We’ve had a lovely week, with lots of socialising!
After seeing Leo Sayer and having a late night last weekend, we were grateful for a nice, quiet Sunday before heading to London on Monday to spend two nights and three days with our friend Mary.
We took a different route to London than I’ve taken before. Instead of taking the usual 25-minute train from Reading to Paddington, we travelled from Reading to Waterloo, which takes around an hour and a half. The longer journey is because the train stops at about 24 stations. However, it was a very pleasant journey. The train was spacious, very accessible and, best of all, there were hardly any other passengers. Perfect! At Waterloo, it was a 15-minute walk to our hotel on the Embankment, where Mary was waiting patiently for us.
As the weather was looking good, we decided to make the most of it and visit the Tower of London, somewhere none of us had been for around 30 years. We made enquiries about the hop-on, hop-off sightseeing buses, one of which stopped right outside our hotel. Would it accommodate two powered wheelchairs? The answer was yes. So off we went, enjoying a tour of London with a recorded commentary explaining the landmarks we passed. It was a lovely way to travel, and it was interesting to hear about the buildings and places we passed.
At the Tower, we stopped for coffee and something to eat before going inside.
We spent a good couple of hours exploring, watching the squirrels and the famous Tower ravens, and generally taking in the atmosphere of this extraordinary place.
Of course, we couldn’t visit without seeing the Crown Jewels. We made our way into the rather gloomy Jewel House, where the magnificent collection was on display. They really were incredible.
Back outside, we chatted with a Beefeater and other staff members before heading back to catch the sightseeing bus to our hotel.
By then, the sun was setting, the temperature had dropped considerably, and it was getting dark. We’d certainly made the most of our first day.
Unfortunately, the following morning brought a complete change in the weather. It was raining, grey and thoroughly miserable.
Undeterred, after a good breakfast, we set off on what turned out to be something of a nightmare journey to Greenwich Park.
None of us had been there before, and we particularly wanted to see the Royal Observatory and the famous Greenwich Meridian Line, from which Greenwich Mean Time takes its name.
Our journey involved travelling part of the way on the Jubilee Line, which was absolutely horrendous! It was noisy, extremely crowded and not an experience I’d be in any hurry to repeat. Thankfully, we only had to endure a few stops before getting off and transferring to the Docklands Light Railway (DLR), which was much more comfortable and enjoyable.
We changed trains twice, travelling on three different DLR trains before finally arriving in Greenwich. From there, it was another 20-minute walk up into the park. By then, the rain had really set in, and everything looked grim and dismal. We decided a cup of coffee in the park café was in order before taking a few photographs and admitting defeat. Rather than stay longer and get cold and wet, we headed back towards the centre of Greenwich and took refuge in the indoor market.
Our return journey, however, turned out to be a revelation. We discovered something called an Uber Boat, which I’d never seen or even heard of before. It was an absolutely brilliant way to travel, especially for wheelchair users.
Instead of battling our way back through the Underground and changing trains, we enjoyed a wonderfully straightforward, accessible journey along the River Thames from Greenwich to Westminster.
What a difference.
By the time we arrived back at the hotel, we were all thoroughly exhausted. Poor Mary was also suffering from a nasty cough and cold, which certainly hadn’t helped matters. We sent poor Mary off to bed early to nurse her cold, while Mike and I enjoyed a lovely meal out. We weren’t exactly party animals, though. We were both fast asleep before 9 pm!
On our final day in the capital, following another good breakfast, we crossed the Golden Jubilee Bridge towards Charing Cross. The wind was blowing a gale, and it was raining again!
I’d packed plenty of warm clothes but, unbelievably, nothing waterproof. In London. In October! So we bought a couple of disposable ponchos, which conveniently covered both us and our wheelchairs. Very fetching.
We continued to Covent Garden for a wander around the market and a coffee before heading to the Cambridge Theatre for the matinee performance of Matilda the Musical. What I hadn’t considered was that a midweek matinee of Matilda would be packed with schoolchildren. They were generally well-behaved, but there was inevitably plenty of fidgeting and sweet-packet rustling, making it hard to hear at times. Nevertheless, the performance was fantastic, particularly the incredibly talented young cast.
Afterwards, we collected our bags from the hotel and made our way back to Waterloo for the train to Reading, followed by a bus home. We finally arrived around 8.30 pm, thoroughly exhausted and very pleased to be back in a warm, dry environment.
Since then, I’ve been recovering, catching up on laundry and getting back into my usual routine.
And what about my weight?
Well, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I’d actually lost a little weight during our London adventure.
I’d certainly eaten more than usual and moved considerably less, spending most of the three days in my powered wheelchair. However, I think sticking to a substantial breakfast and a sensible evening meal, without snacking in between, helped.
Proof that I can still enjoy eating out and going away without undoing all my hard work.
This week’s weigh-in
Weight this week: 55.75 kg (8 stone 11 lbs)
Weight last week: 55.25 kg (8 stone 9 lbs)
Weekly loss: 0.5 kg (1 lb 1.6 oz)
100% – 8 months, 13 days in weight maintenance range (54 – 57kg or 8 st 7 lb – 8 st 13 lbs)
And finally…
I’ve uploaded a new YouTube video sharing some of our London adventures, along with an update on my Mounjaro maintenance journey.
Why not pop over to my channel and take a look?