London Metropolitan Archives, London, and the Lock Out, May 13, 2010

Today we opted for traditional porridge (oatmeal) for breakfast. It was not the porridge I was used to from the UK and was basic oatmeal like we have in the U.S. Traditional UK porridge is like a sweet, creamy pudding and not spackle.

We drove to the Walton train station and headed for the London Metropolitan Archives in central London. Tanya helped me research there and she found some information I was looking for! I too, had some success. We ventured out for lunch and found a hip little cafe and had soup, sandwiches, and tea. We left the archives around 6:30 p.m.

I finally caught up with another friend, Peter, who was my cameraman in the Lost Worlds show I did on Deadwood. We met him at a neat little area called Smithfield, which was THE meat market from the 1800s and it appears it still does a similar business. Peter picked us up and drove us to a hip area called Convent Garden which used to be the fruit and veg market. Today it is a trendy mecca of restaurants and pubs crawling with people.

He took us to, of all places, a cute little French restaurant. Although I hadn't seen Peter for almost three years since our shoot, it was like it was yesterday. We reminisced, laughed, and had a great time. It was too late to catch the train so he drove us all the way to Walton on Thames. We picked up our car at the train station and made our way back to the Weir around 1:10 a.m.

As we pulled into a very dark parking lot we knew we were in trouble. No one had mentioned the procedure for coming in after the pub closed. We tried knocking, yelling, and then honked the horn. We tried calling, but we only had the pub number. We laid on the horn for a good forty minutes and no one seemed to notice. It was supposed to be the coldest night yet with a frost and we did not want to sleep in the car!

My husband recommended we call the police, which I did. Just as I did, the owner stepped onto the balcony. Now, I am not making this up and Tanya is my witness, but this man was in his BVDs and a t-shirt. That’s it! He says to us, “You know you’re laying on the horn.” I wanted to say, “No shit Sherlock, I’m freezing my a$$ off and you locked us out.” Instead, Tanya says in a very sweet voice (even though she’s pissed and I don't mean drunk) “We’re locked out.” He replied, “Go around the back and take the outdoor stairs.” Grr. How did we know? We truly believe he thought we were drunk, but were not. Finally at 2 a.m. we were back in our room so posting for that night.

The British Library and North London

Today I drove myself to the British Library in Colindale, which is north of London. They house the largest newspaper collection in England (I believe). Spent an hour getting there, an hour back, and four hours of paging through 1880s papers (yes, the were the real things), and only found one tidbit that is somewhat helpful. Sigh...

My cousin ventured to London on the trains to the Victoria and Albert Museum and Harrods. The V&A was supposed to have a document for me, but they did not--another strike out.

My driving skills are improving, but are not perfect. I knew this when I tried to go up a one-way street and the coppers in their car started waving frantically (they were also smiling and laughing). I think my car must be marked as a renter from America! Speaking of coppers...I have been told the person getting ready to give me a ticket yesterday was not a copper, but a parking attendant. Oops.

Tomorrow is another day and I am still hopeful that I will leave England knowing more about Evelyn. At the bare minimum I have met her great granddaughter, which is a treasure in itself. Have not been able to connect with my English friend Tom due to his work schedule. Hoping it works out...Peter is another friend (my cameraman from Lost Worlds) I am hoping to get up with, but he's in Germany until tonight.

We heard they are canceling flights again due to the volcano...

We're heading to London again tomorrow for research and I am going to the London Metropolitan Archives. Wish me luck!!!

Lewes and Brighton

This morning we headed for Lewes and Brighton for research and a visit with a friend. We took "sticky" and managed to not see smoke, but there was a distinct odor, probably the clutch about to fall off!

Safely arrived in Lewes, but could not find a place to park for a while. We finally found one along a small residential street, parked and left. We headed to what we thought was the records office. We asked two people along the way, but no one could really help us. Finally, as if the Lord knew needed help, a priest appeared. We asked him and he kindly helped. He asked us where we parked and if we paid the meter. Uh, what meter? He drove us to our car to pay the meter and when we arrived (less than 10 mins.) a copper was writing us a ticket! Yikes. The priest raced from him car and said we were from America and to forgive us, which the copper did. Whew. He then asked me to follow him with our car and we went near the church. He gave me a day pass and then drove us to the archives.

I had no luck with my research, but I now know there is nothing I have missed there. We drove to Brighton, which was a lovely, but rundown seaside resort. The beach is all rocks and the sand on the cliffs is clay. Met my writer friend, David Rowland and he gave us a guided tour around--including Rudyard Kipling's house. He treated us to tea and cakes at the marina and we departed.

I am sitting in the pub, having a pint at the Weir Hotel and catching you up!

Cheers.

P.S. I was able to trade "Sticky" for an automatic today and life is good and Tanya is happy!

London and the Dreaded Rental Car

Arrived in London late because of a flight delay, which caused us to reach Elizabeth (Evelyn's great granddaughter) very late. She served us a lovely late lunch of three salmon dishes and we enjoyed gin and tonics! After, we looked through albums and I found new photos for the book. She is a real treasure and I am glad to now call her my friend.

The RENTAL car...reserved an automatic, but they gave it away so I was forced to take a stick and drive on the wrong side of the road!!! We weren't even two mins out of the rental office and the car was smoking and had a bad odor. Tanya was so scared she said, "I really think we should turn back." Not having a lick of sense and a strong determination I was determined to persevere. By the time we got to the hotel we had to call the roadside mechanic. No serious damage, but he was concerned.

My friend Tom, poor soul, waited for me for two hours at the hotel. I felt really bad. We had some dinner and too short of a visit.

Paris

Our journey to Paris via London was 1.5 hours longer because of the volcano. We finally landed in Charles de Gaulle on Saturday. We stayed in a lovely hotel in the opera district. We met my cousin Tanya's friend, Delphine who chauffeured us around Paris. We went up the Eiffel Tower, drove down the Champs Elysses to the L'Arc de Triomphe. Saw Notre Dame Cathedral. Had lunch at an outdoor cafe near the Eiffel Tower. We dined with Delphine's family, including her 80 year-old father, Regis, who was a sweetheart! Sunday we saw the Louvre and shopped. For dinner we bought French bread ham and cheese sandwiches, cherry pastries, and walked back to the hotel Had a French white wine with dinner in the hotel lounge.

Left for London on Monday noon.