Today

Brighton

Cold, windy, rainy, salty, and picturesque. I brought home an abundant collection of seashells.

Old Kent Road

I don't enjoy taking the bus in London and the underground doesn't always take me to where I need to be. So sometimes I walk. Okay, I mostly walk. Especially that it hasn't rained in days! Once I came across this church in an expected area. London is full of architectural gems.

East Croydon

I took the train to visit a friend who lives in South London. Her flat was just a short walk from the train station but I still managed to find very cute houses and an adorable pub. The farther away you get from central London the greener the scenery.

Rose Street

I had no idea London can be that warm and sunny this time of the year. The patios spread onto the streets decorating the narrow sidewalks...even in front of a hairdressing salon.



When I was on my way to meet a friend in Leicester Square I received a call from her letting me know that she is running late. What a great opportunity to walk around the streets filled with the Saturday crowd, enjoying the sights, sounds and smells of this crazy city. After our chat in a busy café of a smaller contemporary art gallery I popped into the National Gallery and said a quick hello to Mr. Renoir, Mr. Picasso, and Mr. Monet.

Earthquake

At around one in the morning the walls is my room began to tremble and the mattress was sliding off my bed as I was laying on it and reading. My whole room was shaking. This morning one of my flatmates told me that he thought that our building may collapse, or at least the top floors. We live on the top floor. I am glad that I didn't have this conversation with him last night.

The tremor was felt in Newcastle, Yorkshire, London, Cumbria, the Midlands, Norfolk and also parts of Wales. The British Geological Survey said the epicentre of the 5.3 magnitude quake was near Market Rasen in Lincolnshire. It was the biggest recorded example since one with a magnitude of 5.4 struck north Wales in 1984.

I feel lucky that I am unable to provide photographs of my room suffering the results of the quake. There are people in England who had a sleepless night, suffered injuries and their homes are affected. Me? I am fortunate enough to hop in the shower, eat breakfast and be on my merry way to central London to meet my classmates for an author's talk.

My Other View

One of the benefits of being a member at the Tate is the access to the Member's Room. It is located on the top floor and has a chic cafe with a great patio and of course a spectacular view of the city. Plus I get to see all the pretty pictures for free. Mmmmm...art.