ZigZag

This week has zigzagged through all sorts of different zones. I'd been expecting to be recording but the change of plan meant there was time to reboot my eBay account, and also to embark on a massive house cleaning exercise, which of course meant massive house dirtying first. That's still in progress. There's an enormous full bin bag in the bathroom, boxes of moth-eaten stuff in the kitchen, and new curtains in the bedroom with hand-stitched curtain tape (I don't possess a sewing machine).

On Wednesday evening I went to Iklectik in Lambeth to see Gina play, with Marie accompanying her. An improvising night, she used the opportunity to try out some new material, which sounded very promising. Alas, her computer said 'no' twice, but there was enough there to herald some great new songs. Afterwards, Anat Ben David and Atsuko Kamura (plus two other women) played a wonderful set that showcased both their different skills and the variety of sounds that can be used as vehicles for songs. One of the women in the group has a fabulous singing voice, note perfect and rich of timbre; but Atsuko and Anat's songs also suited their vocalising beautifully. I was mesmerised. there were lots of people there that I knew: Gina's husband Mike, Lee (who was making a recording in the front row), Nadia from Dubais with her friends from Portland, Yumi from UEL... it was busy! I left after the first two sets to get back home in the chilly May night air. Cold, innit?

Thursday was more cleaning and clearing: it's slow work. I found all sorts of 'lost' things, and didn't find others. On Friday morning I attended an online Union meeting, and was heartened to see that there are 30 current and ex-employees who are determined to address the poor way we were/are treated by UEL.

In the afternoon, I went to Hackney to post off a print and take along another drawing to be scanned. On the way home I had to double back because a tree had fallen down on the tube line and it was closed. It was nice though- I travelled partly by bus, and from a vantage point on the upper deck, watched a barber contentedly eating a banana between clients.

Today, south of the river Thames, I saw a bagpiper in full Highland dress coming out of St Thomas's Hospital, wheeling what must have been his bagpipes behind him on a trolley. Must have been going to the loo: I heard the strains later on through the crowds of tourists. Wandering along to the Garden Museum in Lambeth, we chanced on a bargello embroidery workshop being run as part of London Craft Week.

We sat at a long table flanked by friendly strangers, pulling strands of wool and sewing with thick needles. As we chatted, A young woman talked to us about her MA research on tourist travellers taking part in local craft activities, and a woman opposite suddenly realised that I'm the person who had done the drawings in the gallery in West Brompton that she'd been walking past. It was heartwarming- she said that people had told her about me. Nice not to be forgotten!

It's Eurovision tonight. I've got the crisps and the chocolate ready to scoff, my ears are tuned and I'm ready to go!