Time with Diana alone following the trail of Pepys from Cambridge to London after dropping off the children and then shopping in Oxford Street and a performance of ‘Abracadabra’ at The Lyric Theatre
Awake at 7.30 with tea and the morning paper and soon Diana prepared breakfast of juice and toast before she left to do some shopping. She returns within an hour upset that I have only just risen but within half an hour we are on our way to take the children over to Diana’s parents’ house in Bar Hill. We leave them there and set off for our night away without them (which only happens but once a year on our wedding anniversary.) I have been tracking the history of the trips Samuel Pepys made in the 17th century from London to Cambridge and I set off to London along the old highway.
We take much pleasure in seeing the old ways and in particular the mileposts erected in 1729 and still legible as you leave Cambridge. Each milepost is emblazoned with a crescent shape upon a shield and we do not yet know their origin. The route takes us through Foulmere, Barkway and then the mileposts become faced with a cast iron plate thereafter. Eventually we pull up at the old town of Pickeridge where the modern roads engulf the old ways thereafter. We choose The White Heart for lunch and the barman tells us that the Inn has existed there under this name since 1634. It is a splendid place with first class food and hospitality. On thereafter via Ware, Hoddesden, Waltham Cross, Enfield following the direction of the A10 until we eventually arrive at our Hotel, The St James Hotel in Langham Place in mid-afternoon. We serve ourselves a cup of tea from the hospitality tray in our room and then walk down to Oxford Street to do some shopping in the sales. The Department Stores are interesting but tiring. We do manage to buy Diana a cheap pearl necklace and a cardigan and myself a black leather document case which will be fine for my work. Back to the hotel for a rest and then quickly by taxi to Hammersmith and, after a snack at a hamburger bar, we enter the Lyric Theatre to take up our places for the performance of ‘Abracadabra’ musical. It is most grand with clever dancing by two attractive girl performers and lively words to the music of the famous Abba songs. Back to the hotel after by taxi and into bed, tired at the afternoons exertions. We heard news today of the conviction of a South African spy who has long been giving NATO military secrets to the Russians. The weather still mild but a breeze rising at dusk. All day the sky had been clear and the low sun from the south had been quite blinding as we drove south.