Friday 23rd February 2024

Woke around 0730. Aki got up to ready herself for Southwark Crown Court. I read in bed for a bit, making a start on The Miniaturist. Also started reading Edna O'Brien's memoir, Country Girl, having watched her reading from it on the Guardian website, which knocked me out...beautiful, robust, but delicate prose. Aki suggested going to see the Yoko Ono exhibition at the Tate Modern this evening, and to that end managed to secure the loan of Katherine's Tate Membership card...I walked up to No.127 to get it. Back home, I did some work at the computer. Broke for some lunch. Aki texted to say she hoped to be finished at court by 1600. I decided to wander in to town. Took a bus to Finsbury Park and caught a Victoria Line train in to Oxford Circus. Popped in to John Lewis to buy some leather gloves, to replace my lost ones. They didn't have any black ones, so I made do with a pair in dark brown, as they were in the sale, and only £15! Walked over to Schott's Music in Great Marlborough Street, hoping to find a Ryuichi Sakamoto piano collection, but nothing in stock. Bought a clip-on lamp for my music stand. Wandered round to Chappell's in Wardour Street, but they no longer stock sheet music. Had a brief look at the Yamaha electro-acoustic guitars in there, but nothing caught my eye. 

Walked across to Denmark Street. Half the old guitar shops have gone, and have been gutted, as part of the Now Building development...all rather sad.  in to several shops on the southern side of the street, but no-one seems to stock either Martins or Lowdens, both of which I am eager to try out. Ambled over the road to Foyles to inspect their collection of Dickens in the Everyman's Library series, but they didn't have what I'm currently after. Then zig-zagged down toward the river, Aki having texted to say they had been discharged for the weekend... arranged to meet at the north entrance to Tate Modern, and I walked across Waterloo Bridge in the drizzle. We went to see the Yoko Ono retrospective, Music of the Mind, on the fourth floor. It was interesting, but her conceptual approach always left me cold. I much admire her, though... she's a true one-off. Aki bought an umbrella in the Gift Shop, and we headed back out into the drizzle beneath a bright full moon. Caught a train from Blackfriars Bridge, and walked home from Finsbury Park station. Warmed up Aki's spinach lasagne for dinner, followed by Bon Maman creme brulee. Nowt on telly. I researched a mooted road trip down the Normandy coast, which we have been contemplating to coincide with a Jon Cleary gig in Cleon in early April. We'd cross to Calais via the Shuttle, then drive down to Abbeville, followed by a couple of nights in Etretat, a couple of nights in Cleon, and then a drive to Cherbourg via Bayeaux. Looks interesting. Aki opted for an early bath, and I did some reading before bed...