London festivals

It was a great weekend in London. On Saturday, Chuck and I left Terri to work on lectures, and we enjoyed a fantastic concert at Holy Trinity Church. As you can see from the images, the church was very elaborate, well-appointed, and a beautiful place for a piano concert. The concert was a part of the Chelsea Schubert Festival, and the pianist, Gareth Owen, is a friend I have made while in London. He is internationally acclaimed, and after hearing him play, there is no doubt why. It simply amazed me that he played from memory Scarlatti – Sonata in C, K132, Sonata in A minor K149; Schubert – Sonata in A minorD.784; and Brahms - Klavierstüke op.118. I will have to use that as a lecture example when I discuss memory and its capacity. (Thanks, Chuck, for the pictures!)

On Sunday, we braved the masses of people at the Mayor's Thames Festival. It was a very chilly day, and I think every vendor had the best smelling meats from every ethnic style imaginable. Although my mantra is 'the best way to get rid of temptation is to give into it,' I remained firm to my vegetarian resolve. Sigh. Later on I ventured around Soho Live (still more people!) before returning home to cook Nigella's Seafood and Pumpkin in Yellow Curry for Chuck and Terri. I FINALLY was able to Skype with Paul before he left for volleyball, so it was a great way to end a busy weekend.

Tonight...more yoga and then packing for the University of Sheffield tomorrow. This should be a great conference, and I am looking forward to meeting British psychologists whose work I have only read. In the mean time, my students will enjoy the Tate Modern in my absence; London is an exceptional classroom lab.