It all started well..... We were walking out the door when my phone rang and a nurse told me my next scan date. Not long to wait; this is good as it allows for reassurance. Then we met the actor James Nesbitt at the airport and had a great chat. We covered sea bathing, growing up in Coleraine and the triangle area and politics. All of which took my mind off the fact that I was about to get into a plane for the first time since my diagnosis. Thankfully the flight went smoothly. I wasn’t entirely comfortable but I was able to keep any nerves in check and thankfully my head didn’t explode! Result!!
The journey into London was fairly challenging and not much fun. The drive to the airport, flight, navigating around Gatwick and then getting the Express followed by a tube took most of the day. We arrived exhausted but I felt a sense of achievement from having done it! That evening we just took a walk around the area we were staying in (Leicester Square) and got food.
The next day was the big day! Garden Party day!! We spent the morning wandering nearby before heading back to our hotel to get ready. It was easy to feel a bit wick, walking out of a Premier Inn dressed to the nine’s, including fancy fascinator, but it was fun. We decided to get a taxi ...... the palace encourage you arrive by public transport but there was no way I was getting on a dirty tube in a pretty dress and open toed sandals!! We arrived at Buckingham Palace and spent a surreal few hours pretending to be posh ;) It was a great experience but involved a LOT of standing around. Great for people watching!
That evening we performed a very quick change into jeans and headed out to meet friends for dinner. They had also been to the garden party and we had a great catch up.
The next day my wee legs and feet were screaming. It was a beautiful day so we headed to Hyde Park. Unfortunately boat trips on the Serpentine weren’t running, but we enjoyed a lovely walk and a toe dip in Diana’s fountain. Not quite the same as the sea, but great for weary feet!
That night we saw Wicked. I’d seen it before but enjoyed it just as much this time around.
We’ve had a brilliant few days and it was cool to feel special at Buckingham Palace, but it also made us accept that we both find no appeal in visiting cities these days. We enjoyed ourselves but are both glad to be heading home. We crave peace and quiet, our own bed and, most of all, fresh air! We have a few overnights planned for gigs in Dublin and Belfast over the next few months, but other than that we’re just looking forward to a few nights in Galway and Athlone at a much slower pace.
Life is short but it doesn’t need to be lived at break neck speed. I don’t want or need a fast paced life. I enjoyed London but there’s no place like home.....
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