Going Home

Actually I am at home. This is the last entry. Normal life will be resumed, soon. I chose to do something very ordinary on my. Last day in London - to go shopping - surprise! Jaime gave me directions to bus to Brent Cross Shopping Centre. Seeing all those people at retail and play made me realism again how big this city is. I had fun looking though shops like Zara, Tommy Hilfiger and Banana Republic, but after a couple of hours it was back to Cricklewood to pack. Jaime escorted me on the bus to Kilburn Park Tube, then on to Paddington Train Station where we caught a train which took us directly to Heathrow. Contrary to rumours, queues are not always a problem at Heathrow.Jaime saw me to Security and we said our goodbyes. Premium Economy was a good way to fly. Having more room to sleep in and being able get more choice about a number of aspects made the experience more enjoyable. I had a great trip to London. Looking forward to the next trip already. Samoa in September!

An Eye on London

The day started early - the only way to beat queues, school trips and catch parties. I was only the Eye just after 10. The day was clear and sunny in small patches, though once up on the Eye, sun and rain were chasing each other. The London Eye is a really unique experience, and worth ignoring slight feelings of vertigo to achieve. London seems at once very familiar and very new from this vantage.Since the trip
Only takes 30 minutes, there was much more day to fill. Over to London Bridge, where the outdoor Borough Market won over the Tate Modern, as the sun was out. Then I returned to Southwark Cathedral, for a closer look around. There are so many treasures and curiosities there.(I can hear the foxes below in the garden as I write). A trip down the line to West Ham
Was the start for about 40 of us on the Olympic Walk which took us to some new and some old parts of East London which were sites of the Olympic Games, ending with vista over thensite from the second floor of John Lewis in the Stratford shopping centre.

Regents Canal and Coventry Garden

Jaime kindly took me to Warwick Avenue where I met Kerry to take a 106 year old narrowboat on a short trip to Camden market. What a lovely journey! Green trees, water birds and elegant houses and a very quiet space all in the middle of London. There is a large alternative community of narrow boat dwellers along this stretch with very colourful boats. We docked a Camden Lock and we walked through part of the market and down the street, parting company. My next stop was Covent garden and I enjoyed seeing the phone boxes, part of an art installation.I went to the National
Portrait Gallery and did some shopping in Oxford Street. Later that evening we went out to Haddon Gardens to a restaurant called The Bleeding Heart, run by John Hancock (Trinity Hill) and his partners.We had a great meal - wonderful food and wines.

V&A and Kensington Palace

Just for a change it was a grey day! So the V&A was a good place to be. I think you could speed about a year in this place and still not see it all. As I came in a small group of students were being briefed by their teacher on their task. I later saw them industriously - there was no shortage of subject matter.
Still I chose an exhibition of British Ball Gowns with designers ranging from Hartnell to McQueen. No photos allowed. The exhibition of British
Art was interesting because it focused on art for public places - chairs, screens and installations. There was
also a display of 18th century clothing with beautiful handwork. At 1 pm I met Kerry at Sth Ken. Tube and we bussed to Kensington Palace. This was a treat as we found out after lunch in the cafe - very good. Four independent exhibitions all had clever and interactive aspects. The challenges they offered with their combination of art, history and storytelling were never dull. The views from the windows of the new gardens were elegant. Loved this.
Next we went back to the tube and I went off to Hammersmith to meet Liz a former HGHS colleague. Lots of catchup in a short time.

A Tower and Three

Today was an early start. I met Kerry and Emily in the anteroom for the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London. As we were early we rode the travellators several times and had a really good look at the impressive items on display. The Queen's crown was definitely the piece de resistance, with the Cullinan diamond in the front as large as an egg.The rain was a spoiler as we sloshed from the White Tower to the Salt Tower and walked around the battlements with great views of the city and London Bridge. The animal sculptures and displays were well placed. I parted from K. & E. To go the the British Museum to met Naamah ex-HGHS. We had lunch in a pub, The Plough, and then watched part of the Wimbledon Finals. Later we walked on through Russell Square to Leicester Square, Piccadilly and Covent Garden where we had a hot chocolate and went our ways on the Tube. another great day in London.

Hampstead Saturday

Today Jaime got up early and went off to work. That was to take a while. After a couple of phone calls - from Renuka and from John - the morning was shot. We went out to do the shopping at the Co-op! I now understand what it means as Reena got £20 off her groceries with a Co-op voucher.
When Jaime came home we set off for Hampstead. We walked through a number of lanes and streets uphill to Hampstead Cemetery. That proved to be a rather beautiful space with some really well-kept graves and others which were very neglected. Next up was Hampstead Village. We stopped in a pub, the Horseshoe for a drink. After checking out out a couple of shops we caught the bus home through Primrose Hill and Camden, rather posh places all round.

B.P.

Today Reena and I got to have a girls' day out at Buckingham Palace - or B.P. as the insiders call it. The tour was in three acts - or four if you count lunch! We set off in miserable rain early as we had a 10am entry time. Our first tour was an exhibition of Da Vinci's anatomical drawings which were quite beautiful and over 500 years old. Then we did a tour of the State Apartment - sorry no photos allowed. The Dianond Exhibition was VERY bling and so entrancing that the queue came to a complete halt. They had to get staff to urge people along. Reena and I had lunch in the Garden Cafe (pictures allowed) where it was a bit parky as they say here! Then we exited through the shop (as you do) for more delights.
The fourth part of this event was a visit to the Royal Mews where they keep their cars and horses. This was a treasure. First of all there were less people - by a factor of about 500 - it was outdoors and it was fine! Check out the Gold Coach! The last event of the day was afternoon tea at the Landmark Hotel Marylebone. Gorgeous is the word.

