She was a bit fretful by the time we got to Liverpool Street and I had decided in any case to walk all the way to Westminster so that she would nap in the borrowed pushchair. It was quite nostalgic for me to emerge onto Bishopsgate and walk down Gracechurch Street towards London Bridge. As it was lunchtime, all the City workers were out and about. I found it hard to believe I used to be one of them, and felt that I stuck out like a sore thumb in my T-shirt and jeans, pushing a baby around the Square Mile. The walk along the south bank of the river was really pleasant, and took me back to the many times I ran that route while I was living in Wapping. In particular the part from Blackfriars to the Eye reminded me of the fateful night I first met Nick, at the Nomura fun run 6 years ago.
My plan had been to go to the London Aquarium, so that Emily would enjoy her afternoon, but when I got there I was dismayed to see that it would cost 16 pounds each. So when Lorraine arrived I suggested that we just stroll along the river, given that the forecast rain had so far failed to materialise. Emily was excited to see so many boats and trains, and there were lots of children around, especially in the playground near the Eye.
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The afternoon passed very quickly, and we didn't find enough time to go into the Tate, though we sat outside for a while. It was hard to catch up on more than a year's worth of conversations, while dealing with a roving toddler. Lorraine hadn't changed at all and still looked the same as when I first met her about 10 years ago in the heady (aka stressful) days at Barcap.
The train back to Braintree was busy and it was hard to keep Emily under control. When we got back her first utterance was 'woof'; she has become obsessed with Gunner and follows him all around the garden.
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