Diary of a Landlady

Went to the annual party at Brick Lane Music Hall yesterday. Very competently organised by Romy and it was super to see everyone again. Chats with trustees and punters and a brilliant lunch and pantomime, as usual. My successor has made huge changes in the organisation and now has a reputation as a bit of a superman, with knowledge in every field, which is excellent. So good to see everyone again, and Romy coping womanfully, as usual. Makes me realise my total inadequacy. This was even more apparent this morning. I have a new punter arriving tomorrow: a doctor (who looks about 18: I'm definitely getting very old) who's here for a conference. Casting my eyes critically about the flat I spied a huge thick layer of dust at the top of the kitchen door, which I climbed up and removed. Then the microwave looked extremely dingy inside so sprayed it with sugar soap. Tidied the bathroom a bit. I shall put some welcoming fruit, biscuits and a bottle of water in the room later. I may purchase another hyacinth if I can find one as they smell divine. I must also buy some more storage containers to tidy up the area underneath the kitchen counter. Must also buy some milk and Polish bacon today. And some superglue. As my chap is coming at around 5.30 I am not sure whether to go to cafe sketchers tomorrow at 1.30 in Peter Jones at Sloane Square. I suppose I could go early and stay for a couple of hours before dashing back. I shall see how I feel as I am also supposed to be sketching at the Saatchi on Saturday all day. I have to say my flat is in dire need of repainting, particularly in the hall and living room. Oh well, it will have to wait until time and money permits this, especially considering the total horror of the garden. We shall see. I am doing some more cards of my stuff soon. I think cards of the guest bedroom and living room might be a good idea as souvenirs. Of course my guests may have nightmares thinking about my painted stairs and generally eccentric (so I am told) flat. Time will tell. My main thing at the moment is obliterating Kook's pawprints and making sure plenty of fresh air gets into the house. Hmmmmm...........

Knackered of SE1

Just found a quotation from Twelfth Night, Act 3 line 3 where Antonio recommends lodging in the south suburbs, at the Elephant. Put this in my Airbnb description. I shall succumb to having their free professional photography and have removed some of mine - they are a bit crap. Just had another booking for three nights in April. It's all a bit exciting, but the rushing around cleaning frantically has left me a bit knackered. Also a bit worried about the Kookster, who has become excessively picky about food, only eating the jelly from cat food. Will have to keep a bit of an eye on him. Ordered some pond snails which arrived the other day, in the hope that they will help keep the pond a bit cleaner since they apparently like eating all the horrible stuff which accumulates in ponds. We shall see. I was rather shocked to find myself taking an interest in cleaning materials. Dear me. Mind you, the awful mistake of a black marble tiled kitchen floor had been a challenge, as it never looks good whatever I do. Waterloo Zeitgeist has been extended for another month which is a stroke of luck. When I have enough money I must get the garden fence fixed before the summer comes as it is practically lying on the ground. I am also too feeble to turn my very heavy mattress which is in dire need of turning as I seem to be sleeping in a huge dent in it. Oh well. Pity I was too tired and it was too cold to go to Luke's Drink and Draw yesterday which was at St. Pauls' later crossing the millenium bridge to Tate Modern. Mind you, I shall have no shortage of places to draw for my new project about my London. Unfortunately there are only three or four indoor spaces, often involving the interiors of friends' houses. Hoping to see Dorothy today for a coffee or something.

Back Again - Your Landlady!

Well, I have been a bit busy. Tidying up frantically all the time for my first guest who has now been and gone. He was here for three nights: an engineer working on the new signalling for the Underground. Very charming and easygoing (thank God!) and altogether a pleasure to have around. I even found myself inadvertently cooking breakfast in the mornings. This will have to stop. Mind you since I have posted more snaps of the flat including the stairs I have had no further bookings beyond the ones I originally took. Airbnb are offering some free photography so I may take them up on this. Julian tells me I shouldn't have put the stairs in because they are too weird, and I suspect he may be right. I am thinking about this. Julian kindly came to help me put some bulbs in last night which has considerably improved the kitchen lighting. I have a map of London and have been sticking dots all over it in places where I have lived, worked, studied, enjoyed myself, done some drawing etc and there are quite a few now. Also places of significance where friends and relatives live or where I have lived in the past. And places I hang out in now. I am thinking of numbering them and providing a short description of each, together with sketches I have done of many of these. It is just a totally personal illustration of 'my London'. I was surprised at the number of dots: mind you, since they include all the hospitals I have worked in, and I have worked in most of the London hospitals, this should not be so strange. Though I spent many years living in west London outside the map: in Shepherds Bush, Barnes and Twickenham, these are obviously not included. It was also interesting to see how little of North London I have had much involvement with, apart from the odd visit to Hampstead to the theatre or to see friends in the past. I will see how this little project progresses. Off to see Evon and Kate tonight in Bethnal Green.

More stairs

keep adding bits to these:

Sluggish Internet

So I shall download a few snaps later. Suddenly I was contacted by three people on Air Bnb while babysitting the gallery. I could not make my iphone respond to the queries so had to wait until I got home. Anyway, the final upshot is that unless cancellations are made, I have two bookings - one from 28th until 2nd inclusive and another from 3 March until 30th. Drawing at the Landmark yesterday I had another query I could not reply to for a date when the room is free, but when I got home the caller had found somewhere else. Though I do have the iphone app I somehow cannot get into it because I cannot remember how to sign in and have to do it through Facebook which I do not have on my phone. I will have to discuss my problem with Dorothy in order to avoid missing bookings in the future. I may have to carry my ipad around, but am nervous about doing this and can only connect if I find somewhere where I can do this as I don't have an internet account thing for it. Anyway, I am very pleased and relieved to have some bookings. I was so reluctant to have a permanent lodger after the last awful experience. I may not be able to do this either, but the only thing is to try. We shall see. Had a great afternoon sketching at the Landmark yesterday. It really is very expensive, but I just had a diet coke and Becky very kindly offered me some of her smoked salmon sandwich which was delicious. Kathy decided to come and it was great to see her. I met some people I had seen before, but this time managed to have a bit of a chat together, which was good. There were about ten or eleven sketchers altogether. Disappointing to miss that booking though as it was someone who was particularly keen to be near the National Theatre. Pity she couldn't wait a bit, but a good thing she found somewhere else. Nibby tells me you have to respond very quickly because they are sitting at their laptops mailing lots of people and are inclined to take the first reply. Ah well. I shall have to sort it out somehow. I think I will have a quiet weekend and maybe I will be up to the Toulouse Lautrec jam on Monday, which I have missed for a few weeks, which is unlike me.

Jewish Penicillin

I am rather into making this. Trouble is, I am eating it as fast as I am making it. Did a brief sketch yesterday at Cafe Nova, then another, and today I did a short lunchtime one at Mamuska. My kitchen floor is a nightmare, but have improved it a bit with undiluted polish rubbed in to make it a bit more shiny. No interest in my Air Bnb reduction so looked up Southwark to discover they are letting student accommodation rooms with parking and all sorts of facilities for £30, so I now have the cheapest room in Southwark at only £25 per night. Looks as though I may well have to have a lodger instead unless things look up considerably very soon. Tomorrow I shall be babysitting the gallery, and the following week is the last week of the current exhibition. On Friday I am due to join the Cafe Sketchers at the Landmark Hotel in Marylebone.

Cooking again..............

Well. I did have five zested lemons so forced to make lemon curd. Then had some left over nuts and choc so made chocolate walnut brownies. Fortunately I only ate one small one before freezing the rest. Despite my intentions of stopping cooking. Dear me. Very lazy day yesterday and had a healthy lunch at Mamuska. Rang Victorine for a report on La Traviata which is going down very well apparently: excellent news. There are only eight more performances, and Victorine seems very energised by being in a West End production, and enjoying it a great deal. I should have gone to the dress rehearsal. Curses. I am trying to decide whether to go to the jam session at Toulouse Lautrec tonight. I shall see how I feel later. Was talking to Nibby today about her cottage at Sharplaw. Jo said on Sunday that she thought it was where her brother was living. Sally doubted it, but you never know. Apparently someone bought it who turned it back into one cottage, adding bits on top and a tennis court. No doubt I shall hear. Sal is currently up at Mount Ulston babysitting the place, which will be great fun for her. If I were rich and catless I could go and join her for a few days, but it looks as though snow is setting in here. The guy who asked to stay on Air BnB did not get back to me, so I missed a one night lodger for nothing, dammit. Dorothy says this is par for the course, and I should book anyone in who wants to come and not negotiate on price etc. Francesca has a friend who has a poky room with a mattress on the floor somewhere miles out and inaccessible to transport and she is always getting people. Mind you she is charging only £20 per night so it is not surprising. Last night I put my charges down to £30 a night, which considering all the local hotels are charging over £100 does not seem too bad for central London. Oh well, we shall see. If nothing happens soon I shall have to go down the five nights a week route, though after my last lodger experience I am quite nervous about having anyone for a long stay. The Air BnB idea seemed a good one, but if there is too much competition, probably a waste of time. I will leave it for another week and see what happens.