Girls Behaving Sadly
Dec. 18th, 2007 11:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
suzyscottdotcomWhen we did the last London weekend trip, Caroline was already talking about our next visit to the bigger city, 45 miles away by train. We started with Caroline’s visit to one of her docs, and we sort of built more and more into the trip in the planning stages.
So, 1043 train from Royston, semi-stopping-fast (i.e. five stops to Stevenage, then non-stop to Finsbury Park) to London. I must admit, the various stopping patterns on the ‘great northern’ line still confuse me slightly, so I will research it a bit later, and do another post one day. Anyway, it worked out that we could have left 28 minutes earlier, but only arrived 10 minutes later, so we appreciated the extra time to get ready. As I was stirring from my slumber, I could hear C’s toolbox in use. Turns out that the new kettle (still shiny in it’s own right) had died – already – so a replacement will be needed in due course.
So, we got off the train at Finsbury Park, and crossed from Platform 2 to 1 for another FCC train heading for Moorgate, on the Finsbury Park-Moorgate section that is largely underground, despite being part of the over-ground train network. In fact, it was part of the Northern Line at one point, before the planned projections were abandoned shortly after the 2nd world war. £2 million pounds – at 1950’s values – was spent on it before it was abandoned! The line later went to BR/Network SouthEast. Anyway, I’d left plenty of time to cross over, but it wasn’t needed, as the platforms were beside each other (1 and 2). We got the 1127 train (trains are every 10 minutes, Monday to Friday) and I’d allowed for an extra one in the plans – but the change was easy, and we arrived with time to spare.
You may well wonder why we were heading for Moorgate… well, actually, we got off at the second-last stop, Old Street. Not really the most attractive magnate for the local area, but there was a reason. I’d read rave reviews about a certain ‘woman’s store’ called Sh. Yes, that’s really the name – tucked away in a very narrow two-way street in Hoxton. Any store that proclaims that gentlemen have to be accompanied by a woman sounds like a good idea! To quote from the website, “As the uk's only shop solely dedicated to women's sexual pleasure, our utmost priority is to create a safe, comfortable place for women to shop ...”, and it certainly was highly recommended on that score.
The store is open from 1200 daily, and once the door was opened, in we went. We were welcomed in, and given a brief explanation of where to find everything in the store. However, that might not have been exactly necessary, as Caroline just came right out with it. “Well, I’m looking for something that goes buzz, for my friend here…” So, yes, we were taken over to the ‘toy table’, and given the opportunity to press all the buttons… and C seemed to enjoy playing with! So, I had a look around… and found something appropriate. As it’s a Christmas gift for me, I wonder if I should explain here… well, I’ll keep it a secret for now, and post it next week… then I’ll be able to review it too! ;-) Suffice to say, it looks like it can keep up with me, as well as not being too big. For now.
So, I now have my first, proper, post-op sex toy. (Well, I will have on the 25th!) But, that wasn’t the only reason for the visit. Lots more ‘shiny’ shopping to go!
We were now heading towards New Oxford Street/Centrepoint, and I thought Caroline would appreciate one straight bus journey, as opposed to two changes of tube train for an equally long journey. So, we crossed Old Street, to take a 55 bus westbound. This route is usually operated by Tridents from East London (formerly Stagecoach) Leyton garage, but although they were flowing freely, none were seen. A 243 bus turned up first, and as it follows the same route as far as Red Lion Square, that would do us – to there, then walking or taking another bus. So, DLA241 pulls up, and as can perhaps be expected for a bus that has just braved the Christmas shopping traffic in Wood Green and Tottenham, they are ‘hunting in packs’ – we were overtaken by a Gemini on the 243 behind us, neither of which were being turned. This was only my second flirtation with the iBus passenger information system, which had been given a voiceover by Emma Clarke.
iBus has already reached the fleet at Arriva’s Tottenham garage, and each stop was named as required, followed by a ‘Route 243 to Waterloo’ as we departed each stop. This was a lot less information than given on tube trains, like interchanges and such, on the recordings. That’s a good thing or a bad thing, depending who you ask. We got to Holburn (the bus stop before Red Lion Square) and we got off, only for a Citaro bendibus to be behind us on the 38 (MA108), so we took this for a few stops. We got to Centrepoint, and Caroline commented that the bus stands reminded her of the bus station in Aachen, Germany. Well, given all the (Mercedes) Citaro’s floating around (on the 38 and 73), that could be understood.
