Beer goggles ;-)

Beer goggles ;-)
Originally uploaded by Gypsy Saskia

An appropriate blurriness. This was beer one though, and the photographer was still fully sober.

With the yank bank team I went to the Great British Beer Festival last night. Never really having looked beyond lager, I had come to the conclusion British beer sucks. How wrong I was.

450 ales, stouts and bitters could be tasted at this festival. Leave it to a bunch of accountants to quickly do the math and come to the conclusion that's 450 1/3 pints at the minimum, so 150 pints in four days. Totalling about £ 400. An achievement. We tried six or so, and I really liked the ales. Light, dark, bitter, fresh, they were mostly nice and properly cold (as opposed to the lukewarm lagers). Great way to spend a Wednesday night!

Amsterdam

And another weekend in the Dam has gone by. Stuffed with fun stuff. Dinners, bbq, drinks, baby visit, you name it. Staying with dear friend Mary on Prinsengracht meant I was in the midst of things, in general, and on Saturday in particular when the Gay Pride Parade took place on the canal. Not that I saw much of it: I was too busy waiting for the cricket in Birmingham to begin at Coco's. Damn rain - no cricket. Highlight was the BBQ at Pete's place on Saturday night. Good food, good company, and very educational: I now know the differences between the Cockring, Ego, Arc and Prik (all gay bars in Amsterdam). You never know when that piece of info comes in handy.

Summer life

Summer life to the full, although the weather gods don't always realise it's summer. Leave work at a reasonable time, and go to gym or meet friend for dinner. Or both. That's pretty much been the last weeks. Throw in a bit of comedy and Sondheim's A Little Night Music and you're all up to speed with my life. Nothing exciting, just lots of happiness. Almost done at current client, so will have to brave the rush hour tube again soon. No more fanastic canteen. No more hottie sitting accross my desk. No more walking to the gym straight from work. But first....out for turkish food in Angel tonight with American friend and her Chinese friend. Surely to be followed by cocktails. As it would be wrong not to...

Australia weekend

Priscila Queen of the Desert and Ashes. Jason Donovan (who ages very well, I might add) and Ricky Ponting (who I would love to lynch right now). A night at the theatre with friends. A day in the stadium in Cardiff with fellow cricket fans and a day at home glued to Cricinfo. Ah, and don't forget that glass of Australian viognier I had this arvo. A great weekend full of Australianness, but damn....that draw against England hurts.

By Benjamin Zephania

My sentiments, his words.

The London Breed

I love dis great polluted place
Where pop stars come to live their dreams
Here ravers come for drum and bass
And politicians plan their schemes,
The music of the world is here
Dis city can play any song
They came to here from everywhere
Tis they that made dis city strong.

A world of food displayed on streets
Where all the world can come and dine
On meals that end with bitter sweets
And cultures melt and intertwine,
Two hundred languages give voice
To fifteen thousand changing years
And all religions can rejoice
With exiled souls and pioneers.

I love dis overcrowded place
Where old buildings mark men and time
And new buildings all seem to race
Up to a cloudy dank skyline,
Too many cars mean dire air
Too many guns mean danger
Too many drugs means be aware
Of strange gifts from a stranger.

It's so cool when the heat is on
And when it's cool it's so wicked
We just keep melting into one
Just like the tribes before us did,
I love dis concrete jungle still
With all its sirens and its speed
The people here united will
Create a kind of London breed.

Play me I'm yours

Play me I'm yours
Originally uploaded by Gypsy Saskia

Thirty pianos are scattered around London. A project by an artist, who brought his work to London after Burmingham, Sydney, Sao Paola and Bury St Edmunds. Bypassers can play them and bystanders can enjoy. Simple as that. We found these two blokes in Notting Hill, playing incredibly well. The one we saw on Soho Square a few hours later was less interesting: amongst tramps and drunks, someone was abusing whatever composer it was. But as an arts project: fantastic. So much joy for so many!

Is this London?

Thames Bank
Originally uploaded by Gypsy Saskia

You wouldn't think this is London, or at least I wouldn't. But it is, somewhere near Hammersmith. A great part of the Thames Walk, with a bunch of nice pubs and resto's conveniently located nearby. After a four hour walk on Saturday and an aerobics class followed by a stroll in Hampstead Heath on Sunday, my legs do feel a bit stiff and tired today. But what a great way to spend a weekend!