1982 - Home Leave to England - London Barbecue

Monday August 23, 1982 – London Barbecue

I went for a run this morning but had to cut it short as my ankle was playing up again. We caught a bus up to Oxford Circus after breakfast. Matt and Rab sat right in front and enjoyed the views – the consensus was that travel by bus beats going on the Tube.

A safari suit! Cool or what?

Having de-bussed we window shopped up Oxford Street with a side trip into New Bond Street. Incredible prices – one that I can remember was a safari suit for £295.00!! (For those who may not know what a safari suit is, it was a cool poplin or cotton loose jacket worn with shorts or long trousers – and no shirt in India and Africa although the Australians tended to wear a shirt and tie under the jacket, which rather negated the design.) Despite the price some of the goods displayed were far from attractive, although they might well have been fashionable. I find this kind of day trip very tiring and a little boring but Rab loves it. We landed up at Selfridges, an enormous department store that we had never really heard of. We didn’t spend long there although the toy department was huge.

The day was getting pretty hot and the shops were also too warm for comfort. We had lunch in a restaurant in Regent Street which was OK but nothing special for £11.50. after lunch we split up. Matt and I went to the British Museum and Rab went on her way for more window shopping on her way to the National Gallery. We only had a couple of hours at the Museum as Matt was flagging, but as was the case on every visit I made I loved what I saw – Ancient Britain this time. (One of the consequences of this particular trip was to realise just how much guesswork there is in archaeology – and most science! What focussed my attention on that issue was the magnificent Roman shield which was part of a hoard that had been unearthed. I couldn’t get over how well it had been preserved  - at least until I looked more closely at the exhibit and saw the very small rusted fraction of the original and realised that the shiny shield that had caught my attention was largely a figment of the imagination – what it might well have looked like!)

Tuesday August 24, 1982 – London

One of the 'regulars' I met on my run

Up bright and early on a dull morning. I didn’t run this morning though because this darned ankle of mine is quite painful after all the walking of the last couple of days. I nipped along to buy a zoom lens for my camera at a very reasonable price – can’t wait to use it now. (I had a Pentax Spotmatic and loved that camera. I wanted the zoom lens for shots of wild life on Lake Kariba especially.)

John A-S (the travelling insurance director of a large international mining group who I had met on his last visit to Zimbabwe) was meant to pick us up at 10.45 so we just sat around reading the newspapers until then. Mrs Quin, who we have found is the housekeeper  not the char came in to tidy up and she and Rab were soon chatting away like old pals. We were just going down to wait for John when he called to say that he had been held up and would be about half an hour late.

So we duly trooped down just before 11.15 and waited and waited and waited…Not a great start. Rab wasn’t looking forward to the outing anyway being not too keen on John and I wasn’t charmed about standing on the pavement in a drizzle. We did have a good laugh at some of the passing sights while we were waiting, but it was still annoying. At 11.45, now an hour late, I had just decided to go back to the flat to try to find out what was going on. Of course, no sooner had I got up there than he arrived, full of apologies about the traffic. As Matt said, though, when we got home this evening, it was hardly surprising thst he took a long time because even he could see that John could have taken a much more direct route.

We got to his house in Bromley at about 12.45 and met the family. His wife Jacquie is very pleasant. Their three daughters all reminded us of little mice on pipe stem legs but Matt had a good time with them.  John had suggested on the phone that we might have a barbeque – very original, said Rab (since we come from barbecue country) – and that is what we had despite the cloudy, windy conditions with occasional scattered showers. I stayed inside for as long as I decently could, talking to the ladies, while John made the fire, but I finally thought I should join him.

Matt was having a great time in the garden with the girls and their Labrador pup Ollie. We had heard frfom Jacquie about the barbecue which John had built so it was a bit of a disappointment to find that it was just a two foot square brick box about four bricks high. When I got there he had a couple of sticks burning away in this, covered by seven large potatoes in foil and was trying to cook chicken pieces on a grill in the warm air which managed to get past the potatoes. One stick was flaring every now and then so he kept shifting bits of chicken onto the flame to brown them.

After a while he moved the chicken bits and put on the sausages, some of which were badly burned by the flames and others of which were warmed up a little. He made no attempt to turn the potatoes which of course landed up being burned on one side and raw on the other. By the time he came to put the steak on, I suggested (breaching barbecue protocol which requires non-interference in another man’s barbecue) that he might take the potatoes off, which he did. That was the saving grace really because he managed to cook them a little and then put all the rest of the meat on again to warm it up. The chicken wasn’t on long enough to cook but at least most of the sausages lost their pallour. Rab’s face was a picture when she and Jacquie came down the garden to inspect the cooking.

