Culture in Early July...

I was so surprised when I arrived at Southwark Playhouse Borough to discover that much of the lobby...

…and all of the toilet stalls had been decorated with pictures of Tobey Maguire, who became famous for playing Spiderman in 2002. 

The fact that the stage was also covered with photos of the actor was a strong indication that the play was about an obsessed fan. 

While funny, I’m Going to Marry You Tobey Maguire was actually pretty intense delving into loneliness and abuse. The three actors were excellent. After the show Samantha Hurley, the writer, came out to speak to our group from the American Women’s Club. It was interesting to learn that she wrote the play during the pandemic in New York City while in her early 20s. 

I was impressed with the building when I had lunch at Mercato Mayfair, a food hall housed in St Mark’s, a former church that was deconsecrated in 1974.

Pumpkin by Yayoi Kusama was installed in Kensington Gardens in July 2024 for four months. At 20 feet (6 meters), it was her tallest bronze pumpkin sculpture to date. The artist grew up with fields of pumpkins surrounding her home and they frequently appear in her artworks. 

 

Celebrating One Year in London...

July 5 was our one-year anniversary in London. How nice that Veronica was there to celebrate with us and to help make pizza.

The following day, Carlin and Kent came into the city just before moving back to the Netherlands. We started with a visit to Horizon 22 to see the view.

Jimmy then managed to sweettalk our way into the Sky Garden without a booking. 

After dinner at the Prospect, we watched the Netherlands beat Turkey in the Europe Cup Quarter Finals.

A few nights later, we joined some hashers to watch the Dutch play in the semi-finals at It Aint Much if it Aint Dutch, a bar in the train arches in Bermondsey. 

The place was quickly transformed into party central, and brought back good memories of watching football in Holland.

England managed to beat the Dutch, but then lost to Spain a few days later in the finals. 

 

Opee Hares 4th of July Hash....

Opee was recruited to hare for West London H3 in Pimlico on July 4, 2024 as it ironically fell on a Thursday. After he set off to live lay his trail, I was responsible for explaining all of his symbols to the pack. 

It wasn’t a big surprise that his trail brought us to the American Embassy, where we had a song stop. You might notice that Veronica is standing next to me as she’d arrived earlier that day to spend two nights with us before heading to Brighton to meet up with her Ultimate Frisbee friends. 

Sky Pool

The trail also went past the UK Parliament. 

Of course, Opee had to do a down-down for being the hare...

…and Comes Too Soon received one for being a visitor. I also got one for my crazy pre-run brief.

 

Tall Sailing Ship in Canary Wharf...

Veronica arrived on July 4, 2024, just in time to join me to walk to Canary Wharf to see a visiting Columbian naval training ship.

It was quite impressive...

…and exciting that we were allowed to board.

Built in 1927, the Juan Sebastian de Elcano is the 3rd largest tall ship in the world and is the sailing vessel that has sailed the furthest.

There was some dancers around for entertainment...

…and plenty of spots for photos.

 

Funky Art in a Hidden Chapel...

While the exterior of Fitzrovia Chapel was completed in 1892, it took around 25 years to complete the interior which includes 40 kinds of marble and lots of gold. 

Originally built as a place of prayer and reflection for Middlesex Hospital, it was the only building remaining after the hospital was demolished in 2015. It was preserved as a listed building and renamed the Fitzrovia Chapel. It is now completely surrounded by residential buildings.

I was there to see an exhibit called The Witch Burns, which was a funky assortment of artworks that likely would be considered blasphemous if this were still a consecrated church.  

 

 

Monkey See, Monkey Do...

Veronica continued to hone her aerial skills in 2024 before taking a break to concentrate on training for her big cycle tour in spring 2025. She enjoyed taking classes in Exeter...

…and occasionally practicing while out and about.

She clearly takes after her father. While everyone else crouched and held on, he scampered across this obstacle course on a City H3 trail with his hands by his side. No surprise that I took photos instead of risking a fall. 

 

Our Final Hike in Shropshire...

After breakfast, we set off on a short drive to our final trailhead for our Shropshire Hills Hiking Holiday. We were slightly delayed by a horse in the road...

…followed by some sheep blocking our path. 

We parked in the lot of The Bottle and Glass Pub, where we would later have lunch. 

This tiny village near Church Stretton was called Picklescott. We saw neither any pickles or Scotts. 

I was happy not to need my hiking poles on this gentle scenic walk. While the grass was wet, the skies stayed dry. 

Lots of sheep of a different breed along our path. 

So glad that Camilla invited me along on this adventure!