Adventures with Alex, Summer 2012 - an Overview......

Several weeks have elapsed since Alex and I returned from our adventures together and, despite the best of intentions, I haven't managed to get back to recounting our doings, so have decided to publish a synopsis of our activities - then maybe I might manage some more posts and pictures.... At least, this way, there'll be a thumbnail sketch of what we did each day! 

Day One - Thursday, June 28

Alex arrives at LHR, a couple of hours late, owing to mechanical problems in Toronto. Tube to Warren Street, then walk to Schafer House, Drummond Street, Euston, to check in Alex. Stopping train from Liverpool Street station to Cambridge. Used bus pass from train station, then walked around in the warm sunshine, Alex snapping lots of pictures of bikes, colleges, punting on the river etc.. Some problems finding train to return from Cambridge... Back to digs (BTD) after 10pm.

Day Two - Friday, June 29

On our way, around 10am, to Westminster and the Abbey. Self-guided tour of the Abbey, then across to Central Hall, where Bronwen, the guide, showed us around, taking us up to the balcony - the vantage point used by press photographers, whenever there is a special event, such as Prince William and Kate's wedding, at the Abbey. In the afternoon, to the Churchill War Rooms, where Alex had great fun dressing up and impersonating the great man himself, then up Whitehall. Downing St., Prime Minister's residence, inaccessible because of ongoing security. On up Whitehall to Horse Guards Parade - closed in anticipation of Olympic beach volleyball - to Trafalgar Square. Early supper at Cafe-in-the-Crypt, then to National Gallery for concert. Afterwards, over to St. Martin-in-the-Fields for concert there. BTD after 10pm!

Day Three - Saturday, June 30

8:50am train, from Paddington to Slough. (Discovered later, left walking poles on train :-( ) To Windsor, for sightseeing at St. George's Chapel, front row at changing-of-the-guard and touring the castle. Royal standard flying, so the Queen was in residence. By train again to Reading, then bus to The Abbey School. Greeted by professional duo, 'Austentation' – Gillian Froom (now Tunley) and her musical partner, Frank Underwood – and Helen Gardner (now Horton). Greeted others, showed Alex some of my old form rooms, then it was time for afternoon tea, in the courtyard. Lots to eat for Alex; entertainment by 'Austentation' To the Abbey Archive to pick up my photo albums. Bus into town, then walked to Abbey Gateway and Forbury lion, before catching bus to Caversham Bridge. Lovely walk, in the evening sunshine, along beside the river, before meeting Brian for a brief visit. Quick Burger King supper, at Paddington. BTD after 10pm!

Day Four - Sunday, July 1 – CANADA DAY!

Set off for St. Paul's, thinking service was at 10am … but we were early for the 11am Choral Eucharist and London Sinfonia! Wonderful! Afterwards, walked over the Millennium Bridge, then wended our way along the South Bank, taking in all the sights and sounds, ending up at Trafalgar Square, in time to catch part of the big Canada Day party! Left the party for a while, to go to Knightsbridge to Holy Trinity, Brompton (HTB) where the Alpha program first started, Returned to Trafalgar Square, to the Canada Day party, where the rock concert was in full swing! BTD after 10pm!

Day Five - Monday, July 2 - Older Grandson,  Tony's 21^st Birthday!!

Turned up at Handel House Museum, only to discover that it is closed on Mondays! Quick change of plan, then headed to the Monument , commemorating the Great Fire of London, in 1666. Alex climbed the 311 steps to the top, taking my camera along for the ride. Then headed to 'Des Vins', at St. Pancras' Station to meet cousins, Ann and Gill, plus Gill's # 3 son, James aka Wiz (lawyer) currently looking for work; # 5 son, Edward, doing masters in psychology (musician). Ann left early, to get back to Leicester to see the Olympic flame pass through nearby Oadby. Wiz and Edward left and Gill accompanied us to St. Paul's. Alex and I went up to the Whispering Gallery, then A continued on to the Golden Gallery. We met up with Gill in the cafe, for afternoon tea. Returned to St. Pancras, met Gill's # 4 son, Matthew, who has masters in psychology, but now working and training as an accountant. Looked around St. Pancras with Gill, Alex played the London Festival piano there, where he encountered Paul, a fellow musician. BTD a little earlier than usual...

