How not to see an art exhibition – DB does London, yet again!

The Woman in Red

Yesterday I was in London again.  The plan had been to see the Ice Age Art exhibition at the British Museum, with my good friend S.  I had plenty of time before and after meeting her, and managed to do all my favourite things in London in addition to seeing the exhibition.

First off, I indulged in an opulent breakfast at Pain Quotidian opposite Selfridges.  Next door used to be a little Italian restaurant called The Lucky Spot which I adored, but they closed a few years ago and now there is some other restaurant there which I have not tried yet.  Anyway, PQ has my favourite breakfast, scrambled eggs with mushrooms and toasted bread (very nice bread!) and café latte (served in a huge bowl, which I dislike – you need both hands to lift it to your mouth, how am I supposed to do that while holding my newspaper steady?).  But aside from that it is good coffee.  The restaurant is quite large, so even when I am late I can find a nice table.  The décor is very pleasant, and I am particularly attracted by the large wall-hanging, a sort of tapestry made up of many coloured squares.  One day when no one else is around I shall photograph it.  The music in the background is cheerful and unobtrusive, and there are several large windows.  The toilets are clean, and the toilet paper is soft and absorbent.  Next door is a newspaper vendor, where I can buy an International Harold Tribune, so I have found the perfect location for a successful breakfast experience.

 Hermes Ecuries

Having lingered over my breakfast, and chased my scrambled eggs with a Danish pastry (an unusual extravagance, usually I go for either the cooked breakfast or the pastry), I meandered over to Selfridges for a quick look at the Hermes scarf counter.  I should have known better, there is no such thing as ‘Just having a look’.  Before I knew it I was demonstrating all my favourite ways of wearing a scarf to an admiring audience of two sales assistants and several other customers, and ended up selling several scarves to the latter, to much acclaim by the former.  It would have been churlish not to buy one myself ….  I escaped lightly, with a small orange scarf depicting horses in their boxes, Ecuries.  I don’t yet have an orange scarf in that size, so don’t blame myself too much.  If I had bought the tomato-red scarf I used to demonstrate my scarf tying techniques I would have kicked myself all the way to the British Museum, because I already have a very nice collection of red scarves and one must draw the line somewhere.  But it was a close call, I have such a weakness for red!

This is amply illustrated by some of the photos on this post!  A year ago I bought an amazing red swing coat, with black buttons.  It is by Jaeger, excellent quality, but sadly about three sizes too big for me, and all the sales ladies in the charity shop tried to talk me out of buying it since it makes me look twice my size.  I bought it anyway, it was cheap and I love red, and it is always good to have something to grow into, as my mother used to say when I was a small child.  The coat goes well with my purple hat, and also with the red one I am wearing in these photos.  The red hat clings to my head more than the purple one, and it was a cold and windy day.  Also the red one can be folded and put into my handbag, which is handy when one visits a museum.

It really was an unconscionably cold day, and I was cold despite my cardigan and coat and hat and three scarves.  S was already waiting under the Great Cuppola near the Egyptian Rooms and raring to see the exhibition on Ice Age Art, but was cruelly disappointed – the exhibition was sold out!!!!  Apparently one had to reserve a place on the internet.  We slithered off to the museum coffee shop, to have some coffee and decide what other part of the museum we should patronise.  Knowing me you will already know how this story will end ….  We chatted over coffee for three and a half hours and got kicked out of the museum because it was closing time and didn’t see a single thing!  We shall see the exhibition some other time.  Hopefully K and R will also have time to come and we can make it a foursome.

Having released S to rejoin her family I went back to my club to warm up a bit.  I took the occasion to take some photos of me in my amazing red coat & hat, and spend a few happy hours reading the papers and drinking more coffee.  Then I walked to Marble Arch, and took the coach back to Oxford.  On route to Marble Arch I discovered another piece of roadside art and photographed it for your delectation – it is rather different, isn’t it?