Art-e facts!

I’m just back from a lovely weekend in London!  ‘Lovely’ being the operative word here.  Not only did I have a ‘lovely’ time, but the weather was ‘lovely’.  It was really ‘Spring’ like, sunny and bright. 

Normally when I go to London I travel everywhere by tube.  So off I set on Saturday morning on my little adventure into the big City.  Got to the tube station at the top of the road, and oh no, disaster, the line was closed for the weekend.  And lurking in the car park outside was the alternate form of transport, a big red London bus.   The very helpful conductor must have seen my (very fleeting) moment of panic and quickly told me how I could get to my destination – London Bridge – in several different ways, including a trip on his shiny bus.  Well, who needs the tube anyway! 

I got on the bus, after I had received further instructions on reaching my destination by a long haired denim wearing (drunk) American who overheard my conversation with the conductor.  He also told me that I looked like an angel and I could come and have a drink with him and his friends.  Pity I already had a date… My luck was in (eh, not!!)   Me thinks he was already a few drinks ahead of his friends!   Anyway, after what initially seemed a daunting prospect, I really enjoyed my bus journey.  I got to see the ‘outside’ of London for a change, instead of just the walls of the tunnels streaking by as I sit on the tube.  It was quite nice to watch the world go by instead, as I sat on a bus having no idea where I was going and which way it was going to turn next.  Eventually we got to a tube station where the trains were running, ran with all the other bus passengers and hopped on the tube.  


And then we were treated to hilarity by the comedy train announcer.  He was obviously fed up with the way things were (not) running that day and made us all aware of his dissatisfaction.  At each station he called out the route that the train was taking and the stations that were closed.  And after calling that out as if reading a script, he then ad-libbed a bit.  We were treated to:

“There should be nobody left on platform 2, as there are no trains going northbound today” (and then very loudly with an exaggerated sigh) “some people just can’t be told….”

Next station:

“Please get on board this train now”….(more exaggerated sighing)” unless you wish to stay on that platform until Monday, when the trains will be running again….”

Next station:

“I promise I won’t be making this announcement again….unless there are some people on board who still haven’t got it…”

I laughed all the way to London Bridge and didn’t even care that I was half an hour late for my rendezvous.   I eventually met my accomplice, and we ate our way round Borough Market.  What a great place.  I had a veggie burger served by a guy who had those round things that you put into your ear lobes, that eventually make a hole.  I was fascinated by them, they were the size of a penny, and didn’t pay any attention to what he was putting in my food box, which turned out to be very tasty.  He on the other hand was fascinated by my accent and asked me where I was from.  When I said Ireland, he said Dublin?  I thought, cool, nice one!  Then he asked me if that was north or south….

We ate our lunch ‘al fresco’ in the sunshine, sitting on a stone wall which made our asses numb, and then made our way across the dug up cobbles (apparently they are relaying all the cobbles in London to make it all look presentable for the Olympics) to our final destination, the Tate Modern.   I was a little bit daunted at the thought of viewing art in the company of an art teacher/artist.  Would my art ignorance be exposed??  I needn’t have worried, the art teacher said that it doesn’t matter if you like it or not, if the art gets a reaction, positive or negative, then the artist has achieved their goal.  10 - 0 to me so....

I came out of the exhibition with spots before my eyes…literally!  But that was because we went to look at Yayoi Kusama’s exhibition.   What a woman, look her up, she is amazing!  She covers everything in spots.   Apparently all the trees on the South Bank of the river had been wrapped in red and white polka dot ribbons to advertise her exhibition.  I'm sorry I missed that.

And because my partner in crime (well....art!) is a member of the Tate, we were able to go into the members bar and have a glass of bubbly stuff whilst sitting on the balcony overlooking the Thames.  The things I have to do!!  Although, the drinks were so expensive, I thought I had purchased a piece of art along with them….  Never mind, it all added up to a really good day out in London. 


I did have to get back on the Tube and go to another party..... it involved two cakes, someone falling off their chair, a secateurs and a headstone....but that's for another blog...