LON....

LONdon!

Highlights?

Hanging out with family and friends, and just hanging out with London!

Unabridged.  

Got home after my big bus trip and it wasn't long before I got cuddles.  And nappy changing training.  And swaddling training. So yep it was straight into Aunty duties, which was fine with me :-). 

(THANK YOU FOR THE GIFT MOIRA & Co!!! x)

(Aunty swaddling fail... :p)

Next day I was lucky to attend a pretty special citizenship ceremony as photographer/nanny.  Was cool to see inside the local Town Hall too!  The guy officiating was very amusing!  Crack up!

Later I headed to Old Street to see my awesome Arana friend and flatmate Yi. So cool to catch up, meet the gorgeous Lauren, and just hang out for an hour or two!  Thanks so much Yi, it was great to spend time with you two and thanks for afternoon tea! 

(My new cute little friend!)

Oh yeah, on the way I saw this! 

This is one of the reasons why I love London - you never know what will be round the corner and stuff like this really intrigues me! When did this close down? Why has it not been taken over by another shop? What exactly DID a feather merchant do?  Fascinating, seriously! 

Jumped off the tube at Queensway and (after walking up the stairs because there was only one lift operating) met up with Marghi and bubba to walk home through Kensington Gardens.

That evening we had a family trip to Exton to drop the car back to Marghi's Aunt and Uncle.  It was great to see some of the countryside in the South Downs.  The village of Exton was lovely.  I went for a pre-dinner walk and got my fix of thatched roof houses and the like!  

We caught the train back to Clapham Junction and then got an Uber Taxi home.  

I think all the rushing round before I left NZ and travel was catching up on me by this point.  The next day consisted of sleeping and a bit of shopping down Kensington High Street.  Marghi and I had lunch at Pret (YUM!) and bubba had his in the shade of a tree at Kensington Gardens!  I am a strong believer that a good savoury sandwich or roll should contain meat.  Or falafel at a stretch.  With perhaps one exception - and that is a good cheese and pickle combination.  Yes Pret-a-Manger, I had missed you! But at the very same time very glad that we don't have Pret in NZ! 

Oooooooh, and I got to visit Whole Foods - got some. Hummus, and ahem, some um Macaron.  Addict much Spooner?

(This product looked convenient - can we get it in NZ?!)

(Cherries..... YUM!)

Cooked some chicken and roast veggies for the family that night then went to Westfield at Shepherds Bush for a bit of late night retail therapy!

I think it may have been that evening that Aunty Stacey fell asleep before bubba.  And woke up holding him at 3.30am - bad Aunty - not part of the plan!!!

On the Friday,  Marghi, bubba and I took one of the fancy new big red buses into Trafalgar Square.  After an M&S sandwich in the square...




 ...we went into the National Portrait Gallery to see a friend of Marghi's that is making a copy of a painting. 

 It was interesting to see the work in progress and to have her explain the concept of under painting and over painting - not sure I learnt that in fifth form Art?!  Either Mr Bailey didn't tell us or I wasn't listening?!

After the gallery I walked along the Embankment

(along which I found a statue of my hero Brunel),

 through the law courts to Fleet Street

 and up to Hatton Gardens. I retraced the steps of a walk I had done in 2008 after a particularly tough day at the office at a temping job!  The game was to do it all without the A-Z or google maps.  So, Hatton Gardens to Kings Cross,



 down past Euston to Tottenham Court Road, stopped at Starbucks for the loo and a lime and mint and green tea drink. Through the back streets past the BT Tower to Mortimer Street where I worked in 2007.

(I used to love walking past this building on the way to work!)

(the old office)

Picked up some provisions at Sainbury's below the office, for old times sake.  Through the back streets to Oxford Circus, and then along Oxford Street.  At 5pm on a Friday.  Um, whose bright idea was this? Footpath rage much!  Hehe!!! Had to stop my walk before I'd fully retraced my steps to Earl's Court so that I could make it to dinner, so jumped on the tube at Marble Arch.  

Dinner was at a Japanese a Restaurant near Hammertown with the family and Ben.  I had been keen for sushi for lunch (it was Friday ;p), but we decided to make it dinner seeing Marghi had not been able to go to the Japanese Restaurant  while pregnant. So it was Special Post Baby First Sushi Friday - with Japanese Beer and Sake...!   The edamame beans weren't as good as the ones in Hamilton, but, the rest was pretty awesome.  

The next morning it was off to Winchester on the train for an adventure with Ben - just like the old days :-) 

I was a little tired and perhaps Sake-weary but made it to Clapham by 10ish, with oats and banana etc and home made iced tea for my breakfast on the train.

We visited the Old Flour Mill, walked around the wall and found some castle ruins.

Then, went into the Cathedral. It was pretty cool.  Reminded me of Salisbury. 

Found lunch at an American diner - complete with retro table tops :-) By then I was feeling less than ideal and it was clear that I was coming down with something.

So, Ben headed off to take in the military museums, and I headed to... Boots.  Boots is awesome!  So many choices and so darn cheap!  Had a wee look around the market and then went to lie down in the sun in front of the the Cathedral and try to forget how sorry for myself I was feeling and enjoy being there in front of something awesome!

Was supposed to go to the gig the chick on the bus had invited me to when I got home, but instead it was dinner and bed.  Dumb! :-( 

The next day, I got out of bed around 5pm to go to grab a curry.  That was my massive adventure for the day! 

Must have been the following day I was back to Aunty duties :- ).  I think I ventured as far as Tesco for some groceries! 

(Cape Gooseberries - whoop!)

Next day I went to Westfield to do some shopping, and met up with Marghi for a bit too.  Was on a mission to find some new shoes.  And clothes.  

The following day we went to Borough Market. I had an amazing Dosa, which I ate beside the Thames at a pub, while the nephew also had a feed. 

We did a bit more market shopping then I went to climb the Monument.  The monument was built to remember the great fire of London and is situated near where the fire broke out.  It was designed by Wren and is a column with a spiral staircase around a void in the middle so that is could be used for gravity tests and the like.  

The view was cool - would have been better if I could have taken some bolt cutters and got rid of the pesky wire safely mesh...! :-) 

A lot of buildings have been built in the city since the monument was built, some which block the views, but still cool to have done it.

Walked through the City of London.  Cool to see all the suits leaving work for the day. 

I visited my Lloyd's of London building.  Love it.

(Totally agree!!!)

Saw the Gherkin, walked through Diagon Alley

 (some people call it Leadenhall Market ;p), 

and then down to St Paul's before heading home.

Right, that will do for this installment.  The last bit of London still to come, plus Hong Kong.

Thanks Debbie, Michelle and Vicki for keeping me honest to finish this! :P

And Hellen - are you still out there?  Thanks so much for the chocolate and the reminder of my friend in Paris - the parcel arrived on my second day back at work and it made my day!  And yes, you better send me your contact details!!! :-)