What Hours We Keep!

It's 1.50am - I don't believe the hours we're keeping! I think I have a second wind when I sit down at the computer in the early hours of the morning. Today started with a run at 7.30am - a drizzly morning but we wore singlets and shorts so fairly temperate. We ran to Epsom Common and to the race course where we noticed that Ronan Keating is performing on 7 July while we're in Italy! Apparently the Queen takes her horses to that race course. It was a good run - steady hill on the way there but the way back was great - about 7km all up.

We caught the train to town again after brekkie and went on London buses and the underground to negotiate our way round various places. Also had a coffee in a chocolate shop - they put chocolate slices on top of the froth and a free chocolate truffle came with it - yum! The coffee would only rate a 5 though - the froth was too fluffy! Believe it or not I had a really good coffee in Starbucks in Epsom just after we arrived on Tuesday. Now it could have something to do with the fact that I hadn't had a coffee since we left Canberra but gee I enjoyed it and I never drink coffee in Starbucks. It would rate a good 7! CJ take note!

We had a trip on the London Eye this morning which is new in the last couple of years. It's like a giant ferris wheel only it goes very slowly and you are inside glass so it feels safe! I thought I would be terrified when I looked at it up in the sky but it was amazing. The only problem was the weather - bleak and drizzly so the views were dimmed somewhat but it was still fantastic. We decided, cos of the inclement weather, to gain some culture indoors so we spent the afternoon in the Tate Art Gallery. It was really good. I used an audiovisual guide which made it really interesting. Then we caught a bus to Notting Hill Gate where we used to work in the 70s and went on a trip down memory lane. The building is still there but it's a real estate office now. We worked there when it was an Architects' firm and very new. It still looks good more than 30 years later. To continue the nostalgia bit we had dinner at a fish restaurant where we used to go to - very expensive fish and chips - I think it translates to $60 with a glass of wine! Then it was a mad dash on the train back to the city to go to see the Lion King. We went to Covent Garden Station which is very far underground and thought we'd take the short cut from the bottom as there was a queue for the lift and we ran up 197 steps in a spiral - thought they'd never end. Arrived at the theatre with 1 minute to spare and then had to run up another 100 steps to our spot up in the gods! It was a great show but we bought a bottle of coke each at interval cos we were so tired that as soon as we sat down we kept nodding off - no fault of the show, it was fantastic - bright, colourful and very cleverly done, but gee the theatre was very hot! By the time we walked through Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden and Piccadilly after the theatre and caught the train back to Epsom it was well after 1am. John and Gill were still up - they keep late hours too! They arrived home about this time this morning from Portugal. They're such a lovely couple. Tomorrow we should be able to spend some time catching up with them at last. We may have a day in the country instead of dashing back into London.