Repacked ready for an early start. This is all I really need!
Remembered how much I actually like long journeys.. when I don't have to drive! Kindle and a bag of popcorn.. I'm happy! Had to go the really long way to London.. via Colchester! Managed to find the Travelodge. Disappointing how little my navigation is trusted (a theme repeated throughout the holiday) yet Pops had no idea where he was at any point.
Anyway.. City shirt on, tube into London, Ma sorted with a theatre ticket, grub in a Spoons (full of Arsenal fans.. eek! Tube to Arsenal.. impressive stadium, but not compared to the Olympic Park or Wembley... or indeed Carrow Road!
This has to be the best photo I have ever taken. I was genuinely trying to do a panoramic of the whole stadium, but didn't move fast enough. About wet myself when I looked at the screen...
Having not been able to remember which tube station, then only finding the stadium by following people, Pops then had to ask 2 different policemen before we found the pub. Aspie hell in the pub, loud and packed and sticky floor. Fought our way out with our two pints of shandy (shameful, I know) to meet Jon and Jamie and Daniel. Well. Daniel was lucid at least! Most drunk I have seen Jon, which is good. He seems less embarrassed by me when he is drunk. Quite how anyone can drink two pints and one Jaeger bomb in less than ten minutes is beyond me! I scored a world record for managing my shandy in that time!
Off to the game.. how exciting!!
Must be the warm up... only time we got the ball!
Maybe they should have stuck to doing the hokey cokey!
Oh dear. 4-1. Still had a great time, and it could have been worse (like yesterday when we lost 7-0 to Man City)
Back to the pub. If possible, Jon and mates got even more drunk! Very entertaining walk back to the tube station.. on the way Jon turned into Alan Sugar and talked the Burger Van man into doing "One pound cheeseburgers for all!!"
Flip... 8 minutes in to Meet Joe Black and I'm crying already.
Abandoned by Jon and mates at the tube station. Met Mum at another one. Had tea at the Harvester. Salad City! Had desert in a doggy bag. Was very yummy eating Sundae in bed watching Cars 2 on the iPad hehe.
Sunday: late start thanks to the lack of sleep caused by 5 separate lots of drunk people arriving back at the hotel, shouting obscenities at each other, banging on each others doors, banging on our door then, as we found later, throwing up in the corridor. Nice. At one point I thought Ma was going to go out in her jammies and shout at them. Brief visit to the shops at Piccadily Circus first, can't resist Lillywhites, even thought it's just a massive Sports Direct now. Expensive, but could have been worse. Mooch round Trafalgar Square..
The Empire are taking over!
He must get fed up with that happening..
Got a geocache then went to the Portrait Gallery. Happy to see out Judi, and there were some very cool ones by Jonathan Yeo, and a massive one in the same room as the head made of blood, that looked like a photo until you got really close. Pret lunch sat out in the sun, then Covent Garden were Mum bought a multitude of scarves from some mental Australian woman, then back to Leicester Square.
Just ambling down the street wondering what to do when we noticed a throng forming, and then some noise. Intruiged I ran over to investigate... and ended up seeing Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson at the Premiere of Saving Mr Banks! Admittedly this was through a gap in the security fence, while being shouted at by security guards.Still.. bloody amazing though! I have seen and heard real live famous people!!!
This would be Mr Tom Hanks...
If only I'd had my Nikon with me..alas. Ah well.. the lovely Ms Emma Thompson..
Unfortunately the best photos I got were of the producer or director, and I have no idea who he is..
All the stars went in for their movie, while we went into the Chiquitas next door for grub. Had an argument with the manager over military discount on a young person's meal. Pops said he was suprised they let me have the meal with all my grey hair. Git. The churros made up for all the abuse. mmmmmmm. We left at the same time as the crowd from the premiere (thanks to poor service) and I made a guys day as he walked past and I said "that would be me.. tuxedo and all stars.. looks cool man" .. he turned round, grinned and said "hey, thanks". Unfortunately there were no opportunities to chat up Thompson.
Tempting to stop for a Blackadder supper on the way back to the hotel.. Baldrick had this poor guy marinating in a puddle for two days..
Awake very late, but got ourselves sorted at record speed so out before ten. Hoping it would brighten up later for the O2, so wondered how to kill time in the morning. I must have been decisive, as we did my choice and went to the Science Museum. Followed Ma upstairs, stopped halfway when we realised the Red Arrows thing was in 3D, and not free. Carried on anyway, and I am sooooo glad we did.
Ma went in to see the 3D film, while me and Pops had a go in the Typhoon jet flight simulator. We seem to have developed a theme for leaping into things in a 'that looks cool, let's do it' way, then sitting there before it starts wondering if we are going to be sick, or, in Pops' case, wet himself. We did lots of flying upside down (some intentionally) and a couple of celebratory loops and barrel rolls. Don't know what we were celebrating as we didn't hit anything.
Had a look round the history of medicine bit, so now I know what an iron lung actually is. The kids bit, Launchpad, was awesome. Loads of cool stuff to play with. Bagsy-ed bringing JJ. The thermal imaging camera made it obvious why I'm always cold. My glasses look like sun glasses as the don't let heat through, but my whole head was white... oozing heat.
Had to make ourselves leave (via the gift shop) so we could make it to the O2 in time. Only just. Sat through the b*ll*cks talk at the start trying to set the scene of some halloween style monster murder. Was mostly wondering if I could nick any of the mountaineering equipment decorating the place. Then got kitted up. Seemed a little over the top for walking over a dome on a trampoline, but I guess H+S is the boss these days. Annoyed I wasn't allowed to take my Nikon, that I'd killed my shoulders lugging around all day, but at least the outfits were good for a giggle..
Another safety talk telling us what not to do (which I ignored completely because they were the fun things to do) and then onwards and upwards..
In answer to the usual question... yes!
Should have brought the stove, brew up a cuppa..
You can see why I ignored the instruction to not bounce. Tiggered my way up, and slid most of the way down.. curse the stupid ratchet safety system!
Was a small breeze... not sure what he's playing at!
Greenwich Observatory..
Lighthouse through the (fake) snow..
Emirates sky ride thing..
Slid most of the way down. Tried to do it without the 'instructor' seeing, until he confessed that all the instructors had tried it one day when it was raining and really slippy, and had made it through three junctions before the system had caught and yanked them back. Amused all the guys that had already carefully walked down anyway. Ma was too busy trying not to do it accidentally to notice.
Didn't dawdle in the O2 after, and certainly not walking all the way around it again to get the geocache. Had to stick to the plan and get to Westfield. Someone wanted to go to a particular shop hehe.
Was fairly restrained. Very tempted with R2. Couldn't resist the BTTF DeLorean though ;-) and almost forced to go and spend another pound or so on a minifig to get a free christmas set. Have trained my parents well, they just sat down and played with the Lego while I failed to be decisive for quite some time, then helped to find parts of a mini me minifig.
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