Come to London, It's Summer and Warm they Say - BS I say

Arrive at Olbia airport where I regret not paying the twelve pound speedy check in early boarding premium as there is a long check in queue, a totally inefficient and time consuming security check, followed by a second security check and then queue to hoard for numbered seats. The flights is delayed by 45 minutes but nobody steps out of the queue afraid to miss their chance at a prime seat whatever that may be. 

Anyway an uneventful flight and we are met at the airport by the car I had arranged for Robert/Kathy to get them to Heathrow and after a short negotiation from 45 down to 25 pounds to drop me after that at Hammersmith where I get a warm greeting from Helen Espen and the girls whose first question was "is Bailey still alive". They did live at my place for a month and looked after the dogs which may make the question more understandable.

Long chat with a beautiful Nespresso coffee and a very late dinner then off to bed.. Next morning up early showered and dressed I go with Espen to drop the girls a school and Eve grabs my hand and asks me to come and see her classroom and friends. I am so ready for grandchildren it's not funny.

Espen drops me on Chiswick Road and I buy some lovely fresh fruit and berries for breakfast. I head to the railway station to buy an Oyster Card and catch the train to town. They don't sell the cards at e station of course - five minute walk to the shop to buy one they say - I decide to buy a fare to Earl's Court and buy one there until I found out it is a £1.60 Oyster Card fare and £4.00 cash fare. Some quick maths and I work out I am being paid $48 an hour to walk and buy the card - so I do.

Note to self - West Kensington is not near Kensington which I found out after a lengthy walk.  I wandered around Earl's Court and not one thing has changed there. I get on a tube and get off at Green Gate walking around a lovely part of town, Curzon Street Mayfair with lovely eateries. Pre-conceptions of London food should be forgotten as each one of about 20 places looks better than the one before. I stick my head in a few shops before settling on a light meal as far away from Italy as I could get - Sushi!!!'

Across to St Jermyn Street and St James for an hour of casual strolling, coffee, book shops (professional interest believe me). And a walk up towards Oxford Circus for a humorous interlude. I walk into what is the biggest Apple store I have ever seen. I would guess there were more than 700 customers and genii (plural genius) and I ask who is the best person in the store to out on a new screen protector for my iPhone. I get directed to a guy who puts on, sorry unsuccessfully puts on five repeat five protectors aft which he gives me two for free and says all too hard. We shared a laugh and. Left with a protector on my phone with a grain of dust under it and two more to try later.

I walk down the length of Oxford Street and get the tube back to Hammersmith when I reach Marble Arch. Six hours on my feet and the only thing I have bought is two packets of Godiva mint twigs which I thought they had stopped making but which are only available in Europe, oh and a small credit card holder.

I get back and change and we drive the five minutes to La Trompette a Michelin one star which Espen chose and booked for dinner at my request. I really wanted the mushroom soup for appetiser but who can go to a Michelin Restaurant and have mushroom soup. Anyway the host picked up on this and served the soup as an amuse Bouche which was well done. The lobster and lemon asparagus foam salad for entree was amazing as was the chocolate fondants dessert but the cod and salt cod main wasn't totally to my taste being a little oily and lacking in seasoning. All in all however a great meal. Don't let anybody tell you that Europe is expensive with this meal being three courses for $60 plus a $9 supplement for the lobster - try getting that in Sydney!

Next morning I am up and dressed early as Espen and I were due to go to the Wimbledon quailing tournament for him to inspect the horses in the saddling enclosure so to speak. London did what it does best starts pissing down with rain. Yesterday had started very sunny but finished overcast and grey by the end of the day so no surprises with today. Espen is devastated and even asks Helen whether the weather is likely to be better at Eastbourne where the lead up tournament is being played. No go!

I get the train to Kensington High Street somewhere I don't believe I have been before. From there I train to Knightsbridge for my usual tour of Harrods and the food areas before setting out by foot and walking to Earls Court. On the way I buy some shirts for Danz and Dave and post them from the nearby post office - all rather painless. I  Lunch and mooch before heading home.   

I sort of feel I should be doing something cultural while here in London but really I need the exercise and am enjoying doing nothing and mooching. Robkat recommended the Museum of Film which I may do tomorrow.

So next morning I leave early for the London Museum of Film which is located near the London Eye Ferris Wheel at Westminster. The museum was good but there was an extensive exhibition of the life and times of Charlie Chaplin which resparked my interest in his work. As a child I used to love watching him, Abott and Costello and Laurel and Hardy and this exhibition confirmed his true genius. He has been dead 34 years and there are 1.28 million references to him on YouTube.

I decide to go up to Piccadilly Circus and again walk up Regent Street to Oxford Street. The weather is shitty so being 14:00 I decide on playing some rubber bridge for the afternoon which proves profitable as I win £340 although with three rubbers to go I was up £570!!!

I am to meet Richard Sanig a friend of Justin’s for dinner in an hour and it is pissing down with rain so I have a genius idea – I go into the nearby Churchill Hyatt Hotel and ask for an umbrella which they give me no questions asked. I walk towards Connaught Street and see a Synagogue but as I approach the security guards don’t seem very interested in letting me in so I move on to Edgeware Rd and walk about 1km down the street into what could easily have been the downtown in any Middle Eastern city. Cafes with Turkish Pipes, every sign in Arabic it is such a different world.

I have a tasty Indian meal which lasts for three hours and I get home around 11:00pm and, armed with the key I thought I would activate the alarm only to have Espen run down and reset it for nighttime use….

Next morning a load of washing before I leave on Monday morning and I head down to the Harrods annual two day sale. My only comment is that the discounts they were offering were beyond my budget. I picked up a lovely handbag which I thought could be good for Danielle - £1550 but there was a 30% discount!!!

I hop on the Underground to Edgeware where I am to meet Linda’s Aunt Simone and her son (Linda’s Cousin) Phillip. We have a lovely lunch at a salt beef bar and I ask if it would be possible to meet Sandra, Linda’s Uncle’s second wife whom I am very fond of. We phone and she insists we come over for tea. We arrive ten minutes later to a table fully laden with food. An hour and half later Phillip drops me at Stanmore Station where I head back to Espen’s.

Greek dinner and bed before my last day in London.

Anyway nought more for now. Hope everybody is well.
Love to all. XXXD