Day Six - Tuesday, July 3 - Theatre Day

Off to St. Paul's again then walked over the Millennium Bridge, reaching the Globe Theatre in time for the first tour of the day, afterwards hustling ourselves along to the National Theatre, hoping to catch their 10;30am tour....but it was cancelled! Took in the exhibition of 'War Horse', before heading back down to the Globe, for the performance there of, 'Taming of the Shrew'. Alex chose to be a 'groundling', in the open-air (court)yard for the second part of the show – despite the drizzle! - and I was one too - for the last ten minutes! Back again to the National Theatre, for the 5:30pm 'behind the scenes' tour; so interesting to see things from the perspective of the 'greats' , who have performed there, such as Sir Laurence Olivier, Dame Judi Dench...

Day Seven - Wednesday, July 4

To Westminster Pier, to catch the 10am boat down to Greenwich. Bus to the O3 Dome (formerly the MIllennium Dome, title during the Olympics: North Greenwich Arena) to visit the British Music Experience. Back to Greenwich, to do 0 Meridian. Olympic equestrian events to be held there, so grounds almost unrecognizable! Boat from Greenwich to Tower Pier, then on to visit Tower of London, particularly the Crown Jewels and Diamond Jubilee jewels. From the Tower, a quick dash partway over Tower Bridge – which was open, for a few minutes, to allow river traffic through - to get to the Tower Bridge Experience, before it closed..... then via the Dockland Light Railway to the Olympic Park, at Stratford, to meet nephew, David, who is working there. Another quick Burger King supper. All three of us were exhausted, so we had a fairly brief visit..,then BTD.

Day Eight - Thursday, July 5

Pilgrimage to Abbey Road – to see the studios, sign the wall and to do the 'zebra walk' (of course!) From there to Little Venice, to see how much Alex remembered from when he and the rest of the family stayed there, for three weeks, when Elaine was working on a contract in London, ten years ago. Beautiful sunny day! Walked along by the canal, to get to Paddington. From there, by bus, to meet Ruth at Wesley's Chapel. Another bus to St. Paul's, a stop at another 'Play me – I'm yours' piano, for a tune from Alex, the three of us walked over the Millennium Bridge – yet again! - to the Tate Modern. After a few preparatory comments from Ruth (good friend from our days at The Abbey, now a retired art teacher) Alex went off to explore the exhibits - and Ruth and I settled down in the coffee shop, to have a good old natter, over several cuppas! From there, the three of us once again wended our way along the South Bank - this time at a leisurely pace - crossed the river via Hungerford Bridge, then made our way to Trafalgar Square, for supper in the Cafe-in-the-Crypt. Ruth then headed off to catch her train home to Ely, and it was BTD for us, to get packed up, ready for the next day's journey...

Day Nine - Friday, July 6

To Oxford, by train from Paddington. Arrived late morning, took the bus, then walked, to our new digs at Magdalen College. Heavy rain – four days' worth in one day, according to our 'scout' (housekeeper). Chilled out for awhile, then walked over to Faculty of Music's Bateman Museum of Ancient Instruments. Early supper, at the Mitre, then bus out to Headington. Saw house where I lived, during my second year of teaching, on Old High Street, not far from the house where Joy Davidman, C.S. Lewis' widow, lived. A lovely walk in the evening sunshine - particularly appreciated, after all that rain....

Day Ten - Saturday, July 7

First leg of train journey to Stratford-upon-Avon was uneventful, but the train we should have taken from Banbury was cancelled. Phoned Liz and she suggested she and Tim pick us up at Warwick Parkway, then drive us to Stratford. All worked out well for us, thanks to L & T,and we saw Shakespeare's birthplace and the Shakespeare Centre. No time for lunch! Rushed to the theatre, just in time for the performance of, 'Julius Caesar' by an all-black cast of the Royal Shakespeare Company. Very good! Highlight for Alex was to be in the right place at the right time, to have his picture taken with 'Julius Caesar' himself, after having had him sign his program! A long day, by the time we were BTD in Oxford, but definitely a memorable time!

Day Eleven - Sunday, July 8 - C.S. Lewis Day!

