Face time Sociable day. Off at lunchtime to The Bridge restaurant to celebrate Liz's leaving. Lots of my favourite work people there, including Max the Mentor who I sat next to. Our numbers forcing a huffy rearrangement of the tables by the waitress. Had my first glass of wine in ages, which went straight to my head as I ate a microscopic and leathery rib-eye steak. Seized however the opportunity to repeat my joke about tree hugging and beeches. After work I met the splendid Sophie at the National Portrait Gallery and at random we examined various portraits of Tudors. They all looked a bit ruff. Noticed Queen Elizabeth's peculiar hooded eyes, and how Mary Queen of Scots looked strangely sour. Then we went upstairs to the restaurant, which is a hidden treasure I'd never been to. It has a beautiful view of Trafalgar Square, down to Big Ben and Westminster Abbey all lit up and lovely. Had wine, snacks and coffee, and talked for hours. We got off on the wrong floor coming down ...
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Plotting on Sunday Reworking another half-finished play this morning, and feeling cheerful about making some good progress. It's a good sign, I think, when the material makes you laugh as you write it. The plot suddenly has become clearer and how to finish it seems obvious. I may not have much energy at the moment, but what I have is being well used, and I feel creative. After a few hours I needed to get out of the house, so I took myself off for a walk about town and to the seafront for some fresh air. The water was both dark and sparkly when I first saw it, and the tide was high. As I was walking about I had a long chat with Sarah today who, having got her first, is now deciding whether to do a PhD. Very relaxed afternoon and evening. Watched the first episode of the dramatisation of Jane Eyre on BBC. Nicely done, and beautiful. This version charges through Jane's childhood and schooling in early part of the book. Some liberties, which are only to be expected, but fairly fait...
A start with thunder Thunder and heavy rain at around 6pm early this morning. Quite nice to hear it lying in bed. Otherwise the monastic life goes on. Started to read Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and am finding it absolutely excellent. There was a trailer this evening on BBC, and they have made an adaption of it to be screened soon. The sunny weather restored, I popped into the doctor's office for a prescription. Picked it up at my normal chemist, where there are always people collecting methadone. After went and sat on the pebbles by the sea for half an hour and expressed a noise in C out to the waves (as recommended by Sarah). It felt good. In the evening lamented the end of Frazier as the episodes Anton lent me are American DVDs and won't play in my machine. The world is a dark place without the Crane brothers.