Our flight from Perth was the first one into Heathrow so moving through immigration and customs was a breeze.  However, probably because it was one of the first on, our suitcase (and others which came from Brisbane) was one of the last to be taken off.  So much for the priority Business tag on the bag! Our driver was waiting in the exit hall so we were immediately bundled into the car and headed off into London, still quite dark.

We couldn’t get into the flat at that time, as other occupants were still there until 11.  In hindsight, I should have booked the extra night so we could move in immediately.  However, Imogen, the Airbnb person, had given us the code to a small cupboard outside the flat so that’s where we left the luggage.  The driver then took us to a coffee place very near the British Museum so we could while away the hours until it opened at 10am.  Why the British Museum, I hear you ask?  Ashley had requested two items from there – replicas of the Rosetta Stone and the Shamash tablet.

At around 9.30am, Kirby and I left the coffee shop and walked to the Museum.  It hadn’t opened for the exhibitions but the gallery and museum shop were available.  Just inside the gate, we stopped to see what we should do about heading through the security.  If anyone has been to St Peter’s Basilica in Rome, the security lines were the same – long meandering lines of steel ‘fencing’ leading though a large marquee for the bag checks. I wondered why this was needed as only a few people were queuing for the check.  While we dithered at the gates, one of the security guards must have thought we didn’t look too dodgy (unlike the Australian security) so he opened up one of the steel panels and allowed us to walk directly up the front steps of the Museum without any checks at all. While I appreciated the kind gesture, I didn’t really appreciate its significance until much later.

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Once in the Museum, we wandered through the Gallery shop to buy Ashley his requests (though I have to say I have regretted agreeing to the Rosetta stone replica as it weighs 4kg)!!  By now, even though our tiredness had not been overwhelming at all (a result of how the Dreamliner aerates the cabin perhaps?), we were flagging a little and the walking we had done was taking its toll on Kirby.  So we left the Museum and headed across the road for a coffee and drink.  By now, it was about 11.30am and I then understood the value of that security guard’s gesture.

The queues to the security marquee stretched out from well inside the Museum grounds to all along Great Russell St. We would have given up if that was what we had encountered when we arrived as the line was moving but not quickly so it would have meant at least 30 minutes inching our way forward. In the photo below you can see the marquee in the background on the LHS so inside the queue was almost as long and 3-4 people deep the whole way.

After coffee, we then (unwisely) flagged down a cab.  I had tried to access Uber but was having major difficulties with my phone and the battery was dying (damm Telstra and its international roaming).  So the cab it had to be – a decision I regretted.  I have never had much time for London taxi drivers as they have no notion of taking someone the shortest route (yes I know this applies to taxi cab drivers the world over) so this cabbie took us back to Kensington along Oxford Street, Tottenham Court Road and Bayswater Rd,  3 of the busiest thoroughfares in London AND with the most traffic lights.  A £12 taxi fare cost us £22. Taxi drivers wonder why companies like Uber, which give you the fare so have no reason to go the longest route, are taking over.

At the flat, we spoke to the cleaner, with minimal words and sign language, as she spoke very little English, who told us she would only be another 30 minutes.  As we had thought we couldn’t get into the flat until 3pm, this was a godsend.  Off we walked again, this time to a Sainsbury supermarket, much like an IGA, which was about 5 minutes away, bought some food and bits and pieces and headed back where, sure enough, the cleaner had finished and we could get in to rest.

Needless to say, the flat, no matter the condition, would have been welcome. However, it is very nice and we chose well.  It is in a very quiet and quite upmarket area, close to everything we need and the supermarket so close by is just a bonus. BUT, I made one mistake.  I had grabbed what I had thought were the Great Britain plug adaptors (but did not check) and found that I was close (they were for Europe). We have all of this technology with us but nothing to charge it with.  On my way out to Kew and the archives, this morning, I will head down to Kensington High St to find a gadget shop which may have them.  Luckily the laptop had a full charge so this morning it has recharged my Apple watch, both iPhones and my iPad.  This kindness to its fellow devices has resulted in the laptop being reduced down to a charge of under 30% as I write this.

The weather is quite balmy with only a brief shower while we were at the British Museum – the clouds cleared and the sun came out so all is well with the world except in the case of Australian politics.  I just looked at the news to see that Scott Morrison is our next Prime Minister – heaven help us!