Visitors, Friends and Synchronicity

I had a visit Tuesday with the students and friends of UofC who are here with Bill Laing. We took a tour of the RCA (got into a bit of trouble as we visited the painting dept. without prior appoval and I guess that's a big NO NO!!) We went to the ArtPub here at RCA and then went for dinner at a fabulous Armenian restaurant just a ten minute walk away that Bill knew about. Wonderful tasty food with a huge variety of dishes, all for £10, which is about as good as it gets for a decent meal here. Then it was back to the pub (at Bill's request) I'm afraid I left them there at about 10 as I have a one hour train/bus ride home. I'd had enough of the smokey bar anyway and couldn't keep up with the drinkers (you know who you are!).
Bill came back yesterday and we went for lunch with Mark and another tutor, Bob, from the Printmaking Dept.
Today Pat Chisholm, an ACAD graduate, took me for lunch with her husband Don and their friends who live here in London. Pat and Don are flying to Spain tomorrow where they will rent a car and travel around to as yet unknown destinations. Then next weekend Jennifer from UofC will be coming and we will spend a couple of days together.
Went to Elizabeth LeMoines for dinner on Sunday night. She graduated from ACAD the same time I did. She invited her friends Ken Oliver and Sue Ferguson. Ken went to RCA with Bill Laing, Stuart Parker and Ken Webb. It's a small world! We had a fabulous meal cooked by Elizabeth. Duck with carrots, potatoes, roasted parsnips, ginger dressing and 3 bottles of wine. Lots of laughs. I enjoyed being with some people my own age.




On Sat I went to Kew Gardens, a beautiful peaceful place. When I was there madly taking photos in the gardens, a man came up and asked me what kind of camera I had. So I showed him and told him what it was and he went off with his wife. On the underground home, they ended up sitting across from me on the train, a bit of a coincidence, but not terribly because we left at closing time. The next day I went to the British Museum and when I sat down to have a drink, who should be sitting across from me at the next table but the very same couple! Now that was strange. They aren't tourists either, as they laughed and said what are you doing tomorrow, and said that they had to go to work.

Then on Mon I was here at RCA and a fellow followed me down the hallway and asked if I remembered him, and it was Isambard (Izzy) who came to ACAD as an exchange student from St. Martin's when he was doing his undergrad about 4 years ago. He graduated from RCA last year and was here talking to a student who he is setting up a studio with in the East End. Pippa in the office said it was strange that I should run into him, because he hardly ever comes up here.
I went to an opening at the William Morris House Gallery on Mon night for a show that Mark Hampson, who teaches here, curated. He has been invited to do a residency there as a visiting artist this year and has access to all the block prints that Morris used to print with. Heaven!!!
Last night I went to two openings. One show that Elizabeth was in at the Deutschbank (sp?) and then another in the East Side, where I ran into Dallas again! I guess the London art world isn't all that big.