Saturday 2 May. London

For my last day in London I decided on an excursion to Ham House in Richmond. This entailed a train to Ealing Broadway and a very long (30 stops) but enjoyable bus ride to Sudbrook Lane, passing Kew Gardens, Richmond and who knows where else. Once off the bus it was more than a kilometre walk along a lovely, tree-lined path to reach the house and gardens. My National Trust membership got me in free so that was a nice bonus.

Had a pleasant walk around the gardens before a cuppa in the Orangery Coffee Shop. Luckily for me the lavender was not quite flowering in the Cherry Garden. I liked the Wilderness, with its hidden summerhouses. I can imagine a lot of assignations there when the Duke and Duchess were in residence. There was also a huge kitchen garden.

Ham House was built in 1610 and is a rare survivor from that time. Charles I gave the house to his friends William and Catherine Murray . Catherine and her daughter, Elizabeth, kept the house safe during the Civil Wars, with the help of Elizabeth’s husband, Sir Lionel Tollemache. After the restoration of the monarchy Elizabeth and her second husband, the Duke of Lauderdale extended the house and collected spectacular art and furniture. the house stayed in the family until 1948, when it was donated to the National Trust.

The return home was to be the same as the journey there but in reverse. However it proved to be a bit less comfortable. The bus was very crowded and I had to stand until quite a few people got off. Then when we were almost there we were told that the bus was terminating at that spot, so I had to get off and find my way to the station. Finally I was on the Elizabeth line train heading for Paddington, but once again standing as it was packed. Paddington was the second stop but it took about an hour to get there due to an electrical fault which stopped all trains on the Elizabeth line. The driver was very apologetic and kept us informed about what was going on. I got chatting with a young women sitting in front of me and she insisted I have a turn of sitting for a few minutes. I was very grateful after my big day. Soon after I gave her seat back we were on our way again, feeling hot and bothered after no ventilation when the power was off.

 Apart from the last bit, it was a great day.

Friday 1 May. London

A lovely day today and a much slower pace. A large part of the morning was spent doing a small load of washing and drying. As this apartment has a washing machine I thought I should take advantage of it. This meant I could sit and read my book while all that was happening.

It was quite a warm, sunny day so I was glad I’d packed one short sleeved top. A bus took me to Marble Arch and from there I walked along Oxford St to North Audley St, a very special street for me. It was where I first found a number of special coal hole covers, depicting the businesses that had once lined the street. I only saw two of them today as there has been a lot of building and there are ranks of bikes for hire covering the pavement.

Anyway my reason for going there today was to have lunch in Mercator Mayfair, a deconsecrated church that now holds a sort of food court. The place was packed but I found some yummy dumplings and a place to sit and enjoy the atmosphere.

On my way to meet my friend Kim, I found the site of Tyburn Tree, once the main place of execution for criminals. It’s virtually in the middle of the busy Marble Arch intersection and I was amused to find two chairs there, so you could sit and ponder the rights and wrongs of capital punishment.

The next hour or so was spent with Kim at “Frameless”, where famous paintings come to life. There were four or five rooms, each with a different theme and too many paintings to count, let alone name. 

We then wandered down to Selfridges for a very pleasant afternoon tea. I can definitely recommend the pistachio layer cake. It was so nice to catch up with Kim in such an enjoyable way.

Thursday 30 April. London

 Yesterday I was mostly in the West End so today I headed east. Coming out of Monument Station I was immediately confronted by the monument, squeezed in amongst tall buildings and a tube station. It commemorates the Great Fire of London in 1666, which devastated two thirds of the city. The allegorical sculpture shows Charles II coming to assist the slumped figure of the City of London.

I think this visit to London has been about small things, because a short distance away, on the corner of Philpot Lane, I was hoping to find London’s smallest public sculpture. Just when I found it and was about to take a photo, a rubbish truck pulled up and  blocked my view. However there it was when he pulled away. Success! Legend goes that workmen put it there to honor two 19th century workmen who died in a fall while fighting over a missing lunch. The mice had actually taken the lunch.

A little further along the road was St Dunstan in the East, a ruined church which has become a peaceful garden, except for tourists like me.

After that peaceful interlude I returned to Endell Street as I now knew exactly where the nose should be. But the building was now a beauty shop and there was a sign attached to the wall right where the nose would have been. I guess it’s too much to expect them to have remained in place since 1997.

