Saturday 18th June 2022

80th birthday of James Paul McCartney.

I mention this, as we were off to that London for a celebration with the guys from A Word in your Ear podcast, aka Messers Ellen and Hepworth, and joining them and us, the massive would be Danny Baker (of course) and Graham Gouldman once of 10CC.

It would mean a day in that London, at least one meal out, and maybe some drinks as I am not suffering from gout this year.

The show started at two, in Holland Park again, and as the new heavy cross London line, Crossrail, aka The Elizabether Line had opened, I thought I might go to snap that too.

A plan was forming.

And the Northern Line extension to Battersea Power Station was yet to be ridden by me, so there was the plan.

All we had to do was get up in time and make a train early enough to be able to do all what we wanted.

Simple.

Of course, as there was a plan and a train we wanted to catch just before eight, we lay in bed until quarter to seven, giving us just enough time to have a coffee, get dressed and be down the station to buy our tickets and to get one.

We did make it, with a few minutes to spare. Really, the only reason for going so early was a parking space dwon near Priory station. As it was, I nabbed the final space, so we were able to board in a stree-free fashion.

The train glided out, and we settled back; me looking out the window and Jools reading her e-book.

Not much to say about the ride up, but we got out at Stratford, walked through the shopping mall. It was just before nine, so few stores open, but people already lining up to go in and spend, spend, spend. We walked through, over the bridge spanning the regional station, then following the signs to the Elizabeth Line onto platform 5 for a few minutes wait.

I was expecting the train to plunge into the tunnel at Pudding Mill Lane, but instead it crudied into Liverpool Street main line station, though without stopping, coming to rest at the buffers on platform 16. Just by the steps leading up to Bishopsgate, which was handy, as I had scoped out a place to eat for breakfast.

The Polo Bar is a 24 hour a day joint, and had great reviews. I fancied pancakes and bacon with lots of syrup, which is what I ordered, though no coffee as it was so hot.

The weather was due to break, but for the time being it was over 25 degrees, no air con in the place and all I could order was orange juice and still still long enough to cool down. Which I did.

Four buttermilk pancakes came, each adorned with a slice of smoked bacon and a small jug of syrup. I know, syrup and bacon shouldn't go together, but they do. Well.

Jools had a small fried breakfast, so we had eaten well.

We walked back down onto the street, then over to the station and down to the new trhough platforms, and it was here that I found that, for now, the central section started and finished here and at Paddington, so to travel further involved a change.

I was happy going to Paddington, as I wanted to snap the stations and passenger throughways, so I was happy going straight to Paddington, getting shots, then going back to Tottenham Court Road where Jools would find a quiet place while I headed down on the Northern Line to Battersea.

In truth the stations pretty much look the same at platform level, but Paddington has some round designs on the ceiling, while Totten Court Road has a variation of this. Anyway, while shiny and new they look great and took many shots.

At Tottenham Court Road, Jools went up to street level to find a cool place to read, while I followed signs to the Northern Line. There was a point when the new went into the old, and it was like going through a portal, back to the past. The trains too were not airconditioned, or not as well as the Elizabeth Line trains, though the one I got on went straight to Battersea Power Station.

Since Jools and I got together, whenever I have travelled through or over London, I have looked at the transformation of the former power station into an iconic modern condo. I had the wide angle lens on, and was ready to get snapping.

I took shots from the station to the former power station, and as I stood in the shadow on one of the huge chimneys, I was aware I was being spoken to.

"No professional photography allowed" I was told.

I'm not a professional.

"Its not allowed".

I stressed I wasn't angry at the guy, but the fact there were no "no photography signs", nor "this is provate property", and I had just witnessed a family of six walk up the the buidling snapping on their mobile phones without issue, it was just me and my DSLR.

I had my shots, so tuned round and walked back to the station, messaging Jools I was on my way.

I travelled back to Tottenham Court Road, then waited for Jools at the top of the escalators to the Central Line. And once she joined me, we went down and squeezed on the first train that pulled in. Though it did empty some at Oxford Circus.

We got out at Holland Park, the plan was to find a place for a drink. Two block away I saw a pub, The Castle, though Jools said she could not make out the words on the sign.

It was a grand little place, with lots of room, I made do with a pint of Amstel, then another with the Charcuterie Board, though I did eat most as Jools had Scotch egg. But it was most excellent, and perfect for an afternoon in Opera Holland Park, in what should be a ten minute walk away.

More like twenty, but we found the entrance to the park, followed a shady walk to the main group of buildings, then a search for the actual entrance. But after being ticked off the list, we go in and i see some familiar faces from the podcasts and music quiz.

I get us a drink and we settle down to wait for the show/celebration to begin.

It was a very good show, with each of the four speakers being asked the same questions, then going off at tangents most of the time. With Danny Baker this is a given.

Alex ends the celebration with a song dressed as if from Sgt Pepper. And it was all over.

We walked back through the park, past people having boozy picnics, and parties with hardes of children in the pay area. Back to the main road, through the expensive housing to the Tube Station.

A short wait for a train, then along to Holborn, change to go north to Kings Cross/St Pancras, giving us 20 minutes before the train departed. And to make it perfect, our train was waiting, so we could find a quiet coarriage and take our seats.

The train slid out, and into the tunnel under east Kent, past the old Ford Factory, out onto Rainham Marshes, under the river into kent and to home.

We walk to the car, and from there a short drive home, where four hungry kitty cats were waiting.

Meow?

And depsite it being warm when we got to the car, 20 degrees, it soon clouded over and a strong breeze blew up, temepratures plunged and it got dark early.

So, after supper of toast and refreshig brews, we headed to bed.

Happy birthday, Macca.