From Boston To London

We returned home from England Monday and I’ve been getting over a grotty cold ever since. I took my car Ruby to get an oil change this morning and noticed the mechanic had ‘You’ll never walk alone’ tattooed on his arm (from Liverpool Football Club) and it reminded me I hadn’t done my blog! We flew from Boston Airport, kindly Kim’s parents gave us a ride to the airport.

Logan Airport shops aren’t really as good as London airports, I never realised how good our airports in England were compared to other countries (except Norwich Airport which was truly shit). We shuffled through security like cattle and then headed off to browse the few shops. I found another Jesus magazine, like last time, no one in the store found this amusing except me. This is how I looked when waiting to board:

I think because it was a night flight the wait felt super long. Although we saw a little mouse scurrying about in the seating area that amused us for quite some time. I resisted the urge to buy something to feed it with.

Eventually we were able to board, amazingly for once I did not get seated near any children, let alone screaming babies. I think they must reserve this special treatment for when I fly alone, perhaps Kim broke the curse.

We flew with British Airways and got some little wines to make spritzers.

I like aeroplane food, I got a chicken curry although precisely the time it was served we got a lot of turbulence so trying to eat was quite funny jostling all over the place.

Eventually after lots of bumping about and crappy sleep we arrived at Heathrow.

They’d re-vamped the airport since I was last there with some English themed decorations… some of the decorations I think would be misleading to foreigners…

Then we traveled to my Uncle’s house in Upminster. My Uncle lives part of the year in Cyprus and his house was empty so he kindly let us stay for a couple of days which was nice because we got to visit with my Great Auntie Lily who lives in Barking and see my Mum’s cousin Elaine who we are close to.

On the Tuesday we made our way back into central London on the underground.

And we went for lunch in the Walkie-Talkie building with my brother, his girlfriend and my Dad who we almost didn’t recognise because he’d grown a beard!

I didn’t even realise you could go in the walkie talkie building but it had a beautiful sky garden and viewing platform. I think we went on quite a good day because you could see pretty far.

So we had a nice long lunch and a good catch up.

Charles had sorted us out train tickets to go to Wiltshire but we had some time to kill so we walked along the river Thames (pronounced ‘tems’ not ‘thay-mes’).

Uncle Jim had left us some vouchers for London attractions so I think we paid about £3.50 to go to the Clink prison museum.

For £3.50 it wasn’t bad and we got a silly photo for free afterwards.

Embassy Interview

I traveled up to London on Thursday as it was finally time for my immigrant visa interview at the USA embassy. Luckily my Great Aunt lives in London so I went to stop over with her for the night which was nice. My Mum decided she’d like to go too and that night we met up with her cousin Elaine and went for a nice meal and afterwards we looked at a lot of old photos. I just adore old photos, I have quite a collection from my Granddad that I scanned but none from my Mum’s side so I took a lot of copies. It’s important to keep tabs on the photos as my Great Aunt got caught throwing a load out into a green wheelie bin once because her eye sight isn’t good and she said couldn’t see them anymore! Luckily cousin Elaine rescued them. Also as a nice surprise we facetimed my cousin in Australia and her new baby… well she isn’t that new anymore technically but to us in England she’s still brand new.

The next day Mum and I caught the tube from my Great Aunt’s house to the Embassy, it was between quite a few stops so we arrived early and got breakfast and browsed the shops a bit.

Oddly enough, we stopped in John Lewis’ for breakfast and on the shop display window we found Donald Trump. I don’t think it was meant to be Donald Trump but it looks remarkably like him doesn’t it? When I pointed it out in the street to Mum, other passers by laughed so it can’t just be me that noticed.

Anyway so we got to the embassy, we had to check Mum was on the list to bring in because you’re not really meant to take people with you. I had to call them and email them a zillion times for them to even take her name down. Then we were a little early so the lady told us to go and get a drink that we could take in for the wait so we did which was fine until we went back, got scanned and then I got my glass bottle of drink confiscated… but luckily the nice guards said they’d keep my Snapple behind the counter for me to pick up on the way out so that was good.

