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London is another land
THE Night Sleeper - what a great way to travel. You save time and money. You don't have to wait around at the airport being questioned about your terrorist plans!
We were setting off to London last week. The plan was to get on the sleeper at Montrose and wake up fresh as daisies in London, ready to tackle the capital city. We would be full of fresh country air, and ready to take on anything.
My beloved and I have a slight difference of opinion on sleeper strategy. I work on the principal that no-one I know will see me at the station and that the guards will have seen everything. So I have my bath, plaster on the night cream, brush my teeth and climb into my pyjamas ready to get straight into my bunk. The other half finds this behaviour faintly embarrassing, but I do it anyway.
Two people getting ready for bed in such a tiny space is a hoot. We are pretty small people, so I can't imagine how a big chap would get on. And so the night begins. The description "Night Sleeper" is nonsense. There is hardly any chance of sleeping, unless you are drugged or drunk.
Night snoozer or "Night Peep out of the window to see if you're at Crewe or Carlisler" would be better names. Eventually the tap comes on the door with the early cup of tea, a cold croissant and the slightly damp blueberry muffin.
Stepping out at Euston, you see more people in 15 minutes than you would see in a month in Angus. It's hard to believe that London is even in the UK. It is totally international. It's pointless to ask directions, because everyone seems to be a stranger. Your ears hear every language under the sun. Every colour and creed is represented.
This trip was half work, half play. We had tagged on an extra day on each side of the work, so we set about some serious tourism.
We caught a boat to sail down the Thames to Greenwich to visit "The Cutty Sark", The Royal Naval College and the Maritime Museum. It was a fabulous morning. These are real breathtaking national treasures, but they were quiet with not many people there. In London there is simply no point in putting your purse away.
The museums are generally free, but a cup of coffee will burst the bank. A glass of wine is almost a fiver, every bus trip is 1.50 and a single tube fare is 3. There are saving tricks of course, but we didn't know them until too late.
We take turns to choose what to visit, and I chose Kensington Palace to see the Testino Exhibition of Princess Diana's pictures. There is so much more to Kensington Palace, than this exhibition, but I was reminded of how breathtakingly beautiful she was, and I was glad to have taken the trouble to go. It was first bought by William and Mary, and the whole history is brilliantly reconstructed. Frustration set in later as it was so hard to get back to base because of road works and expected buses simply not turning up.
That evening we went to a show. The fabulous "Guys and Dolls" starring Patrick Swayze. We've loved that show ever since one of our sons performed in it during his Gap Year in South Africa. Can you imagine a perfect performance of that show set in gangster, gambling New York performed by school children in Africa with only one white boy? After the initial surprise, these kids put on a sensational performance, which resonates down the years. The London show did not disappoint. We left with big smiles on our faces and we reckoned it was worth the considerable cost.
The next day was the working day, but I did have time to spend in the absolutely fabulous newly refurbished British Museum. It is more of a world heritage site. Too many treasures to take in during one visit, and one would need to visit again and again to really absorb it. It is prepared for educational visits and there are hordes of school parties, accompanied by teachers and helpful parents. Lovely excited crocodiles of enthusiastic faces. You realize that there are so many good things going on, even in these days when the world is seemingly tumbling around our ears.
So my advice to you is, go to London from time to time, see the sights and use all these free galleries and museums, because they do belong to you. We are all the owners of the treasures, bought with our money for us to see.
However, be aware that your senses are assaulted in more ways than one. If birds are singing, you can't hear them, everything gets filthy, looking down is depressing because of litter and gum, but looking up is a delight because of the fabulous skyline and interesting roof tops. The traffic is beastly and the sheer press of people can be overwhelming.
Chugging back up north was sheer joy. Green fields and space. Back to Angus, fresh air, birdsong and room to move around. It strikes me as madness that all those people in London actually choose to live there. My eldest son has just made that choice. I guess he just has to get London out of his system. Good luck to him. Three days does it for me, lovely in very small doses, then I need to see our trees and feel the soft fresh air on my face.
- Jo Middlemiss is a Personal Life Coach who lives and works in Edzell. You can contact her on (01356) 648 329.
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Weather for Brechin
Wednesday 08 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 1 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 25 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Light rain
Temperature: 3 C to 4 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: South west
