London Blogging

So, I'm in London, and you may be asking yourself, "What the hell is going on? Ginger is blogging. She's in London. And she's blogging? Not touring or pubbing or floating down the Thames to the Globe Theatre? but BLOGGING????(!)"

And the answer is Yes. I am blogging. But in my defense I am freaking TIRED! In short (the reduced Shakespeare version, only not nearly as funny nor tragic... mostly just reduced) I was here in London a week ago and met Mark's fabulous Green Pea friends who have taken such good care of me. I got to hang out with Brother Corduroy and his girlfriend, Ilham, and her two brilliant, gorgeous, fantastic, creative, wonderful (can you tell I like them?) daughters.

After three days of meeting and greeting followed by my first (intense) Quaker church experience and a (breathtaking) Sacred exhibit, I went off to Oxford for 4 fab days of conferencing with the IB program. And what could be better than hanging out with fellow (and international) literature geeks in one of the most literary places on the planet? It was like having 30 soul mates in one place, and we all became quick friends. We spent time together, discussing poetry, prose, and drama. We sat in the pub where J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis shared manuscripts and ideas, and we discussed the value of language and what globalization is doing to cultural identity which is very much language based.

We went punting together (complete with strawberries, champagne, tuxedos, and an attack swan), and had very English garden parties where we wandered around, gesticulating with glasses of Cabernet Shiraz, agreeing "thusly" and "verily." One time we found ourselves at an Oxford theater (formerly Oxford Castle), where we sat outside under tartan blankets and watched a modern version of Hamlet backed by such bands as The Killers, Garbage, My Chemical Romance, etc. After that was a night of super intense pub crawlery, including a stop at the pub where Clinton, "did not inhale."

I can't wait to show you the pics!!

After Oxford, I spontaneously went to Bath with my new friend, Ginelle, who is originally from Canada, but who teaches in Bahrain. We spent time hanging out in the squares of Bath where I read tons of Mary Oliver and fell madly in love with nature, and where I pretended to be claustrophobic like Jane Austen who longed for open fields of flowers, even though she didn't recognize the fact that she was living in one of the most astoundingly beautiful places on the planet... I know that makes no sense, but when you read Mary Oliver or Jane Austen you'll know what I mean.

So, I'm back in London where the Green Peas welcomed me back yesterday with open arms, bagels, and cafe lattes. Seriously, I want to move all of you here so that we can all sit at Mr. Bagels, drink coffee, and gab about the mad goings on around town.

I had a lovely dinner with another friend, Nicoletta, last night in an area of London called "Noho" which is the north version of "Soho". We had girlie strawberry drinks, entertained the idea of stilettos, and ate at a very French (3 course) restaurant. We shared with each other some of the secrets of our hearts and traded wisdom that can only be shared with people you may or may not see for another year. We ended the evening with amaretto hugs.

I got sort of lost in London today and wandered around (apple in hand), accidentally stumbling into Parliament Square (just as Big Ben struck 2:00) and ambled along the Thames to Blackfriars until I got tired, partly from walking, partly from stop and go cider tasting. Now I'm back at Mark's where I sit contently blogging and watching the gorgeous British rain clouds float heavily by his window, over his budding veg garden.

And that's just how it is.