We crossed the road to Morgan’s New Oxford Street store, and I’d already emailed in my list – sort of. I’d asked about stock levels of the items I was interested in – one was low, one was good – so the store manager (Graham) said he’d keep me back one – which was appreciated!
The camera that I bought earlier in the year was a bit slow at responding – especially with moving vehicles – and you had to hold it in position for quite a while after taking the picture, otherwise it would end up ‘wobbled’ at one side, like this. I had wanted to replace it after a while, but, everything else came first this year. I still have the previous one – a Fuji A330 – but it is worn out, after thousands of pictures! So, the weatherproof HP Photosmart E327 sounded like a good idea – and, at 5.0 megapixels, it’s a bit of an improvement on those before it. And, it’s still compatible with the readers and stuff that I already had, so it’s not a complete replacement. Anyway, as I was buying another part of Caroline’s Christmas gift, I thought I might as well! Those that had been left for me had a note with my name on it, and reference to seeing the store manager before touching. Turns out that the camera stock was down to low numbers, so although the cardboard box looked a little brutal, it was the best of those they had left! Thankfully, presentation for myself wasn’t really an issue. Caroline’s gift was perfect and brand-new-in-box, so that was good. Again, she’s seen it, but I will keep the surprise for now – otherwise I might end up spilling the beans a little too much!
Now, many many years ago, I bought my first digicam here – back in early 2000, so it did kind of feel like a homecoming! (The original first pic, of a DLA on the stands over the road, is still online… here). Having said that, Caroline had mentioned a Chinese restaurant that she wanted to visit for lunch, and it was sort-of in the right direction, so that was the next stop…
… well, it was lunchtime!...
… except, she didn’t quite know where to go. So, thought, easiest was to head towards Chinatown, on either a 14, 19, or 38 bus. The first of these to turn up was DW116 on the 19, turning short at Piccadilly Circus. I rang the bell for the stop after Cambridge Circus. While we were waiting at the lights, another family group behind us rang the bell, to which the driver responded with ‘are you lot [expletive-deleted] deaf?’… hmm never mind, but as he wasn’t far from the end of his trip, I put it down to moodieness. We got off, and Caroline asked for directions in an adjacent Chinese herbalist. Turns out we were two streets away in Wardour Street. Anyway, C said she would recognise it, but I wondered about the name – until I saw the sign, Wong Kei.
We were sat upstairs in two seats of a large circular table facing onto Wardour Street, and the usual rapid service on offer here took me back just a little! The complimentary pot of china tea was placed on the table, along with two small cups. Forks and knifes are available in place of chopsticks, if requested! I’d had a smallish bowl of Chicken & Sweetcorn Soup first, and Caroline had the Wanton, with noodles… which filled her up almost by itself! She then had prawns in some spicy sauce, while I had the chicken curry. That was us full, and we proceeded in the direction of Piccadilly Circus. I was going to suggest going for a 453 or 88, but Caroline said she’d be ok to walk it. We were stopped by TWO lots of ‘lucky heather’ people, and this included the offer that if we stopped and bought, we’d both find the man of our dreams. (Hmm, never mind…!)
Anyway, Caroline liked the look of the Lush store in Regent Street, and we went in. She decided to buy a couple of bath bombs by the name of ‘Sex Bomb’ (I wasn’t going to ask), while I decided to get her something else to add to her Christmas gift skip – after all, she wasn’t supposed to be looking. Oops, the person on the till read out the contents of the gift box! (I said to C ‘it’s ok, you didn’t hear that!) LOL
So, we continued up Regent Street, and in the direction of Wimpole Street, for Caroline’s 1500 appointment with Dr Curtis. The walk from Wardour Street had been around thirty five minutes in the end, but although I was ok, the back of my leg was a bit unusual, even for me. Just what we wanted to see when we arrived, as the lift was not stopping at the third floor. Have a guess where we were going…that’s right, the third floor. Caroline popped off to the loo first, and Richard came out, and initially mistook me for C! We’d been told by the receptionist that someone had came around here a few hours before looking for her, and that started to make sense.
