Back home

Both of us now safely home.  No diversions, no dramas, just jetlag, unpacking and washing.


Leaving LHR Wednesday evening.

Same view the next morning.

I still marvel that they stay up in the air for as long as they do.

Last day in London

Today (Wednesday) is my last day in London.  Mercifully it was cloudy so didn't seem so hot.  But the taxi on the way to Heathrow showed 37 degrees.  Fortunately it isn't particularly humid.  One lady at breakfast told me that her (long distance) train had gone slower than usual yesterday because of concerns about buckling rails.

Anyhow, got to the British Library - absolutely no queue.  Obviously not in the league of the British Museum.  Saw yet another exhibition on the Magna Carta and saw a second one.  Not in as good condition as the one at Salisbury.  I believe Br Library have two, and Lincoln Cathedral has a fourth.  Two Magna Cartas is plenty - no need to go looking at more.

Then saw the permanent display.  Original scores of music ,jottings from the Beatles,  letter from Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn to the pope (no prizes for guessing the subject matter), lots of Bibles, other sacred texts, including some in Chinese.  The old books are beautifully illustrated.  Also a Guthenburg Bible.  They were comparing how many scribes would be needed to publish what the press could churn out.  But even the ones off the press needed hand decoration.

And one item was given to the British Library in lieu of an unpaid tax bill.  Wonder what we have that would satisfy the ATO?

Pictures not allowed inside, so here is one outside:.

And this is the view of the walkway between Kings Cross and St Pancras Stations. Like a scifi set.  

Now at Heathrow waiting for flight to Singapore and home to Sydney on 3 July.  So the next post will be from Sydney.  Unless we have some other excitement on the way home!

Bits and pieces

It was hot today and forecast hotter tomorrow.  30 something today, but not too humid.

I leave London tomorrow, got my flight put forward, arriving home 3rd July.

And saw this today outside the hotel:

National Portrait Gallery

Then had a look at the National Portrait Gallery.  A couple of them below:

 

 

 And this fellow was Irish too!

 

Shopping

I thought I wouldn't have much to say about shopping, but a couple of interesting things happened.

The nice young man in impeccable dress and English accent at Fortnum & Mason was wrapping Kin Mun's fudge.  I asked if I could get VAT back, which lead to a discussion about taxation in general, including in Australia, and then to multinationals and their tax.  But he was more sympathetic to multinationals.  He pointed to the gadget in his right ear.  He said it was an Australian company that made his cochlear implant.  He was keen to visit Australia and to make contact with Cochlear and perhaps give a talk.  I was stunned - the implant certainly worked, he had absolutely no evidence of any impairment. He said he had a head injury when 3 years old.  So Australia certainly had made an impression on this young man, and you can think of him when you eat your fudge Kin Mun.

Then had a look at Liberty.  The young lady with Asian features was serving me and when she talked, she had a very Australian accent.  So I asked if she was from Australia - Oh, how did you know? said she.  I said I was from Australia, and glad to hear the accent.  She too was from Sydney, and has been in London 5 weeks, 2 weeks at Liberty.  I asked her how it was to work there.  She said it has a very different dynamic to stores in Australia, such as Myer.  Then she spontaneously added that the transport was much better in London!  Completely agree with her. 

And saw this too.  Very neat and very Japanese, along Piccadilly.