Saturday 13 June

We take a taxi from our hotel to the railway station and burst out laughing when we see how close it was – less than a kilometre. It looked longer on the map and the suitcases are heavy. The driver says it we are not the only ones who have done this – he was probably just being kind. The weather is hot which makes the following station announcement odd “This is a safety announcement. Due to today’s wet weather, surfaces may be slippery. Please take extra care.” Go figure.

Train trip from Liverpool to London – a pleasant trip and only a couple of hours although we travelled backwards which was odd. A Virgin train, modern carriage. What was very strange was that our tickets were NEVER checked. We could have saved £130!!!!!!!

Did not like Euston Station - antiquated and not passenger friendly.

Went to hotel (Thistle Marble Arch) - problem with room (2 single beds) so got it changed to room 282. A lovely room but the worst view so far.

Musings on hotel soaps. This hotel's are called White Tea. Yesterdays were Fresh Lettuce. Who thinks this stuff up?

We book a West End show – STOMP. I have always wanted to see it and missed out twice when they were in NZ. Tina feels the same. There were some awesome musicals on eg Priscilla, Phantom, Mamma Mia and Sister Act has just opened to good reviews. Then there is The Mousetrap – it’s been going 57 years so must be doing something right!

Went to Hyde Park - hired deck chairs and relaxed in the shade of a tree. Tina took the long walk to find Princess Di Memorial.

Tina got 3 tops on Oxford St.

Nice meal in hotel.

Death defying taxi trip to STOMP which is at Ambassadors theatre. Tickets £60 each. Get there early and saunter. The area is crowded with theatre goers and it’s fun to stand on a street corner and just look. We both loved the show. It was everything we wanted/expected (dance, rhythm and co-ordination) PLUS it was so funny with great audience interaction and involvement. The stage is a pile of “junk” and items included:
brooms – ordinary household ones
matchboxes – my favourite; amazing what can be done shaking a box of matches whilst drumming/tapping on them at the same time
cigarette lighters with all the lights turned out
newspapers – just turning pages was so rhythmical
kitchen rubbish bin and small brush and pan
a bag of rubbish items eg supermarket plastic bags
rubber hoses of varying lengths and widths

and, of course, their high flying act.

Then a lovely tricycle ride back to the hotel (as we had in Paris) on a mild night.

Two recent news items:
A man comes out of a shop, still getting organised (fumbling with his purchase and change). He drops a £10 note. This is noticed by the police who alert him. He picks it up and thanks them. The police then give him a £50 fine for littering!!!
A convicted woman turns up to do her community service sentence in killer high heals (what did she think she would be doing?). She is turned away on health and safety grounds. She refuses to change shoes and is given an alternative sentence – a curfew. She is in the media claiming to be a victim!