London Lille and Birmingham

We had a smooth flight to London. Pat found a bar still open in Atlanta and we had a good chat with other travelers. As you can see from the shutters we stayed til the bitter end.

A lot of the tube stations have these inspiring notes on the entrances.

I know absence makes the heart grow fonder but I do think London improves every time. First stop was the obligatory visit to Ruby and Peller. Pat thought it was to do with boat engines when I first suggested it. thinking Impeller! That’s why he looks so grumpy at the entrance ! This is the best lingerie shop ever. They used to have a Royal appointment until the owner pissed off the Queen but it still feels like your someone special in there

Upon leaving R&P feeling more like a woman we jumped into a cab and instructed him to take us to Kensington Palace. That made me feel very posh. This is where Diana lived and is not advertised too much. The grounds are beautiful and this month they were displaying dress codes.

The middle picture is a wind vane and quite ingenious. You can see it’s still working. King George had it done so that he could estimate where his ships were, based on the direction of the wind. The only problem was that he forgot that the wind blows from different directions in different places.

I love this pic of Diana. I was under impressed with the red suit in the glass but then realized it was one of Diana’s and you can see from the picture she could make a dootsy suit into a glamorous ensemble.

We took a short cut through where all the Embassies and royal quarters are but we’re not allowed to take photos. We came upon this beautiful cloister originally built in 1070 but rebuilt and modernized in the 1800s. It’s hard to believe it’s in the centre of London.

That evening to Evita with Mark and Terence. Wonderful! Also wonderful to spend time with both of them. Although we talk on WhatsApp a lot nothing beats shooting the breeze in person. Of course we having such a nice time I forgot to take photos

The following day we travelled up to Birmingham, (Meant to be the Venice of the UK but I think there’s a little poetic License there). There were lots of hen parties wherever we went. I was very pleasantly surprised it has cleaned up considerably since I was last there 40yrs ago!!

It was a delight to meet up with Katrina and we went on a barge trip. Very relaxing. Later we met Glen for the first time. We LOVE Glen. The following day they picked us up and took us to Litchfield as I wanted to visit an Olde English town. Litchfield not only has a produce Market a cathedral but also the house of Samual Johnson ( he wrote the first dictionary ) and we had a stroll through it.

We went to the Arboretum and I chatted to the man who went directly to 1956 to see the names of his friends. He had a few medals but was very dismissive of them. Lovely man.

And later, a good old English lunch in a pub by the canal. Watching the barges go by . Just like we watched the Gondolas in Venice… well a bit different but the company was better.