I must admit, for all the collections of paraphernalia in Richard’s office (leaflets, magazines, business cards, DVD’s, calendars etc.), the vaginal dilators are the ones that always get mentioned by visitors! Have a guess what I was staring straight at, while I sat down…! Well, where was I *supposed* to look, in the circumstances? ;-) )
Anyway, the friend who we’d arranged to meet after here was Mair D. I’d been meaning to speak to her for quite some time, after C noticed this page on her website, devoted to a former love of hers who had taken her own life nine years after finding out that she had inherited HD. It does show you though, as I’d wanted to do this for quite some time, just how long it takes at the moment for everything to click together!
After Caroline had finished with Dr C, the three of us left together for coffee at La Baguette(on the corner of Wimpole Street and Wardour Street). Actually, we had a couple of cups in the end, before we left shortly after 1630. We talked about a huge number of things, and you can tell the passion is still there – all these years later. If you’ve not had a look through that section of Mair’s website, please do. It explains all the tracking down she’s done of late, trying to find out what happened to that special person. That person does exist in us all – sometimes it takes a while to find, but they are there. Mair came with us to the tube, but later decided she’d stay with us throughout most of the evening.
Now, it’s not quite home time, as we’ve got several more parts to go!
We crossed Oxford Street onto Bond Street tube station, and managed quite an easy journey. Jubilee Line eastbound to Green Park, and changing there to the westbound Piccadilly Line. I remember from my days here that all the directional arrows around the Jubilee Line platforms pointed in opposite directions (from before the new long subway was put in between the two, and the reason they were never changed was arguing over who was paying. After I offered to self-service this with a marker pen back in 2001, we were told that they would be fixed. Six and a bit years later… guess what…!
Anyway, after that, we arrived at Hammersmith tube, and up the escalator Broadway bus station (the ‘old’ one – there is about to be a ‘new’ one underneath the old one, to expand the capacity, but it has been delayed several times). We had one hour to go two/three bus stops and find a floor, so we really had plenty of time (you could walk it, but I didn’t want to get tired unnecessarily!) Caroline had an appointment at 1800 with Christella, a speech therapist who comes highly recommended – it was her first visit, hence the visit to Charing Cross Hospital. I’d passed often enough – more so in 1999 when I was first living out west, usually on the 211 bus! It was an irony when 9811 on the 211 was the first bus heading in that direction, and we took this there. After finding the floor (went round in a few circles), we sat and talked for the first 40 minutes or so before C’s appointment.
While Caroline was in with Christella, Mair and I went off for coffee and a bite to eat. We talked about a wide range of subjects, pasts and presents, and the future. She thought that the two of us ‘look good together’, which was a nice compliment!
Now, around 1910, we got out, and crossed the road for a bus back to Hammersmith Broadway. Again, Travel London 9827 on the 211 – a route I’m now more used to on the Waterloo/Victoria side – to the bus station. Down the escalator, and I topped up my phone before continuing… only to see the grilles firmly shut in front of the District/Piccadilly Line tube station, and a bunch of hi-vi jackets around! Turns out, there had been a fire alert at Chiswick Park, so no service on either line from Acton Town to Earls Court. Ow! (That explains the two number 9’s that were turning at Hyde Park Corner, and the two 10’s – one for High St Ken and one for Oxford Circus – that I saw upstairs, and the huge crowds, more than usual).
So, the three of us crossed across the road to the Hammersmith & City line station. I must have been half-with it, as one local beggar decided to yell very loudly after ‘reading’ me. See, that’s why I say, I get read like the Yellow Pages – only rarely, and at the worst possible times! Most of the buses were full, and some were turning short, so we didn’t have too many options. We got off at Shepherd’s Bush (which will soon get ‘Market’ on the end of it), walked across Shepherd’s Bush Green, and got on the Central Line train heading east. This tired us a little, but given the lack of choices, it was impossible to avoid. We got to Holburn, and changed back to the Picc line for one stop to Russell Square.
We were travelling to the monthly TransLondon meeting, which was n a different location to usual – in the basement of a hotel. I did, however, misread the map in that respect. I presumed (because I couldn’t see Bedford Way) that the part of Southampton Row with the Bedford Hotel in it, was going to be where we were heading. It wasn’t – and we realised this after two people in adjacent shops didn’t know the location of the hotel. This was around 2030 by this time, and C was flagging badly. Mair then went on by foot to try to find it, while we had to stop.