We had a very happy time though, even if the food was not too good. After lunch the kids disappeared upstairs and rehearsed a play for us – and what a laugh it was. They put on Cinderella with Matt taking the part of the stepmother, the fairy and an ugly sister. Debbie was Cinderella, Sarah was Prince Charming (inclusive of Adam Any make-up!) and Rickie had a cameo part as a horse. I took a couple of shots – hope they come out.

 

The Cast of Cinderella in London

We got back home about half past five and just watched TV.

1982 - Home Leave to England - London again

Saturday August 21, 1982 – London

Funny to think we’ll be home this time next week – but it has been a most interesting and enjoyable trip. Had a good night’s sleep last night after a dinner of gammon steaks, mushy peas and mashed potatoes. Marvellous what you can get out of packets and cans here!

I went for a much needed run along the Embankment in lovely sunshine. There are a lot of tramps of both sexes who sleep on the benches – one I nicknamed Father Xmas as he has a very big beard which would be white if it was clean. He was snoring as I went past but a couple of others were busily writing in their notebooks. I would love to know what the subjects are.

After a pleasant continental breakfast when I got back, we headed off on our expedition to Harrods, surely the Mecca of all serious shoppers. At Rab’s insistence we walked there from South Kensington, wasting ergs of energy which we needed badly later. What a shop that is – everything everybody has said about it is true. That has been the story of this trip – everything has been what we expected it to be. We worked our way right through the emporium starting on the top floor to the ground floor just gawking at things like a suit of armour for sale at £2,000.

Matt spent the last of his money on a Millennium Falcon and has spent the afternoon happily playing with that and the other Star Wars equipment he has collected along the way. Our final stop at Harrods was in the Food Department on the ground floor to stock up for the weekend – there is just nowhere in the immediate vicinity of the flat where one can buy food, especially over the weekend. What a selection there was – I just cannot begin to list it. (On future business trips, I would try to stop in at Harrods on the way to the airport to pick up a wheel of the best cheese I have ever tasted – a gorgonzola whose name escapes me) We made some interesting choices but at this stage were so pooped – we had been wandering around for four hours – that we just grabbed a cab and with a brief stop at an off licence came straight home. It cost three times the Tube ticket of £1.00 but was well worth it.

Spent the afternoon watching telly – very good sport – and trying to get hold of a newspaper, also very difficult around here.

Sunday August 22, 1982 – London

The Group Decision this morning was to take a walk along the Embankment and then go on a river cruise up to Hampton. So we set off about 10.00 in sunny weather, but not for long. As we walked alongside the Thames, the wind came up and so did the clouds. Having learned a little about British weather, we had taken our anoraks so we were able to keep warm.

In view of the deteriorating weather conditions, we reconsidered the planned river cruise. Given the lack of comfort comfort on the boats – slatted wooden seats ; the look of the river  - very different without sunshine and the cost of £3.50 each, we decided against it.

I could always pull the birds in the old days

So we just meandered on past Parliament and Big Ben up to Trafalgar Square. Where we fed the pigeons. At least Rab and I did, but Matt was a bit wary of them and didn’t like their swooping down at him. I was surprised at Rab because one of her phobias is being trapped in a room with a bird flapping around.

We strolled back down The Strand, mainly window shopping since many of the shops were closed, it being a Sunday, and popping into the establishments that were open. We had a good lunch back at the flat – smoked mackerel, chips and mixed rice, all by courtesy of Harrods and spent the rest of the afternoon and evening relaxing and watching TV.

1982 - Home Leave to England - Derbyshire and Home Counties

Thursday August 19, 1982 – Derbyshire and Home Counties

We got off early this morning, foregoing breakfast to get clear of the city before the rush hour. We were due back in London to hand back the car but it was such a beautiful day that we decided to carry on and head North, possibly as far as York before cutting back across to Blackpool, The Wirral and Wales. As we headed North however the weather started to deteriorate and the weather reports indicated it wasn’t likely to get better. So we decided to give York a miss and instead headed West across the Peak District of Derbyshire.

