the days are just full...

20071217_earlscourt_embankment

I was a whirlwind of activity this weekend - I'm quite exhausted this morning. I don't think I have ever been so domestically minded in my life! Among other things:

• Took delivery of the final bits of furniture I think I need and managed to assemble a flat-pack chest of drawers in only two hours. The other one can wait until next week.

• Did 3 loads of laundry - this is a symptom of the tiny washing machine rather than my enormous collection of dirty clothing.
• Made a big pot of chicken stock - can't seem to buy it, so I have to make it.
• Got my home phone working with the aid of a new £19.99 handset - saved myself a £119 call-out fee.
• Wrapped all the Xmas presents and got them into post packs (carefully weighed to be under the 2kg small parcel limit). Unfortunately didn't make it to the Post Office by noon Saturday - maybe this evening.
• Acquired a library card and even got library books out.
• Bought enough coat hangers (finally) that I can finish the ironing.
• Acquired a coffee cup and tumbler for the office - no more paper cups for me.

After all that domesticity, and because Sunday was a beautiful sunny day, I decided I needed a good long walk. Unfortunately, due to my turning over two pages of the map at once and skipping a whole section of the Thames, the walk turned out to be a bit longer than planned - about 13km in total. Still, it was a very pleasant walk, and I saw lots of interesting things.

The Burghers of Calais were intruiging - the last time I saw them, they were in Rodin's garden in Paris. I suppose, if I were to write "1001 Pointless Lists to Complete Before You Die", I could add - "visit all 12 castings of the Burghers of Calais in situ".

I also met James McNeill Whistler (but not his mother), Emmeline Pankhurst, Oliver Cromwell, Winston Churchill, and caught a glimpse of a particularly tastelessly gilded statue of Thomas More from across the road.

The main purpose of the walk was to visit the Bankside Frost Fair - which was mildly entertaining. I was going to visit the Globe theatre, but couldn't be bothered by the time I got there. Contented myself with eating hot roast chestnuts as I strolled around, and snuck home on the Tube before it got dark.