We stopped at the Costa Coffee on the other side of the road (still open!) and this gave us a chance for liquid refreshment, and hot food. Indeed, Caroline was still hungry after I’d split a panini in two unequal halves, and given her the larger one – so I went and got the second identical one from the fridge!
I gave C the choice here, to go back to KX for the train home, or to continue and find the hotel. We chose the latter, but C wanted to get a taxi there – so I flagged one down, after about 30 seconds. I named the hotel, and I think the cab driver initially thought we were only after directions, so he was a little surprised when I pulled the cab door open, and C jumped in the back!
So, we pulled in, out the front of the hotel, and we spotted Mair talking on the side of the street to some others. We went in, and then got directions to the bowling area in the basement, only for us to walk out and turn left, and almost bump into Michael, one of the organisers. He pointed out that they had taken ‘the executive decision’ to leave the place, and go to the pub where they usually end up after the meetings at the bookstore – so, we walked about the same distance as we’d just travelled in the cab, to a packed upstairs with lots of familiar faces!
We had about half-an-hour or so, and left shortly before 2150 (just afterauntysarah did – and we ended up on the same busy train!) We walked down onto the Euston Road, and I remember we’d done this also back in April, hand-in-hand – almost perfect, again. This time, I was the one newly out of surgery, but it just felt right. We went for the 2215 to Kings Lynn, alighting at Royston. We got home after a full thirteen hours out on our feet, and headed to bed soon after.
Wow – what a day!
(retroblogged later)
So, 1043 train from Royston, semi-stopping-fast (i.e. five stops to Stevenage, then non-stop to Finsbury Park) to London. I must admit, the various stopping patterns on the ‘great northern’ line still confuse me slightly, so I will research it a bit later, and do another post one day. Anyway, it worked out that we could have left 28 minutes earlier, but only arrived 10 minutes later, so we appreciated the extra time to get ready. As I was stirring from my slumber, I could hear C’s toolbox in use. Turns out that the new kettle (still shiny in it’s own right) had died – already – so a replacement will be needed in due course.
So, we got off the train at Finsbury Park, and crossed from Platform 2 to 1 for another FCC train heading for Moorgate, on the Finsbury Park-Moorgate section that is largely underground, despite being part of the over-ground train network. In fact, it was part of the Northern Line at one point, before the planned projections were abandoned shortly after the 2nd world war. £2 million pounds – at 1950’s values – was spent on it before it was abandoned! The line later went to BR/Network SouthEast. Anyway, I’d left plenty of time to cross over, but it wasn’t needed, as the platforms were beside each other (1 and 2). We got the 1127 train (trains are every 10 minutes, Monday to Friday) and I’d allowed for an extra one in the plans – but the change was easy, and we arrived with time to spare.
You may well wonder why we were heading for Moorgate… well, actually, we got off at the second-last stop, Old Street. Not really the most attractive magnate for the local area, but there was a reason. I’d read rave reviews about a certain ‘woman’s store’ called Sh. Yes, that’s really the name – tucked away in a very narrow two-way street in Hoxton. Any store that proclaims that gentlemen have to be accompanied by a woman sounds like a good idea! To quote from the website, “As the uk's only shop solely dedicated to women's sexual pleasure, our utmost priority is to create a safe, comfortable place for women to shop ...”, and it certainly was highly recommended on that score.
The store is open from 1200 daily, and once the door was opened, in we went. We were welcomed in, and given a brief explanation of where to find everything in the store. However, that might not have been exactly necessary, as Caroline just came right out with it. “Well, I’m looking for something that goes buzz, for my friend here…” So, yes, we were taken over to the ‘toy table’, and given the opportunity to press all the buttons… and C seemed to enjoy playing with! So, I had a look around… and found something appropriate. As it’s a Christmas gift for me, I wonder if I should explain here… well, I’ll keep it a secret for now, and post it next week… then I’ll be able to review it too! ;-) Suffice to say, it looks like it can keep up with me, as well as not being too big. For now.
So, I now have my first, proper, post-op sex toy. (Well, I will have on the 25th!) But, that wasn’t the only reason for the visit. Lots more ‘shiny’ shopping to go!
