Hottest Day Since 2006 - 30 June 2009

We left Albany on the coldest and (almost) longest day of the year to arrive in London’s heat wave!

BLISS! And it seems to be front-page news.

Even Glasgow was hot! Isobel and I went for a day trip up to visit my old stomping ground & to see a friend from my days in Glasgow almost 20 years ago. Isobel couldn’t always understand Jennifer’s son, Sebastian with his Scottish accent but they bonded under the weight of a Boa Constrictor. She has been talking about Sebastian so much that Dave is now teasing her about her new boyfriend. She is very embarrassed.

The kids also LOVED their time with the Palmer kids... Katherine (7), Jessica (5 – known as “Mad-Dog”) and Little Finlay (3). Our two families are both very loud so when combined...well, we think the librarian neighbours moved out! Amusingly, for a few days after leaving London, Isobel was talking with a “Katherine” accent.

In a previous life, I worked for Trafalgar Tours in London but with two kids in tow, I had to contain my enthusiasm to visit just the London Eye, Big Ben, St James Park, Trafalgar Square & The Palace. The London Eye was new to me and I got a real kick out of seeing familiar sites from a new perspective.

But the T-Rex in London’s Natural History Museum was a winner... and a saviour after dragging the kids around on the tube. It is a life-sized robot replica complete with “roars” which freaked Isobel out but Tom was mesmerised... the dinosaurs section would have entertained him for a full day on its own.

I love London!