Lamppostings

London – Day 8 – July 17, 2019

G&B treated us to the hotel’s breakfast buffet which meant we got to have a proper English Fry Up Breakfast and lots of great coffee. It was so good!

We headed to the Olympic Park which is right next to where we were staying. We walked around, went up to the Olympic Rings, the kids played on a playground. It’s an amazing park and I love that it is not going to waste after the Olympics finished. All the facilities are still being used, new businesses and education facilities are being built. It feels vibrant and full of life.

Back to the hotel. G&B headed back to Birmingham. There were tears. It’s hard to say goodbye, but friends are worth the pain of separation.

Graeme and Becky truly are lifelong friends. We are so thankful for them. They are kind and generous, fun and adventurous, faithful and patient. They were simply the best adventure companions. Laid back and easy going and up for anything. Graeme was our fearless navigator and got us everywhere we needed to be. We did so much in a short amount of time and it was the best. So much laughter, so many conversations, inspiration and plans for the future. Yep, there were tears.

We took a bus to the Dr Who Museum and Shop. It was fun to be there. An incredible amount of Dr Who merchandise and memorabilia. We did go into the Museum which there’s a charge for. Sadly, they don’t allow photography in the shop or museum which I think isn’t the best strategy. They take a photo of you going into the Tardis and if you ask for permission they will let you take a photo or two in the shop. The museum was interesting and had a couple of pieces from favourite Dr Who episodes such as Van Gogh’s clothes, the Are You My Mummy mask, and others, but since I couldn’t take photos, I can’t remember them all.

Bus back to Stratford. The boys and I wandered around the cheap side of Stratford which is in sharp contrast to the newer fancier parts and the mall. It’s where I used to do a lot of my grocery shopping on my way home to our flat after we got married and lived on Leytsonstone High Road. Colin graciously took our laundry to a local laundromat. Sadly, I forgot to add Zane’s underpants and socks, so we made a plan to visit Primark to get him some new ones for the rest of the trip.

We hung out at the hotel for a while which was a nice rest.

The NZ Blacketts (Colin’s brother Shane, his wife Carolyn, and their kids Kate, Anna, and Ethan) had arrived and we met up with them at Liverpool Street Station and walked to Brick Lane. We ate at the Jasmine Curry House which is where the Princess Diana painting is. Because it was dinner and not the lunch special, we ordered what we used to get – special biryani and a mango curry among other things. Definitely not £5 for a curry anymore, but so worth it! It was fun to see the kids interacting and having a good time together.

We walked them back to their AirBnB which was on Brink Lane. Zane was not impressed that it was over a shop called Kill the Cat. We did a Pokemon Go Gym Battle before heading back to Stratford.

24,520 steps

10.2 miles

On a side not, I walked in my sandals most of the day, for some reason I thought it would be a light walking day, I was wrong. It’s worth it and completely necessary to have excellent walking shoes. You might have to sacrifice a bit of street cred style, but you will be so sad if you do not.

London – Day 7 – July 16, 2019

Off to Little Venice to catch the London Waterbus narrow boat to Camden. Definitely a wealthier part of town! None of us had done this before and it was fun to try it out and have yet another perspective on the city.

The ride was about an hour and we went through Regent’s Park and a bit of the London Zoo. Lots of history, cool tunnels, lots of duck weed, and crazy huge homes and gardens, one of which is owned by a sheikh though he is hardly ever there which made me a bit sad.

We finished at Camden Lock and were thrust into the craziness that is Camden Market – it was quite cool though. Took the Tube to Archway where we found an Aldi and together we created the most amazing picnic. Pork pies, scotch eggs, ham, rolls, crisps, biscuits, fruit and the pièce de résistance, clotted cream, provided by Graeme.

We walked up the hill to Waterlow Park and had such a lovely, English picnic. We relaxed, Jude climbed a tree, and we enjoyed the food and each other’s company. Colin may have eaten a lot of clotted cream in an effort to not let it go to waste!

