I've been 'out-out'..

Remember the days when going 'out-out' was heading to a club instead of the pub? Well, those days are long behind me (what a shame), and more recently I've found a new meaning for 'out-out'..

As lockdown measures have been easing, I've embraced the opportunity to venture a little further afield and to spend time with friends once again. At the end of June (I still have no idea where July went!?), myself and Sam had a proper 'day out', and it was then that I realised that 'out-out' had a new meaning. This wasn't just a visit to the local park, or a walk around the block, or to and from work, oh no. This was a visit to Chelsea Physic Garden, and the toilets were open (gosh, the excitement)!.. and the café and shop, but that was somehow less momentous.

I decided I still wasn't ready to brave public transport at this point, so I made the most of a walk along the Thames Path, and we met in my favourite part of Battersea Park, the Old English Garden. As I sat on a bench under the shelter of a tree (it was one of those days when the weather was rather dramatic, and although there was sunshine and some blue sky, there was also the occasional torrential downpour which would come as rather a surprise), I felt calm. I felt happy. I felt like I could take deep breaths and not be afraid to do so. As much as I like walking, I also like stopping. And being able to stop somewhere peaceful in the middle of what is otherwise a fairly busy park is definitely satisfying. There were a few other people meandering along the colourful beds busy with bees, and a few others dotted on other benches, but I definitely felt removed for a moment, and it was lovely.

Fortunately the rain stayed away long enough for us to enjoy lunch sitting by the lily pond, and as we enjoyed our tuna sandwiches (great minds), we were able to people watch and felt almost.. 'normal'?

From Battersea Park, Chelsea Physic Garden is only a short walk across Albert Bridge and along Cheyne Walk. I'd visited only once before - several years ago, and in February - so it was nice to be visiting again. We had a time slot, and there was sort of a one-way system in place, but it was so beautifully quiet that keeping a physical distance was easy enough, and we had a lovely afternoon weaving in and out of showers and sprinklers, under low-hanging branches and around exuberant foliage. The café was open for takeaway, so towards the end of our visit we ordered a tea and opted for a bench in the sun to enjoy it. It's in these moments that you realise it's the little things you don't even realise you've missed. Drinking a peppermint tea that was a brand other than Sainsbury's own was truly a treat! 

 

 

Rain having finally given up for the day, I walked back the way I'd come, and arrived home feeling as though I'd been on some kind of grand adventure.

Since then, I've had friends over for lunch, and have been back to one of my favourite spots in South West London; Fulham Palace Gardens. A mid-morning walk around the walled garden there followed by lunchtime treats from the Farmer's Market in Bishop's Park was again, the most 'normal' feeling Sunday I'd had in a while and it was glorious.

 

Only this week, I've had my first experience of travelling on public transport, and therefore of wearing a mask. It's funny how adaptable I am, really. I was full of anxiety the first day I was due to travel on the Tube, and yes, a mask is a 'steamy' experience (mmm, that upper lip sweat), but it's quickly become second nature to pop it on and whip it off again between shops / transport(s).

Very aware that everything could take a turn again, but that's why I'm all the more keen to live in the moment, and to make the most of the time we do have to do the things we love. Summer holidays are here, and I was full of fear that they'd be just a repeat of May half term, and the Easter holidays before that. But actually I'm hopeful that I may find adventure in the coming weeks, and a perhaps even a little more 'normality' along the way. 

Playing tour guide

So much packed into this weekend that I had to list it all before I began writing to ensure that no unintentional gaps were left. Have had yet another ‘relaxing’ weekend, where an awful lot of energy was used in between the occasional moment of calm and quiet sitting in sunshine.

GLORIOUS weather this weekend made for very pleasant venturing conditions indeed. I spent my days playing tour guide to a Mancunian visitor, for whom I was extremely grateful as otherwise I fear I may have spent more of my weekend cooped up inside over a laptop and piles of paper, pretending the sunshine wasn’t really there. As it was, I embraced it instead, and have come out at the other end feeling so glad that I did (although I’m not entirely sure that my feet and legs would agree with me, could they speak).