A bus to Risinghurst, beyond Headington, brought us to C.S. Lewis' home, 'The Kilns', located very close to a beautiful nature sanctuary. After taking pictures of, 'The Kilns', we set off for a walk, but unfortunately the mud, puddles and nettles rather discouraged us... We retraced our footsteps and from 'The Kilns' it was just a fairly short walk to Holy Trinity Church, Headington Quarry. This was the church where C.S. (Jack) and his brother Warren (Warnie) worshipped, every week, for some thirty years and their respective graves are located in the churchyard. Although we arrived some time after the service had started, we slipped into the church, then afterwards were able to see the plaque on the pew where the two brothers sat each Sunday, as well as the nearby etched window, depicting a scene from the C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia. Once back in Oxford city centre, we were in need of sustenance, so decided that the Eagle and Child pub, frequented weekly, for a number of years, by C.S. Lewis, and his fellow 'Inklings', such as J.R.R. Tolkien, would be an appropriate place in which to enjoy a traditional Sunday roast dinner. We were not disappointed! Energized by our substantial dinner, we were soon on our way to various museums and bookshops – Pitt Rivers Museum, Ashmolian Museum, Blackwell's bookshop (also music and poster shops) and the Oxford University Press (OUP) bookshop. By the time the shops were closed, the sun was still shining, so we wandered down to Folly Bridge via Christ Church college, where parts of the Harry Potter movies were filmed and where Lewis Carroll (author of Alice in Wonderland) was a student, stopping at the 'Alice Shop' en route. After all the rain of the previous few days, the Thames was flowing swiftly and the swans and geese were out in full force. We thoroughly enjoyed our riverside walk – beside the Cherwell as well as the Thames - as we made our way back to Magdalen College via Christ Church Meadows.

Day Twelve - Monday, July 9

Not having an early start, a hearty English breakfast, in the historic surroundings of the refectory of Magdalen College, seemed like an appropriate way to conclude our time in Oxford. A former professor at Magdalen was C.S. Lewis and we had been told of a poem that he had written which was displayed out in the grounds, so after breakfast we set out to find the plaque with the poem, as well as the flowering window boxes, indicating the windows of the rooms where he resided when at the college. We were successful on both counts, and enjoyed a lovely stroll through the grounds, in the morning sunshine. Deer were grazing peacefully in the lush green grass of the extensive deer park, the stream was flowing gently beside the path where we walking, when suddenly around a bend, we came upon a beautiful water mill. Then it was back to the porter's lodge, to pick up our luggage to set off for the train station. Although the Waynflete building, where we actually stayed, did not have the historic atmosphere of the main Magdalen buildings, it was easy to recognize why the old college setting was chosen for both the 'Inspector Morse' and 'Inspector Lewis' TV series.....

Yate, the nearest station to Chipping Sodbury was our next destination. Brother Jim was there to pick us up and whisk us across to Luckington School, where his granddaughter, Lily - my great-niece - was taking part in the school 'Olympics'. Unfortunately, we missed the races, as the event had started earlier, but we did get in on some of the medal presentations – and of course, the inevitable 'sticky' tea! Despite so much rain having fallen earlier, later on we were able to go picnicking in the woods. Negotiating the extremely slick mud was decidedly hazardous, but once we had slithered our way down and gathered around the picnic table, with food spread out and a blazing log fire forming the centrepiece, no-one could have asked for a more beautiful setting!

Day Thirteen - Tuesday, July 10

After the 'Olympics' yesterday, Lily's mother (my niece, Sue) went into a huddle with Lily's teacher, at which time it was decided that Lily could be 'sprung' from school on Tuesday, in honour of the whistle-stop visit of her Graunty Di and her cousin, Alex, particularly as Sue had an educational trip in mind, suitable for all participants.... At a civilized hour, we all set off, with Sue at the wheel, in charge of her multi-generational group: Jim, Lily , Alex and me. As we were going to Wales and would be in the vicinity of Penarth (near the Welsh capital of Cardiff) the home of cousin Carole, it was arranged that, later in the day, we would pay her a visit, as well. Once we reached our destination - St. Fagin's Museum of Rural Life - we spent some time experiencing life in by-gone days, as we wandered through old farm buildings (brought from other parts of the country) and learned about old farming methods. Amongst other things, we had a detailed explanation, and demonstration, of the milling process, with the giant waterwheel being turned by the pressure of the flowing water, which in turn set the machinery in motion. For lunch, we sampled fresh bread and scones, warm from the bakery.... At cousin Carole's, after a little visit to Penarth beach, we enjoyed another 'sticky tea'...and then the entertainment began; those of us who were prepared to pedal vigorously became pianists, with the rest cheering on our efforts! I well remembered Carole's 'magic' piano (pianola) – and Lily was as intrigued with it as we were as kids.... In addition, Alex gave us a 'proper ' recital. Once we returned to Chipping Sodbury, the day was rounded off with supper, mostly of the fish and chip variety, at the 'Cross Hands' pub, in nearby Old Sodbury......

