Breaking bread with friends
This morning was a bit of a disaster. On the way to the station Salome couldn’t find her Oyster card so when we got to the station we had to buy a single ticket. Then when we got off and boarded the connecting train I thought I’d lost my card but then found a card in my bag. So now I’m not sure if I lost my card or not and if the card in my bag was Salome’s.
We got to Euston and discovered it was raining. So from 30 degrees the day before to pouring rain. Welcome to London! We then went looking for a prepaid UK SIM but between stores not having stock of nano SIMs or being completely unwilling to help we got nowhere.
We then went to find some breakfast. After placing our orders and receiving our drinks the manager came to apologise for discovering that they didn’t have any yoghurt, nor could they source any from the surrounding stores. So we had to opt for something else.
We found a small break in the rain and walked to the British library. Entry is free except for the special exhibitions and there is plenty to see.
Then it was back to the station to purchase rail tickets so we could visit Nico. We opted for the quicker Virgin trains and after some help from friendly staff about which tickets to purchase we set off to find the platform. After some confusing ping pong between platform sections we eventually got to the correct platform. The signs outside only show the midlands schedule and the Virgin schedule is only on their platform. So if you don’t know the setup you can’t find your train!
Once on the train it was panic time because the hotspot I used at the coffee shop wasn’t authenticating anymore even though I was connected which meant I couldn’t let Nico know what train we were on. The saving grace was my Germany SIM on roaming in my old phone with 9% battery life and enough airtime to send a SMS. Phew!
When we met a smiling Nico at the station they day improved dramatically. After a lovely lunch with freshly baked bread he went back to work and we went out with Angela and Ava for a walk around Willen Lake which was really enjoyable. We spent the rest of the afternoon entertaining (or was it us being entertained) Ava. I had some fun with the camera and grabbed a few nice pictures of her.
When Nico got home I helped him move a new mattress upstairs. It was a bit tight but we got it up the staircase eventually. Angela cooked us a wonderful dinner after which Nico demonstrated his newfound piano skills and I helped him murder a few classics with some off key singing. Fortunately Angela came to the rescue with her amazing voice. Great to have talent!
Excellent ending to what started as a disastrous day. Nothing better than to spend some time out with friends! 😀
PS. I caught a huge rain spider in our bedroom while typing this up. Quick draw on the waste paper basket allowed me to catch and deposit it out the window.
