By the numbers
15,180 steps
11.41 kms
The day started with a sleepless type of
night where it wasn’t a long enough sleep, but enough that you are not tired,
but happy to get moving in the morning. Breakfast was at 730 in the morning at
the hostel. It was the basics with me eating toast and coffee. At least they
had peanut butter, but no marge, not that I looked in the fridge. There was morning
entertainment with builders showing up as they are renovating the common room /
laundry in the basement and the guy in charge was still sleeping and one of the
other guys had no ideas what was going on. I don’t think the builders were
impressed as they had to get into the joists behind the ceiling there and that
work had not been done. I was going to be long gone by the time they sort out
anything. I told the hostel guy that I was amused at the shit fight and he
happens to be a gardener / landscaper. I was able to leave by the pub as it was
open. Lets see if it is when I have two early mornings where I do leave early
well before 7am that is.
The plan for today was to visit the National
Archives, although it wasn’t original records I was wanting to view. What I was
after was the digitised records and they were free at the archives, so I could
sort them out then. I had to pay for the records if I accessed them elsewhere.
I headed to Kew Garden from a nearby overground station as Gospel Oak. It was a
15 min walk, but I got there with heaps of time even though I did have to wait
a little bit for the train, I did make it there under my own steam. It was
around 40 mins that I was on the train and I did wonder about some of the
people wearing jumpers who must be sweltering or up to no good.I was wondering
about the Archives and how to get there while looking at my lethargic map and
found the Archives were well sign posted and I followed the signs and could not
have missed the building if I tried. The front door signs at the entrance and
then the huge words on the building cleared me up with what I needed to know.
I had to put my stuff into a clear plastic
bag or I think I should be when I entered the archives room to sort out my ID
stuff and get a reader card that gives me access to the records I wanted. I
wastched a 5 min video on how to access the records and then record which
documents I had to identify myself. I needed one that had my address and a
Photo ID. I tried my passport with having an address and the Medicare card with
having my name. That didn’t work as my passport does not have an address. Some
European countries do have their address on them. I tried and I was asked if I
had access to anything with my current address and my Archives reader card that
expired in 2014 would not help. Luckily I could get access to my bank statement
on my phone ands used that. Technology wins again and it was the latest
statement too from June. I got my card and I thought several records I needed
to order, but I couldn’t for some reason, so I made sure I could get the digital
records and I got them all and learnt you could email them to yourself as USB
sticks you have no where to put them.
After getting what I wanted and the going
downstairs for lunch, I went to the bookshop and had a look around at the
family tree guides that I thought would be interesting even though I have no
room. I did checkout a exhibition on the Cold War in Britain that included
spies who got away and the threat of nuclear attack. There was information on
the civil defence and also the popular culture of the Cold War through movies,
comics and even building of nuclear bomb shelters. It was interesting and I decided
that it was time to leave so I ended up visiting Kew Gardens, although I did
not enter as I needed to get back to the hostel to do some washing. I ended up
at a laundry run by an Indian couple that was just down the road and I put my
washing on there. I went for a walk in the area and wandered into the library
for a quick look and that was all you could do as it was just that small. Once
I had the washing done and the drying as well, I headed back to sort that out.
I did get a drink from the hostel before leaving and they were nearly out of
everything, well out of coke and most soft drinks. They would get a delivery on
Saturday. I think they could soon be the pub with no beer and would explain why
there are not big crowds unless the locals visit earlier.
I was going to see a show called The
Mousetrap and wanted to have enough time to get there. I headed back into the
city to where I was the night before on the same train journey. I just love the
breeze the tube trains give when you know they are coming and it is refreshing.
I wanted to get something decent to eat and I found it at a restaurant that had
steak. I had that and a jacket potato too. By that time I could pick up my
ticket and wait around 10 mins before they opened the stalls. I ended up being
on the roof top stalls and they were high to the point where you could fall off
the balcony onto the floor. They did lean forward a little too and I kept on
having a kid coming through and tripping over my bag, which serves him right
for not asking, although the last couple of times he let me stand up to let him
in. By the time the show finished it was very nearly dark and the tube took
around 15 mins to get me to the stop and I powered my way to the hostel that
was still open at around 1030. Any later and I would have to buzz the door.
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