Around London With an Archaeologist

A very pleasant morning with Gideon in his (sunny, warm) living room, during which time we discussed the inner-city housing problem (yuppies get all the good places to live and poor people who are from there are driven out, unless special measures are taken) and listened to some of Tom Lehrer's later work. Some of which is, disappointingly, dreadful.

Then we left the flat, myself, Rob and Gideon, and started to walk to Whitechapel. Gideon came part of the way with us and went home to study for his CCNP.

We had tea in Dave's flat - out of real china (I think!) breakfast teacups (the fact that they were breakfast teacups is what pleases me most), and then we went for a walk.

I'm not entirely sure where we went, but we walked over a bridge that had trees growing on it, and along a canal, and through a park that's being landscaped in a very arty way. Then we went back and dropped in to the Stepping Stones Farm (I think that's what it's called!) where we looked at lambs and kids and goats and geese and chickens and cockerels and a turkey (bloody daft-looking things, turkeys) and cattle and a lovely two-bulls-and-a-ram macho headbutting competition.

We took photos, which will appear on the website sooner or later.

Then we set off for Le Spice.

Dinner for two and an afparty for forty

We went to Le Spice for dinner, because we were in London and we had time. That was our local Indian takeaway and nearest restaurant when we lived in Wapping in East London, and it was where we had our Engagement Party in 2000.

They remembered us. Oh, it was wonderful! They remembered us, and they talked to us, and shook our hands, and gave us a dish that they're testing out for addition to the menu - spinach and lentils and eggs, I think it was, and it was marvellous.

The main reason that they're so wonderful is that the food is incredibly good. They do the best traditional English "Indian" food I've ever had (though not, we found, when catering to large numbers of people), and they also do Bangladeshi food, which is something I've never found anywhere else, and it's wonderful. The things they can do with fish!

So we had a very lovely dinner, and sat around for a while, and then headed out into the cold again.

We had a Green Man afpmeet to attend, for the 2002 tenth anniversary afparty. When we arrived - at about 8:30 - it was eerily quiet. There were a lot of people there, but all sitting at tables in quiet groups, not milling around loudly laughing. It felt most peculiar. I tried to do a little mingling, and sort of succeeded, but for some reason my heart wasn't in it.

However, I did manage to talk to some people I usually don't get to speak to, including Pthomas and Paul Rood (huccome I never talk to him? Anyone know?), and I only drank one drink. We stood in the throng for the big group photo, and then Rob and I headed homewards.

I think the cats were glad to see us. It was nice to get home to our little house.