Reflection...

 

I write this as the COVID-19 Omicron variant races around the world. Today is 1st January 2022,  two years since we visited Buckingham Palace for the guided tour on New Years Day 2020.

The day of our arrival Harry was still very sick but went home to sleep.  The following day I woke unwell and deteriorated after that. I had two lots of antibiotics to try to help and a chest xray. Over the next two to three weeks I would sleep most of the day- Ben estimates about 18 hours all up. The cough was awfully painful in my sternum. Weirdly I became hooked on rock climbing movies!

The family carried on, Harry recovered but a cough lingered. Maddie was fine by the time we returned from the holiday and Ben didn't get symptoms until early Feb when he took a couple of days off work. 

Officially the first COVID case entered Australia on 25th January but we ( and others too) believe that we had COVID 19. The medical system wouldn't believe it at the time but all my symptoms fit. A GP was quite hesitant of being near Ben when he presented unwell.

In late October 2021 I was able to get a blood test and this showed previous infection ( not recent Delta variant or from vaccination) so it must have been the original COVID Wild type (or OG original gangster suggests Ben) virus. All up it took about 6 weeks to recover but no long COVID for us.

We had such plans for 2020. Ben was set to start his 787 course in April as his reward for staying on the 737  through some really fatiguing, torrid rosters when there weren't enough pilots and he was training others. He stayed on the 737 to be more present for our children but that came at a cost both in terms of income and wellbeing.

Ben being on the 787 meant I could spend time in London visiting all the history I dreamed of in the hope of becoming a volunteer at Historic Royal Palaces one day or writing that book I often dreamed of creating.

Maddie was starting year 11 and hoping to work hard at her courses and also get her P plates. Harry wanted to get a part time job and be with his school friends. 

No one thought that the year would pan out the way it did. No one thought I would have to go to work in a hospital in a pandemic, that all Ben's hard work over the past 30 years would count for little when there are no planes flying. That being diligent, smart, really hard working would count for little in that period. 

That our kids couldn't go to school, or on excursions, forced to be locked up with their parents when it is natural to want to be with their friends, play sport and mix with others. The hard work we put into their schooling hamstrung by "virtual classes". 

I could go on but will resist- you might just have to wait for my book!

Day 17 Au Revoir London

 The next morning Harry was worse and we faced the dilemma of do we rebook our tickets and delay our departure in the hope Harry recovers in the coming days? Or do we set off this evening and manage him with panadol and medicines?

In my medicine kit I had a course of antibiotics for occasions such as this. Harry commenced this along with panadol for his fever and phenergen for nausea. We were meant to check out of the hotel at 11am and the plan was head over to the terminal until we could check in late afternoon in the hope we could get seats on the flight. But that was assuming we were all well.

I had planned to travel into Kensington for a last wander around and say goodbye to my favourite places but alas that was all cancelled as we had to pack, manage Harry and make all sorts of contingencies.

Ben made the decision to keep rolling our check out and Maddie and I headed over with most of the luggage mid afternoon. It took a couple of trips to manage the bags etc and Ben kept the essentials for him and Harry in case needed to stay on and Maddie & I could try to catch a flight if there were seats available.

Harry & Ben joined us at check at opening time. The medications had started to take effect but he really felt awful. Luckily we were given boarding passes to SIN and would have to ask ( beg and plead they meant) in SIN if there were any ( please please fingers crossed, lots of desperate smiles and compliments for the staff who assign seats) seats for the onward sector to SYD.

First things first so we went through immigration, security etc etc and found a place to sit and charge phones. Eventually we were on the flight separated into 2 and 2- Ben & me together and then Maddie & Harry. Harry coughed and looked awful the whole flight but at least we were on the way home.

I was soooooo sad to leave London.

SIN was a potential problem. We didn’t have seats for SYD and given the “flu from China” was starting to make news around the world, we would have to give Harry panadol regularly so his temperature wasn’t an issue during the transit.

But we made it on to the SIN/SYD flight and we were homeward bound. Maddie said Harry coughed the whole flight and looks back on it with horror.

For some reason one crew member wasn’t particularly helpful- one side of her cabin ( including Ben & platinum frequent flyers) didn’t get breakfast. She just skipped them and was a bit snippy with me when I tried to find my way through the galley to get to the kids. Hopefully through the COVID standdowns she has contemplated her role in the airline and how lucky she actually was. It did leave a bad taste in my mouth and I let her mar what should have been a pleasant flight.

So we were back in Oz, pets to hug and washing to wash. What a fantastic time we had.

