Bathroom and getting out and about

The bathroom is soon to have a modern addition of a shower over the bath! Don't laugh all you Australians and Americans. This is progress here in the UK. Even 10-15 years ago it was unusual to have a shower over the bath let alone a stand alone shower. All is changing and the Brits are all moving across to showers.

Having said that I love the bath - it is just the right shape and just the right size. Having a central boiler in the basement here, I can have unlimited hot water. In Australia, every drop of water has to be collected from the roof, drained to large water tanks and then pumped back to the house when you need water. After 6 years of drought every drop was precious, and a bath for anyone was out of the question. When the water runs out, then it is a matter of trying to pursuade Luke and his water carters truck to come up with a load or two. It costs, and it is no longer that pure rainwater straight from the sky. I will still really appreciate a shower just the same.

In the communal hallways it is still a work in progress. The caretaker told me to take a look at the 3rd floor where it is finished except for carpet. I think the 'Ivory' colour of the walls looks a lot more like lemony white to me and to most others, but never mind. The doors and the carpets to be are what we Aussies call Brunswick Green. I will give you a look when it is done.

At last I have been getting out and about. Wonderful but pretty challenging concert at the Wigmore Hall on Monday night. A young and very very talented violinist, Sulki Yu and pianist Chiao-Ying Chang performed the premier of Roxburgh's Sonata. The composer was in the audience and it was pretty exciting for a girl from the bush, that's me, to be there. Not only is it quite an intimate performance area, it is stunningly lovely and the acoustics are very good. I know little about contemporary music, but I loved the whole experience. I was in Piccadilly today - very much a London early December day with rain and rain and a bit more rain. The Xmas lights were up, the double decker buses were rushing red-ly everywhere. The architecture along Piccadilly is so interesting.

The Royal Academy had an unexpected treat in an exhibition that included some Eric Gill (Portland stone and Bath stone) carvings of mother and child - a number of variations on the theme. I had not appreciated how lovely Gill's work is, somehow I had not understood his importance. There were Epstein's as well, and I know it didn't include his monumental works, but Gill stood up very well against him. I thought both of them fell down in their graphic work. I understand these were drawings for the sculptures but compared with Henry Moore's wonderful drawings they lacked excitement.

There is no further excuse for not getting to a lot of exhibitions and concerts. Watch this space!!