Londinium

Hello, dear reader!

Sorry for the very evitable delay, but yesterday kind of exploded on me. True, a better prepared, better organised man would have written his blog well ahead of time. The trouble is, that’s not me, and that bloke’s blog is nowhere near as thrilling a read.

So, on with the show.

This week the most troublesome part of log writing, the onerous task of finding some potentially interesting factoids amid the humdrum footfalls of my not too exciting life. This is not one of those weeks, because, as some astute readers may have worked out, last week, the week of the missing blog post, Tina and I went to London.

Departure Times
Just to be clear, although the trip has been booked for some time, that was last week. Not the week before or the week before that, as some may have imagined.

We left on Monday, taking the bus to my native Leeds where we had a decent breakfast, courtesy of a well known budget pub chain, and set off in plenty of time to catch our connection. The National Express, heading to London Victoria.

It’s a long trip, four and a half hours, on a clear run, but National Express (when you’re feeling depressed) provided a comfortable ride, a decent amount of non-condescending aid, and even some on-board entertainment, courtesy of the pair of drivers who, despite being big, burly blokes, had the banter of my long-married parents.

From the bus station, it was a case of finding our way to our hotel, in Raynes Park, a suburb of London which was new to us. It turned out to be a lovely, surprisingly quiet little place.

On Track
Admittedly, the prospect of taking two trains to get there was a little daunting, but, in realty, this was just a case of heading south and then east to get where we were going, and our total travel time, including shooting past Raynes Park so we could approach it from the other direction to reach the accessible platform, wasn’t too dramatic. The fact that Tina nearly got herself trapped on the wrong platform at Victoria train station, and then left her hand bag on the train and only managed to rescue it by the skin of her teeth? Well that was a little more… interesting.

However, as trips go, we’ve had worse.

The hotel was a Travelodge and much like any other Travelodge, although the accessible room did have a very generously sized bathroom, which was a boon. At the end of the day, though, it was a room. A base from which to operate. The main part of the trip was still ahead.

Said main part was the chance to spend some quality time with my step-daughter, Sarah. Something we accomplished in spades. The two non-travelling days were filled with exploring Raynes Park (which didn’t take long), and, on the third day, nearby Wimbledon which was surprisingly free of Wombles but, with the tennis just around the corner, surprisingly rich in giant balls.

Pop Quiz
Perhaps feeling the pull of the missing Wombles, and perhaps for some much mooted exercise the three of us (that’s me, Tina, and Sarah) decided to go for a walk on Wimbledon Common. A lovely walk in the sunshine over less than level ground with the added hazard of horse riders and the things they tend to leave behind them. We stopped for lunch, after a much needed hand wash on my part, and decided to take the bus back to town. Where we took our leave of an overworked and overtired Sarah. Tina went for a nap, I had my first experience of Matcha Green Tea Latte (not for me, I’m afraid) along with my book, we refreshed, made ourselves presentable, and attended a quiz at the same overpriced pub I’d popped into for an overpriced pint (over £7!!) on day 2.

We didn’t win.

I think this is mainly because we were a team of four; myself, Tina, Sarah, and Sarah’s flatmate, who is lovely, and the winners were a team of eight. I don’t think Heidi the chihuahua really counts for numbers. She certainly didn’t contribute many answers

Sliding Doors
And that, apart from getting stuck in a lift for twenty minutes at Clapham Junction train station was pretty much it. As usual, it was a short trip—just four days, with two of those being heavy on the traveling, but it’s worth it to see the girl, expand our knowledge of the big smoke, and hit some of the usual haunts in the process (Westminster Cathedral is a place that’s non-negotiable for us).

I’m not sure when we’ll get a chance to go again, probably next year, now, but I think Raynes Park, as small and quiet as it is will definitely see us again.




Until next time.


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Hey, there! If you enjoyed reading any of the above, why not take a look at some of my published work? Below you’ll find links to a number of short stories I’m lucky enough to have included in anthologie. I’d love to know what you think.



New Tales Of Old



Death Ship



Pestilence: Drabbles 1



Reaperman: Drabbles 3



The Musketeers Vs Cthulhu



Eldritch Investigations










































Until next time.


#


Hey, there! If you enjoyed reading any of the above, why not take a look at some of my published work? Below you’ll find links to a number of short stories I’m lucky enough to have included in anthologies. I’d love to know what you think.


New Tales Of Old


Death Ship


Pestilence: Drabbles 1


Reaperman: Drabbles 3


The Musketeers Vs Cthulhu


Eldritch Investigations