London Week-end

London was fantastic, but oh so busy, and again I more or less coped with the situation.

The drive down was fine, not too much traffic and good weather, infact the whole week-end was gloriously sunny and hot. It was good to be with our eldest son and his wife whom we had not seen for a couple of months.

On Saturday after brunch we set off to central London, by tube, to see "Betty Blue Eyes" the musical comedy. The journey is some 13 stops on the Piccadilly Line to reach Covent Garden and all was going well until Kings Cross/St. Pancras. Hoards of people seemed to be waiting at this station and it was all  push, shove and squeeze on the train. I was thankful to have had a seat as soon as we got on, but now I seemed to be hemmed in and I silently began to panic that I would not get off in another four stops. I could feel my face redden as I began to get hot and my eyes began to fill with tears, I felt totally overwhelmed. My family quickly recognised that I was not coping and swiftly moved in to help. They were giving me advice on how they would help me off the train and for the first time in ages I felt vulnerable. Once off the tube and up in the lift to fresh air and space I felt much better.
I quickly drank the bottle of water that I was carrying and then it was off to a pavement cafe for a drink before going to the theatre.

We had a meal after the show before making our return journey. Once on the tube platform, we moved to the far end so hopefully the carriages wouldn't be as busy on arrival. Success! Once we arrived at our final stop I could hardly manage the steps to pavement level and my son to "chivvy" me along counted them for me.

Sunday was very hot and after showering I stayed indoors, declining a trip to the local supermarket. Yes! I had acknowledged that the intense heat wouldn't be good for me. After Sunday lunch with our daughter-in-law's parents we set off or home, a four hour journey, which was thankfully uneventful. When we arrived home I could hardly walk and had to be helped to get upstairs and into bed.

The following two days saw me quite tired and lethargic and the initial swelling of the right ankle subsided.

Another milestone completed.