Instagram-y June 2013 Part 1

June has been a bit busy so 
I decided to do this month in two parts.

I finally got to see Book of Mormon.  
It was everything everyone said and more.
I rarely LOL as they say but I was slapping my thighs, mouth ajar with no sound coming out type of laughing.  It is a musical and to be fair, the songs aren't memorable but the plot, cast, lines, and overall message is brilliant.  Please go see it!

I understand why they wouldn't want pictures or filming during 
the show but I do wonder why the theatres now are so vigilant 
about taking any sort of pictures at all. 
I got told off for simply taking this picture.

We finally had a few lovely days that I almost was reluctant 

to spend the evening inside.

A very good friend came to visit from out of town so we decided to catch a matinee and got a few last minute tickets.

I went to see the Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.
It recently won a lot of awards in the Olivier awards so I wanted to see the show with the award winning cast.  

I was walking up the side entrance to my seat and the stairway had some of the original tiles.  Aren't they lovely?

Without recollecting the mathematical ability of the protagonist in the book that the play is based, I just thought this was some of the most erudite graffiti I had ever encountered.

I bought the book but never read it.
It set the scene nicely though.

As they were last minute tickets to a sold out season for months, 

we thought we were lucky. Or so we thought at the time.  

We got seats at the waaaay top.

I was so up top that I was looking down at the chandelier!

At the interval, I told my friend that I was going to go as my back was hurting from craning forward to get a better look.  So my friend who has worked in theatre for many years went up to somebody and asked to change seats.  If you don't like your seats, always remember to ask at interval because you never know.

We were lucky and moved down a whole floor.

The play was really accomplished but about an hour too long.

But it did deserve all its awards.

After the show, I got lucky and stumbled upon Shoryu just around the corner from the theatre.

Turns out that even AA Gill thought it was delish.

The restaurant was what London needs more of.  Simple without being a scene nor some wacky fusion cuisine bar concept.  Just good, standard, and quick fare.  They also had huge bowls of garlic so not a first date sort of place.

They had pork belly pancakes almost good enough to rival David Chang's Momofuku in New York.

Decided to walk home as it was such a lovely afternoon and saw this at Hauser and Wirth.

Every time I think I am an urban cultural sybarite, I walk by one of their galleries in London and I just don't understand half the time.

The pic above is just empty milk can/tiffin boxes...

Then they also had this installation by Subodh Gupta.
It's a boat filled with stuff. Looks like the boat version of my house.

You can read more about it on the link cuz 
I don't have much to add.

I loved walking past outdoor sculpture that I could enjoy.

We walked through the park and we walked by a section that Hyde Park have designated as a meadow regeneration section.

You would never know that you are 3 minutes away from Marble Arch which is such a busy corner of London.

We kept walking and came across a scene that reminded me of the picture below.

A Sunday Afternoon in the Island of La Grande Jatte by Seurat

Almost right?

A Sunny Thursday twilight by the Italianate Gardens in Hyde Park

Below is my back outdoor space of my house.

I will call it a "courtyard" if I want to sell and 

a "lightwell" if I am buying.

That is pretty much it people.

This is London after all!

But look at what I saw.

Seriously guys, get a room...

I love it when swans curl up and nestle up against themselves.

Hyde Park also had lots of ducklings in the Serpentine.

I adore the annual Pavilion built in the Serpentine Gallery.

This year was no exception and it was by Sou Fujimoto.

What I love about this structure is that it looks and makes you feel differently from different angles.

I was up early one morning so there was no one around to make the piece come alive and I was too tired to go too close.

But the crowds later on made the building come alive.

It is so peculiar because some of it is walkable and climbable but other parts are just like cubed toothpicks.

I had an appointment with the amazing Caroline Hirons from my favourite beauty blog called Beauty Mouth where she was holding court at Fortnum and Mason.  I decided to go a little early to have lunch with Mr CSW but walked right into a protest.  I had no idea what was happening until I watched the news that night.

At first I was so worried it might have been a huge incident as Piccadilly is rarely shut.

Luckily there was no casualties but it did create havoc.

But normally I would have gone back home to chill.  But due to the riot and the terrible traffic I decided to stay in the area for my appointment later which by the way was incredibly informative and a lot of fun talking to Caroline.

Turns out I was under cleansing and over exfoliating.

If you are into skincare, you just have to go to her blog!

As I had time to kill, I went to the Hauser and Wirth ( they have several London locations ) just next door to Fortnum's and saw an exhibition called Trade Routes.

It was held on all floors of the building including the basement.

It was a bit eerie as it was just me and the museum guard but the movie was shown inside the old safe. ( Can you see the old safe door on the left side of the upper pic?)

The films were really sharp and I would have paid to watch them in a cinema.  So if you are in London, drop in as it is free!

And all this time, I used to just listen to my cassette tapes instead of framing them and hanging them on a wall.

Diane from the style saloniste wrote about Paulette's amazing works that were also a few doors away and 

had a look at those at Chris Beetles Gallery.

I also went and stopped by Hatchard's which is London's oldest bookshop.  The staff there really know their stuff and make me feel like I have so much to learn and read. 

( Not at all patronizing but in a really good way!)

I grabbed a seat and read a coffee table book on scarves 

that had a silky scarf cover.

I didn't do that much reading in the store but the bits 

I read were very well written.

I realize I don't go into Fortnum and Mason often enough.  It is just the most charming store but I only go for Xmas hampers or for certain specialty teas.  The staff wear coattails and they have they most eclectic selection of merchandise.

Don't you just love the displays?

With this coiff, one would never need a picnic basket.

Excuse me but you have a bit of spinach stuck, um... 

between your bangs.

I need this piece of furniture for so many reasons.

Fortnum's does merchandise eclectic goods and I was just so bedazzled by the perfume stoppers.  

I would get these just for the bottle alone.

Soap necklace anyone? 

You would get away with it until it rained and 

you started lathering.

Remember the days when hats were de riguer and 

every store had a hat corner?  

I don't actually but I love saying things like that.

I loved being able to walk around with so much space rather than being crammed with people and the items being jam packed on the shelves.  Made me realize why I don't shop much anymore.

But this made me want to buy a hat.

Fortnum's is dangerous!

   

Fortnum's also stock Grossmith which is Britain's oldest perfumery.

Its perfume called Phul-Nana was the exclusive perfume that Queen Victoria wore.  I did wonder if the company were being cheeky. 
 A fool of a grandmother?  
But I can't imagine her liking anything except for Prince Albert, 
she didn't even like her own children much...
So I was very curious to sample some. 
I won't try and describe it but please click on the link to learn more about this British institution which is rather low-key.

The streets around Piccadilly have had these banners everywhere.

It was 60 years since her majesty's coronation.
Lately, it seems I attend more family functions for the Windsors than my own family...

I have never known the Royal family so popular for the whole time I spent here.  Frankly, it is amazing how fickle the public are. 

I remember the mood when Princess Di passed away and you would never have thought the masses would have warmed to 

Queen Elizabeth like they have again.  

Hope you all have a good rest of June! x