the different groups interacted, perhaps a bit more on their culture.  It would also have been great to see some reconstructions.  These people must have looked unbelievable to the Spanish invaders, they would have been covered in gold, with gold headresses, massive gold earrings and gold jewellery hanging from their noses.  They also bound parts of their bodies and practised scarification, so to the invaders they must have looked amazing.

It would have been nice if we could have got a better sense of what a typical village would have looked like.  To try and get a sense of what it would have been like to come across this completely alien culture, that has now been lost to us.

At the moment you see this exhibit and you come away wishing for a bit more meat, that you had learnt something rather than just seeing a lot of pretty gold objects.

Nielsen's Wind Quintet

There is a new development near King's Cross station, called Kings Place.  It's a combination of offices, restaurants, art galleries and music halls.  It feels quite different to the busy station next door, and you reach it by walking a long way down a deserted street.  Then suddenly you appear in this flash new building.  It's where the guardian has moved, so on the way in you can pop up to the guardian's reception, see a room where a bunch of journalists may work (it was the weekend, so there wasn't anyone to see).  I have to say they look after their workers, their office chairs were an awful lot better than mine.  We were there to see (listen?) to Nielsen's wind quintet.  There was some vote on people's favourite chamber music pieces and then throughout the year they will perform the top 50 at Kings Place.  This was number 50.

The slight problem is that the ensemble chosen to play the piece also gets to choose the whole program for the evening (you don't just get the piece you have paid to see).  I really don't understand the passion for contemporary classical music (is there such a thing?).  Though to be fair I think the contemporary pieces they played that night were possibly the more melodic of contemporary music, but that's not saying much really.  The issue seems to be that the composers are trying to be too clever, I guess there is a large body of work to live up to.  So rather than just having a nice theme that they repeat throughout the work, they try and cram as much technically difficult stuff in at one go.  You hear a fragment that you quite like and would like to hear again, but that's it, you only get one go and then it's on to the next bit.  I just don't quite understand it.  They also pulled the same trick as they did at Mozart's Requiem concert, playing the piece everyone was there to hear last.  I get why they do it, sure save it for the second half, but could we have it before we all get so tired we can't enjoy it as much?

Sitting in front of us was a family of 4, they were in the middle in the front row, so everyone in the hall could see them.  In fact the players on stage could probably see them.  And it looked like only the father was into the music.  You could see that the 2 kids and the mother were dying, the kids were shuffling all over the place, trying to get comfortable enough to sleep, and the mother was getting lower and lower down in her seat throughout the performance.  And yet the father was in raptures after each piece.  It was pretty funny, I mean it's nice to try and interest your family in things you like doing, but perhaps you should take them to see one of the classics first.  I think there are a lot of performances containing a lot more melodic pieces than that one.  You don't want to turn it into some sort of torture for your children, surely you want them to enjoy it as much as you do?

They have a restaurant and bar on the premises as well, I didn't quite appreciate that it was literally above the concert hall.  But it was actually a really nice meal.  The service was super efficient, but still charming, the food was really good, triple-cooked chips are a wonder to behold and the wine was delicious.  I will definitely be back for another meal + performance combo, it's a really pleasant way to spend an evening.  Good work Kings Place! And lucky for me there are another 49 for me to choose from this year.

PictureHouse

I was worried we wouldn't find a cinema on par with the Everyman we had in Hampstead, but I think we may have found a match with the Greenwich PictureHouse.  Apparently the picturehouse brand used to be an independent one, but it's recently been bought by Cineworld. I'm hoping that doesn't destroy what they have in Greenwich.  It has a good feel to it, reclining seats, a little bar, small screens, and less mainstream movies than say a Vue.  It's not as premium as Everyman, that was like gold class, at seat service by waiters and sofas.  But then this is Greenwich, not Hampstead, so I think it's as good as it gets.  And after visiting the Vue in Stratford I was a little worried that we wouldn't be able to go to the movies again.  Seriously those people are like animals.  It's like they are in their living rooms, not in public, when they go to the movies.  That's cool if some people like that sort of atmosphere, it's just not for me.  So yah for picturehouse!

Highgate Cemetery

Karl Marx's memorial

One of the last things we did whilst we were still living in Hampstead was pay a visit to the Highgate Cemetery.  There's two parts to the cemetery, the East and West, imaginative names I know.  The East can be visited at anytime, and has more famous people buried there.  Whilst the West is more wild, and more architecturally interesting.  You can only visit the West with a tour though, and they do get booked out.  So be prepared to wait.

Once we had our tour time organised we headed over to the East cemetery to check it out first.  The cemetery was first opened in 1839 and was a profit making business.  It was meant to ease some of the pressure on the inner London cemeteries which were full, and a bit gross at the time.  It was pretty popular when it first opened, but as the plots filled up it became less economical.

Patrick Caulfield's grave, pop artist

It started to struggle in the 1930's before finally the company went bankrupt and the gates were shut.  There was then a period where the cemeteries were forgotten, and became overgrown and vandalised, before the Friends of Highgate Cemetery was formed.  This group acquired the freehold to both the east and west cemeteries.  They then spent a lot of time and effort restoring the memorials and gardens.  It really is a great place to visit, especially the west, with the overgrown grounds, and the fantastic monuments.

The most famous burial would have to be Karl Marx, but then there is also Douglas Adams, and George Eliot. As well as some other, slightly weirder people, like the first head of the masonic order.

Because most of the burials occurred during Victorian times, it's full of all this great symbolism.  A lot of angels, pillars cut in half (symbolising a life cut short), urns, and everything is covered in vines.  Really atmospheric.  But they are still used for burials, so the guy who was poisoned by Russian spies, Alexander Litvinenko, is buried there, he's one with a shortened pillar.

Typical of Highgate cemetery

In the west cemetery they also have catacombs, still with bodies interred, as well as the Egyptian Avenue, back when Egyptian things were all the rage in the UK, and the Cedar of Lebanon, a massive cedar tree growing above the Egyptian Avenue.

They also were surprisingly non-judgemental.  There are two chapels on the grounds, one for Anglicans and one for everyone else.  And some of the land has been set aside, so it's unconsecrated, available for those who aren't Church of England.

Egyptian Avenue