Through the glass cases

So, today I took the longest bus ride in the world. I wanted to take a new bus route and was keen to find out how long it took to get to Clapham and what it looked like over that way. Not the best idea, not only was the bus ride about 2 hours but the bus driver decided to stop halfway through the route and made all the passengers get off. I, with everyone else, got off and had to wait for the next bus.

Now, by this time I also needed to go to the loo so every little minute of waiting around was making it worse. (Bonus though, the first bus's Oyster reader was broken so I didn't actually pay anything).

By the time the bus got to the destination, I really needed to go. I was meant to be going to the V&A but the Natural History Museum was closer, therefore their toilets were closer. So I went there first.

I also watched a tv programme last night on the Natural History Museum, so it was on the brain.

It is inside an amazing building, didn't get photo of outside, needed loo.

But lots of the inside and of the exhibits.

Sadly, T-Rex and the big mammals, blue whale etc were out of action. I would like to go back when the exhibits are open again.

Didn't understand what the Darwin centre was about down the end and didn't feel like finding out, maybe another time.

I really enjoyed the small animal areas and found where all the cats are hiding out in London... well, maybe not quite.

And then there was this...

Hmmmmmmm.

The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) was amazing, I will have to go back and check out the galleries I didn't get to and possibly even pay to see the special exhibitions. I was, however,

extremely disappointed in the shop. All the affordable stuff was just crap. There wasn't even anything that interesting. For such a great design museum, very disappointing shop.

Again, there was a lot going on in the museum, which is great to see that things are going on and not static, but lots of things weren't there, like the wedding dresses in the fashion area, I think I saw one out of the four.

Great day out, even for the 2 hour bus ride, the rain and the missing exhibits. I would like to go with someone else so could discuss things - another adventure, another time.

Foxes and Squirrels

I came home on Saturday morning, bright and early at 5am after a night out and came around the corner of our building and there were two foxes. Now, having never seen foxes except in zoos and tv etc this was highly surprising. I just never thought I would see a fox in suburban London. Sadly I wasn't quick enough to get a photo, but it was very cool.

On Monday I went out with my Finnish flatmate and there was a squirrel just happily doing its thing. I did get a photo of that. New favourite thing, squirrels.

We met up with her friend also from Finland at her friend's flat. I liked the little courtyard. It isn't quite crytoscopophilia, but it is pretty close. The front window is made up of those glass bricks so it wouldn't be possible for a good peek in anyway. It is peeking out instead.

Our mission for the day was to walk around Hyde Park. We walked to the lake and around, bought coffee, pain au chocolate and icecream, something each, not all for one.

It was decided that the Princess Diana children's park had unfair opening hours for those without children and took some photos around the place. Mission accomplished. We also went up to Portobello Road and looked at a few shops.

Had lunch in a pub and drank too much red wine. It was a good day out.

It has been a week since I left New Zealand

I have seen two cats. One in the window of a shop along Camberwell Church Street. I've passed this shop twice and seen this cat with a huge urge to stop and greet the cat and have a cuddle but it is in a shop, which I think is an electronics shop or something, I haven't actually had a good look at what the shop is. The other cat was while I was on a walk down through to the Brockwell Lido and Brixton. It was running away as it was so stopping and calling puss would have seemed a bit over enthusiastic, especially since there were people walking behind me.

There aren't many cats down this way in London, or they are all inside cuddled up to the central heating.

On the other note of

being crytoscopophiliac - people don't seem to want others to look into their houses and

windows often have those gauzy

curtains. I guess when your front window is street level, privacy is desired.

There were a couple of nice places that I could see into. Taking photos is probably not so easy but I may try in the weeks to come. Also any London cats.

On a note not including cats or looking through people's windows, I am sta

ying in Camberwell in a sublet for a month.

Everyone is saying that the weather is colder than usual. Typical.

I have eaten all but one of my Whittaker's slabs.

On Monday I took a train out to Dover. I went down to Denmark Hill train station, paid £35 ish for a return. Went via London Bridge, had to interchange there. The train to Dover was late. At Ashford International the train split in half with some carriages going one way and the other carrying onto Dover.

Dover was cold and drab and not very interesting. The castle is very dramatic perched on its hill and sadly I didn't actually get a photo of it from the bottom. I did get one leaving on the train. Not very exciting.

I went for an interview, the interview was alright. I was able to have a look around the castle and as there was a strike on (for a good reason and I fully support their cause) so the fires that usually

warm the great keep were not lit and it was quite chilly. I ended up talking to some interpreters, one of whom was able to pinpoint my accent to Wellington - not sure about that one, that could have been a wild guess, and got invited back to the staff room for tea. A nice social excursion in the sad little town of Dover.