View from Snake Inn

We really loved that area with patches of purple heather against the rolling hills and the forests. We stopped for lunch at Snake Inn at the top of a pass with incredible views across the valleys. Matt had finally decided to give his Ploughman’s lunch a miss so we each had a Cornish pie with chips and gravy. As we were eating the skies opened and it really pelted down. When it finally eased off for long enough, we dashed for the car and carried on with our tour. We kept running into heavy showers  and I finally reluctantly decided to pull the plug on our Welsh trip altogether and head back to London. Driving through one of the little towns - Chesterfield - we had a pit stop and Rab took the opportunity of buying wallpaper for the bathroom back in Harare. That’s going to make for an interesting but weighty bit of luggage.

The crooked spire in Chesterfield

We got back on the M5 and were soon bowling along making for Kenilworth as Rab thought I would like it there. (she had spent a bit of time with an old friend there when she was living in England twenty years or so earlier.) as we were driving through some road works on the motorway, the left front tyre of the car burst. Fortunately we had slowed down to about 50 mph and there was a gap on my left so I could pull off the roadway, which was down to one lane. There was not much of a shoulder because of the repairs and when I had the car on the jack it swayed every time a heavy vehicle went past, which worried me more than some. It didn’t take me long to change that wheel though and we were soon on our way again.

 

A storm approaches Kenilworth Castle

When we got to Kenilworth we decided to have a look at the Castle, the main reason being that we all had full bladders and the only toilets we could see were in the Castle grounds. The entrance charge was £1.45 which, as I said to Rab made it the most expensive piddle I had ever had. I was rather glad that Nature had called however because I had a good look around before the biting wind drove me and my companions back to the warmth of the car.

 

Matt and Rab in front of Kenilworth Castle

We headed for London via Berhamstead and Ashridge and got in about 20.45 after some skilful navigating and driving. It was good to be back “home” again and to be able to have a decent bath.

Friday August 20, 1982 – Home Counties

It turned out that it was a good decision to head back because only London and the South had decent weather forecast. It was a lovely day when we woke up this morning, rather late. I had intended leaving before “rush hour” but what with a certain amount of messing about, we only got under way by about 09.45.

The White Cliffs - and stony beach

There was surprisingly little traffic about and, having plotted our route which was well sign-posted, we were able to find our way easily. We had decided to see a bit of the South coast and particularly the White Cliffs of Dover, if we could. As we wanted to see a bit of the countryside on the way to the coast, we meandered around, taking the secondary roads and enjoying the views. We went through Canterbury and had a stroll through the old part of town, but did not visit the Cathedral. We had taken our own Ploughman’s Lunch, so we had that in a lay-bye near Sandwich – seemed an appropriate place to stop.

We went through several nice looking little towns, including Deal where there was a tempting castle to look over. However the combination of resistance from the party and the cost of entry - £1.70 each was sufficient to abort that idea. Apart from our lunch we had also taken some bread to feed the seagulls, so we got out on the beach at Deal to see if we could find any. Some beach! It was made of large pebbles and sloped steeply to an inhospitable green waveless sea. The few gulls that were there were obviously not a bit interested in bread and took not the slightest notice of us and our efforts to feed them. There was an icy wind blowing so we didn’t spend too  much time in persuading them.

With a brief stop at a cycle shop to get Matt a ‘danger’ flag for his bicycle back home, we made our way to St Margaret’s Bay near Dover where at last we found the white cliffs. Unlike most of our experiences on this trip, they were less impressive than we had expected. As it was getting a bit late by this time, we headed back to London. Driving along we thought about our photographs and thought we might pick them up on the way home – at Boots in Piccadilly Circus at 17.30. I was not really looking forward to heading into London at this time of the day, but it was OK. I would certainly rather drive in London than Johannesburg on yesterday’s showing. Admittedly we were coming into town and most of the traffic was going the other way, but it was not as clogged as it was in Cape Town, let alone Johannesburg. We weren’t held up at all in town. I dropped Rab off at Boots, circled the block and parked for  five minutes and then picked her up. The photos are very nice and cheap. Five films for £17.00 including Matt’s half frame twenty four shot film – forty eight prints in all.

1982 - Home Leave to England - to Birmingham via Glastonbury

Wednesday August 18, 1982 – To Birmingham

We woke amazingly late as the traffic outside our window was not nearly as heavy as I had expected it to be. It was pouring down and I got quite wet bringing the car around. It really was an odd set up at the pub and we had breakfast upstairs in the family living room. But it was comfortable.

We got off to a good start and before long the weather started clearing. As we were heading for Birmingham, we took the coastal road to Glastonbury. The scenery was again beautiful but quite different from that in Cornwall and Devon. The view of Porlock Bay was absolutely magnificent, as was so much of that area. The Porlock Hill Road with it’s 1:4 gradient was quite an experience too.

