A packed and fun weekend was enjoyed by Chris and I.
Saturday was a very early start for us, I’m not so much of a fan of early starts anymore. Sadly one of the lasting side effects of treatment was that I unfortunately went through menopause at 36 (radio therapy for the bowel cancer destroyed my ovaries and womb) and although I’ve been on HRT since then, night times have been a bit of a battle ground - insomnia and night sweats are more than a little frustrating. Not sleeping does tend make one not so much a morning person I have found.
So, with dread I watched Chris set his usual 5.45 am alarm....now here’s where insomnia does come in handy, because his work weekday alarm does not go off on the weekend as it turns out, so I became aware at about 6am that it hadn’t gone off and was able to rouse us both to get ready for his great treat day out.
We headed off to Silverstone race track, it’s a fair old drive so we left at the crack of dawn (well, just after thanks to me and my handy lack of sleeping hahahahaha)
Jumper from Kate Spade, Jeans from Topshop, Boots from Tommy Hilfiger.
Feeling perky in a peplum...Peplum dresses and skirts have been on my radar for some time, but when I saw this cute jumper I knew I had to have it.
The feeling perky bit might be a tinsy weensy lie...I have to say not sleeping, early starts, hair washing, drying and bag changing all in one morning makes me a right happy little chappy! ;)
Heading off into the sunrise, we made our way over to the Porsche driving experience centre at Silverstone. You can pay to go and have a go but Chris got a half day session with breakfast and lunch for two for free when he bought his car. Happy days!
Chris had a fabulous time out on the track, I love Porsche’s and I really love breakfast and lunches so it’s a total win all round.
I posted this photo on insta with the caption “me and my body double” someone very kindly said that my legs were much better than the Michelin Man’s...good to know...Hahahahaha, although I actually thought my top half was too! So that’ll teach me for being self deprecating hahahahahah
My next car?
Gilet from Moncler, Car from Porsche.
It really was a great day, Chris loved the driving experience, not a bad idea to polish up on driving techniques...I daren’t go, my driving skills are very poor, I think I’m the “lady” driver that all the lady driver jokes refer to. Hahahahaha.
Then Sunday we had a lazy morning, really lazy actually, we didn’t wake up till ten past 7, not that I slept through the whole night, after all, I wouldn’t want to miss out on the 5 trips to the loo for a wee that I doubt I really needed and the endless worrying about things I cannot change! Hahahahaha
After a morning of pottering and chores we headed up to London, I wanted to see the lights. The Christmas lights on the main shopping streets are always beautiful and worth a visit. Plus at the Tower of London there was a beautiful installation of 10,000 flames, called Beyond the deepening shadow. Which was in remembrance of the 100 years of the end of WW1, it felt important to me that we go up and pay our respects.
Comfy, warm and day long wear clothes are vital for any trip out, and something I noticed last week when I was up town, it’s better to have a backpack or cross body bag, or bum bag even when it’s so busy.
I needed to take my spare supplies with me and this bag was perfect.
Coat from Belstaff, Jeans from Topshop, Boots from Dubarry, Bag from Longchamp.
Chris and I (who am I kidding...) I did a bit of shopping, there’s a few shops that I only get to go in when I’m in London, I get stuff from them online but it’s nice to be in the real shop itself.
I bought a couple of tops that I can’t wait to wear. So we’ll need a few nights out. Thankfully this time of year we have a packed calendar.
Then we met our youngest son and his girlfriend, who had been in London visiting museums (I know, they’re very cultured these young folk these days!) and had an early dinner whilst waiting for the Christmas lights to come on. We went to a restaurant on Regents Street. I was patiently waiting and waiting, and then impatiently waiting, it was getting darker and darker out and nothing was happening and the traffic lights changing colour just wasn’t doing it for me so I eventually asked the waiter “what time do the Christmas lights come on? “ to which he replied “Thursday” ...silence from me, make the most of it, it doesn’t happen often. “Thursday?!?!?!...but I saw the switch on on the news!?!” “That was the Oxford Street switch on, ours go on on Thursday” he tells me.
Oh for the love of god, we’re sitting round the corner to the actually switched on and lit up Christmas lights!!!!!!
We hurriedly paid the bill and headed to Oxford Street, you know, the only one with its lights on...till Thursday that is. :)
As night had now fallen we could head over to the Tower of London, us and what felt like half the country. Our cabbie got us as far as he could but said we might as well walk the rest of the way as we were well and truly stuck in traffic (people traffic, not cars particularly).
My bright idea was to go and pay respects to the war dead, especially a great uncle I had only recently heard about through a relative I’ve been in contact with via ancestry.com.
Sam got me the ancestry DNA kit for mother’s day, it’s actually quite fascinating. The lady I’ve been in contact with is a second cousin or 3rd, I can’t remember now, but she had photos of my grandad that I had never seen before, and more importantly my dad had never seen before, how lovely is that, and all from spitting in a plastic tube. :)
This is Albert Sidney Mullins, killed aged just 21 at the battle of Monte Casino WW1.
It felt only right to go and say thank you for his and others ultimate sacrifice. 21 is no age, my boys are 20 and 22, it really brought it home.
(And this photo was sent to me by newly discovered 2nd or 3rd cousin Jenny, this is my lovely grandad, a man of very few words...I did not take after him clearly. Hahahahaha)
Well my bright idea was obviously a shared feeling by the masses, as it was utter chaos at the Tower, the obvious limitations of the installation meant you have to see it in the dark as the flames were only alight from 5-9pm.
A sea of thousands...literally. But with perseverance and determination we made it to the installation. And well worth the wait and seeing off queue jumpers it was too.
London has always been my favourite city, I don’t live there, but I get to go a lot, I’m still a tourist even after all the visits.
It’s beautiful, it’s safe and it feels like home.
Tower bridge in all its glory.
If you play Where’s Wally (Waldo for my American visitors) you may well find me.
And from here it was off to home, ready for another exciting week ahead.