Sunday 26th March 2023

Woke later than usual, partly because the clocks had gone forward overnight. Eventually got up and I cooked breakfast...poached eggs on avocado toast. Aki decided to try and sort out the under-stairs storage cupboard. It took most of the afternoon, but a slight improvement was effected, and we need to make a trip to the recycling centre. FaceTimed ma and pa who were watching the Boat Race. Dad has been searching the pharmacies of Eland looking in vain for support stockings to shore up his damaged calf muscle...he's expecting an Amazon delivery tomorrow. We hastened out, catching a bus to Finsbury Park, then a tube train to Oxford Circus. Ambled along Oxford Street, popping into Uniglo and buying ourselves some New York street art inspired T-shirts. 

Then headed for the Mercato in the deconsecrated St Mark's Church on North Audley Street. I've been before, but this was Aki's first visit. It's a refurbished early Victorian church interior, now given over to two floors of Italian and Asian street food outlets...we found a couple of seats, and ordered pad thai, and a green curry. It was surprisingly busy for a Sunday evening. After dinner, we walked down to Grosvenor Square, past the old US Embassy, which now appears to be being converted into high-spec flat units. Popped in to the Audley public house on the corner of Mount Street. It has recently been refurbished, with a colourful ceiling collage by Phyllida Barlow (who passed away last week!). 

Had a half in there, then walked through Berkeley Square, and on to Piccadilly for the evening's Vox Holloway concert at St James' Church (designed in 1680 by Sir Christopher Wren). The theme was one of foundlings and refugees, and included Handel's Anthem for a Foundling Hospital, which he wrote in a bid to assist Thomas Coram in his efforts to erect a Foundling Hospital, which he eventually did in what is now known as Coram's Fields. There was some fund raising in support of the fight against the Government's proposed Illegal Immigrants Bill. The acoustics in the church are excellent, and the choir filled the space with their beautiful voices. Our friend Helen is in the choir, and came up to say hello in the interval. Took a Piccadilly Line train back to Caledonian Road, then a No.259 bus to Sussex Way. Cold out! Got home around 2230.