Glastonbury Abbey

The reason that we were making for Glastonbury was because I remembered younger brother Pad telling me that this was real  Hobbit country and that there were some interesting standing stones there. Well, it turned out that either Pad or my memory was wrong and I should have checked my Fodors first. Although to be fair, Roy had also thought that this was the area for standing stones. Anyway, what there is at Glastonbury, apart from the Tor, is the remains of an old Abbey. Matt and Rab had not the slightest interest in more old stones so while I looked around they browsed around the shops.

Once I read up the guide about the Abbey I realised why the name had stuck in my mind. It is all mixed up in the Arthurian legend and Avalon etc with even Jesus and Joseph of Arimathea reputed visitors. I was most impressed with the ruins as I always am because it is always awe-full to think of the effort and logistics that were required to put into these enormous buildings a thousand years ago. We had a very nice lunch at a little pub opposite the Abbey. Matt stuck to his Ploughman’s but Rab and I tried something a bit different. Steak and kidney pie for her and a pork pie for me. Excellent.

Onwards from there to Bath. Again my choice as I wanted to see the Roman baths again. Matt and Rab were both asleep when we got there and I nearly went straight through but then thought I could at least see the baths while the other two slept on. What a mistake! The traffic was incredibly heavy and the signposting very poor. Rab, having woken up to the dulcet sounds of my swearing finally asked a Traffic Warden who gave us very good directions to the nearest parking garage. That was full and there was a queue about half a mile long. At this stage I gave up and headed North.

We got on to the M5 which is a very nice bit of road and we were able to keep up a high average speed – the views weren’t as good of course. While there were three lanes the traffic flowed very well with the right hand lane being left clear for overtaking. It was not so good when it narrowed to two lanes as the heavy lorries tended to cling to the outside lane.

The weather cleared nicely as we got closer to Birmingham and Bob’s clear instructions got us to his house very easily. (Bob was another of the group I had met at Ashridge the previous year). Bob’s elder daughter was at home. I went off with her to the local off licence to get a few beers and some wine and then just sat around chatting until Bob and Pauline got home at about 18.30. Rab was getting more and more long faced with what she saw as a typically cheeky teenage girl and the fact that it became apparent that the family were somewhat disorganised. That all changed as the evening progressed and she got on like a house on fire with Pauline and Bob. The younger daughter arrived during the evening from London but she didn’t impress Rab either.

Our beds were very comfortable although Pauline had warned Rab that her bed was propped up on a pile of books.

1982 - Home Leave to England - Devon

Monday August 16, 1982 – Truro

An overcast day with a bit of rain here and there. We had a darned good breakfast before setting off on our journey. We had chosen a Bed ‘n’ Breakfast establishment for our night in Exmouth and the Haines (our landlords) were very pleasant. At £6.00 a head we thought it was very good value. Matt loved the house which was a large semi-detached one and thought the whole experience was great fun.

After a couple of false starts we found our way to the coast road and made our way down the road through a number of very pretty towns including Torquay and Torbay. We were grateful for the fact that the day was not too pleasant – the traffic must be hellish on a hot day over a Bank Holiday weekend!

 

The view from our lunch stop

We got to the Dartmouth ferry at about lunchtime and joined a queue of cars that was gradually inching its way forward. We had no idea how long the line was until we finally reached a place with a placard which indicated that you could expect a delay of up to one hour from that spot. We found later that delay was the one expected when two ferries were running but as one was out of order, we could expect a delay of up to two hours. On the strength of that information we pulled out of the line and went to a very nice local hotel – The Redoubt – and had an excellent Ploughman’s lunch for £5.00 all in. The hotel was at the top of a hill opposite Dartmouth College and the views were magnificent. It would be lovely to spend a couple of days there but for the proprietor who can only be described as a wanker. He reminded us of Basil Fawlty but without the humour.

Polperro transport

Rab dozed off in the afternoon much to Matt’s chagrin as he was navigating and felt he should occupy the co-pilot seat in front. We by-passed Plymouth on the A30 and wended our way through the beautiful countryside to Polperro. Rab had fond memories of the place from a previous visit, but that was before it was so commercialised. It is still a very pretty place but the souvenir and other shops tend to detract a little in much the same way as power lines detract from a landscape.

 

Polperro

The Smugglers’ Museum at Polperro was interesting and then we headed for Truro where we had fish and chips and found a bed and breakfast for the night.

