On Wednesday I met up with the Gorgeous Girlie in London. We wanted to see the exhibition of Scott's final expedition to the South Pole at the Natural History Museum and luckily managed to buy cheap-ish rail tickets.
Sadly no photography was allowed inside the exhibition (which I found incredibly moving - such determination and effort and human endurance). The purpose of Scott's expedition was primarily scientific research and the various scientists in the team set out to study antarctic weather, zoology and glaciology. But Scott also aimed for a small group to reach the South Pole and be the first people to do so. On 17 January 1912, five members of the team reached the Pole, only to find that Amundsen's Norwegian group had beaten them to it. All five perished during the return journey.
There are lots of original items and personal artifacts on display and if you do visit the exhibition, which I highly recommend, make sure you take plenty of tissues.
Whilst I waited for my girl to arrive I had a mooch around the V&A which I don't think I've visited previously. Too early for this, I would have visited the British Design exhibition there (they have one of my Trimphones) if I'd had more time but I didn't fancy paying and then rushing round the exhibits.
We also treated ourselves to afternoon tea at the Lanesborough on Hyde Park Corner. It started with a reviving glass of champagne, followed by strawberries and cream. Then came the highlight for me, a shot glass filled with a tangy orange jelly, buttermilk cake and the lightest chocolate mousse all topped with a square of chocolate, raspberry and gold dusted honeycomb. After that was a variety of little sandwiches (baby brioches filled with egg, roast vegetable wraps, beetroot in beetroot bread, buffalo mozzarella, tomato and pesto in a mixed grain bread and cream cheese and cucumber fingers), mushroom tartlets, cakes and little pastries. Finally we were presented with scones, served with pots of lemon curd, raspberry preserve and clotted cream, and little toasted teacakes. Copious amounts of refreshing pomegranate (me) and apple and mango (Girlie) tea were drunk throughout. The service was impeccable and we were even given the cakes we hadn't managed to eat in a box to take home. (The husband polished those off in seconds.)
Kings Cross station has undergone considerable improvement and the new departures concourse is rather impressive.
I always forget that London means lots of walking and by the time I alighted the train at Darlington station I was aware I was moving very strangely. (Little did I know that putting one foot in front of the other was about to become rather more challenging but more of that in the next post.)
Oh, look what came home with me.
Ding dong indeed.