The Rest of October 2008 Half Term

What a higgedly- piggedly blog it’s become!!! Never mind.
I can’t get internet access from my hospice bed and too worn out today to get out of bed and to the place where the intermittent wifi signal is, so have asked Heather to download this via the good old memory stick and post it on the blog. This means that I’m relying on a fuzzy memory that I only got as far as Monday half term to tell you what we did before I was ill. Oh well, I think you’re used to my disorganised organisation now!!!!
Tuesday - we got up early as had to get to the London Eye for our 11am ‘flight’. I know British Airways operate it but it is hardly like flying is it? Poor AJ was frightened of the thought of going on it as he’d overheard my conversation about a friend who couldn’t cope with the height and spent the whole ‘flight’ lying on the floor so he was scared. Heather explained that it wasn’t scary and he listened and believed her whereas I think he thought his parents were just trying to trick him into going on it. So another big thanks to Heather or we’d have never got him on it!!!
As a disabled person, we were able to access the fast track system so didn’t have to really queue to get on but I’d ordered the tickets by phone so we had to collect them first which did involve queuing in a badly thought out system. On the way out of the queue, my walking stick got kicked by a young, fit man and I nearly fell over. It got really caught up in his legs, I thought my stick would break and yet he still didn’t stop. I shouted after him and my hubby chased him and shouted at him and trod on the back of his ankle for. There is only so much you can see your wife tolerate before you take revenge.
After that we got into our capsule and off we went very slowly. AJ was really excited to see the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. I’m not sure what he knew about them but it was obviously something he knew about. Woody could see the Wembley Arch so that pleased him. Laura just enjoyed the ’flight’. It was a clear day but there was mist so we couldn’t see as much as I’d hoped but it was still a very enjoyable experience.
On the South Bank there were models of Salvador Dali’s paintings which were interesting to look at but impossible to photograph. Laura wanted to go to the London Aquarium but the queues were horrendous and that wasn’t why we’d gone to London.
We then went off to London Bridge Station as hubby wanted to go to the Design Museum.
There were no signs from the station along Tooley Street to the museum so we followed the map but it was a long walk. We passed the queue to the London Dungeons - it was unbelievably long!!! Has anyone been? Is it worth the wait and expense? We eventually turned off Tooley Street to walk along the river bank and stopped by an odd looking glass building opposite a sandwich bar where hubby and I could buy tea and we all could eat our packed lunch. It was so unbelievably warm and great to be able sit outside and eat. Hubby took AJ inside this glass building with the staircase on its outer wall to use its facilities. I’m sure some of you who know London well, know which building I mean. The new London City Hall. Apparently, there is a very good map of London on the floor and the people are friendly and the facilities are clean!!! I took a great photo of hubby stuffing his face with his roll with Tower Bridge in the background and then took another one where he looked handsome!!
We then carried on our way to the Design Museum. It is well hidden in an old warehouse area that has been changed into business and retail outfits. Put it this way, I’m glad the children were free and we got one adult half price as it was very small and not what we expected at all. The book and shop were great and I want to look at the website soon as it has some good books and gadgets in. Woody bought a book about the history of Lego there (honestly) and got a lovely reusable, black bag as well.
The rest of the Design Museum was a disappointment. They may have a huge area for storage but not a big display area and we ended up seeing a lot of chairs and crockery and cutlery which was not interesting for us adults or children. There was an exhibition by a psychedelic artist who illustrated the Ugly Bug Ball which was rather amazing on the eyes.
After this, we were so close to Tower Bridge and as it had always been one of hubby’s ambitions to walk across it, we did walk across it. Hubby was amazed by how narrow it was and the children thought it was fun as well. This then led us onto the Tower of London area and by now I was exhausted.
There is something about us and the underground at Tower Hill. We can never find the entrance and by the time we’d got on the underground, I was shaking with exhaustion.
No idea what we did Tuesday night but I think it was a quiet night in!!!
Wednesday - hubby took the children to the British Museum and I just lounged around the house in my PJ’s until noon waiting for the water to reheat as I’d manage to waste a whole bath of hot water by adding too much cold and running the water tank completely out of hot water. Sorry Heather.
We then had lunch and Heather took me out to her nearest M and S to buy food and to Peacocks directly opposite to buy Laura a new fleece so hardly an exhausting day. In the evening, Heather and I met up with 2 of her friends for a lovely pizza and chat. It was great fun and I’ve promised to put their names in my blog so thank you Dee and Margaret. It was a lovely evening and you were all such fun to be with.
I know it wasn’t a late night but on Thursday when I woke up, I was still tired but we were due to meet with my sister and her 2 youngest today so had to really get up and going.
I’ve never been to the Natural History Museum at half term before but again, it was so busy. We met my sister quite easily and she went off to get me a tea whilst hubby took the children off. Why does it always happen to me? I sat down on a chair which promptly half collapsed under me. Good job I was over 3 stone lighter than this time last year or I might have gone on the floor. It just shook me up and I needed some oromorph to get the pain out of my hip. I did point this out to the manager who got rid of the chair and had words with the café area’s manager as he said it should have been checked this morning. Thing is, it might have been but someone may only have just broken it. It wasn’t the best start to my already shaky morning. I think I only saw the café and the shop as I had no energy to go elsewhere.
Mid afternoon, we decided to go to Covent Garden to see the street entertainers. It had started to rain so us adults stayed under the covered part of the market and the children watched the entertainers and as usual, I needed a cup of tea so us adults went to the Transport Museum’s café and squashed up on a very odd little sofa.
It was then time to go home via MacDonald’s and I just relaxed in the evening and then it was Friday!!!