Friday on the River

It was a gorgeous day in London today. It was little chilly with a slight wind but still a perfect day for a walk up the river. Which I just did, and made it back to the hotel to do a bit of work before I venture out for tonight’s Jack the Ripper walk.

There is now something else in London besides the tourist and I find it disturbing. Today I saw my first Bobbie with an assault weapon. In fact I saw several of them. I never in my wildest dreams thought I would ever see that. But it is here. And I think we will have to live with it for a long time.

But on to better things. I had a great river walk all the way from Westminster to the Tate Modern. I love that building and I love the art that is on display there. The Freda Kahlo
exhibit is on and boy is it worth seeing. I feel lucky that I caught it.

On the way back I stopped in the National Film Institute Café for a cup of not so very good coffee. I had the most amazing experience. At the table next to me were four young ladies who clearly worked at the Institute; their matching t-shirts gave them away. They looked to be somewhere around 21, but then from my vantage point everybody under 40 looks to be around 21.

One of the girls was saying, “Did you see her? I couldn’t believe it. Did you see the way she flounced in? It was like something out of a bad movie.”

She got out of her chair to demonstrate and took a few steps back and then “Vogues (see Madonna) her way to the table, all the while waving her arms as though she was having a fit.” She is says over and over, “Did you see her? Did you see her?” The other girls were having a good laugh.

The young lady, just as she was finishing her performance happen to look over at my table and caught my eye. As they were less than two feet away, it was hard not to be aware that I had been watching.

I said, “not bad, but let’s see it again. This time do it like she was 60 years old and was coming close to her last flounce.”

Without missing a beat the girl backed up bent her knees and let them shake as she advanced toward the table, all the while waving her arms.”

She stopped, and I said, “not bad, but let’s see it again, but this time it is at the end of the day and she’s tired and a bit disappointed because today no one has paid any attention to her.”

The young girl backed up, came forward head drooping but still looking around as though she was seeing if anybody was paying attention to her. Of course, she was waving her arms same as before.

I said, “Okay, one more time, but this time she is a gazelle.” She backed up stretched her neck stood on her tiptoes and approached the table, of course waving her arms to beat the band.

By now two things were clear. First, I couldn’t stump her and she could go on like this all day. Second, for it to be a good flounce you have to be waving your arms like they were weeping willow braches in a force ten gale.

The other three girls at her table were laughing so hard I’m pretty sure that one of them had wet herself. The girl paused looked down and me for critique and I said, ”Not bad but I’d like to see you work on the gazelle, it was more giraffe like. But all in all it was a creditable job.”

She said, “Thank you.” The other girls were laughing so loud that everybody in the café was now paying attention to us.

I picked up my book bag, and said “Thank you, it was a pleasure.” I left the café and continued my walk on back down the river.

God, I love this town!