It was surprisingly not that busy inside, we waited in this room (no photography allowed!) for them to call a number we were given and then I went to the first counter and handed all my documents over which the man took for a folder and then I got my finger prints scanned in and had to sit down again. Then we played I spy for a bit and there was a small protest outside the embassy for something to do with murder in Turkey… which made all of no difference to anyone’s day. I never really get what people hope to achieve with things like that, there can’t have been more than ten people there with a microphone and after about half an hour when they’d all had their photo taken they just gave up and left. What on earth did they think was going to happen?

Eventually my number got called again and Mum and I went to a second window around the corner where I had to take an oath that I’d told the truth on my visa application. I got my finger prints scanned a second time and then the lady asked me the interview questions which was how I had met Kim, why we had got married in Canada and had we ever lived together before. And that was really it. Mum was a bit disappointed because she was expecting it to be some sort of interrogation like in a movie she likes about a sham marriage called “Green Card”. So all in all pretty painless, it took about two hours of mainly waiting and  everyone was really very friendly and kind. Also I got a CD with my medical stuff on to give to the border control people in America. I had a quick look and found my chest X-ray, very… bony. I’m not very good at interpreting X-rays but everything seems to be in the right place so I think it’s a win. Looks a bit like a hoop skirt.

I haven’t been up to much else, I went to the opticians and found out I have mild astigmatism which explains why I couldn’t see a thing when I thought I should be wearing reading glasses after the last time I had my eyes tested and bought some cheap +1.0 glasses. Because technically I’d be -1.0 so the optician said I was actually making my vision two times worse… oops. But I don’t need glasses unless I want them so that’s good. Still working a lot of shifts and getting taxed to high heaven. Goldie had an MOT and just needs the windscreen wipers replaced and headlights polished so that isn’t too bad. I paid £1,400 to move the cats to America in June. Oh and I discovered a small hole under my handbrake when I dropped my hair clip down there in my car accidentally. It is full of rubbish that is impossible to get out. So that’s… gross. Until next time!

 

 

TB? Or Not TB?

That is the question! The times are moving ever closer to my USA interview date at the embassy but before I attend my interview I had to drop into London to get a medical completed. I decided I’d just have a day trip to London and not stay over but I didn’t fancy driving or parking so I decided to take the coach for the princely sum of £26.50 return.  It left pretty early so I thought I’d walk into town half an hour before so I could have a nice breakfast at McDonalds and wake up a bit… and it was closed. It opened at the exact same time the bus was due. Annoying.

But I had a nice semi snooze on the coach which dropped me off at Victoria in London, then it was onto the underground. I read once that the underground has its own species of mosquito which is crazy because the pollution is so bad down there it’s amazing anything could survive.

I was a bit early to my medical so I stopped off for some lunch at Wagamamas and got a tasty katsu curry to help me get over the lamentable loss of breakfast.

And then off I trotted to my medical. Now there is only one private medical company that does the medical checks for the American Embassy at £330 a pop so it must be a pretty good earner. I had to give them all sorts of samples of bodily fluids, have a chest xray, have another tetanus jab (which they forgot to charge me for, score!), get inspected all over for drug injection marks and have my heart and lungs listened to. All in all it took about an hour and I got a gown to wear that made me look like a Jedi Knight.

So that was that and assuming everything is fine it gets sent off to the embassy ready for my interview at the end of the month. I assume I don’t have TB. It was still quite early in the day so I decided to have a shufti around the Victoria and Albert Museum because I hadn’t been before.

The museum had a lot of home furnishings and was split into geographical sections.

There was lots of sculptures, massive Persian carpets, pottery and wall ornaments, thrones and beds.

But my favourite was all the odd old fashioned clothes, it’s amazing how short people were back then from malnourishment and disease. There was something very human about seeing real people’s clothes that you just can’t get from furniture or portraits. They had Margaret Thatcher’s clothes, beautiful kimonos with their matching obis, clothes from the 60s… and this lovely number which I think looks rather mad. I mean you could hardly nip to the shops in it could you? The only useful thing I can think of is if you wanted to make a career out of smuggling because you could fit a lot under her fake hips. Or you could wear it through Heathrow security to infuriate the guards and fellow passengers?

