Day 4 - day off - Damien Hirst Exhibition

Dr Anne had the day off today as she is changing from the late shift to the early shift.  It is a 0400 start tomorrow.  Whatever will one do so early in the morning?

Dr Anne headed down the route for the night bus.  It takes 10 minutes fast walking to St Paul's Cathedral.  

Dr Anne then crossed the Millennium Bridge to the Tate Modern.

Dr Anne had read the review of the Damien Hirst Exhibition in the Saga Magazine.  

She had it on the to do list for this fortnight.

The exhibition was mind blowing.  It was more interior design than art but it was amazing design.  Dr Anne finds it difficult to describe.  It was birth, it was life, it was death.  It was light, it was dark (mood and colour).  It was positive, it was negative.  It was science, it was art, it was religion.  

What did Dr Anne see?

• Hirst's mother had absolute faith in pills but scepticism in art.
• so - 
• rows and rows of medicines on shelves
• rows and rows and rows of pills on shelves - pink pills, turquoise pills, cream pills
• the innards of the human

• The Gold Room
• rows and rows of diamond on gold and silver shelves

• Love of nature
• maggots giving birth living and dying
• two sheep (pickled?)
• a cow and a calf cut in half so you could see the outside of the animals and their innards
• a shark

• Love of butterflies 
• butterflies in humid conditions flying around
• collages of butterflies with religious themes

• Painting
• spots
• swirls of paints

• Cigarettes
• rows and rows of tabbies
• enormous ashtray with spent cigarettes. 

Olympics 2012 - Day 3

Day three turned out to be bright but cool.  Dr Anne set off in good time and decided to enter the Olympic Park by the Stratford Gate which is the main entrance.  She arrived in good time for her shift and headed into M&S which is at the entrance to Westfield Shopping Centre.  

She decided to buy some tea and digestive biscuits for the team. She remembered that one of the team leaders did not like the milk so bought some fresh milk.  That was a bad idea as one cannot get into the park with liquid over 100ml. 

Dr Anne had to retrace her steps on the underground come off at Bow Road and walk the mile up to the Victoria Park.  The early shift had reorganised the marquee again...

The team for the afternoon shift was Chris from Yorkshire, Libby from Somerset and the boss Meghan from Vancouver.

After the team was signed in, divided into teams and sent out on the last mile to the Victoria Gate, Chris, Libby and Anne set about organising the marquee for the day. This done they set out on the last mile to rally the groups.  It was a happy crew that they met.

Foam hands were much in evidence.  When they come out of the the cellophane they expand.  They are much sought after. 

There are high chairs and megaphones.

Happy faces

Friendly people

Beautiful smiles

Visitors being shown the way

Chatty people

Focused directions

Which way is the right way?

Great camaraderie

The pearly kings and queens who took part in the Opening Ceremony stopped for a chat.

Eric coming out of the tunnel with Libby

The transport guys were more interested in their iPhones.

Is that the way to 2012?

Meghan on the 2012 bike comes racing towards the group.

Well guys and girls, that is the majority of today's team.  The rest were probably having a tea break.  You can tell that they were a happy team.

Tomorrow Dr Anne has a day off.  She has not decided what she is doing.  She may go to the Olympic Park for a look around as a visitor.  She has free entry.  She may go to the Tate Modern.  

Watch this space.

Olympics 2012 - Day 2

Dr Anne set off around 1245.  The tubes were running late so Dr Anne had to sprint up Fairfield Road and Parnell Road then across the grass to the marquee.  She arrived a couple of minutes late.  She had a new operations person, Emma.  The weather proved to be very wet and cool.  The skies had ominous black clouds, heavy showers then sunshine. The volunteers were cold and weary at meal times.  

A spectacular sky on the walk home through the park.

It was pretty nice to see the volunteers and team members coming in with happy faces ready for another shift.  Dr Anne and Emma marked off the names and handed out water, sun screen, rain capes and foam fingers.  They then set to reorganising the marquee - lumping and humping mostly.  By the time that this was done it was time to sort out the food and drinks for snack time and dinner.  The volunteers had been promised a hot meal and all they have been given to date have been sandwiches, fruit and muesli bars.  Today it was decided to microwave the sandwiches - chicken panini and brie and onion chutney.  This went down a treat. Happy faces?

This guy goes around on a bike around the mile to the Victoria Gate.

Here he cleans his 2012 bike.

Happy face?

The boss Vicki from Ontario

The bobbies wanted foam fingers for the inspector.

The volunteers enjoyed their warm sandwiches.

The guy on the right at the front table (Eric Woods) is from Ireland and works contracts for Dod's friend Lana in Bangladesh.

The Italian girl in the middle of the group had a lot of complaints and questions yesterday.  She liked her warm sandwich.  

So what will day 3 bring?

London 2012 - the Olympics - Day 1

Dr Anne will try to keep her followers abreast of her experiences at the Olympic Games.  She travelled down to London on Friday 27 July and headed for Reading.  Dr Peter, Chiku and Dr Anne watched the opening ceremony over a few glasses of bubbly.  It was a spectacular experience all the more so because it was a shared experience.  Dr Anne's favourites were Mr Bean and Bond.

