A Long Day's Journey...

There was a cool sculpture or installation outside the RA.

I was tempted to go inside, but I was on a march. This was the same day as my visit to the Bird Tree. I'd parked at Swiss Cottage and taken the tube to Bond Street, from where I walked to the theatre in the West End.

London is a great city.

They had these panels all down New Bond street and I rather liked them. I passed little galleries and loads of designer shops. I bought a book in the Waterstone's clearance sale - one I have long had on a wish list - Karen Armstrong's Sacred Nature. And, as ever, I was thinking about nature. I noticed how dark the pigeons are in London. Some are almost black - though not the one I managed to snap.

This reminded me of something about feathers as a body part in which birds can dispose of toxins. I couldn't recall the facts of the matter. A quick look suggests that carbon molecules stick to feathers and make the birds less shiny and that feathers can be used as a means to guage environmental pollution. Then I tried another search and found an article that begins:

A team of researchers in France has found a possible connection between the darkness of bird feathers and the removal of metal toxins from birds' bloodstreams.

Yup, that's what I was thinking about. It pleases me to have remembered.

Anyway, I had a good vegan meal and went to the play - Eugene O'Neil's A Long Day's Journey into Night. It was good. Superbly acted (Brian Cox and especially Patricia Clarkson) and very long. At half time, I wanted to get out for a vape. I was up in the Grand Circle and started down, then found myself in a crowded bar and felt panicky and claustrophobic. I must have looked bad as a theatre management man came over and I said, "I need to get OUT!" I went out for a vape, and when I came in, that man found me and they put me on the end of a row in the Stalls for the second part! That was much better. I could even see the actors' faces. What great service!