18 July 2010

Mum gave Emily and me a lift to Stansted, from where we took the Express train to Liverpool Street. The carriage was in a terrible condition: the carpet grubby with trodden-in food and the windows filthy. After the near-pristine trains of Japan it was a bit of a shock and I began to fall out of love with being home for the second time (the first being arrival at Heathrow). The ride itself was interesting for Emily, with animals, boats and trains to see.

I put her in the carrier on arrival and it was a good thing too, as I soon discovered that due to engineering work there was no direct way to get round to Regent's Park. We followed the diverted crowds onto the Central Line. It was very hot in there and I sweated all the way to Bond Street then changed to the Jubilee Line to get to Baker Street, with Emily lolling about asleep behind me. We emerged into fresher air and walked on into the park. There were many nationalities walking there and I found myself searching out people who looked Japanese and trying to hear them speak. It seems odd to miss hearing a language I can barely understand. I almost felt inclined to go up and address them but I know that after their initial surprise they would assume I was capable of conversation and it would lead to embarrassment.

Emily woke just before Lorraine arrived. We walked on through the park to the zoo. It was further than I remembered and I ended up carrying her most of the way. She was a bit nervous of yet another of Mummy's friends but soon warmed to Lorraine. At the zoo Emily didn't seem very enthused so we had a quick look at the gorillas then made for the picnic area. Once she had some grub inside her she perked up a bit though she was still not on best form all day. We saw the penguins swimming round in their pool, competing for the fish with a pair of herons. The tigers and lions were both lying around in the heat as it had got a lot hotter by then. We had an icecream by the llamas

then went through a tunnel to the outer circle, where we saw giraffes, okapis, zebra, otters and meerkats.

Three hours had passed and we had barely covered half of the zoo but we had to begin the long trek home so it was time to depart.

To avoid another long walk I chose to take the bus back to Baker Street, so we parted from Lorraine and got on board. Soon we got stuck in traffic and it was extremely hot by now so Emily and I were both grumpy. The tube ride didn't help my mood as the air conditioning was far too feeble to cope with high summer. We managed to get the Stansted Express at 5pm but I so fed up with public transport that I called and asked Mum to pick us up. While we were waiting for her at the airport I realised a bus was leaving bound for Braintree and felt guilty dragging her over there.

Sarah, Tim and Tom popped by before going home to Horsham and Emily and Tom had fun on the trampoline Radley and Hayden had set up in Grandma & Grandad's garden. I went in and had a look around the house, which John has been gradually sorting through. It felt almost like a stranger's home and I found it hard to revive many memories attached to it.