Saturday July 28th, Dr Anne headed up to London and her first shift.  Her original role was that of 'A Last Miler'.  She applied to be a 'Supports Officer' and unknown to her had been appointed to that post.

Dressed in her new uniform and with her purple streaks in her hair she set off from the Barbican for Bow Road. She walked and walked and walked for at least 20 minutes until she met some other volunteers directing the way to Victoria Park where Dr Anne was to be based.

The guy taking the photos was a keen photographer and took a few choice pictures.  Dr Anne headed for the marquee to find that she had a new role.  She had to check in the volunteers, the team leaders, the paid workers etc.  She had to issue pink vests, foam hands, walkie talkies etc.  Her partner was Chris from York and they then set to tidying the marquee for the provision of snacks and coffees.  

Mid afternoon Dr Anne took a stroll to the Olympic park.  

The stadium looked immensely impressive.

The stadium was being cleared after last night's opening ceremony.  

The Queen of Hearts was really quite frightening.

Dr Anne walked as far as the World Square.  It really wasn't very busy for a Saturday and the first day of the Olympics.  There were more people in uniforms than punters.  As the day moved on food was served and drinks provided.  By 2100 there were literally no punters so the boss said Chris and Dr Anne could go home.  

The journey back to Bow Street was long and dark.  Another route must be considered for 2300 finishes.  

Dr Anne found the whole experience on day one a bit boring.  There were not enough people going around.  However, people were friendly and enthusiastic even although it was cool and dull.  Here's to day 2.

A Ginger Cat

Dr Anne had an adventure with a ginger cat which has recently arrived on Chapel Street. She had seen it going about in the garden especially in the shrubbery where there have been nests.  She had seen it mooching around the utility room.

However, yesterday Dr Anne came in from Buckie and left the door open, she thinks.  Dr Anne was in the conservatory and walked through to go to the bedroom to find the cat coming out of her mum's bedroom.  It looked up surprised and ran through the hall to the living room and jumped on the window sill behind the curtains knocking over an ornament.  When Dr Anne got there shouting it jumped off down behind the curtain and headed quickly quickly across the floor and under the chaise longue.  The cat didn't really know where to go so it popped out snarled and showed its teeth then headed back under again.  Dr Anne snarled and showed her teeth. She then went for the feather duster and waved it about in the air and hitting the chair. The cat ran hither and thither.  It was up on top of the chairs, under the chairs,  in front of the chairs and round behind the chairs.  Eventually Dr Anne edged it into the front porch and quickly closed the inner door.  Gotya,  she thought.  It jumped onto the window sill while she fumbled to get the front door unlocked.  When the door opened it leapt over her arm and out the door on to Aird Street.  

Dr Anne has looked under  mum's bed, under the shelves and behind the curtains to see if it had shit or pissed.  She hasn't smelt anything nor seen anything.  Dr Anne assumes it hadn't been there since the morning as she has often left the back door open for fresh air.   Never again.

Does one need an adventure... or not.

London 2012

Dr Anne went for venue training to London 2012 on Sunday 8 July, 2012.  The day was dreich to say the least with the site pretty wet underfoot and the surrounding area grey.  It wasn't very inspiring to say the least.  

The new tower seemed pretty uninspiring on a grey day.

The Olympic Stadium in the rain.

Dr Anne hasn't even take a straight photo.  She had an umbrella in one hand and a camera in the other.

Last Mile instructions.

A Week at the Airport: a Heathrow Diary

De Botton, A. (2009). A Week at the Airport: A Heathrow Diary. London: Profile Books Ltd.

Dr Anne read Parsons' Departures on a recent trip to Rome.  This weekend on a trip to Heathrow and London she read Alain De Botton's book.  It provided some very interesting information on the happenings Approach, Departure, Airside and Arrivals at the new Heathrow Terminal.  It is a formal academic read and compliments Parsons' Stories of the different services.

Anne awards 8/10. 

Some Favourite Memories of Paris 2012

These are Dr Anne's highlights of Paris 2012

Pavillon De La Reine is one of the Small Hotels of the World.  It is in a courtyard off the Place De Vosges the home of galleries and pavement cafes.

The pavement cafes are the central to Paris.  

Who would sit on the pavement in Portsoy and eat supper @ 2100?

At every opportunity Dr Anne looked through a gate, a fence, over a dyke.  She loved what she saw.

Foucault's pendulum was a highlight in the Pantheon.

There was also an exhibition of the writings of Jean Jacque Rousseau which proved an interesting interlude.

Musee D'Orsay was free on the first Sunday of the month.  

The Degas Exhibition was amazing.  He will no longer be remembered for dancers and horse racing.  This exhibition was Degas' portrayal of nudity. 

Coffee and cake in the Musee D' Orsay.

The Pompidou Centre was a must for a restorative champagne cocktail.

The local metro station was the Bastille.