Friday 27 July 2012

London's big moment - don't cock it up!! Part One

Ah Londinium - how I loved it as a youngster.  I moved there all by myself many moons ago and stayed for 20 years - north, south, east and west - I hope that I  made the very most of living in that tremendous city - in my time off I would carefully select a new corner to explore and off I would go. Every Monday night I would travel on the underground from Kentish Town to East Acton to go to study at evening classes - two years of hard graft but worth it.  I hope that I used my time well and the great opportunities that it presented - working shifts meant that I could go to the early morning markets and then tra la la off to work later in the day.  Working nights meant that at the end of work I could go to down Brick Lane (before trendiness set in), Camden Passage (before prices went up!),  Columbia Road (well before it too became trendy - I went there for plants!!), best of all was Bermondsey (I still have many of the lovely things that I bought there in the early morning gloom) and Greenwich on a Sunday (went there again recently - not at all how it used to be sadly).  By the way I loved going to work and would arrive all cheery at 07.00 (poor sleep has its advantages!) even when I had got drenched on my bike.

Nowadays I get worn out just thinking about it! Anyway I still like London 'stuff'


A tablecloth with the London Underground map on it can be very handy don't you know!!



And of course a London tin or two...


For many years we lived not far from Streatham Common and my district nursing 'patch' covered that area



Lovely colours I think


I was a 'nanny' (selective use of the term) for a while but I did not dress like this!

Roll out the barra!


I loved London by night and by day - staying up all night and then going to that pub in the old fruit and veg market that opened up at 5 in the morning for the stallholders (can't remember its name now), going to Trafalgar Square New Years Eve (when the fountains were still splashable), going to Live Aid (first time around!), going to Lord Mayor's Show, helping out at the Marathon (in its early days!), cycling to work across the Thames and past Westminster - tra la la'ing on my bike.  Lucky enough to go the theatre several times a week for free and meeting the cast if I wanted to!!! Attending all sorts of first nights and last nights.  Meeting all sorts of great and not so great - from Anthony Hopkins to  Peter O'Toole - all sorts of off the wall happen stance - all sorts of stuff that build up memories and pleasant times.

 I got to know London like the back of my hand (though this tea towel is handy if you are a little unsure)


I loved jumping off the bus.....


If you live in London make the most of being there - I do miss it still but glad to be by the sea nowadays

Part Two another time


Thank you to http://mrsblacksthisnthat.blogspot.co.uk/  (I don't know how to do that proper link thingy)  for sending me a Kreative Award, very kind of you - I am a bit thick when it comes to such things so please bear with.   Thank you also to Katy http://lovelemon1.blogspot.co.uk/  for nominating a Leibster Award - sorry Katy but my brain could not follow all that I had to here - sorry for my denseness.  I will draft something on another posting I think to try and cover it. I am not very good with  instructions!


Here are 10 things that you might not know about me:

Circa 1979 I had a streak of pillar box red hair

Circa 1969 I won a Tree Lovers League badge

Circa 1971 I won a Blue Peter badge

Circa 1970 I won a national newspaper competition for art

Circa 1975 I came last in the school discus sports event....topical!

Circa 1970 I won a knitted poodle cover in the school raffle....I no longer have it

Circa (now I have started with the 'circas I have to finish'!) 1980 I travelled round Europe by myself

Circa 1984 I had my bottom pinched by Professor Robert Winston at the Christmas Ball

Circa 1986 I joined the Medical Corps for the Territorial Army - selfishly I wanted to learn how to drive a lorry and be part of the Remembrance Service at The Albert Hall

Circa 1990 the man in the flat below us was an actor in 'Eastenders' and used to leave his scripts out for recycling

Circa 1992 I watched sunrise at Tiger Hill, Darjeeling - spectacular and tearful

Circa 1992 I watched albatross flying above our heads at the Otago Peninsula, New Zealand - double spectacular and treble tearful

Circa 2004 I was 'live in the Westminster Studio' on the ITN main news

Yesterday the producer of BBC 'South Today' asked me to get in touch with them 'asap' for an update on a news items on the lunchtime news (as Elaine knows I was going to rapidly rustle up some 'No to Pinsect' t-shirts and wear them....no the article was not about Pinsect but something very, very different!).  I had to go to the bottle bank and get some bread (not from the bottle bank!!).....

I really could go on all day so thank you for listening....

I will try and add in blog favourites though I find that a painful thing to do - I would hate to hurt anyone's feelings ("Jenny funnily enough the world does not revolve round yourself"...oh dearie me)

PS Another 10 days or so of work and then tra la la all done! Hurrah and hurray!!!

