Wednesday, June 18, 2003

On Sunday -- Father's Day -- Diane and Jay cooked me a modified Full English Breakfast: toast, eggs, sausage and beans. I say modified because two elements were missing: bacon and a grilled or stewed tomato. I don't like grilled or stewed tomatos, and Diane said she wanted to shorten my life by two years instead of five. (Note: the Full English can also include sauteed mushrooms).

Later, I went off for a solitary walk through Clerkenwell -- pronounced "Clarkenwell" -- an area near my office. The walk included the Medieval gate of St. John's Priory, which dates back to 1504 and is known for the ambulance service it runs in London; 18th-century townhouses and a number of 19th-century buildings. I treated myself to a half pint and a gazpacho with fresh bread at The Eagle, London's first gastropub, or pub devoted to good food. Great. The glorious weather added to the experience.

Aftter finishing the walk -- which ends the great Smithfield meat market -- I took a train to West Hampstead and had coffee. After a nap at home, I met Diane and Jay in Chinatown, where we had a nice dinner.

Monday, June 16, 2003

On Saturday, Diane, Jay and I went for what is becoming a tradition: walk to Primrose Hill Park, have a picnic there on a bench, then walk to bustling Camden Locks Market via Regent's Canal. A wonderful afternoon out. I recommend it to anyone.

Jay went to a school-related dance performance, so Diane and I had a date -- the first in memory when it didn't rain! We had dinner at a newish pub called Dusk on Marleybone High Street (another nice area), then took in "Mostly Martha," a German film about an uptight, first-class chef named Martha who finds love. Really nice.