We were now heading towards New Oxford Street/Centrepoint, and I thought Caroline would appreciate one straight bus journey, as opposed to two changes of tube train for an equally long journey. So, we crossed Old Street, to take a 55 bus westbound. This route is usually operated by Tridents from East London (formerly Stagecoach) Leyton garage, but although they were flowing freely, none were seen. A 243 bus turned up first, and as it follows the same route as far as Red Lion Square, that would do us – to there, then walking or taking another bus. So, DLA241 pulls up, and as can perhaps be expected for a bus that has just braved the Christmas shopping traffic in Wood Green and Tottenham, they are ‘hunting in packs’ – we were overtaken by a Gemini on the 243 behind us, neither of which were being turned. This was only my second flirtation with the iBus passenger information system, which had been given a voiceover by Emma Clarke.
iBus has already reached the fleet at Arriva’s Tottenham garage, and each stop was named as required, followed by a ‘Route 243 to Waterloo’ as we departed each stop. This was a lot less information than given on tube trains, like interchanges and such, on the recordings. That’s a good thing or a bad thing, depending who you ask. We got to Holburn (the bus stop before Red Lion Square) and we got off, only for a Citaro bendibus to be behind us on the 38 (MA108), so we took this for a few stops. We got to Centrepoint, and Caroline commented that the bus stands reminded her of the bus station in Aachen, Germany. Well, given all the (Mercedes) Citaro’s floating around (on the 38 and 73), that could be understood.
We crossed the road to Morgan’s New Oxford Street store, and I’d already emailed in my list – sort of. I’d asked about stock levels of the items I was interested in – one was low, one was good – so the store manager (Graham) said he’d keep me back one – which was appreciated!
The camera that I bought earlier in the year was a bit slow at responding – especially with moving vehicles – and you had to hold it in position for quite a while after taking the picture, otherwise it would end up ‘wobbled’ at one side, like this. I had wanted to replace it after a while, but, everything else came first this year. I still have the previous one – a Fuji A330 – but it is worn out, after thousands of pictures! So, the weatherproof HP Photosmart E327 sounded like a good idea – and, at 5.0 megapixels, it’s a bit of an improvement on those before it. And, it’s still compatible with the readers and stuff that I already had, so it’s not a complete replacement. Anyway, as I was buying another part of Caroline’s Christmas gift, I thought I might as well! Those that had been left for me had a note with my name on it, and reference to seeing the store manager before touching. Turns out that the camera stock was down to low numbers, so although the cardboard box looked a little brutal, it was the best of those they had left! Thankfully, presentation for myself wasn’t really an issue. Caroline’s gift was perfect and brand-new-in-box, so that was good. Again, she’s seen it, but I will keep the surprise for now – otherwise I might end up spilling the beans a little too much!
Now, many many years ago, I bought my first digicam here – back in early 2000, so it did kind of feel like a homecoming! (The original first pic, of a DLA on the stands over the road, is still online… here). Having said that, Caroline had mentioned a Chinese restaurant that she wanted to visit for lunch, and it was sort-of in the right direction, so that was the next stop…
… well, it was lunchtime!...
… except, she didn’t quite know where to go. So, thought, easiest was to head towards Chinatown, on either a 14, 19, or 38 bus. The first of these to turn up was DW116 on the 19, turning short at Piccadilly Circus. I rang the bell for the stop after Cambridge Circus. While we were waiting at the lights, another family group behind us rang the bell, to which the driver responded with ‘are you lot [expletive-deleted] deaf?’… hmm never mind, but as he wasn’t far from the end of his trip, I put it down to moodieness. We got off, and Caroline asked for directions in an adjacent Chinese herbalist. Turns out we were two streets away in Wardour Street. Anyway, C said she would recognise it, but I wondered about the name – until I saw the sign, Wong Kei.
We were sat upstairs in two seats of a large circular table facing onto Wardour Street, and the usual rapid service on offer here took me back just a little! The complimentary pot of china tea was placed on the table, along with two small cups. Forks and knifes are available in place of chopsticks, if requested! I’d had a smallish bowl of Chicken & Sweetcorn Soup first, and Caroline had the Wanton, with noodles… which filled her up almost by itself! She then had prawns in some spicy sauce, while I had the chicken curry. That was us full, and we proceeded in the direction of Piccadilly Circus. I was going to suggest going for a 453 or 88, but Caroline said she’d be ok to walk it. We were stopped by TWO lots of ‘lucky heather’ people, and this included the offer that if we stopped and bought, we’d both find the man of our dreams. (Hmm, never mind…!)
