Same Shirt, Different day-2012 Adventures of the "Devonport Wonder Babes"

Tuesday 7 th August                              

Quiet day at home as a bit exhausted from late nights and crowds past 2 days. Caught up on domestic chores, read book and watched Olympics.

Wednesday 8^th August

Dave the Electrician came this morning to fix the light switch at front door that turns on hall and stairway light which we were delighted with, as have had to take a torch with us when we go out at night to navigate up stairs when we come home. Turned out he was kiwi from New Plymouth, came on OE 25 years ago, and a bit of a film fan and gave us name of film to see in Hampstead and nice pub.

 Went into Farringdon St Station (which has just been redeveloped with more to be done) on the Thames Link train that Lynds had accidentally discovered when returning from the pearl stringers in Hatton Garden last week. Also realised that we can take this train directly from West Hampstead Thames Link  to St Pancras International ( both of which have lifts from street to platform)  next week when we go back to France on Eurostar, instead of taking Tube and having to change at Green Park to Piccadilly line and walk miles to do so.

We had an interesting conversation with a woman who was also catching the train to connect to a Brighton train (£20 return) at Farringdon who agreed that the London Overland and Thames Link are slightly hidden treasures. Talked all the way to Farringdon, she was on her way to a friend’s funeral.

Went to Leather Lane market, Lynds bought pair of grey linen trousers and I bought brown linen dress that will be really cool in Italy and Spain where temperatures are currently in high 30 ‘s.

Walked through to small specialist binocular shop in Galen Place near Bloomsbury Square where we bought new pair of Nikon compact binoculars, which we have been talking about doing for some time as the autofocus ones at home are no longer working well.

Lunch on park bench in Russell Square and 15 minute conversation with the park rubbish truck man who said all the parks very quiet since Olympics started because tourists all at events and locals have stayed away. He said he usually does 3 collections a day for overflowing bins but currently only needing to do one. He is a Londoner born and bred, but wants to move out to Oxford.

 

Walked to Kings Cross Station via brief stop at British Library where we had photos taken with an Olympic Torch. 

We also visited the Olympex exhibition which was mostly stamps and First Day covers, riveting stuff if you are a keen philatelist! My most interesting things at Library were some ceramic finial tops from clotheslines in a 1930’s housing development nearby that they are currently restoring.

plus an interesting 3 dimensional "painting".

Also stopped in Tavistock Sq which has memorials to various people with an emphasis on peace e.g Mahatma Ghandi, Hiroshima, Conscientious objectors and victims of the Tube and bus bombings.

Caught Northern line tube to Hampstead, found Everyman Cinema, booked tickets for “Searching for Sugarman” then went to Holly Bush pub just up nearby lane for dinner, which was beautiful but very expensive. Lovely old pub, no music playing –bliss!

Returned to cinema which had lovely soft sofas, so much so Lynds fell asleep for 10 min in middle of film.

After movie walked down Hampstead Rd and caught our C11 bus to within 100 metres of our flat.