Weeks 5 & 6 - London

The trip from Heathrow to Chiswick was cold but hassle free as we know this route so well.  It was wonderful to see Stormin (aka Pippy Long Stocking) , Bumczyna, Zar and Pickle.  They looked as gorgeous as ever and hadn’t really changed since 2008 (Bumczyna hasn’t changed since I first met her 12 years ago). The only two remarkable differences were the house – all 7 floors of it - which had been completely renovated since our last visit and Stormin who is in training for the London Marathon and therefore super lean (bastard!).  

We sat around all night catching up and the next day lapped up the fact that we didn’t have to get up and go do stuff.  I personally loved the fact that Big A and I were no longer the source of Middle and Little A’s amusement and they happily played in Zar and Pickles room in the attic (6 floors away).  It was the first time they had been further than 5 metres from us in 4 weeks.  

Middle A, Pickles, Little A and Zar.

New Year's Dinner

New Year’s Eve was just lovely as Stormin and Bumczyna had been out to Harrods to stock up for a very special feast.  Beforehand we had ventured up to the Lyric Theatre to see the Panto “Aladdin” and then headed home where Stormin put the final touches on the NYE banquet.  Entrée: Lobster and smoked salmon; Main: beef and guiness pie; Desert: 4 mini signature deserts – yummy!  We welcomed in 2012 with a toast and watched the London fireworks from the comfort of the living room.  I swear it is the first NYE dinner I have ever had with friends where I didn’t take my (or should I say Bumczyna’s) slippers off …classy!  

Our big day out of the week was to the Tower of London where we took the girls on a guided tour.  Considering how the girls were having sleeping troubles complaining of nightmares and death I’m not sure how sensible it was, but we went along anyway and any concerns I had were quickly abated when 1 week later Middle A would ask, “what does decapitated mean?”.  I abandonded my chicks for possibly the second time in 35 days to meet up with Big Nikkers at the Trout in Hammersmith.  We have been friends since about 1997 when we both worked for a US software company and it was just like old.  The real stand out change was that she was driving so we could actually walk out of the pub without propping each other up.  She had some great news about her family situation and so we did have 1 celebratory toast (I think I had 2!).  Big A took the girls to the Big Easy in Chelsea – his favourite restaurant in the world, to eat his favourite food, Buffalo Wings so it was a great day all round.  Other trips this week included a trip to the British Natural History Museum and La Mancha, one of my favourite restaurants and the best authentic Spanish tapas outside of Spain I’ve ever eaten at.  [La Mancha Website] Don’t go early though as the atmosphere is much better from around 8pm.  I’d forgotten how late Londoners eat (or should I say how early Queenslanders eat!)  

On the weekend they open up the Houses of Parliament for a guided tour so we trundled off to Westminster.  It was amazing and so interesting. I was so impressed with the guide’s knowledge and the building is so ornate and beautiful, they just don’t make buildings like that anymore and it is such a shame as it makes me think that we are not leaving future generations anything that will stand the test of time (apart from overt consumerism and pollution).  The girls were amazing and held it together for the full 60 minutes which I was really proud of.  They did start to get antsy with each other in the last few minutes but all in all for a subject matter so much advanced for their age I thought they were extremely attentive and well behaved.  Believe me they have been less so on other occasions!

Later on we caught up with one of Big A’s best friends and Little A’s godfather, Rapido.  His nickname was acquired from his legendary toilet habits but I’m sure Big A will fill readers in on this below.  We met up with Rapido and his beautiful family of wife and two girls for a session of ice skating and lunch at Hampton Court Palace.

The other big event of the week was a hair cut...

Our old mockers from home.

 It was fabulous to meet up with our old muckers from Brissy and have lunch at Carluccios in Covent Garden (across from an ice cream parlour called Snog) in Garrick Street. [Carluccios Website] Whilst there we watched some street entertainment in the square and checked in on Pineapple Studios just in case Louie needed some extra dancers  (the girls waited outside for Steve and I to finish our audition - any day now the phone will ring I just know it!).

Watching Street Theatre at Covent Garden

I wouldn’t say it’s like home at the Stormin’s family residence but let’s just say we have our own beds, baths and shoe area so it is looks like a duck, walks like a duck and sounds like a duck, chances are…… !  They are just the best possible hosts and we’ve embraced their hospitality – perhaps a little to much.  So, to give the guys a break we decided to head off to Paris for a few nights (as one does!).

 

Big A’s Perspecitive “

I’m home! I love this city like no other and we were greeted with the usual wet, cold and grey afternoon that prematurely fades to darkness covering you like an old woolen blanket.