Tuesday August 17, 1982 – Yelland

Last night’s B ‘n’ B accommodation was not as good as the night before. Matt and Rab were crammed into one room with wall to wall beds and I had to go next door to sleep there. The breakfast was very nice and gave us a solid base to start the day. Based on this experience, though, Rab decided that tonight we should stay in a pub or hotel.

 

St Michaels Mount

We set off in a slight shower, bright and early at about 08.15. our first port of call was St Michaels Mount. Thank goodness that had not been spoiled by commercialism. We had hoped to drive over to the castle as the tide was low, but no such luck – and we didn’t have the time to walk there and back.

A Furry Dance??

On we went, by-passing Penzance and on to  Mousehole – which we learned was pronounce Mowzzle. Again a very lovely little place. There were a fair number of souvenir shops, but nothing like those packed into Polperro, probably because there just isn’t much room for anything in Mousehole. We finally managed to get our  Devon Cream Tea at Pam’s Place and it was, as advertised, very good indeed. The clotted cream was excellent and even Matt ate his.

 

Matt and me at the end of Britain mainland

Leaving Mousehole we made for Lands End but due to navigational errors on the part of the co-pilot we landed up (a) going through Penzance and (b) heading for St Ives. Matt took over the map, as navigator, and did a first class job of guiding us around Penzance through some very narrow lanes. My only regret was that we didn’t get to Ding Dong, a nearby destination. We finally made it to Lands End which again was very commercial. We laughed at all the Poms flocking like sheep into a large car park about a mile from Lands End at 25p while we drove on to the car park at the end of the road which was half empty and only 15p more. We thought it was meanness which made them park there, but as later events showed, it was just stupidity or the herd mentality.

We left about 13.30 having had our photo taken under the famous sign post and headed back to St Ives, stopping at a funny little pub for lunch. I had smoked mackerel, Matt had a Ploughman’s and Rab the crab salad – with drinks about £6.00 and good value. The road from there to St Ives was very narrow and we were held up several times as coaches and cars competed for road space. We finally got on to the A30/A39 which was pretty good most of the way and headed for Tintagel to see the ruins of the castle where, so it is said (probably by the tourist industry) King Arthur held court. Once again the Gadarene swine were filling the car park on the outskirts at 40p while we were able to park for 30p right in town. We were taken down to the castle by Landrover and walked back after a quick look around the ruins since it was getting late. Matt was most impressed.

In terms of the decision taken regarding accommodation, we tried a hotel -  The Commodore at Bideford. Thank goodness they didn’t have a room as that would have cost an arm and a leg. They suggested The Imperial at Barnstable, so we shot off there passing many attractive looking pubs and B ‘n’ B establishments on the way. Our trip was to no avail. The Imperial too was full. Onwards – to the North Devon Motel – full. Time now about 20.45 and it is getting dark. On to the Ulfracombe Road Motel – success! BUT – ghastly hotel costing £45.50 making it the most expensive hotel of the trip.

Back tracked with numerous rejections until we finally secured a room at the Fox and Hounds. Very small pub right on the A39. there are allegedly two other guests, but they have not been sighted. The family lives upstairs and also cooks there for the restaurant. Hope closing time is at a reasonable hour. At £19.00 it is a little more than the Haines, but not in the same condition!

1982 - Home Leave to England - Exmouth

Sunday August 15, 1982 – Exmouth

Me and the Alfa

I woke up to the sound of wet roads and found that it was drizzling still. The car arrived on time – a rather old Alfa Sud – and the owner of the firm was very pleasant. (There were no company vehicles available at this time.) We did not get off quite as early as I had intended - finally leaving at 10.30.

There were no problems in navigating our way out of London and being late we missed a deal of traffic before heading down the M25 like a rocketing pheasant. There was a fair bit of traffic on the motorway, but no hold-ups. At the end of the motorway we took to the smaller B Roads so we could see a bit of the countryside. It really is beautiful with the fields and trees all so green.

Matt's take on a man in the pub

Our route took us through Winchester and Salisbury. Mid-way between the two we stopped at a little pub – The Pheasant _ where we had a most enjoyable lunch: pate and cheese with crusty bread with a draft lager. On we went through Dorset on the recommendation of John Stanford (a pal of ours in Zimbabwe) we went down to Bournemouth to see a typical British seaside resort. We had a bit of a laugh seeing all the locals gambolling about on the sands and in the water in a high gale and rather chilly conditions. Although it was not exactly raining at the time, it wasn’t exactly a sunny day either. All in all it was more like a winter’s day on the South African seaside.