On Saturday, we covered what felt like 50 miles walking between Notting Hill and Southbank, taking rather a roundabout route to say the least. Dreams of sunshine on the pretty coloured houses and strolling along quiet, idyllic streets (some maybe even cobbled) put me in the mood for Notting Hill, and it did not disappoint. Of course, somehow I do always forget the existence of Portobello Road Market (not so quiet at all), and although the initial throng of people causes me great horror, I soon fall into the slow pace of a browsing customer once antiques reach my gaze. Lunch found at the end of the market where the food stands are very cleverly placed, I was then also enticed by a stall selling mushrooms. Just mushrooms, nothing else. I never knew I was so excited by mushrooms until this moment, but of course I had to buy a selection, so I did (and cooked some up for tea in the evening, delicious if I do say so myself)!

From Notting Hill we decided (or, maybe it was the royal ‘we’) that food would be best consumed in a green space. Of course, we could all follow in the footsteps of Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts and have a whoops-a-daisy moment into a private garden, but we thought we’d be a little more common and head for a public park. So off we went to Kensington Gardens, where we were greeted by a distinct lack of deckchairs (I’m hoping they will appear in April?) and an abundance of dog walkers whose dogs were far more engaged by squirrels than the pleading calls of their owners’. Shoes off, sunshine in full force, it was a more than pleasant pit stop.  

Many times before I have been deceived by the London Tube map in terms of how close things are to each other when they appear to be so far apart (I hark back, in particular, to those days when a good friend and I used to make the tube journey (where we had to change, by the way) from Liverpool Street to Shoreditch for Spitalfields Market. I cringe.), so I tend to make more of an effort to walk between places now instead. I do wonder though, whether now I am deceived in the opposite way, where places that according to the map should be within a stone’s throw are in fact more like a marathon apart. So we walked, aimlessly, along the river from the Albert Bridge (which I never even knew existed before, but which is really rather beautiful so I’m extremely glad to have crossed it), through Battersea Park (another location I’ve wanted to pay homage to), past Battersea Power Station, alongside Westminster, all the way to the Southbank where we finally rested for a well-earned cup of tea while dusk set in.

After such a beautiful Saturday, Sunday did not get off to the best start. This morning I:

1.       Melted a hole in my favourite top (we have been here since October, this was literally the first time the iron and ironing board had been used. They will not be seeing the light of day again in a hot hurry!)

2.       Couldn’t decide what to wear for such warm weather

3.       Had unhappy hair

4.       Feared that wearing makeup when my body hasn’t seen the sunshine in such a long time made me look rather orange in contrast to my pale arms

5.       Remembered that the Jubilee Line was part-closed where we needed to be

6.       Got to the line that was open so we could use, only to discover that it was suspended until further notice

7.       Narrowly missed the bus we needed instead, resulting in a 30 minute wait for the next one

8.       Received a text to alert me of beach trips being made by my nearest and dearest at home (icing on the cake?)

Please don’t judge me for what is about to follow, I was miserable. As one might imagine, I was not in the best mood at the start of the day following on from all of these little disasters (little they may have been, but when there were so many of them, it was hard not to let them take effect)! Anyone who knows me knows that the best way to alleviate my slumps is to feed me. So feed me I did. In McDonalds. At half 11 in the morning. Sitting by the river with a pretty stunning view of The Shard made it all feel much more acceptable though (we won’t worry about the disapproving glances from passersby).

As we sat munching on happy food (not a Happy Meal, just food to make me happy... don’t even ask what I had!), I suddenly noticed that The Monument was nearby. Now, after Saturday’s mammoth walking spree, my legs were definitely screaming at me at this moment, but I chose to ignore them, and we took to the steps. The last time I was up The Monument was when I was a child, and I still have the certificate to prove it (I’m now the proud owner of two, check me out)! My memory was a little hazy of what it’s like at the top, so I was somewhat dubious about making the trek with older, less agile legs, but it was definitely worth it; I do love a view!

After our visit to The Monument, we carried on ambling along the river. I’ve seen lots of great photos of City Hall recently with Tower Bridge in the back, and I wanted to see it for myself, so that was where we headed (a much shorter distance indeed!), again taking detours here and there for me to assume my role as tour guide and point out all the tourist attractions. The day certainly turned right around from such a disastrous morning, and remarkably we even stumbled across a small section of the river where you could get down onto the sand; with closed eyes, the sound of the waves lapping the shore and the cackle of seagulls was plenty to transport us straight to the coast! Boats with gardens (like, actual fully grown trees!) at Butler’s Wharf, amusement caused by tourists assuming the position for photos by the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, a quick visit to the Design Museum shop, and food and entertainment by the London Eye. Thank you London!