Anyway, Caroline liked the look of the Lush store in Regent Street, and we went in. She decided to buy a couple of bath bombs by the name of ‘Sex Bomb’ (I wasn’t going to ask), while I decided to get her something else to add to her Christmas gift skip – after all, she wasn’t supposed to be looking. Oops, the person on the till read out the contents of the gift box! (I said to C ‘it’s ok, you didn’t hear that!) LOL
So, we continued up Regent Street, and in the direction of Wimpole Street, for Caroline’s 1500 appointment with Dr Curtis. The walk from Wardour Street had been around thirty five minutes in the end, but although I was ok, the back of my leg was a bit unusual, even for me. Just what we wanted to see when we arrived, as the lift was not stopping at the third floor. Have a guess where we were going…that’s right, the third floor. Caroline popped off to the loo first, and Richard came out, and initially mistook me for C! We’d been told by the receptionist that someone had came around here a few hours before looking for her, and that started to make sense.
I must admit, for all the collections of paraphernalia in Richard’s office (leaflets, magazines, business cards, DVD’s, calendars etc.), the vaginal dilators are the ones that always get mentioned by visitors! Have a guess what I was staring straight at, while I sat down…! Well, where was I *supposed* to look, in the circumstances? ;-) )
Anyway, the friend who we’d arranged to meet after here was Mair D. I’d been meaning to speak to her for quite some time, after C noticed this page on her website, devoted to a former love of hers who had taken her own life nine years after finding out that she had inherited HD. It does show you though, as I’d wanted to do this for quite some time, just how long it takes at the moment for everything to click together!
After Caroline had finished with Dr C, the three of us left together for coffee at La Baguette(on the corner of Wimpole Street and Wardour Street). Actually, we had a couple of cups in the end, before we left shortly after 1630. We talked about a huge number of things, and you can tell the passion is still there – all these years later. If you’ve not had a look through that section of Mair’s website, please do. It explains all the tracking down she’s done of late, trying to find out what happened to that special person. That person does exist in us all – sometimes it takes a while to find, but they are there. Mair came with us to the tube, but later decided she’d stay with us throughout most of the evening.
Now, it’s not quite home time, as we’ve got several more parts to go!
We crossed Oxford Street onto Bond Street tube station, and managed quite an easy journey. Jubilee Line eastbound to Green Park, and changing there to the westbound Piccadilly Line. I remember from my days here that all the directional arrows around the Jubilee Line platforms pointed in opposite directions (from before the new long subway was put in between the two, and the reason they were never changed was arguing over who was paying. After I offered to self-service this with a marker pen back in 2001, we were told that they would be fixed. Six and a bit years later… guess what…!
Anyway, after that, we arrived at Hammersmith tube, and up the escalator Broadway bus station (the ‘old’ one – there is about to be a ‘new’ one underneath the old one, to expand the capacity, but it has been delayed several times). We had one hour to go two/three bus stops and find a floor, so we really had plenty of time (you could walk it, but I didn’t want to get tired unnecessarily!) Caroline had an appointment at 1800 with Christella, a speech therapist who comes highly recommended – it was her first visit, hence the visit to Charing Cross Hospital. I’d passed often enough – more so in 1999 when I was first living out west, usually on the 211 bus! It was an irony when 9811 on the 211 was the first bus heading in that direction, and we took this there. After finding the floor (went round in a few circles), we sat and talked for the first 40 minutes or so before C’s appointment.
While Caroline was in with Christella, Mair and I went off for coffee and a bite to eat. We talked about a wide range of subjects, pasts and presents, and the future. She thought that the two of us ‘look good together’, which was a nice compliment!