Mid afternoon it was time to let them eat cake.

But I fancied a nice scone instead in the courtyard garden.

And then it was time to head back home. The coach went right through the center of London past Parliament and Westminster Bridge where the terror attacks were, the place was absolutely crawling with armed police everywhere but there were still so many tourists so nothing seems to be deterring them for business as usual, which is how it should be I think.

 

Harry Potter Part 2 & Visiting Family

On Friday we had part 2 of Harry Potter lined up for the evening so we took a trip to see my family, some of which live in London. We all met at my Great Aunt’s house and then my Mum, Uncle, their cousin Elaine and her daughter Alison, my Great Aunt, Kim and I went for a lovely lunch out. It was so good to catch up and I hadn’t seen my cousin Alison for years (although we couldn’t quite believe it had been that long!).

After dinner we took the underground to Covent Garden for a walk around.

And we got smoothies, Kim sporting the lovely ring my mum gave her for her birthday.

We got to part two of Harry Potter & The Cursed Child a little later the second day but we still had time to browse the gift shop. We got matching house necklaces because we’re that cool and met a very excitable Harry Potter fan who we chatted to in the queue. She was slightly mad and had already booked tickets to see the play a second time, she compared her own life several times to Harry Potter characters and knew strangely in depth information about the gift shop, the theatre and signings of books.

Anyways, backing away slowly from the mad girl, the play was enjoyable however if I had any criticism of it it would be that it didn’t feel like it was written by J K Rowling.

Also this time I didn’t choke coughing from my cold. This time I went to Boots and was armed with cough syrup which I swigged from frequently any time I felt like coughing and it worked a treat, it’s pretty much gone in fact.

 

We went back on the tube, they just opened the night tube too and it was pretty busy and I was so tired I think I fell asleep immediately!

Harry Potter & The Cursed Child

Last year I left Kimmy with express instructions to bid on tickets to Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and after she waited online for hours clutching my credit card she got them in exchange for a small fortune. We took a trip to London where we’d booked a Harry Potter manicure with Maddy at Wah Nails. Kim went for a deathly hallows theme.

 

And I went for slytherin nails. I annoyed Kim during all intervals in both parts by hissing and making my snake nail pretend to bite her

We queued up at 18:30 on the dot, we saw a lot of people dressed up and lots of Harry Potter themed clothes, hair and jewellery.

Inside the theatre it seemed small but someone told us it sat 1400 people at a time so I guess it wasn’t that small.

We were in row E so really close to the front, we made friends with our seat buddies, to our right were girls dressed in hufflepuff robes. Now these must have been expensive to buy… Where the hell would you wear official hufflepuff robes to? On our left were a gothic pinup styled couple with a Harry Potter tattoo, we liked them best and speculated during breaks as to the plot line.

I won’t give spoilers… But oh em gee.

London – Dermot O’Leary, The Delaunay & ICE Bar

So my Mum said she’d meet Kim and I for lunch, and I chose the Delaunay

Which was a bit fancy fancy

But also really cheap, I think a main meal and desserts/coffee and drinks cost £56 for three of us! Bargain. But best of all, when we sat down, I spied… DERMOT O’LEARY!!! Two tables over!!!

Ohhhh Dermot you fool, don’t you know that if you eat somewhere that commoners like myself can afford to eat at that I will be forced to take secret covert photos of you?? And that my Mum will keep looking over and saying you’re gorgeous? Poor Kim, not being from England had no idea who he was but Mum and I were sufficiently giggly.

Ahhh… so that was fun. And then it was off to the Icebar.

We picked which drink we wanted out from the menu in advance and then we got an arctic looking poncho complete with attached mittens… very stylish.

It wasn’t so cold it was uncomfortable or anything, I enjoyed touching all the ice.

And melting my glass with my mouth.

London – Afternoon Tea at the Goring, The Shard & The Tower of London

If you’re visiting England, you’ve got to get afternoon tea, and we decided to go to the Goring Hotel for ours (if it’s good enough for Kate Middleton then it’s good enough for us).

Feast your eyes on this tasty tower of loveliness.