Day 16 The Lion King

 One booking we made sure was made in advance was a trip to the Theatre in London's West End. Ben & I chose the Lion King as the original movie was a hit with the kids as they grew up and I loved the music.

The Lyceum Theatre in Covent Garden was the venue and we had tickets to a matinee performance on the day before we left London. 

We spent the morning lazily heading to Gloucester Road for brunch in a new favourite cafe and then caught the Tube to Covent Garden where we had some hot drinks in the coffee shop of the London Transport Museum. We had seen the Museum previously and we had a show to go to but I did manage a spot of retail therapy in the souvenir shop- a little Paddington Bear and a Tube Christmas scarf.

Then on to the Lyceum theatre for the Lion King. We had a fantastic time and it turns out this was Harry's favourite part of the holiday. 

As we were leaving the theatre it was about 5pm but already dark in wintery London. Harry said his throat was sore and as he is prone to awful tonsillitis, I walked over to a nearby Boots to get some strepsils. Task achieved we caught the Tube and headed back to the hotel. Oh dear the Piccadilly line was packed with workers going home too. The train we took was squishy but given Harry was unwell we were glad to be on our way. Until....

"I'm going to be sick" Harry said so as soon as we got to the next station we hopped off and yep...he did in a plastic bag on the platform. Groan....Back on another train, keep going until we got to Hammersmith. Off again to find a bathroom but all too hard. Back on the train only to catch the wrong one. Yep, off train at next station, back to Hammersmith connect to correct line and keep on going to the hotel in the dark, cold and with a vomiting child. Aghhhh. 

So tonsillitis? A cold? Food poisoning? Hmmmm. Off to bed for Harry and hoping he feels brighter in the morning.......

Day 15 Hampton Court Palace And A Very Special Appointment

 In the lead up to our holiday I contacted Historic Royal Palaces (HRP) to see if I could have a peek behind the scenes. As a member who lives in Australia I don't get to attend the regular functions held at the palaces and as it was my birthday I hoped that we could arrange something.

Happily I was told I could visit the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection (RCDC) housed in Hampton Court Palace and would 7th January be OK? Yes indeed it would be more than OK I replied. 

So this morning we caught the 111 double decker bus from our hotel in Heathrow right to Hampton Court. A stop start journey of about 45 mins and I was really looking forward to the visit but a tad nervous.

The appointment we had with curator Eleri Lynn and staff member Kate was at 10.30am  but we were early and that gave us time to wander the grounds and look at the Tudor exteriors. So exciting to think of Cardinal Wolsey, King Henry VIII and his many Queens, the Stuart monarchs right up to the Georgian kings. 

At our allotted time we presented ourselves and our identification to the RCDC office and were met by Eleri & Kate. It turns out they used my letter to find out my particular favourite royal periods and had items prepared for viewing in a back storeroom. 

Everything here is stored in temperature, light and humidity controlled rooms. The items have been placed in freezing conditions to kill any moths or bugs and repaired as needed before logging and storing.

Slowly I understood how much thought that had gone into what was shown. 

3 different outfits worn by Diana- a hacking jacket with her name inside would have been used during her time at boarding school and is a private item not seen in public, the tweed jacket and skirt she wore on her honeymoon for a photocall at Balmoral and a teal blue dress and jacket worn to visit the then Australian Prime Minister at The Lodge, Canberra Australia in March 1983

A tweed jacket blazer and trousers worn by the Prince of Wales ( later to become Edward VIII as in Wallis Simpson fame). 

A 70s swingin' swirly patterned dress owned by Princess Margaret. (Her wardrobe was inherited by her daughter Lady Sarah Chatto and is cared for by RCDC)

A lovely pink dress that HM The Queen was pictured wearing when she was a baby (and known then as HRH Princess Elizabeth of York) . Also a beautiful floral dress also worn by a young Princess Elizabeth.

Eleri opened a box and my eyes flew open and said " the Bristowe Hat". Indeed it was and if you are interested in reading about it here is a link: 

https://blog.hrp.org.uk/curators/it-belongs-in-a-museum-the-bristowe-hat/

Also on show in the Palace itself was the Bacton Altar Cloth which Eleri had a hand in buying for RCDC:

https://thecrownchronicles.co.uk/history/historical-news/the-bacton-altar-cloth-elizabeth-is-only-surviving-dress-now-at-hampton-court-palace/

We got talking about the Australian bushfires and how a relative of Eleri's was in Australia on holiday at the time. We discussed our home being 20km from a fire front but there was no way to get back quickly and we had to keep on with our holiday.

After the RCDC, Harry was bored and we gave him the travel card for him to go back to the hotel- on the 111 bus and off he went. I probably wouldn't do the same in Sydney but he is becoming more independent and finding his way around London was quite an achievement even for an adult.