Day Fourteen - Wednesday, July 11

And so to Bath.....by local bus, from Chipping Sodbury. Thanks to Judy for picking us up, together with our bags, and driving us to the bus stop ..and thanks to Sue for enabling us to go sightseeing, for our morning in Bath, sans luggage; later in the day, she brought our bags to us In Bath, so for most of the time, we were unencumbered. Another lovely morning, so we walked quite a distance, taking in the sights of Bath, such as, The Circus, Royal Crescent, Pultney Bridge, the Pump Room (where we sampled warm Bath water!) the Abbey (where there happened to be a wonderful lunch time organ recital...) and Sally Lunn's house, the oldest house in Bath. Part of our lunch consisted of a Sally Lunn bun and a Bath bun! After a very full morning, we were quite thankful to rest on the train, as we journeyed back to London, to new digs, this time in Bloomsbury....

Day Fifteen - Thursday, July 12

A long and full day! (What's new about that??! ) I think I clocked the most walking ever - 26,000 steps, almost 20km and 16 WW points.... The day began fair and sunny, so we set off for the Olympic Park, by way of  Kings Cross Station, stopping off at Platform 9 3/4 (of Harry Potter fame!). Once we reached Stratford, we were able to get a bit of a view of the Olympic Stadium and Aquatic Centre (where nephew, David, supervised the safety of the workers, during the roofing of the building) from an observation deck, at the John Lewis department store. There we browsed through all the Olympic souvenirs available - without buying a thing! - but we did manage to purchase the very last Diamond Jubilee tea plate, almost exactly what Elaine had requested.... It was a relief to check that one off the list, as Diamond Jubilee souvenirs turned out to be pretty thin on the ground, just over a month after the celebration.... From Stratford (Olympic Park) to St. Paul's gift shop, walked over the Millennium Bridge to Globe Theatre gift shop, on to the Tate Modern bookshop, then the National Theatre gift shop - did I mention we visited some gift shops??! We ate lunch, sitting on a bench on the Embankment, while listening to the playing of a visiting high school band from the U.S. We were back on our feet again, though, seeking out Foyles' bookstore, ducking into various music stores en route, on Tin Pan Alley! (Forgot to mention that as we set out this morning, we stopped in at, 'Peregrine's Pianos', close to our digs. Security was high, so we had to be approved before we could be let in. Once inside the shop, Alex drooled over the pianos for sale there, especially the Schimmel (?) with a selling price of 54 thousand pounds, which he was actually invited to play. The proprietor said she could arrange to ship it to Canada, but I assured her that the price was was quite outside Granny's league!!!) The Science and V & A museums were next on the agenda; I had had thoughts of going to Harrods, but by that stage in the day, I was more interested in just sitting down and watching the world go by.... After Alex had spent a little time in the two museums,we took the tube to Leicester , close to the National Portrait Gallery. Even though it was open late, we had pretty much run out of steam..... but, after supper, revived by some good hot food, we set off in the rain for Queen's Theatre, to pick up our tickets for 'Les Miserables'. We both thoroughly enjoyed the show!! (and I only nodded off for a couple of brief naps!) After the show, once again, it was a walk in the rain to get the tube, which was absolutely crammed, as everyone was either heading on to another evening activity, or (like us) returning BTD, getting in just before 11:30pm, after another walk in the rain...

Day Sixteen - Friday, July 13

We both enjoyed a good hearty English breakfast, once we were through security, at Heathrow. After we left our digs, we had to walk for some twenty minutes, dragging our suitcases, to the nearest tube station. Despite that, and after the 45 minute tube ride, the check-in delay due to the baggage belts not working, check-in being inundated with two planeloads of travellers, unhappy because their flights were cancelled yesterday......the two of us are in

surprisingly good shape, especially as we were out late last night
and weren't to bed until after midnight (Les Miserables!) so I thought a 'full English' was definitely in order ..... and now, one airline meal and one airline snack later, we are just about 30 minutes out of Toronto....and here end, 'Adventures with Alex'....a most memorable time for both of us!!