Globes and Dinosaurs

First up a confession:this is being written a day late. The day ended at the theatre and we did not get home until VERY late (for moi!). The day started with a tube down to London Bridge and a now-familiar walk past the market and Southwark Cathedral to the Globe. I got my free admission and went around a very interesting exhibition before joining the tour. A very personable young woman took the tour and managed to drop many quotations from the Bard into her presentation. I learned more about the new indoor Inigo Jones designed theatre which is to open in two years. Next it was off to South Ken and then Then Natural History Museum where I met Alex. We had lunch in a really great Turkish place just down the road from where we met a few years ago - the Zetland Arms. Later I got a guided tour of the dinosaurs which Alex works on (check below). Wished I could take all grandchildren there, but maybe not all at once - sensory overload! The "Animals Inside Out" exhibition was quite astounding. By then I needed to get outside again and - rare event - it was sunny! So Charing Cross and a good book store beckoned. Then is was time to meet Jaime at the Young Vic where Reena joined us for a drink and a meal then we went to the Old Vic to see Michael Frayn's play "Democracy" so late home.

The Castle

Today was Windsor day.I set off by tube to Waterloo and then train to Windsor. The castle seems to rise up at you from the river and is very imposing. The security is much more in evidence with screening of bags and policemen on all gates. I visited the State Apartments and St. George's Chapel. The side Chapel for the Queen Mother, George VI and the ashes of Princess Margaret is very modest - just a flat granite slab. I did see the soldiers in the busby and the gardens around the Tower were very beautiful.

Lambie:lost in London

Yes, steel yourselves. Lambie is lost in London. Somewhere near the centre of this great city, Lambie went AWOL. It put quite a dampener on the day. Still, he is off on his own adventure and who knows? - we may meet again.
Today was all about finding where Shakespeare wrote his later plays, the London Wall, St. Paul's Cathedral and the Globe. So, lots more walking around. I am starting to feel like I can handle the transport system, having been in rush hour twice. I might have misplaced Lambie but I nearly got adopted by a red squirrel when I was having a sandwich in St. Paul's gardens. My visit to St. Paul's coincided with Sung Eucharist, which was very lovely.They have a good audio system to carry around with lots of information. I went around the High Altar and the Crypt then set off for the Globe and "The Taming of the Shrew". It was a wonderful production - very bawdy and funny - featuring a nearly nude moment which really got the attention of the many students in the audience.

Hampton Court and their flower show.

Today was the first day that I managed the London traffic system by myself! I took the Jubilee line into Waterloo then took SWTrains to Hampton Court - all by myself. Finding Hampton Court (H.C.) was no problem. I just followed the crowd out of the station and over the bridge and there it was. Small and domestic looking really. I had a lovely day looking through most of the exhibitions and apartments, going out into the gardens when the weather allowed and coming inside when it did not. On Home Park, just beyond the palace grounds, I found the opening day of the Royal Horticultural
Show, which I had seen on the web. A lovely woman exhibitor who I spoke to told me it was the Press day and admired the fact that I had "blagged" my way into the Show. Some very excited children were also there because of a competition for scarecrows on an Olympic theme (!) I also discovered that the Royal School
Of Needlework had a shop there - how convenient! Enough said!

To Greenwich and back

Had a great today with Jaime. We took the tube to Westminster and a river cruise down to Greenwich. The Shard speared the clouds, the Olympic rings hung from the Tower Bridge and the Golden Hind hid away in dry dock. We walked through Greenwich Village, through a covered market and around some carefully preserved streetscapes. We walked up the hill past where well-muscled Polish workers were erecting the equestrian arena for the Games to the Observatory. A great view back down the river and over Greenwich Palace is slightly marred by the Games facilities being placed there. However,since the arena seems to be made of fridge packing and bread crates, it will all come apart easily. The Maritime Museum was really impressive: the boy stuff absorbed Jaime while I went off to see the Royal Rivers exhibition. We met Reena in a pub called the North London Tavern and some ales (Golden Arrow) was supped. Great day! Love and hugs

Mapesbury Court

After another 12hour flight, the last four hours of which were accompanied by about 27 crying children, Heathrow was a welcome sight. It is a sunny warm summer's day, some wind and few clouds. Jaime met me and we have had a chatty time catching up. A brisk walk around several blocks helped to clear some of the threatening jetlag, as well as to get the sense of Kilburn and their flat, which is on top of a 4 story building of this name.

Hong Kong airport

Here we are half way to London ...it is 8.29 am local time. My body clock does not know WHAT time it is! Lambie and I had about 6 hours' sleep (chose to have no dinner) and breakfast was great. Here is a picture of Lambie looking out of the window at our plane being re-stocked.

A Practice Run

Lambie has had a busy weekend! Leaving Hamilton in near white out conditions...the de-icing machines were needed ... Grey weather Wellington then brilliant weather in Blenheim.