The sleep was definitely punctuated by cats - but I manage to have a good rest nonetheless. Kayt and Felix have recently redone their kitchen with beautiful blue walls and copper countertops. A copper kitchen sink has boiling water on demand next to an enormous gas stove. A copper antique coffee machine sits on one corner above two half sized dishwashers - heaven.
I make a mocha pot for the first time in ages for me and Kayt and crush it (well done Leo). We eat an egg on toast and then Jordan, Kayt and I take a bus into London central to visit the V&A.
Kayt is big into clothing - but more specifically the history and stories behind fashion. So the Fashioning Masculinities exhibit on male fashion and gender was her goto for things to do with us. We’re all very excited.
It’s incredible. So well curated, written up, presented and preserved. There are outfits dating back hundreds of years with historical write-ups around what caused trends and changes in male fashion over the ages. I wasn’t aware how much of an influence military uniforms have had - obviously “bomber jacket” comes from the bomber airplane pilots that were so romanticised.
I’m pretty inspired to be honest. Gender fluid fashion trends have been occurring for centuries and it’s amazing to see contemporary styles that are mirrors of their three hundred year old counterparts.
It’s interesting to see how much the ancient Greek portrayal of the perfect masculine physique impacted unhealthy body images for generations to come.
I almost forget my wheelie bag with clothes on the way out.
We’re off to lunch at a “special place” that Kayt will not give us any more clues on. We’re slightly pressed for time as I’m going to have to try get to Oxford Parkway station by 3pm - so we jump in a black cab. I’m slightly delighted by this and cruising down the roads with a sunroof in an electric cab is wonderful.
We pull up to the Soho House of which Kayte is a member and head to the top floor. There is a rooftop restaurant, pool and garden. We order pizzas and some drinks and have a wonderful conversation about parenting, mental health and responsibility. No photos allowed as there are celebs.
Then we take a brisk walk to the station and I manage to run to the terminal to get onto the train to Oxford and get onto it only moments before it leaves. Here I sit writing this watching the English countryside flash past.
This is probably the best train that I’ve ridden on in the UK. It’s big and spacious, fast and quiet. The dense buildings and streets are slowly replaced by more green open spaces and then finally you’re flying through only lush green fields and forrest clusters.
Robynne, Kate and her child Mia collect me from the airport. Mia was excited to see “big Leo” (not her two year old friend Leo) and had a sleep in the car - she’s slightly wary of me at first but manages to be absolutely adorable and engaging nonetheless. We drive from the station to the Thames and park on the side of the road.
We take a stroll down a service road that runs along the river, which is more of a canal here. I haven’t seen Kate in years and it’s lovely to catch up. Mia provides endless entertainment unless she’s asking for us to sing songs to entertain her.
A little while later we see James and BB (their dog) coming towards us. Mia runs in for a hug and we have a lovely hello. We walk to check out a lock and admire all the infrastructure: a lock for boats, a small stream for fish to swim through and an overflow on the otherside.
We head back along the road we came and go for a beer at The Trout - where Kate and James had their wedding. This is my first pub experience in the UK and I’m relieved. I ask for something crisp and fruity and James makes a great choice.
We head home via a grocery store and arrive at their incredibly cute house in a small quaint (this is what the word was invented for) village. A quick play later and Mia is off to sleep. Kate begins making us dinner and despite our efforts to help we find ourselves sitting at the table keeping her entertained.
Reflections from past songs find us dancing in the kitchen to Boogie that be. The night is hilarious and everyone is at ease. We go down an extended narrative of what sleep could be rebranded as:
Imagine an alien civilisation studying humans as we study a species of animals. The aliens would be so perturbed to see that when the sun goes down humans lie down and begin hallucinating (we call it dreaming). These hallucinations are not something that humans necessarily remember - but they live completely different lives in them. If humans don’t hallucinate they die. Those that don’t hallucinate enough during the night begin hallucinating while they’re awake in the day. And over time humans have jailed or executed the humans that do dodgy shit while others are hallucinating.
It’s a night of laughter and fun.
