After Royal Holloway, fit in a visit to London

H and I worked together to put all the sheets on T's bed for him
After the moving in process we all went off in different directions.

Turned my coffee order into a takeaway when my mother crossed the road to say she was in
Little lunch with her, glass of wine to celebrate this momentous day

Walked to the Tate, decided on some Turner
A lot better with my glasses off, just colours and placing of pictures on the walls

I love the different colours on the walls of the rooms
Each one brings out a different colour in the pictures on the wall

One room has very detailed glitzy gold frames, my favourite
Another has such plain, simple gold frames, my favourite too

I know I dislike pale pictures, but one has snow on mountains I peer very closely at
The bits of white paint are so very simple, I can't work out how it is so effective

a film which looped of French nuns chatting in a provincial accent I couldn't place
such  pleasure to listen to their voices and see their smiles, expression and body language

no arabic guide at all, how annoying, I could do with simple sentences with photos
ask the centre pompidou in paris instead, they are bound to have a guide

book on freud by david sylvester, interviews on working

2 pigeons walked and jumped down a complete series of steps outside the Tate
I was so taken by their plan that I just stood and watched them

parked in ovington square, house has blanked out windows, no glazing yet
basement still sealed off, renovation continues

knightbridge might have an arabic bookshop, with children's board books?
harrods might have a section...no, but bukowski instead, a surprise

all the jewellery sections in harrods, I had forgotten how it is there
so very expensive, shiny, so varied, so much to look at,

qatari cafe with filled and decorated dates, never seen anything like it
20£ for 3 sweets or 30£ for 6, I felt totally out of place

beautiful golden table tops/trays, men sitting there with their phones
tables so close together, I wouldn't want to be there as a stranger

maybe with a friend and at an end table
very luxurious and perfect, a special smell in the air too, the tea?

2 cars driving very fast in the left lane then turning left through a very red light
I guess chasing each other, no one hooted at them though, all very patient with them

I read some Arabic written on a car in the fast lane next to me,
I read it all bit by bit, a business delivering Lebanese food quickly, 'express'.

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This is from a draft from the 20th September, the day T left home to go to University.