Monday 14th November 2022

Some days we do so much stuff, there's not enough space to post all the pictures I take.

Take Monday.

Monday was back at work day, a day of meetings and getting documents reviewed, but also I would go up to that London in the evening. For an event.

Sunday night we went to collect Jen's car so Jools had a car to drive to work, and I could go to the station after work.

That done, all was set.

Thing is, could I think of a good enough excuse not to go? Because as I get older, it seems easier to bail on things we have agreed to do, or even bought tickets for.

So, with banks of fog and mist sweeping over St Maggies through the day, I check train times to see if there were delays, or the weather to see if the weather would get worse after dark.

As it happens, despite fog and mist, trains kept running as normal. And there was no weather warnings for the evening either.

So, I worked through the day, looking out of the windows as the village faded from the view at times.

I would go I decided.

So, after the last meeting in the afternoon, I packed away the work computer and took the Audi to drive to Dover Priory, finding a place to park very near the station, much to my surprise.

A day return cost £37, so I bought that and went for a pasty and Coke in the buffet to wait.

A high speed train gets us to London in 63 minutes, and after that, a three stop ride on the Piccadilly Line to Leicester Square would take me to the centre of the west end where the action might possibly be.

The train wasn't full, only between Folkestone and Ashford when love-lorn school kids got on, gossiping about someone who might or might not facy them.

Bless.

At Ashford the train even waited for a connection from the Marsh Line, something no longer thought happens.

But does.

And then on to London.

There really is no better station to arrive into London.

Not as busy as I have seen, but lots of people milling around with suitcases, ready to travel.

I was making my way to the Piccadilly Line for a short ride to Leicester Square and the bright lights of the west end.

Arriving at Leicester Square, I fine neon everywhere and a Christmas Market set up in the middle.

For the snapper, it was a target rich environment.

Across Leicester Square, and over Piccadilly Circus to look up the curving Regency masterpiece that is Regent Street, already decked out ready for Christmas.

Back and into Chinatown, where it was packed. I mean packed so there was people jams. Most were from the far east, it seemed, and always struck me as odd that they would come to England and eat on the same food as back home. But then little different to package holidaymakers from England going to Spain in the 1970, dining on fry up and egg and chips.

I walked to Traflagar Square, bought a Cajun hot dog and a coke, and ate that sitting on a bench looking at the reflections in the fountain pools around Nelson's Column.

Oddly, I wasn't that hungry, so snacked through the day.

I went to find the venue for the event, a pub on the backstreets behind theatreland, I had half an hour, so waited and watched people before going in for a beer.

The event was a "thank you" for patrons of the music podcast I support. Other patrons came from all over London and the country, a couple from Dublin came too.

A soundtrack of party tunes was playing in the upstairs bar, and my slection, What's my Scene by The Hoodoo Guris was playing.

I meet some old familiar faces, we make small talk and jokes, most music based.

Sadly, I had to leave just before nine, as I had an audit first thing in the morning, and I really needed to catch the twenty to ten train back to Dover, even then it would be nearly ten to eleven before I got back to Dover, and then a ten minute drive home.

So, outside the pub I flag down a cab and he takes me up to St Pancras, so quickly I had twenty minutes to wait before departure, indeed the train wasn't even waiting when I went up from street level.

The train pulled out, and those of us on board relaxed as the train slipped below east London to Stratford, then on into Essex and to Kent.

I got back inside at just after eleven, Jools was alseep, so I slipped into the spare bed, and sleep took me from this world.