A trip to the country, a trip to the Globe and a rendez-vous with a Boris bike

So with only a few weeks left in London, we (I) have been trying to do a couple of varied activities. This post is a mismatch of the past few highlights. But first some background... 

I am very mindful of complaining too much particularly about Ryan working hard. Without being whinge-y, I must say that I completely underestimated how hard bankers/future bankers work. My word! Ryan's working hours which are utterly mind-boggling (<120 hrs per week) have given me a new appreciation of doing things last minute and spur of the moment and for what hard work really is. No longer will I ever complain about working 9 hours a day - there are in fact many more hours in a day that one can work, including weekends. All I can say is that I am glad this internship is nearly done - a US MBA seems a breeze in comparison! 

So with that in mind, we managed to escape to the country to visit some old friends. We literally were there for about 18 hrs so I don't have many pictures. It was a spur of the moment decision: catch the train at lunch time on Saturday, train journey about 3 hrs, arrive around 5, have a drink, Ryan works, have dinner, Ryan goes back to work, go to sleep around midnight, wake up early the next morning, shudder if the Black Berry tings/buzzzes, hope for the best, have breakfast, catch the 9h30 train, back to London, I take an afternoon nap, Ryan goes to work. BUT at least we got away and I got to meet Parker for the first time!

Parker-licious

Staring lovingly into each others eyes.

Meeting Parker, the bionic chocolate lab (bilateral hip replacements at around 6 months and now he needs a revision at 3 years - poor Parki - more metal than muscle), made my acute dog neediness pang. I have been struggling within myself to be logical about owning a dog and that perhaps now is not the right time to own one. I also read up about 'puppy love' and how it doesn't last... Well if you get a new puppy every year maybe it could! 

OK now that I have indulged the puppy love for the morning by posting this chocolate dachshund, I can move on to non-canine related matters. 

Anne Boleyn at The Globe

Lyndall and I decided to increase our culture meter by attending a performance at The Globe. Naturally, we (well definitely myself) assumed that Anne Boleyn which was being staged at The Globe was imagined by ol' Willie. Um.. no. Apologies Herschel.. Although I didn't remember Anne Boleyn cropping up as one of the popular plays, I didn't investigate further. I know that he wrote all the Henrys which are showing at The Globe and which intimately relate to Anne Boleyn as she was the first wife to be tried for treason (framed!) and beheaded. A smart rhyme for Henry VIII's wives: divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded survived.

Lyndall at the Globe. Right next to where she (we) was standing, one of the kings in the play (James I) collapsed flat on his back with the loudest thwack! Interestingly this king had what we thought was Tourette's in the play and perhaps he had one massive twitch and fainted because of it. It was pretty scary, I must admit - hope he hasn't sustained any skull fractures for his art!

Boris bike: If you've been in and around London recently (since 30 July) you may have seen the new initiative launched by Barclay's and Boris Johnson (London's mayor) to place bikes and bicycle stations throughout London (mainly in Zone 1) to reduce traffic congestion and promote a healthier lifestyle. If Boris can pull this off (which I hope he will), I think it'll be a great contribution to London.