Freud Museum and an art walk

Last Thursday I visited the Freud Museum in Hampstead. It was a dull, drizzly day and by the time I left London at the end of the afternoon the clouds were so low you couldn't see the top of The Shard. It was quite eerie watching the mist and cloud roll around.

Anyway, the museum was interesting. I'd read about Freud when I was in my early twenties and now here I was viewing the couch in his study. Apparently he sat in a green chair with a screen between him and his patient! The house is lovely and I rather swooned over the half landing with its bookshelves and large windows. Lots of light (despite the dull day). I was ready to move in!

Freud's daughter Anna worked with children, especially children who had been through the Blitz in London. There is lots of memorabilia here. It's not a big a house but worth a visit. One room (overlooking the back garden) shows a family film narrated by Anna Freud. The shop (where you also buy your ticket - if you hang on to your ticket you can use it again up to a year after your first visit) is situated in the conservatory. I think we spent as long in here as in the house. There were some amusing books which we laughed over. I think our laughter rather made the shop assistant's day (we were rather loud!). I was explaining to my friend about Melanie Klein after I spotted a book about her. I couldn't believe it because she is routinely mentioned in the Alexander McCall Smith series 'Scotland Street'. So there I am describing poor Bertie (from the books) and his dreadful mother who teaches him Italian, dresses him in strawberry crush dungarees and sends him for therapy (his mother has a 'thing' about Melanie Klein). How these things come back to haunt you!

The assistant said how pleased she was that we enjoyed the shop so much! A few photos for you:

The couch

Family tree

The half landing

Freud Museum

Today was another Artist London walk. We met at the Fourth Plinth at Trafalgar Square and finished in New Bond Street. We looked mainly at architecture but I was happy to see a Henry Moore on the Time Life building. We saw the old P&O building which is now the Brazilian Embassy, some Blue Plaques, Christies and Sotherby's, visited the courtyard of the Royal Academy and had a nice wander down Burlington Arcade. A few photos: