I have continued my London days out but they started a little late this year as I was waiting for good weather - I'm still waiting! Since I've been back in the UK I've fallen into a pattern of going up to London once a month during the summer months when the days are longer. I usually go on my own and I think of it as a culture fix - I think the attraction is that I feel that I missed out a lot on theatre and art when I was living in SA - the reality is that I saw lots of excellent theatre when I was living there both in Port Elizabeth and in Capetown and I maintain that the best art exhibitions I saw were when Sean lived in Singapore and I visited and was usually stuck for choice as there was so much going on. However I plan my days with military precision to include an exhibition, a matinee show and afternoon tea and once I've booked it all, I usually forget all about it until a few days before when I start worrying about getting lost, the weather and what I'm going to wear. As a rule I take an umbrella in case it rains, my portable fan in case its too warm, a jacket in case its too cold and a flask of black coffee to keep me awake!
So far I've enjoyed Top of the Rock, The Jersey Boys, Mary Poppins, Operation Mincemeat, Boys from the Blackstuff, Le Cage aux Follies (the Birdcage) at the open air theatre in Regents Park, The Witches, The Ocean at the end of the Lane and on my most recent outing I saw Witness for the Prosecution. I've visited the National Gallery, The Tate Modern, National Portrait Gallery and enjoyed a David Attenborough immersive experience called Earth and recently one at a gallery called Frameless which I really enjoyed because I knew all of the art featured and had seen most of it during my life.
I've enjoyed afternoon tea at various places - twice at the magnificent The County Hall, at The Parlour in Great Scotland Yard, Fortnum and Masons, Browns and The Ivy in Covent Garden and cocktails at the National Theatre.
I'm always worried about missing the train home but usually end up in Oliver Bonas at Victoria Station if I have any spare time and arrive home weary after clocking up thousands of steps and vowing that I wont do it the following month - this feeling lasts about two days before I start investigating what's on in London that I cant miss!
Usually the journey is spent reading, doing a crossword or puzzles along with a bit of people watching which these days means watching people looking at their phones or laptops, but last week was different. A lady got on with a rather large suitcase and sat opposite me - I asked if she was going somewhere nice. "Home", she replied. Home happened to be about five miles from where I grew up so we had a nice long chat about Rainford, Eccleston, St Helens and discovered people and places we knew in common. She was a retired midwife and had been to a reunion with the nurses she trained with. A little further along we were joined by a very flustered chap who couldn't get a signal and needed to 'connect' urgently. We got chatting as he needed to explain his frustration to someone. He was heading in the same direction as the other lady and said his mother had been a nurse and joined in our conversation. He was in the Navy in some civilian role and was going to introduce and hand over a ship to someone. The journey passed very pleasantly and in no time at all and we all parted as friends. The nurse and the navy chap climbing in a taxi together to continue their journey across London to Euston for their connection. On the way back I was joined by an elderly man with a large bag of sticks! "Cricket"? I enquired, "Morris Dancing", he replied and for half the journey I enjoyed hearing about how he got into Morris Dancing and how much he looked forward to it as his wife has dementia and it was a real diversion for him to spend a fun day out. If only people spoke to one another I thought like they used to how much more pleasant rail journeys would be!
I've ubered here there and everywhere but this month I felt very brave for venturing on a London bus with my unused bus pass and who knows what this break though will lead to on my next visit - I think I'll be able to fit one more in this year before the nights start drawing in and my London season draws to a close - now what's on in London in September I wonder?
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