Bank Holiday

Today is a Bank Holiday in England, so the Embassy is closed.  Next Monday is Labor Day in the US, so the Embassy will be closed.  I lucked out in my timing.  Not having to go in today made getting my guys off to the airport much easier.  I was able to pack and go through the flat without rushing too much.  Vinny came around 8:00 for tea and before taking them to the airport.  Since Vinny had his van, seating was limited and I didn't go to the airport with them.  That was probably best, but no less difficult in saying goodbye.  When I signed up for this program, this scenario is not one that I envisioned.  I didn't think I would be separated from my family for a month. 

After pictures, hugs and tears, they drove off and I went out.  I didn't want to be in the flat without them.  I took the tube to Green Park.  I went down a side street, looking for a craft store that I thought I had seen in a google search.  I ended up at Christies and the art district, but not craft store.  However, I did see a silk scarf in a store window that I fell in love with. I went in, knowing that I could never afford it, but I wanted to touch it.  It was a patchwork scarf made up of other silk ties.  I lusted after this and at 395 pounds (pounds, not dollars), there was no way I was going to purchase.  I had to be content for holding it for one minute.  As I stood there with it in my hands, I pictured getting home and cutting up Nedim's ties and buying others just to try to replicate.  Clearly, I'm not going to, but you get the idea of the level of my desire.

 From there I walked back up to Piccadilly to Fortnum and Mason where I lingered.  I made the right decision yesterday in not making Selim suffer through more of my house wear looking.  Because I was by myself, I browsed the Christmas ornament section, china settings, teas, and packaged food areas.  I bought more tea than I will drink, but tea bags will be easy to pack.  I also bought a small box of Turkish delight candy.  The saleslady started to wrap the box and tie a ribbon when I interrupted and told her it was just for me so no need to go to the trouble with all the ribbon.  She gave me this odd look and just put three layers of stickers on the outside of the box.  Very secure.  No powdered sugar is going to escape.

From there I continued down Piccadilly until I got to Piccadilly Circus and the Eros statue.  That statue is proving hard for me to photograph.  My pictures come out either too dark or too light.  I'm having trouble figuring out the settings on this shot.  But at least a few of them came out better than the one I got from the tour bus last weekend.

I turned left onto Regent Street and walked north.  I stopped in a china shop, looking for a pretty tea cup but none of them struck my fancy.  I took a picture of Hamley's since I didn't do that yesterday.  Then I went into Liberty again, to buy a needlepoint kit.  I spent so long in that store but I couldn't make up my mind.  There was a kit of a night London city scape that I liked, except for the fact that there were only four shades of blue and three of yellow.  I thought I would get tired of the wool before I finished.  I haven't seen a place where I could buy skeined needlepoint wool to change up the project.  There was also a little elephant pillow, but I didn't want to spend $45 on a project I wasn't in love with.  I ended up walking out of there empty handed.

When I got to Oxford Street I turned left.  I went into a couple of clothing stores and a big department store in search of a nice dress or jacket.  I tried on lots of dresses.  At some point in the dressing room I realized that I was so hungry, that I had lost my ability to think clearly.  So I went down to the hosiery section and bought two pairs of tights.  Buying tights under the guise of retail therapy was OK.  I kept walking until I got to my regular weekday bus stop just up from the Embassy on Gloucester Place where I hopped on a bus and went home.  I'm not sure the mileage on my day, but it was enough to help me hold back the tears and forget the sadness of the morning.

This last picture was taken last night when Selim was posing with his police paraphernalia that he has accumulated in London.