The waitresses were so attentive, as soon as I finished my cup of tea they were there pouring more. As soon as we finished one plate they were there trying to give us more (included in the price too!). We were so stuffed afterwards. The girls next to us ordered another plate of sandwiches, I don’t know how they fit them in!

The next day we went to the Shard, I’m not gonna lie, I thought it was pretty expensive but if you’re going to be a tourist you may as well do it properly.

The view was good, especially on the highest viewing platform.

Then it was off to the Tower of London.

We made a wish at traitors gate, there were lots of Yeomen (Beefeaters) about the place, and ravens.

Kim said this guard wasn’t real… I said I’m pretty sure he was… he was.

The highlight of the trip was the crown jewels. Although they didn’t allow photography… so began my sneaky photography…

This one was especially difficult to take as there was a guard right next to us.

I thought poor Henry here might be having a spot of wishful thinking in his armour… dream on.

I did like the ravens though.

If you’d like to see the previous part of our trip to London, click here.

London – Kings Cross, Buckingham Palace, Camden Market & Covent Garden

We went to Kings Cross to get a photo at platform 9 and 3/4 but the queue was so loooooooonnng and we we had stuff to do so we skipped that.

Then it was off to see the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace – it was awful! By far the worst thing we did all trip.

You guys – the pushing, the shoving, the foreign languages everywhere, the rude police officers. It was so hard to see anything and my dear travel companion is 5ft so it was even worse for her.

So off to Covent Garden it was and I for one was glad!

It was so nice to browse casually and see the street performers. And then we got some Paella.

Then it was time for Camden Market. There are some weird people there chums, very strange indeed but Kim got some bargains.

If you’d like to see the previous part of our trip to London, click here.

London – Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Pub & River Cruise

We booked a tour of the houses of parliament but we turned up a little late (oops!) so we had to wait til the next tour. In the mean time Kim and I had a wander around the outside of Westminster Abbey. It was busy busy… to be honest I didn’t even recognise it.

Then it was time for our tour with… you guessed it – no photos. Sigh. We went all round the House of Lords and the House of Commons (which was my favourite place). We had a snooty tour guide who moved slowly, thought a lot of herself and looked disapprovingly at other tour guides – when a different tour guide corrected her I thought she’d claw his face off. You weren’t allowed to swear in the House of Commons apparently, it’s one of the rules for the MPs. I made sure to swear lots before we left the room.

Also in our tour group we were treated to a rude Scottish couple who tried to ‘shush’ me before the tour had even started (errr, excuse me?!) to which I replied that they should probably go in front of us because I would be talking whenever I wanted to, which they declined lol. They then preceded to loudly answered every comment and rhetorical question the guide made and hold everyone up because one of them couldn’t walk very quickly… so… they were pleasant company.

Then we walked down the river a bit more in the sun for a pub lunch.

The Mayflower is the oldest pub on the Thames which is based where the ship the Mayflower (you know, the one with the Pilgrims?) set sail.

Then we went on a Thames river cruise, which was very nice in the good weather. If you’d like to see the first part of our trip to London click here.

London – London Eye & London Dungeons

I went to meet my lovely friend Kim in London on Monday, it was £70+ return on the train so I decided to say eff that and go for the £9 return Megabus which only took an hour more each way and actually ended up arriving half an hour early each way. The only draw back was that to get in early enough to meet Kim at the airport it looked like this outside when I got up and I felt like death.

But I made it there in one piece and we got down to some serious tourist-ing, I was being my traditional holiday-nazi self and I made a strict schedule complete with plastic wallet with my name on… oh yes.

It’s Easter time so the crowds were heaving everywhere we went, we decided on the London Dungeons first. There was no photography so unfortunately you only have a view of the gift shop but it was ok, despite smelling of that fake smoke stuff. It’d probably be more enjoyable for children if I’m honest but it was something different and the actors were funny and good.

By the time we left the Dungeons the crowd had dispersed for the most part and everything was lit up which was very pretty.

And we got a great view on the London Eye, if you go and your visit allows it, definitely go after dark.

Apparently if the London Eye is full the owners can make £15,000 every half hour!