Stopped to Smell the Roses in Regent Park

Hello! In one week I will be back in Ohio. It's really hard to believe. Here are some things I will miss:
Mashed peas (mmm, sounds good Timothy, doesn't it?)
Funky Flavored Potato Crisps (Chips)
Wagamama
Green and Black's Chocolate
Baked beans with breakfast
Walking everywhere
Seeing all the bright colors, flowing skirts, and scarves (these are my people!)
Going to quality theatre without the fuss of planning it myself
Having parks and heaths reachable within 20 minutes
the architecture
South Bank
Post Cards- I prefer writing in short self absorbed paragraphs
Knowing I can touch history

The last few days have been busy. Yesterday I had a lovely afternoon. I went to the Samuel French bookshop. It's the base for theatre publishing. I spent over an hour gathering books in my arms only to realize that I did not lead a lifestyle in which I could afford armfuls of books. I did buy some though. I am in denial of my poor student status.
I had lunch in Fitzroy Square, which is a circle of a park that is gated. After walking around full circle, I finally found the entrance and felt like I was in a special club.
I still had a few hours so I went down to Regents Park which is only about a 20 minute walk from where we are staying. In Regents Park, I went to the Queen's Garden. Roses, roses, everywhere. I spent a half hour smelling all the different kinds and taking lots of pictures. Then I spent about 20 minutes sneezing. Then I found a nice little section where they had these green and white canvas lawnchairs that you could sit in. After pulling one in the shade and making several attempts to set it up and sit in it comfortably, I sat and watched people and caught up with my journal.
That night we went to a small town south of London called Guilford. Guilford was lovely for several reasons, one including they had a YMCA!! I took pictures, Dad. ;) We saw a show called Bronte which was really interesting, particularly if you are interested in the Bronte sisters (Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights).
Today I saw two shows- The Big Life (Ska Musical based on Shakespeare's Love's Labour Lost) and Troilus and Cressida (in original dialect "I beseech thee" becomes "Aye baysaych thay") at the Globe. In between I went to Wagamama (see list of London's faves) for dinner with Nick, Christina, and Jen. I had (and Amanda you will appreciate this) pumpkin, sweet potato, and eggplant baked in bread crumbs with a subtle curry sauce, rice and salad and steamed dumplings. Yummmmm...The other great thing about Wagamama is that they have 2 for 1 coupons in Timeout so it is very affordable.
Tomorrow we have an acting workshop, a group dinner on the South Bank, and then we are seeing a show at the National. I have not decided what I am going to do in the afternoon. Charles Dickens house? National Portrait Gallery? Regents Park? Who knows? The next few days, the shows are winding down so I am trying to make sure I do a lot of the sights. There's no way I will complete my list but I came to peace with that long ago.
I hope everyone is well and my thoughts and prayers go out to those affected by the hurricanes and the stampede.
love, k