Ben, Maddie and myself kept on exploring the Palace but I think we would need another day or two to see it properly- next time.......

Later we found out Harry's double decker had broken down enroute to the hotel. The bus driver and Harry waited for the replacement bus and continued on their way.

 

Day 14 Happy Birthday to...

OK so today was my 50th birthday and no better place in the world literally than here in London. I am very happy to be here and it's the best present one could ask for. Thank you Ben for this.

So what to do? A pretty low key day as the busy-ness of the past few weeks has caught up with us. We travelled into London and split up into twos again. Ben and Harry went to the Natural History Museum in South Kensington which was a hit. Maddie and I ventured to Oxford St for a trip to Marks and Spencer where we had lunch. Cough medicine from Boots for Maddie due to her "cold". If only we knew!!

Afterwards Maddie & I also went to South Kensington to find The Willcocks Nursery School where Princess Charlotte was enrolled at the time. I wanted to get some photos of the location for my collection and we found it tucked behind Royal Albert Hall.

Royal College of Music nearby was on our list of places to visit for some photos and then we strolled through Kensington Gardens and soaked up the experience- where better to be than here? 

We really could do another day in South Ken.  but our schedule is already booked up. Next time.....

Along to Kensington High St for a bit of window shopping and then caught the train back to the hotel. 

That night we caught the bus again to the White Horse Pub in Longford. Thank you for a lovely day!! 

 

Day 13 Stonehenge And Bath

 An organised bus trip from Victoria Station to Stonehenge and Bath for us today. It included a packed lunch and entrance fees to the places we visited. 

I had stubbed one of my toes last night by tripping into Harry's bed. From past experience I knew it was most likely fractured due to the black/purple bruise and swelling next morning but strapped it and didn't let it get in the way of sightseeing. 

We got a little lost on the way to the bus but made it on time and headed off for what promised to be a nice day tour. 

First stop Stonehenge. Very well presented from a visitor's point of view and from someone who isn't well informed on Stonehenge it is mind boggling to work out why, how and who could move these "ancient monument stones" to quote Ben. He also profers "to the modern eye they may appear underwhelming but that belies their significance".

"They are probably the modern equivalent of today's skyscrapers given the civil engineering capabilities of the society that produced them. They would have been a wonder to the inhabitants." Ben adds. 

Lots of very handsome sheep grazing on the windy Wiltshire plains were a bonus.

Back on the bus and we headed further west to Bath. Almost all the way to Wales and it is a pity we can't spend some time in the nearby Cotswolds. But Bath is stunning. It houses ancient Roman Baths and some amazing stone Georgian architecture. The spa town used to attract visitors for it's health benefits, probably the ancient equivalent of a health retreat. 

Once off the bus we could roam as we pleased and meet up with the tour guide at a predetermined time and place. The Baths have been preserved amazingly and presented in a really engaging way for visitors. After the Baths we wandered around the gorgeous town and had afternoon tea. 

Bath and Stonehenge were Ben's favourite places of the holiday and hopefully he and I can return again one day.

We were dropped off at Gloucester Road and then caught the train back to the hotel.

Day 12 John Snow, The Beatles And More

 

A bit of a miscellaneous day for seeing lots of small places or things that were on our to-do list.

Ben started his morning with a visit to  the British Museum to see: 

https://www.britishmuseum.org/exhibitions/currency-crisis-german-emergency-money-1914-1924

The kids and I headed north to see Abbey Road pedestrian crossing of The Beatles fame. Maddie enjoys music and her lovely year 10 teacher is an absolute Beatles fan so a photo and a souvenir for him were a must. 

We got off the train at Great Portland St to take photos of Portland Hospital where Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie and also Harry's son Archie were born. Then proceeded to St John's Wood station for the Abbey Road photo.

Our next thing to see was the John Snow water pump in Broadwick St Soho. Snow was the person to discover that Cholera is water borne and that the disease outbreak in that part of London had this particular water pump in common. He used a map to plot where each case lived and this led him to the pump as the cause. This was in Queen Victoria's day when science, medicine and mechanisation were being encouraged by the Queen's husband Prince Albert.

Ben & I had wanted to find the pump so after the kids and I took some photos we headed off to meet Ben at Marks and Spencer for lunch. As it turns out he saw the pump too on his way to meet us. Only over the following months when infectious diseases, tracing infection etc became the centre of our lives did the kids realise that the pump and John Snow were actually pretty significant.

After a busy morning we headed back to the hotel for some well earned rest, the previous couple of weeks were starting to catch up with us.