London
By now, Mum and Dad are getting so comfortable and familiar with London life, and I've been off work for so long that I've forgotten what the date is, that Dad is looking very relaxed indeed, and Mum is the closest she can get to chilling out, which is quite an achievement.
On Saturday, we went to the National Theatre to see a play about Harold Macmillan, the British politician who was part of Churchill's cabinet and became Prime Minister from 1957 to 1963, before his government was brought down by the Profumo scandal. The play starred Jeremy Irons and covered almost 50 years of English social and political history, so Mum and Dad were in heaven.
Then we headed home, and my plans to go out for the night evaporated into a little pool of tiredness on the living room carpet, so we watched a DVD of Gosford Park and then went to bed.
Sunday was a beautiful day, but Dad's legs weren't quite up for going to church, so they stayed at home. At 11am, I sent Mother down to the flash supermarket to fight it out with the yuppies for a leg of lamb for lunch. Back she came with her winnings, and we had our third Sunday lamb roast in as many weeks. I've missed them!
This afternoon, we headed into Piccadilly for a little stroll around, some browsing through the Wedgwood store (Dad was interested by the 50% Off Clearance Sale sign) and into Fortnum & Mason, the Queen's grocer and one of the flashest food/department stores in London. We popped up to the 1st floor Parlour Restaurant for a spot of afternoon tea with my friends David and Claire. Dad was very pleased with the selection of Viennese tortes and apple strudels, and got a chance to compare the local produce with his recent survey of cakes in Vienna.
Then we took a stroll through Green Park, which was filled with Sunday afternoon walkers, picnickers and sun-worshippers...
...and up to Buckingham Palace, which was looking freshly scrubbed since last week's Trooping the Colour for Queenie's Birthday.
The Mall (the long avenue that connects Buckingham Palace to Admiralty Arch and Trafalgar Square) is closed to traffic on Sundays, so it's a nice afternoon walk, leading into St James's Park. We took a stroll along the leafy sidewalks, still festooned with Union Jacks.
...and up to Buckingham Palace, which was looking freshly scrubbed since last week's Trooping the Colour for Queenie's Birthday.
The Mall (the long avenue that connects Buckingham Palace to Admiralty Arch and Trafalgar Square) is closed to traffic on Sundays, so it's a nice afternoon walk, leading into St James's Park. We took a stroll along the leafy sidewalks, still festooned with Union Jacks.
Into Trafalgar Square, which looked gloriously crisp and exciting in the mid-afternoon sun...
and a quick stroll down a quiet road just off the Strand called Craven Street, with some very grand 18th century Georgian apartments, some of them lived in by the writers Heinrich Heine, Herman Melville and American founding father and scientist Benjamin Franklin. Mum saw a door that she was quite fond of.
Back on the Tube and home for dinner. A great day.
and a quick stroll down a quiet road just off the Strand called Craven Street, with some very grand 18th century Georgian apartments, some of them lived in by the writers Heinrich Heine, Herman Melville and American founding father and scientist Benjamin Franklin. Mum saw a door that she was quite fond of.
Back on the Tube and home for dinner. A great day.
2 comments:
Hi guys
I don't think the people would let mum take their door. Customs and the airplane people probably wouldn't consider it as carry on luggage either. Tell Mum & Dad to stay in London a while longer. Winter has hit finally...its cold, very very cold.
Peter
are you going to Wimbleton?
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