We walked to Highgate Cemetary, but didn’t go in. A bit strange that they charge you to go into a cemetary. It’s a beautiful place though.

We walked from Highgate to Parliament Hill and had a lovely view of the city. I’d never been before and it was great to be in the park and get lots of fresh air.

We took some trains, played a prank of Becky (we all got up and moved to another carriage when she went to the toilet) and went to Blackfriars and met Angelina at the Founder’s Arms for a drink. Angelina has been a friend for many years and has taught piano to both of my boys. So fun to see her in London.

Back to Stratford and the playground/pub combo.

Forgot to note steps and miles, but it would have been a doozy!

London – Day 6 – July 15, 2019

We took the Thames River Clipper from North Greenwich to Embankment. It was a great way to see the city, and it’s way cheaper than the tour boats. It felt like we kept circling around Canary Wharf, but we were just following the dip in the Thames. It was our first really cool day and it was quite refreshing. Jackets all around, and a cup of tea for the journey.

We wandered down Embankment and recreated our Cleopatra’s Needle/Sphinx photo from when we were going out. G&B are so patient with our shenanigans.

We went back along the river and made our way through some of the amazing parks and gardens that are on the other side of the road. There are statues and art everywhere. We found one of William Tyndale which was cool. We walked past the Ministry of Defense building and New Scotland Yard.

We made it to Big Ben which was sadly swathed in scaffolding which we knew about, but it was a bit disappointing not to see and hear it. Glad it is getting some TLC though. Wandered through the park filled with statues of famous people near the Houses of Parliament.

We carried on and walked past Horse Guards and Number 10 Downing Street and on to Trafalgar Square. Had a look is St Martin’s in the Field Crypt which was one of my favourite places to go when I was out and about in the city for a quiet cup of tea. It’s been upgraded and expanded and it’s lovely, but the tea is much more expensive now!

Had a sandwich lunch (Tesco Express and Sainsbury’s Local have great lunch meal deals that we availed ourselves of, several times throughout the trip. I also love the sandwich varieties that the UK has) on the steps of St Martin’s. Then we went in for a free lunch time concert and enjoyed hearing the Southend Girl’s Choir perform.

Then it was on to one of my most cherished places in London, the National Gallery. We had such a great time. The boys continued their education – lots of nudity and violence. You don’t think about it until you go with kids! There was lots of laughter and fun as well as being in awe at the amazing works of art.

I got a bit emotional (shocking, I know) as I sat in front of The Execution of Lady Jane. I just felt overwhelmed with the beauty and emotion of the painting and with the fact that I was there with my family and friends, and a little bit sad thinking about not having a life in London. We talked about the art we saw. Graeme told me what he loves about his favourite painting. We discovered some pieces that we hadn’t noticed before. Van Gogh, Monet, Klimt, Turner. Colin discovered his favourite painting. I am so thankful that these world class galleries are free, there’s no barrier for anyone to experience the art and be moved by it. There are hundreds of free galleries and museums in London.

After that, we went to St Bartholomew the Great Church, it was very cool outside, but we didn’t go in. William Wallace was put to death near the church and later his funeral was held here.

Then we went to Postman’s Park, another Pinterest find and it was incredibly beautiful as a park and moving as a memorial to people who had given their lives to save the lives of others. There are plaques along a wall telling the stories of people who died saving others.

After this we took a couple of buses through the city to Limehouse to a fish/burger/kebab/chicken shop and got kebabs and chips and ate them at Limehouse Basin. The chip shop was across the street from our old YWAM base.

Back to Stratford, the boys played on the playground for a while. My DSLR camera was in my backpack and got dropped on the concrete. I thought for sure it was a goner, it was absolutely fine and I am very thankful.

Becky and I had a bit of shopping time in the Mall. Sadly, throughout our time together, there just wasn’t enough time for much shopping or charity shops.