 

Tranquil seaside view

Our next stop was Dorchester where we tried, without success to see John’s sister, so on we went. I can see why he loves his old county so – some of the views as we drove by were absolutely magnificent. Beautiful little villages set against green fields and rolling, wooded hills. As we were getting closer to our destination – Exmouth I spotted a sign advertising the Heavy Horse Club. So we popped in to see what was afoot. What glorious animals those enormous cart horses were.

A first for us - a B 'n' B

We arrived here on time and met up with Roy and Christine and their daughters. (I had met Roy at Ashridge the year before). We had a walk along the front, bought a couple of drinks and packets of shrimps and whelks – that was a first – and finished up with fish and chips in newspaper to Matt’s delight.

1982 - Home Leave to England - London Days 2 and 3

Friday August 13, 1982 – London #2/#3

It was a lovely morning when I woke up at about 06.30 and I went for a run along the Embankment since my leg felt much better. No repercussions there so at least I will be able to keep a bit fitter.

Tower of London - Tower Bridge behind

After breakfast, which I cooked – scrambled eggs, bacon, toast and yoghurt – we set off in summer rig for the Tower of London, intending to go from there to St Katherine’s Dock and the London Dungeons.

We had a most interesting tour of the Tower with a garrulous Beefeater who obviously enjoyed his job enormously. Had a look at the Crown Jewels, which were magnificent, and then a very brief tour of the armoury because my companions had had enough history for one day at that stage.

Rab and some Beefeaters

The weather had turned foul while we were absorbing all the historical information and Rab in particular was freezing, so we caught a cab – just double the Tube fare of £1.00 – and dashed for home. We got held up on the way by some NUPE protesters who were striking for higher pay. (This was quite an experience for us because strikes were illegal in South Africa and protests like this one would attract armed police and tear gas. Here the police just stood by and watched the show.) After a sandwich lunch in the flat we set off, more suitably attired, for Madame Tussauds in some occasional showers. Matt and I loved the waxworks despite Rab’s constant mutterings that it had changed since she was last there twenty years previously- and not for the better.

Having seen all there was to see we went on to the Planetarium where we saw a show about the stars which I found very informative while Rab had a little snooze.

We came home via Marks & Spencers in The Strand to collect a few bits and pieces as Jan was coming to supper. We gave her quite a good scrap meal with sausages, erbsen puree, cauliflower au gratin and stuffed potatoes – marvellous what you can buy ready prepared in the supermarkets here.

It was a very pleasant evening and Jan seems happy in her new job. She even outtalked Rab for a (brief) spell. 

Saturday August 14, 1982 – London

Matt and I nipped off to town as soon as we had breakfast and had sorted out the goods we are taking on our trip tomorrow. The main object of our city excursion was to get our films into Boots as their developing and printing is so cheap. Having done that we diverted to Hamleys – or at least Matt did while I dashed off to M & S in Oxford Street to get some comestibles for lunch.

We got back to the flat just after 12.00 and watched telly while waiting for Jan to arrive. She finally made it by about 14.00 so by the time we had eaten and were ready to go it was after 15.00. Jan’s driving was a little hesitant at times – not the speedster that Rab had recalled from years back.

First call was the Covent Garden Market which was very colourful and interesting. All sorts of arts and crafts – and some pretty unusual (for us at least) people. Rab didn’t enjoy herself all that much as she teamed up with Jan, who was looking for clothes and since the fashions were “way out” it was a bit of a waste of time.

 

St Katherine's Dock

Next port of call was St Katherine’s Dock. There was a number of historical ships there, including Cook’s Discovery but felt that the entrance charge of £1.75 a head was more than we wanted to pay. So we just had a coffee at the Dickens Inn and had a look at the shops before setting off for the London Dungeon. When we got there Jan said she was not too keen on going in and as the entrance fee was £2.80 each we decided to give it a miss, which was fine by me. Not sure that anyone would have enjoyed the scenes of violence and torture.

 

Tower Bridge

The rest of the afternoon was spent driving around seeing the sights, including to Matt’s delight, Buckingham Palace. Back to the flat for supper and spent most of the evening watching television. Some of it was very good, but there was also a lot of rubbish.(Although we could see the Zimbabwean television in colour because we had imported a colour set, not generally available in Zimbabwe, the broadcasts were pretty poor quality.) I tried some Californian wine which I got at Littlewoods – quite pleasant.