I wish I had more to report here than I was in great pain (time of the month stuff, nothing out of the ordinary) on Friday, and have been recovering ever since. Lots of rest, lots of blood, lots of sleep: so I feel renewed and rested, and yes it was exhausting, but it's just about over now...

...so I have no brilliant insights into anything, even moreso than usual. I've done a lot of adding at my amazon wish list; cleaned it up too (how nice to think, hey I have that now!, and at less than what they wanted!)...the usual mish-mash of things, music and books (I would have kitchen things listed, but apart from actual utensils there's no point)...and oh I wish I could share some possible possible BRILLIANT news with you, but alas, it will have to wait...I can't say anything about it but that Marcello has friends who are as generous and magnificent as he is...

...but I can write more about London. The barges, mysterious but not ominous, on the Thames; all the different bridges; organic chocolate with hazelnuts (not tried but anticipated); the organic sourdough breads in Clapham (ditto); the "gherkin" building; the sound of branches scraping the top of the bus; having to signal for a bus to stop, for that matter...looking for a candy watch in Brighton and not finding it, but it didn't matter in any case...letting the city be itself rather than having artificial expectations of it and thus being let down...(for all places, but especially London)...the ravens (?) and deep purple lilacs (??) and the lavender just by his door...knowing that London was and is OURS and how great and longed for is that...the thirstiness after a Full English Breakfast at Picasso's, and then after getting something to drink seeing Caffe Lena in Soho, my loud exclamation causing people to pause and look, if only for a moment...oh it was and is so profound and glorious and right, I am so happy...