21 comments:

  1. Gosh what an interesting life you. Have led! Love all the London stuff! Don't stress over the links, we are all grown up women (well actually, perhaps not given all the things we love!) you can't choose everyone! I did lots of travelling before the children came along, I plan to travel with my husband when we are retired! We will be the Batty Backpackers! Ada :)

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    1. Ah kindred spirits Ada - I was obsessed by travelling pre children. Trotting around the globe was an amazing thing to do and like you we plan to to it all again a little later on in life. We might not do it in the same way though - goodness me there is roughing it and there is roughing it and we did plenty of that! Could we perhaps meet up with the 'Batty Backpakers' somewhere?

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  2. We'll have a barra of fun! AHH great post and such smashing treasures,OH er Professor Winston ;) happy weekend lovely,xxx

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    1. Now thinking that that might be incriminating in some way!! Alcohol may have been involved - further incrimination....

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  3. Great post. I absolutely love all the London bits. I am from North West London myself and have lived South East too. I moved to Suffolk when I was 30 to have a family. I have enjoyed seeing all the new tins for the jubilee but the old ones are still the best! Thanks for taking part, what a great life! No problem about the links. Katy x

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    1. Indeed Katy - as with many of our friends the 'drift' out of London started once children arrived but great memories to have
      Many thanks
      Jenny

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  4. What lovely things you've got to commemorate Old Blighty! And what an adventurous life you led .... Absolutely love Topsy and Tim, I read them at school and bought them for my kids but dudn't like the modern ones nearly so much. Congratulations on your award, very well deserved.

    Have a fab weekend,

    Claire xxx

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    1. Thank you as always Claire - wonder if I see it all through too rosy spectacles but I remember smiling a lot going round London as I was so pleased to be there.

      I might do a Topsy and Tim post - they are lovely books
      Enjoy the rest of the weekend

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  6. I could listen to you all day :-)

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    1. I could listen to me all day too......ho ho!!
      Dom sadly has to listen to me all day and he thinks somewhat differently...

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  7. You were far more adventurous than I in London. I was too much of a country girl not to be frightened by the Big City. Great place to be and lots of fantastic things to see.........but all in very small doses for me. I'm still a scaredy cat. Have a great weekend. Philippa xx

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    1. Oh Philippa - I will now have to dig out my childhood photographs to provide the contrast....stand by.
      Enjoy your weekend too!

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  8. You've done so many wonderful things, but the encounter with Robert Winston had me spluttering with laughter! Sorry I haven't emailed - I have only just emerged from a pile of work.
    LOVE that octagonal tin, too!

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    1. Bob to his friends (joking here!) - that is up there with my CK story!
      Too many tins....

      P-o-l-a-r b-e-a-r...cryptic....?

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  9. Lovely post and I didn't know I'd feel like this but as a born within Bow Bells cockney lass whose dad was a bus and then a taxi driver I'm absolutely bursting with pride tonight.
    I no longer live there but London is in my heart and feels like it belongs to me. We lost my dad just over a year ago (and my mum last year too) and I know my dad would love this and feel just like I do.
    Hope you enjoy the whole thing! (And that it doesn't get cocked up!)

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    1. That is just lovely Missy - I feel that pride too. London runs on its buses and taxis so I thank your dad greatly and I am sure he felt that pride too.
      And it wasn't cocked up!! Hurray!

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  10. A great post. 2012 has been London's year, definitely one to remember.

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    1. I have to say Amanda we have packed an awful lot in and its only July!

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  11. Mmmm I did loads of backpacking too pre-kids - and am sometimes still a bit restless - so will join the Batty Backpackers club if I may? :) Imagine!

    My heart went skippety skip when I spied your soldier tin - it's brilliant. I love those graphics. And those in the bus storybook - wonderful pics.

    My husband is a London lad born and bred - blimey he lived there for over 50 years, that's so long to stay in one place isn't it? ...anyway I had the joy of 8 months with him in London in 2007/2008 before we came South and I did love it too, although probably not as much as he does - it's in his blood...oh the other day we were there and as we came out of Harvey Nichols (had lunch in the basement at Wagamama's - I can't really afford to shop there - saw a nice jacket for £1200 - who spends money like that on clothes??) an old Routemaster bus came along so hubby made me hop on. First time for me - it was fun..for him a trip down memory lane.

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    1. ho ho - let us rendezvous at some wild and wonderful destination and have a secret sign that only the Batty Backpackers will know!! I feel an urge to dig out some old photos and reminisce....

      If you knock the £1000 off that price tag that would be about my expenditure on clothes for the whole year!
      How delicious old buses are - I am glad that you hopped aboard. Ping, ping!

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