The Design Museum, South Kensington and Holland Park
For the third Monday in a row we failed to go and see the Edvard Munch exhibition at the national portrait gallery due to a last minute change of plans, on this occasion TSM discovering that there was a Tim Burton exhibition on at the Design Museum. Now I’m not big on changing plans but I had just had my hair cut by a Latvian woman and that always makes me inclined to be more spontaneous. Plus the exhibition finishes in a week’s time. So TSM booked tickets online as we were sitting on the train going up.
The Latvian hairdresser was quite chatty by the way. She told us about a park in neighbouring Estonia where you are not allowed to speak. Only silent communing with nature is allowed. She gave me a side parting and her colleague engaged with TSM on the complex matter of hair colour. It was all very friendly and chatty.
The Tim Burton exhibition was excellent. He is the same age as me, born in 1958, and like me had a weird, unhappy and introverted suburban childhood. The main difference between us is that I suddenly made friends and discovered life and he carried on drawing strange stuff and became rich and famous for it.
I still love his version of Batman with a crazed Jack Nicholson dancing to the music of Prince. Anyway here are a few of my favourite shots from the exhibition (including a mock-up of his studio).
After spending an hour in this weird and wonderful world we went for walk in the sunny and monied land of South Kensington. Rich doesn’t do it justice. Crazy affluent, obscenely wealthy and any other number of financial superlatives are more the order of the day. But it is stunningly beautiful as well.
We found a backstreet pub called The Scarsdale Tavern, with a lovely little front garden full of hanging baskets and overlooked by mature trees. This was a real find. TSM had a very nice Malbec or two and I had a couple of pints of Harvey’s Best, which was beautifully kept and poured.
The locals and staff were exceeding friendly, even the strange and lonely Reform voter who had a dog called Timmy. He claimed to know the ex SAS man who was employed as JK Rowling’s cat bodyguard. Yes you heard me right. JK is apparently afraid that someone will take her moggy hostage and demand a ransom. The pay is £300 per day and the ability to kill someone with your bare hands is preferred.
When we left Timmy’s owner was busy cadging a fag off of a guy he had never met before and the pair of them were talking away to each other like long lost brothers.
We did see something curious when we left. A portaloo up a scaffolding construction.
Hope they can get it down without causing a stink.
We bought some delicious food from a place by the tube station and picnicked in Holland Park whilst sharing a bench with a weary but cheerful Brummie whose parents had come over on The Windrush.
Holland Park was a delight in the evening sunshine.
An excellent day, particularly for friendly people. London at its best.
Eyecatching 