Feast of culture

What a great weekend! Did much wandering: sampled the many gastronomic delights of Borough Market, strolled along the Thames - where there were some fun sand constructions underway. The British Museum was in extra-colourful party mode, celebrating Norouz - Persian New Year. Face painting and puppet shows and fantastic music - wonderful atmosphere.

And then it was time for rugby. Irish bar: pints and hand-on-heart tension relieved only by shouting along with the hundreds of other folk being similarly tortured. [Best overheard comment: guys beside Sara, appraising women in the vicinity, "I hope Ireland wins. We'd be in with a better chance..."] And basking in Grand Slam glory, we headed to Chinatown, where Sara (as a one-time Shanghai resident) ordered dishes expertly, and patiently taught me how to thank someone in Mandarin.

At some point in the evening, I got all excited about checking out a local Latin mass (having recently been baffled by Catholics - filmed in Baltimore/Sherkin, produced by Barry Levinson and starring Martin Sheen, Michael Gambon, Cyril Cusack and (wait for it) Trevor Howard. Plotline: Sheen is dispatched by the Vatican to tackle rogue rebel monks who insist on saying mass in Latin. Who knew!) There's also a local Spanish mass, but that's at 8am; not quite practical under the circumstances...

Now, this is no run-of-the-mill mass: apart from being in Latin, it involves a cast of thousands, much swinging of censers, continuous singing; confessions are heard throughout and mantillas abound.

We were doing okay until I involuntarily flinched before being sprinkled with holy water, and, sigh, shame, sigh, got the giggles. Quite hopelessly helpless. I haven't rocked with silent laughter like that since me & my sister lost it during a funeral some years back.

Ahem.




Anyhoo, it was a great trip. And on my return, there was a scrumptious roast dinner cooking away. Fabulous!