6 /7 August 2018

Well for the next four weeks I am going to attempt to blog about the trip that I am enjoying with my daughter, Laurie. Please bear with me as I’m doing this on my IPad. It’s external keyboard has died so I am having to make do with the touch screen. Not ideal for a touch typist who learned her skill on an old fashioned typewriter! Also my photos have to be loaded onto the iPad and I’m hoping not to run out of space!

I got over my fear of flying years ago. So why did I find myself with sweaty palms, shortness of breath, beating heart and very sore tummy all of yesterday before boarding the aeroplane with my darling daughter who organized everything?

I don’t know. It it might have been some subconscious reluctance to leave the darling Earl behind. He is a an independent man, quite capable of taking care of himself but we very seldom travel without each other and I might just have been a tad reluctant to go without him!

But as soon as BA 58 took off dead on time @ 7:30 and fortified with some calming herbal medication I was fine! The adventure had begun!

Lolz took this selfie of the two of us on the plane

And this one flying over The Thames

You’ve got to hand it to the British – they must be the politest people in the world. So often cabin crew though efficient are offhand and clearly irritated by their difficult passengers but not the British. They are charming and never lose their cool, Nothing is too much trouble. By the time Laurie and I got to our seats right at the back of the plane, the overhead cupboards were full. Our steward with no fuss at all rearranged things and all was sorted with kindness and charm.

I also love their sense of humor. “How was your night ?” I asked our steward.

“just fine’ came the reply.

“So no difficult, demanding passengers.”

“Well, perhaps just one or two,”he said waving his hand in my and my daughter’s general direction!

Passport control in my experience usually have the most officious staff – but not in England. Once again everybody was dealt with politely and welcomed into the country with a smile. One almost enjoyed the 35 minute wait in the queue,

In spite of not sleeping a wink all night I was in high spirits and ready to enjoy our first day in London. We took a while to get our baggage as there was confusion as to which carousel to monitor but at last we found it. Then we dithered over whether to take the train or Uber. Lolz has the app – I’m too old to drag suitcases and negotiate station changes so Uber won! It was about an hour through London traffic but painless and we arrived in Battersea in the best of moods. How lucky we are to have the use of Big Brother’s flat for our week in London. We feel so spoilt and Lolz who is actually a princess has found no pea under her mattress. We overlook The Thames and have views from the lounge and both bedrooms. It’s just the most awesome place.

Lolz’s photie of the view from the flat

Not only did my niece make sure the flat was ready for us, she also sent us tips of where to go and what to do in the Battersea area. So after settling in and freshening up we were exploring by 10:30 am.

We found a lovely French restaurant nearby where we fortified ourselves with a delicious lunch before shopping for future victuals.

Later in the afternoon we went walked to Clapham Junction where we sorted out some banking, local SIM cards and loaded our Oyster cards. As we were pretty tired we decided to take the bus back. We were slightly disorientated when we got off at what we thought was the right spot but nobody panicked. Lolz has a good sense of direction – mine is non existent – and she got us home safe and sound.

Tomorrow we will be meeting Baby Brother and doing a tour of Buckingham Palace State Rooms!