A Famous Author, a couple of All Blacks and the Old Bill

London was fun but rather tiring. We stayed at a 'serviced apartment' in Victoria, close to the station and lots of other things too. The location was brilliant, but the walls and floors were paper thin, and every night when our neighbours rolled in at 2am, crashing and thumping and shouting, ... well, you can imagine, we were desperate for a good nights sleep by the time we got back to France!

Still, we packed as much as we could into our week. We did some touristy stuff, some educational stuff, some shopping and caught up with old friends. And we ate curry every day!!

For edification we visited the Houses of Parliament at Westminster - the line to enter the building wasn't long, so we decided to brave the security check and have a look inside. The security check was thorough but courteous (US border control could take some lessons!) and we spent half an hour or so watching Chancellor of the Exchequer's question time from the public gallery. The chamber was full of MPs, and the debating was quite vigorous, with interjections from Mr Speaker and lots of bobbing up and down as the MPs vied to be chosen to speak next. We also took a peek at the House of Lords, but here the atmosphere was more dignified, not so entertaining.



We also spent a day at the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum. The NHM didn't seem to have changed much since we last saw it 10 years ago, but the building itself is so beautiful that it's always worth a visit.



The Science museum was huge - comprising a 'transport and technology' section with exhibits including the original DNA double helix model and spacecraft from the 1960s, among other things (many other things ...), and a 'hands-on' section that kept Em amused for what seemed like days ...

And of course we went down to Buckingham Palace to see the Changing of the Guard. It was very cold the day we went and after an hour or so of watching a bunch of guys stamping and shouting and not seeming to do much else (how do they see where they are going with those bearskins on their heads?) we dragged our frozen selves off to the shops.

Kind of educational but also fun was the London Eye. This is the massive ferris wheel-type structure that used to be called the Millennium Wheel. It's not roller-coaster-ish in any way but you do go up jolly high, which can be a bit spooky if you don't like heights, especially for the ascent, but it's worth it for the 360 degree views.




The London Aquarium was small but interesting, and we did one of those all-day, hop-on, hop-off bus tours as well.

We had a lovely dinner with my old friend Anita and her family, including her Dad, and our friends the Bensons. Many years ago, when Anita and I were but girls, slips of things, really, she introduced me to that bastion of the British culinary heritage, the curry, at the Taj Mahal in Upper Richmond Road, Putney. I always remember their Rogan Josh as the best I have ever tasted (big pieces of tomato in every bite!) and have benchmarked all subsequent curries to it. Well, it's still there, and I'm happy (amazed actually) to say that the food is as good as I remembered. It was a really good night.

It was also great to see my old friend and flatmate Gillie and her man Kevin, and Claudia who I worked with for the last 4 or so years back in NZ, who arrived in London recently. And of course we bumped into someone from home in the street - a Quarantine Officer who I had worked with back in Auckland, and who had been taught by Al. What a place, London, eh.

You probably want to know who the Famous Author is -= well, it was Alexander Mc Call Smith (aaaaaah!!! ahhhhaaaahhhh!!) and he was dining at the table next to us in an Italian restaurant in Piccadilly. We are all fans of his books, including Em who reads the childrens' ones, but were too New Zealandish to do something as bold as ask for him to sign something for us!!

Al spotted the All Blacks while I was poking through the racks at Zara in Regent Street. He was waiting outside, then suddenly rushed in gasping 'Ma'a Nonu! Ma'a Nonu!'. Sure enough it was him, with possibly Richie McCaw, although I was too overawed by the beauty of the dreadlocked one in person to be sure ... They sauntered through the womens wear down to the men's shop in the basement but again ... too shy ...

I'm not scared of the Old Bill though, not any more. Turns out an old friend hit the big 40 and decided, nope, I don't want to work in an office any more, I'm going to be a Policeman. She's quite short, but the Police had recently reduced their height requirement and she was accepted for training. After five months live-in training at Hendon with all those young lads (doesn't sound too bad actually ...) with just weekends at home with hubby and daughter, then 2 years probation, she just found out that she had been accepted as a permanent officer in the Metropolitan Police. She was stationed close to where we were staying and we bumped into her one night on our way home from dinner, in her uniform, kevlar vest, handcuffs, the whole thing. Wow. She's SO COOL!!

We bought lots of books while we were there, and my arms still ache from dragging our heavy suitcases off and on trains and trams and through the streets to the car. Still, we all now have a nice pile of interesting things to read, except for Emily, who read things as fast as we bought them. She's almost finished 'Wintersmith' by Terry Pratchett, which was the last one in her pile ... and is very good, incidentally.

She's back at school now, and things are getting back to normal. Strangely I am finding speaking and understanding French easier now after speaking English for a week. It's definitely autumn, we have the heating on in the evenings, but the days are clear and sunny, and not too cold. The vine leaves have all turned brown and are falling off the plants, and the smell of woodsmoke is in the air ...