Even though it was foggy, I awoke today feeling exactly the same as I had done aged 49, funny that. Logic of course would tell me that it is but a day of 86400 seconds, 1440 minutes or 24 hours, not a change from any other day in my life, but logic and the human psyche are not great bedfellows. Today however I woke on a mission; and that mission was to get to Bedwyn station in time to catch the 08.41 to Paddington. More on that later, but first a plethora of newspapers.
On my 21st birthday I purchased the entire output of Fleet Street, obviously not the entire output but one of each of its finest newspapers. They make interesting reading looking back 29 years to 1985. Today I planned to do the same for my 50th, yet in the excitement of being in London it slipped my mind until back home in the evening opening my present from Julie (Daily Telegraph from 1st April 1964 and here in the front of the photograph), I remembered. So it was a with a dash and a sprint we hurled ourselves into the Wiltshire countryside to purchase every paper we could at 6.30pm. And we did it. Burbage ESSO Garage provided most, Tesco Marlborough the i-paper and Budgens Marlborough the Telegraph. Julie had already bought the Daily Mail so in 45 minutes the job was done. Phew. I'll not read these now but will store them with my 1985 papers and at some point in the future peruse at leisure. Not least because by the time I reach 75 newsprint will no longer be available, the internet has speeded up news journalism to such an extent that papers are no longer the messenger of breaking news.
To my birthday.....
Present opening would have to wait, and I prefer opening presents in the evening anyway as it leaves the nice surprises to the end of the day. Time for a quick cup of tea and packed sandwiches and then off on the train. A perfect timed journey saw me depart the most rural hinterland in southern England and arrive in the big smoke 1 hour 15 minutes later. I'd left in thick fog, arrived in glorious spring sunshine.
It is about 3 miles from Paddington to the British Museum, so as the weather was clement my old mate Shanks's Pony was in for a good workout. I love walking through London anyway its a great pedestrian City as there is so much to see. Down through Suffolk Gardens, past the Victoria Pub (one of the best preserved Victorian interiors), cross onto Bayswater Road and into Hyde Park. In the image above one of those new (Boris bans the bendy-bus ) Routemaster busses with a back exit. They look fantastic what a superb design, as was....
....walking though Hyde Park in the warm sunshine was a real treat, a little piece of remnant countryside in the Capital. I needed to return to Oxford Street so aimed for Marble Arch. As I drew closer I spied this 35 foot high horse head sculpture which I'm ashamed to say I knew nothing about as I took some photographs and ate my breakfast on a seat looking at it. Later on I discovered it's called 'Still Water' or sometimes referred to as a 'drinking horse' by a chap called Nic Fiddian-Green. I have to say it is very impressive, which again proves walking is good, if I'd taken the tube I'd have missed this. Before leaving Marble Arch as everyone is doing selfies these days I had a go myself - hum, maybe not then, keep behind the lens Andrew.
Eventually I arrived at the British Museum, which as I looked through the railings inspired me to take the image below (today has become one of linear inspired imagery). I'd come to see the Viking Exhibition which I'd read about yesterday in the paper, thus being of Scandinavian genes myself it seemed to be a perfect way to celebrate my 50 years as an Anglo-Norse. Tickets booked on-line I had a 11.50 slot for entry. In I went.
(Trying to be arty here and photograph a Viking helmet on the wall). I have to say the exhibition was superb, with one slight drawback for me which I'll not discuss on this blog in case anyone reading this is thinking of going, save to say the centrepiece largest longboat ever discovered was, shall we say less than inspiring. However some of the artwork on jewellery and artefacts were breath-taking. I also got to see the original Lewis Chessmen. My father was given an exact replica of this chess set by a client of his, House of Fraser, as a Christmas present. As a boy of 7 or 8 I became mesmerised by these intricately carved Norse chess pieces, which my parents still have. Seeing the originals today for the first time really was astonishing, that sense of someone 1000 years ago playing a game with an opponent. Well worth a visit and I learnt that Harald means 'Hard Lord' - that was also my grandfathers name.
After 2 and a half hours I'd run out of energy to see anything else so after a coffee and some iced water left the British Museum. As I did so the portico columns there fascinated me with their light and shadow linear imagery, rattling off a dozen photos including this one which I like because of the human scale I began my 3 mile walk back to Paddington Station. By now it was hot and humid and with the high air pollution over south and east of England, a lot being from a Sahara sandstorm, my London perambulation wasn't quite as pleasant a walk back as in the morning. No matter, another on-time train journey to Bedwyn, Julie picked me up at Bedwyn and by 6pm I was home with the lovely Julie who keeps me grounded and makes my life special, opening presents and having a meal in the garden. As one who has never been one for big parties and a lot of fuss, I couldn't wish for any better 50th Birthday.
NB: Best of all, at the museum I got OAP rates for the Audio Guide - I like being 50 as it saved me 50p, Apt, very apt!!
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