25,134 steps

10.4 miles

London – Day 3 – July 12, 2019

Waking up was a bit rough after my lack of sleep, but I was excited for this day! We were heading to Oxford which was a bit of a pilgrimage for me. Visiting CS Lewis’ home was something of a dream. CS Lewis has played a big part in how I view the world. The Chronicles of Narnia have particularly shaped my view of God and faith and some of my greatest heroes happen to be a Talking Mouse and a Marshwiggle because of his stories. I also love the Cosmic Trilogy and many of the books he wrote about faith as well as his poetry and letters that he exchanged with various people. Jude’s middle name is Lewis for a reason and I have two Narnia-themed tattoos. It’s kind of a big deal to me.

We headed off to Paddington Station. As we were getting closer, it looked like time was running out to catch our train. At one station, the doors were closing on the carriage and I physically held the doors open while the boys got on. A definite no-no, but I was impressed with my strength! I have Ally at BodyRock to thank for that!

We made it to Paddington with a couple of minutes to spare so decided to get some breakfast at McDonalds, waiting for the hashbrowns to cook almost made us miss the train! Should have gotten up earlier and eaten at Gregg’s!

We had a lovely train ride to Oxford. I love trains. You have freedom to move around and do stuff and I don’t get sick!

When we got to Oxford, we walked into the city center. We went through the covered market, past the Bodleian, and under the Bridge of Sighs. I kept expecting Inspectors Morse or Lewis to appear, though that would mean that someone had been murdered! It was quite crowded, but Oxford is beautiful.

We walked past several of the colleges and found Magdalen College where CS Lewis taught.

We grabbed some sandwiches and jumped on the bus to CS Lewis’ house. We got off in a very suburban area with detached and semi-detached houses from the 70s and 80s. Not at all what we were expecting and we were getting a bit worried. I love all the different lampposts in London and Oxford, but we found the least Narnian lamppost of all time on CS Lewis’ street. We came to the Kilns and need not have worried at all. It is a lovely old cottage with an amazing garden and attached nature preserve.

We had a great tour guide. It was wonderful to hear the history of the house and learn more about Jack, his brother, his wife and the other members of the household. It seems he was a jovial and lovely man with foibles and quirks and they had a very interesting domestic life. He was also incredibly frugal which impressed Colin! I really liked that they didn’t deify CS Lewis or sugar coat his humanity. We saw a photo and learned about The Kilns gardener, Fred Paxford, who Lewis said was the inspiration for Puddleglum and my heart nearly burst! I thought I knew a lot about CS Lewis, but there is still so much to learn. So thankful to share the experience with Colin, the boys and G&B.

After the tour, we wandered through the Nature Reserve. It’s a beautiful wooded area that was very important to the the Lewis brothers.

Then we walked to the church Jack attended – Holy Trinity. We visited his and Warnie’s graves in the churchyard. I got to sit where he sat every week. There’s a beautiful, etched glass window about Narnia there. For some reason as we wandered through the graveyard, this inspired the boys to design their own graves and grave stones. There will be lights, electricity, moving parts.

We caught a bus back to Oxford (we are not as tough as CS Lewis who walked the 3 miles from The Kilns to Magdalen College and back home everyday!). We went to the Eagle and Child and had a drink. This is the most famous pub where CS Lewis, Warnie, Tolkien, Charles Williams and many other members of The Inklings, met to discuss their writings. I ordered Colin the drink that he used to get when the rest of us had beers and ciders – half orange juice, half diet coke. It’s not bad tasting, but it sure is ugly! We raised a glass to CS Lewis.

We went in search of dinner and found a Wetherspoon pub called The Four Candles. Had a lovely dinner. Everyone was feeling a bit tired and cranky, but food helped to revive us.

There were several things in Oxford that we would have liked to do, but simply ran out of time.

Back on the train to London. Wonderful conversations with G&B about a wide-range of topics. I love these friends so much and am so thankful for what quality people they are.

At Paddington Station, we found Paddington Bear and also saw a brass band playing in the station. Then we began the journey back to Stratford. Everything takes longer than you think it will and it was nearly 10 pm when we got back to the hotel.

20,657 steps

8.61 miles