The stuff of memories

Memories Chest in progress ...

The finished piece...

I've been to London again since my last post to celebrate Lovely Lioness Juliet's BIG (30th) birthday (it's actually today - Happy Birthday Missy!!) ... and boy did we find plenty of ways to make it a roaringly good and certainly memorable birthday weekend...more of that shortly!

As it was such a monumentus birthday for Juliet, I really wanted to give her something she could keep and use as an 'aide memoir' of all the happy times we've had together as friends since we met (nearly 20 years ago!!!) and so I decided to fashion a memories chest for all the photos an mementos of fun times past.

I actually got rather carried away by the process which was almost like putting together a jigsaw puzzle...I went back over all the old letters and stuff we had from college and gallery trips etc and created a collage on a lovely old chest, of which only the back remained free for me to write a little personal message!

So what of this memorable weekend, anyway?! Well it all started with a customary fancy meal at a great choice of restaurant: Moros in Exmouth Market and was followed by experiencing some pretty impressive belly dancing - at very close quarters!

Exotic (in the best possible taste ;-)) dancing!

Juliet laughing at my attempt at exotic dancing!

"She's my friend, she is!!"

As you can see everyone (well, Juliet and I especially!) got into the Moorish spirit at Darbucka (world music club) in Clerkenwell afterwards. We waited till the lights came on before ambling (slowly after all the hip wiggling!) to the Queen Boudicea and then topped the night off (actually it was well into the morning by then) with a rickshaw ride across Waterloo bridge. I have a vague recollection of saying: "awww - isn't this romantic?!" as I sat squeezed alongside Juliet and Henry and we all giggled at the notion that we were taking the noble way back to get on a night bus!

The next day we braved it out (worse for wear) to visit take in a bit of aquamarine life and some (not so lively) taxidermy at the Horniman museum in Forest Hill - which was actually a nice stroll from Juliet's pad in Gypsy Hill. There was also an amazing temporary exhibition about Chinese symbolism in silk which I got rather excited about - check out the amazingly radical head wear...!

Fetching Chinese day head wear - is it based on a pig I wonder?

I even got to get up close and personal with one of my favourite mammals - a real life goat - who got up on his hind legs to munch leaves from some seemingly unreachable branches and must also make mention of a dodo which was all smiley and charming - just a shame he wasn't as animated as the goat!

Like the friendly dodo, this kingfisher
looked so real I had to stand and
stare for a bit just in case!