The Stormin Ganorman’s  (consisting of Storms, Bumczyna, Zar & Pickle) met us at the door of their not unsubstantial London abode and following some proper hugs and kisses (i.e. not posh moi moi pecks!) we were led to our rooms on level 4…yeehaa…finally separate rooms for the kids!!

A quick note on this bloke I call Storms…..I met him in California about 20 years ago. He had just finished his masters at Trinity College in Dublin and before he started a ‘proper’ job he decided to join a few of his Irish friends in the US. Unbeknown to Storms his friends were living with a mate and I in a hovel called the ‘A frame’ in Huntington Beach. The friend of mine, Groin, just happened to be a model who was trying to break into the US …yep… grounds alone to hate the guy….but Groin was a genuinely lovely, lovely guy.

Storms’ initiation was driving Groin and I in our old beetle to the flea market. Storms begged us to drive that pile of junk….so who were we to break the poor little fellas heart?

Unfortunately Storms was subsequently arrested for driving an unroadworthy, unregistered car, without insurance or a license.  Driving at 25 miles per hour in the fast lane when your rear mudguard and engine cover fall off is definitely a case of bad luck but is bound to attract some attention! Wow…. the look of horror on his face was priceless….his bright career suddenly flashed in front of his teary eyes.

Also, naturally being a pasty little lad that was scared of the water Groin and I decided to take him out for a surf ….it took ages for his disheveled little frame to finally drag its way from the surf completely exhausted. In his own words, apparently the only way he had stayed afloat was to ‘grab onto a little boy’…having said that he was floundering around in knee deep surf…but Groin and I slept with one eye open that night all the same!

Having now arrived in London our body clocks for some reason took days to adjust which meant the kids were awake at 3 in the morning and consequently so were we…so much for separate rooms!

A couple of chums at The Dove

Storms and I headed to the Dove for a pint…god I love this pub. It had been my ‘local’ for 10 years and Storms hadn’t been back since I’d left. What a pub to call your local! 

My wish to take my girls on a tour of my favourite city on the planet was far outweighed by the Child Bride’s pre-occupation to shop….for ’absolute necessities’ only of course!

Finally however I did manage to drag them to the Tower of London, Natural History Museum, Houses Of Parliament and Hampton Court Palace…and I even managed to squeeze in a visit with the to the Big Easy….my favourite London Restaurant. ….god I love that place! [The Big Easy Website]

Middle A, Child Bride and Rapido (on ice)...

We also managed to catch up with Rapido, his wife, Coupon Queen and the rest of the Rapido family at Hampton Court Palace. We’d arranged to meet up and take the kids ice skating of al things. After excelling at that we all headed for the nearest pub for a well earned pint and some food.  

I’ve also known Rapido for close to 20 years, having also lived with him in the US and subsequently travelled through South and Central America with him. His ability (or lack thereof) with languages is legendary and surpassed only by the Child Brides…so travelling as we did without a map or a phrase book was really interesting. I cant remember the number of times Rapido ended up with something on his plate that bore no resemblance to what he though he ordered.

Rapido was also legendary when it came to number 2’s….on one occasion he got on a bus from Mexico city with a full set of clothes only to get off the bus in nothing but his shorts and runners…he’d  had a bad case of the ‘dodgies’ and had had to use the rest of his gear when the toilet paper on the bus had run out!

On another occasion in Honduras both of us were very ill with the ‘dodgies’. Staying on one of the Bay Islands, for 4 days we were in a dreadful state. Rapido went for a swim one day and couldn’t hold on… he valianty tried to outrun the brown slick he’d created and swim to shore….however,  he soon had what seemed like a thousand fish around him in a feeding frenzy…and worse still…2 swedish snorklers, ignorant to the cause of the frenzy, were following the fish! Needless to say, once we were feeling better (and 13 kilos lighter) we didn’t eat any fish from the island!

On another occasion whilst learning to ski in freezing sub-zero temperatures he got a case of the ‘dodgies’ as he got off the chairlift at the top of the mountain. In complete disregard for his personal own safety or for anyone else’s he attempted a speed skiing record to get down the mountain to the nearest toilet. Given he had never skiied before this must have been some sight indeed. Unfortunately for Rapido, just as he got the door open and relaxed, having conquered the mountain, he still had to battle with his ski suit, jeans, thermals and undies……suffice it to say, emerging 30 minutes later, only his ski suit had survived the contest.

So as you can imagine, catching up with Stormin and Rapido was an absolute thrill for me.

My enthusiasm for the place couldn’t even be blighted by the ineptness of my banks…3 times I had been into the branch to ask them to reset the PIN on my Natwest debit card and 3 times it had gone astray. My Barclays credit card was also not working but even though I was living in the UK everything had to be sent to my Australian address…where I obviously was not living…..but I was back in London so I was happy to put up with it.