By 2.30 I was in the queue outside the King’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace, waiting to see “Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style”. Once inside I checked in my handbag and took the opportunity to go to the loo. The lady behind me also wanted a posh pee. It was a terrific exhibition, covering babyhood right through her life. It was a bit special to see her wedding dress and Coronation gown. I took heaps of photos, which I know Anne will enjoy when I get home.

Back to Paddington by bus, a method of travel I much prefer to the tube.

Wednesday 29 April. London

In 1997 an artist named Rick Buckley decided to stage a humorous protest against the CCTV cameras appearing all over London.  His comment on this “ Big Brother-like”  nosiness was to place plaster models of his own nose in many locations. Theoretically there are only 7 left and they are located in Soho and Covent Garden.

Finding the noses was my special project for this trip to London, a project I had little success with.

My first port of call was Lincoln’s Inn Fields, the largest public square in London. The park has been enjoyed by Londoners since 1376. Back then they even used it for jousting. Today there are tennis courts and a cafe as well as the paths and gardens. This was my morning coffee stop and would have been delightful if the wind hadn’t been blowing a gale and covering one and all with pollen. Not the day to sit outside with my cuppa.

Lincoln’s Inn is one of four Inns of Court ( professional societies of barristers) in London, so I was probably having coffee with a few of them. No sign of Rumpole though.

Next stop was a sculpture called “The World Turned Upside Down “ and from there I headed to Floral Street and my quest for noses. There were also supposed to be some ears there.  I must have looked very suspicious loitering in the street and searching up and down the buildings. No luck though. I had a map of approximately where they should be and I checked both sides of the street and often backtracked as I made my way around the trail. 

By about 1 o’clock I was exhausted so I stopped at a pizza place for some lunch and a much-needed rest. Found a couple of more specific directions about the nearby noses when I was Googling while the pizza cooked so after lunch I retraced my steps and found 2 of them. A third just couldn’t be found and I think the building it was on has been renovated. Either that or I’m just not good at finding noses.

So 2 out of 7 is all I could manage. On my way to the station I came upon another pretty park, Soho Square Gardens. It was packed with people enjoying the sun and, as the wind had died down, it was enjoyable. My trip back to Paddington was on the new Elizabeth line - very modern and similar to our new Melbourne stations.

Tuesday 28 April. London

After a very long night of flying we landed at Heathrow at 8.00 this morning. The Singapore Airlines flights were comfortable, with very tasty meals and a good range of movies. I think I watched 4 but I can only remember 3.

By 9.30 I had arrived at Paddington Station after speeding through immigration, working out how to turn on my eSIM, wending my way to the Heathrow Express and zooming in to London. After a juice and a muffin it was time to take my case to my accommodation as they had agreed to let me leave it there until check in time at 3.00.

That gave me 5 hours with my heavy backpack before I could even change out of my squeezy aeroplane socks. I decided to use the time to find the man in the clock, Paddington for the boys and visit my favourite card shop in Balham. This required 2 Tube lines and numerous stairs, escalators and hallways. I know I’m in London!

Had a lovely time in the card shop. Might have to post my purchases home as they’re more weight in the case. Then a coffee and cookie in the market lane, which is now full of rather trendy eateries and it was still only just after 12.00.

By now I was starting to feel a bit “unco” from tiredness so it was back to Paddington on the Northern and Bakerloo lines. Sat on a seat in the station and people-watched for a while, then went back to this morning’s cafe which doesn’t seem to mind you staying a while.

Finally I made the 5 minute walk to my accommodation and collapsed in my little apartment. The nice young man had brought my case up to the room. It’s going to suit me very well for the next few days and I can’t wait to turn in and get some real sleep.

Monday 27 April. Departure Day

Just when the leaves are getting serious about coming down I head overseas for 7 weeks. Spencer and Sidney are going to do some raking of paths so hopefully the house won’t be completely buried when I get home.

Housework and leaves helped me pass the time until I was picked up - on time!! - by Sally and Joe, who delivered me safely to the airport. I’m now relaxing, waiting for my flight to be called. Can’t quite believe that I’m finally on my way. 

Tuesday 4 June. Echuca to Melbourne

No, we didn’t do a detour to France in our time machine. We stopped off in Bendigo to see “Paris: Impressions of Life 1880 to 1925”. 

After a bite of lunch we then drove home. Dropped Renee off in Coburg and was home mid afternoon. Found some interesting things as I unpacked, like a beautiful jar of fat olives and a salami that I bought at the Sunday market in Griffith.

It’s been a great road trip and I’m so glad that I’ve finally been to Broken Hill.