South to London

The sun looked more like a full moon as we drove down, the veil of clouds never parting enough to have the watery white glow of the 7pm northern sun show it's true colours.

Thank you Rev Dave and Rob for your home as a closer base to London, and for the use of your umbrella.

We opened the door to pouring rain so held our umbrellas on an angle to the left to beat the driven drops. Our walk to Watford Junction altered me to the existence of a hole in the toe of my boot which will mean a fourth resole since I bought them in my second year teaching.

Michael organised me with an oyster card so I could keep up with him through the many barriers as we swapped from Midlands to the Tube. I nearly had to buy a gentleman from the railways lunch because at the Picadilly line my card kept 'seek assistance'ing me.  So when I asked for help after three or four of these attempts to get through the gates he reckoned that it had enough money on it and it should work.  Luckily for me when it worked a big rush of people came through from Euston and an offer of some other time was all I could do as we were swept through the tunnel.

The big red buses looked like Sylvannian toys against the tall white buildings of Oxford Circus. Hotel doorman risked their lives to run between the buses to hail cabs for their guests.  Tourists stopped dangerously close to gutter puddles, risking a filthy splash to get good shots but everything moved so fast that the scene seen disappeared before the shutter could respond.  We wandered down to Hamleys and found the real Sylvannian animals on the 3rd floor.

Another store we wandered into was Carbons, it sold coffee etc and a huge range of candied and dried fruit. A lovely store assistant gave me a sugar infused lemon (i.e. soaked in sugar syrup until preserved) to try, just like solid lemonade.  After photographing the kiwifruit I was told that photography wasn't allowed in the store but I wasn't asked to delete it.  A definite revisit spot when with the daughters.  The candied fruits were also a big part of the sweet displays at Fortnum and Mason's.

In the first arcade ever built in London

The sun popped out and in paddled the local kids.

We caught the Tube to South Kensington at walked through long tunnels until we got to the Victoria and Albert Museum.  It focuses on the technology used in daily life through the ages.  Huge halls dedicated to collections from various centuries give a glimpse into the lives lived by the rich and famous in England's past.  The miniatures on display were amazing, a self portrait of the artist John Smart was both our favourite before we noticed the artist's name.

Garlic shaped giant meringues

There was a hall dedicated to the studies, methods and tools of Constable and Turner and a hall full of late medieval tapestries.  The attitude of putting women in their place through legend and art was very obvious. The three fates were all beautiful women, one decided how long the lifespan of an individual would be, the next would measure it and the last would cut it off.  The adjoining tapestry was of a priest and some other pious looking male, running over the fates in a large wheeled cart.  What a pleasant scene to cover the castle's dinning room walls with.

Looks a lot like mum at Renee's 40th!

Harrods food Hall

We bought an enormous map of Europe from the National Geographic shop on which to record our stops. It came in a 1.2m tube which prevented it getting wet but was a bit of a problem as we negotiated the crowds in Harrods food halls, the Chinese restaurant and at the theatre.

Chinese before West end theatre

After nearly taking the girls to 'We will rock You' (Mamma Mia for Queen) in Melbourne when we went to the King Tut exhibition last year we decided to go here. A dreamer, who was able to recall fragments of rock 'n' roll for the Bohemians to be able to bring back individualism after losing their souls to the Killer Queen - an androgynous blend of code and flesh.  But really the story, a warning to us all against produced and computer tuned Boy bands, was a just a funny excuse to hear many of Queen's most loved hits performed again live.  Fabulous band, dancers and singers did the songs proud.  I loved every bit but I think Michael may have been a little uncomfortable when I couldn't help but sing along at times.  No one else could hear me - it was VERY loud.

Cast at the encore

Read a Georgette Hyer that I hadn't before, Regency London very different from today's.

Reading now: Underground Time by Delphine De Vigan. Set in Paris - the desperate struggle of a solo mum to maintain her career and sanity amidst corporate bullying.  Such clear descriptions of confusion and despondency in an intelligent woman, if you've never been able to conjure empathy for the passively bullied then this will help. Not something to read if feeling vulnerable.
"... a silent sort of violence capable of destroying her." p69.

 A Constable in the V&A

The Bomber command memorial