To Kew Gardens looking at tropical conservatory plant
To Kew Gardens looking at tropical conservatory plant

Diana was keen on getting away for an early start for our do day London break and so, after a short while, we left in our nice clean range Rover, dropping the girls off at Di’s parents’ house in Bar Hill and then driving down the M1 to Holborn. Some shopping in the High and Mighty shop sale for some clothes and then onto Kew Gardens looking at tropical conservatory plants before finishing at Piccadilly Circus to see the John Cleese film, ‘a Fish called Wanda’ before returning to our Swiss Cottage Holiday Inn and to bed.

I was awoken early by Diana who was eager for us to get started on our two-day London break. I wanted to wait a little while, so I could give my Cambridge colleagues the chance to contact me about my computer repair, but they did not. I also went and sat in the conservatory for a while after breakfast and the fish still seemed to be fine. Eventually, at 9:15am, I decided we should go and within 15 minutes we had loaded our belongings and the girls into the nice clean Range Rover so we could leave.

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The drive to Bar Hill, the first time I’ve seen my parents-in-law house since they moved in last spring. It is the third house they have had their and, speaking to Di, we worked out they have owned nine different houses and seem to have to move as soon as they become settled anywhere. (In order, we think they have been Glebe Rd, Letchworth; Pound Wood Lane, Harpenden; Willow Way, Letchworth; The Willows, Hitchin; William Way, Letchworth; Fylde Close, St Neots; Maddingly Rd, Cambridge; The Spinney and then Chestnut Rise, Bar Hill). We dropped the girls off at Diana’s parents’ house, and left quickly for London, travelling down the dull and boring M11. It is a god-forsaken route with no service areas, barren chalk embankments where the grass can hardly grow and a horribly-coloured concrete surface which may be coloured by the chalk dust from surrounding farmland. The whole area should be reverted to woodland for better landscaping. I did not stop until we got to Holborn, where we had a morning coffee in the McDonald’s (Di was by now desperate!) and we then called in at the High and Mighty sale and bought a number of clothes for me. We got a Parka coat, sports jacket and trousers, three shirts and an identical pullover to the one I always wear. Then via the embankment to Kew Gardens by my request. We spent the main part of the day looking at the plants suitable for my new conservatory and quite wore ourselves out walking to and fro. Then to Piccadilly Circus to see the John Cleese film, ‘a Fish called Wanda’ before returning to our Swiss Cottage Holiday Inn and to bed.