London - Day 23

Saturday morning and we have arranged to meet Ginny and Andrew at the Portobello market for Brunch. After meeting at the wrong tube we finally get to Notting-hill Station, the start of the market. The place is heaving, with stalls selling all manner of cool stuff. With Jane and Ginny stopping regularly to check stuff out the going is slow, but eventually we find a nice pub for Brekky. Andrew and I joke we should go into every menswear shop, as retribution, and I duck into the next one. 20 minutes later I walk out £160 poorer with a new leather jacket!I guess the joke is on me! We snag a table outside for food, and are entertained by a blues guitarist busking on the corner. He is followed by a groovy saxophonist, both of whom are accompanied by a clearly medicated Old Jamaican Lady, dancing to her own beat! Georgia and much of the crowd are kept amused by the antics! After our meal we discover the Portobello Gin bar has a tasting room ! Jane sorts us through most the open samples and we finally order one each from their interesting menu; the Butter Gin probably being the pick. From Portobello, we tube it to Harefield, in Zone 6. This is where Jane's friend Andrea and family live! It's a beautiful Village and we have a looong lunch at the Coy Carp, a pub overlooking the Canal that connects London to Birmingham. It's a lovely afternoon and Georgia gets to enjoy the company of their two similar aged daughters. On the way back to the station they takes us to the local cemetery that has a memorial to 50 or so fallen Anzacs from WWI. This village was where one of the Australian Hospitals was situated and they still commemorate every year! It is beautifully kept, but sobering to see just how young these poor souls were that sacrificed their lives for us! On the return tube home we are entertained by a very inebriated Jamaican guy, it is the most smiles and laughter I've ever witnessed on this usually dour mode of travelling! I bite the bullet and make the 40 min round trip to see if my lost jumper can be recovered, and Woo hoo finally a win!Read more