That old devil caffeine

Thursday afternoon I had an interesting walk which included what the guidebook says was George Orwell's inspiration for the "Ministry of Truth" building in the novel Nineteen Eighty-four.  (Turns out Orwell died close by, at the University College Hospital where I worked in '82.)  I also saw an exhibition of editorial cartoons. 

 

Friday I did the whole "queue-up-for-half-price-theater-tickets-in-Leicester-Square" thing and did go to a musical that evening.  (I'll tell you about it when I get home.  I guess I will have to pay full price for Spamalot.)  I am still amazed at so many things close to Ogle St. that I never got around to seeing.  You remember the theme from The Patty Duke Show?  About how Cathy Lane had been "everywhere, from Zanzibar to Berkeley Square"?  ("But Patty's only seen the sights/ A girl can see from Brooklyn Heights ...")  Maybe I'm the only one in the universe who remembers those lyrics -- but I have viewed Berkeley Square and its beautiful old plane trees.  This is in the Mayfair area of London, which I think can be classified as the "rich" part of town -- and again, I was really close to it back in '82 and didn't know about it!  Also found an excellent Italian restaurant just a block away from Ogle Street -- I assure you I am still keeping to the diet!

 

The next observation will be especially appreciated by Democrats.  Saturday I went again to the Mayfair area.  The U.S. Embassy (designed by Eero Saarinen, who also designed the Gateway Arch) is at the west end of Grosvenor Square.  On the north side of the square is a statue of FDR.  Then one must consider the northwest corner of the square.  The U.S. ambassador during the Reagan Administration saw fit to erect a statue of Eisenhower, as if he couldn't stand that the square was dominated by the FDR statue!!!  Saturday's walk also included Savile Row, with the upper-crust men's tailors.

 

Today, Sunday, I took a quick walk to the Hyde Park area and promptly turned around.  I decided that Hyde Park was too congested.  I have an idea that there may have been a rally or protest or something there.  I wonder what it could have been about?  Let's sum it up by saying that neither Tony nor George is popular here.  (After church today a man said to me, "I hope someday you get the President you deserve.")  And I am getting a lot of reading done.

 

Finally, about the caffeine I mentioned in the subject line.  I have been having a terrible time (a "Dickens" of a time?) getting to sleep at the proper hour.  I still need to confirm this with Alan, but here's the deal.  I looked around the kitchen and saw that Alan had lots of decaffeinated instant coffee.  I drew the conclusion that his store of coffee was exclusively decaffeinated.  So I have been getting instant coffee out of a yellow jar on the counter ... but now I strongly suspect that I have been ingesting caffeine for several days.

 

More soon.  KML