Now, around 1910, we got out, and crossed the road for a bus back to Hammersmith Broadway. Again, Travel London 9827 on the 211 – a route I’m now more used to on the Waterloo/Victoria side – to the bus station. Down the escalator, and I topped up my phone before continuing… only to see the grilles firmly shut in front of the District/Piccadilly Line tube station, and a bunch of hi-vi jackets around! Turns out, there had been a fire alert at Chiswick Park, so no service on either line from Acton Town to Earls Court. Ow! (That explains the two number 9’s that were turning at Hyde Park Corner, and the two 10’s – one for High St Ken and one for Oxford Circus – that I saw upstairs, and the huge crowds, more than usual).
So, the three of us crossed across the road to the Hammersmith & City line station. I must have been half-with it, as one local beggar decided to yell very loudly after ‘reading’ me. See, that’s why I say, I get read like the Yellow Pages – only rarely, and at the worst possible times! Most of the buses were full, and some were turning short, so we didn’t have too many options. We got off at Shepherd’s Bush (which will soon get ‘Market’ on the end of it), walked across Shepherd’s Bush Green, and got on the Central Line train heading east. This tired us a little, but given the lack of choices, it was impossible to avoid. We got to Holburn, and changed back to the Picc line for one stop to Russell Square.
We were travelling to the monthly TransLondon meeting, which was n a different location to usual – in the basement of a hotel. I did, however, misread the map in that respect. I presumed (because I couldn’t see Bedford Way) that the part of Southampton Row with the Bedford Hotel in it, was going to be where we were heading. It wasn’t – and we realised this after two people in adjacent shops didn’t know the location of the hotel. This was around 2030 by this time, and C was flagging badly. Mair then went on by foot to try to find it, while we had to stop.
We stopped at the Costa Coffee on the other side of the road (still open!) and this gave us a chance for liquid refreshment, and hot food. Indeed, Caroline was still hungry after I’d split a panini in two unequal halves, and given her the larger one – so I went and got the second identical one from the fridge!
I gave C the choice here, to go back to KX for the train home, or to continue and find the hotel. We chose the latter, but C wanted to get a taxi there – so I flagged one down, after about 30 seconds. I named the hotel, and I think the cab driver initially thought we were only after directions, so he was a little surprised when I pulled the cab door open, and C jumped in the back!
So, we pulled in, out the front of the hotel, and we spotted Mair talking on the side of the street to some others. We went in, and then got directions to the bowling area in the basement, only for us to walk out and turn left, and almost bump into Michael, one of the organisers. He pointed out that they had taken ‘the executive decision’ to leave the place, and go to the pub where they usually end up after the meetings at the bookstore – so, we walked about the same distance as we’d just travelled in the cab, to a packed upstairs with lots of familiar faces!
We had about half-an-hour or so, and left shortly before 2150 (just after
auntysarah did – and we ended up on the same busy train!) We walked down onto the Euston Road, and I remember we’d done this also back in April, hand-in-hand – almost perfect, again. This time, I was the one newly out of surgery, but it just felt right. We went for the 2215 to Kings Lynn, alighting at Royston. We got home after a full thirteen hours out on our feet, and headed to bed soon after.Wow – what a day!
(retroblogged later)
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no subject
Date: 2007-12-20 06:20 pm (UTC)I did have breakfast at the Oebel across the
street from the Bus station! :-)
* hugs *
no subject
Date: 2007-12-20 07:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-12-21 10:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-12-21 10:55 am (UTC)There is a Starbucks over the road from the bus stands at Centrepoint/Tottenham Court Road Station...!
Regards
Suzy
no subject
Date: 2007-12-21 10:31 pm (UTC)Interesting about the addition of Market to Shepherd's Bush station on the H&C Line, makes sense to clearly differentiate between it and the Central Line station at Shepherd's Bush.
I do love your transport posts; reminds me of all the travelling I did around London when I lived there. Do you have a favourite tube station btw? I'm in love with the station at Westminster; there is something very dystopian about the architecture and the huge series of escalators swallowing commuters into the bowels of the earth.
no subject
Date: 2007-12-22 10:17 am (UTC)The Jub Line extn was opening around me as I moved down, and some of those are big and look good.
Piccadilly Line perhaps to choose a line - again, refurbishment of the last of the 73? stock was happening around the time of me moving down there.
Heathrow isn't so much a station... but I like the Heathrow Express fleet.
Favourite stations perhaps - Arnos Grove or Harrow-on-the-Hill, big and lots of platforms/space!