this trip's overview

Gran Canaria portion

First Day Back

Man-made Finery

Queen's Life Guard

Covent Garden Markets

London's Transport Museum I

Marks & Spencers

Natural History Museum

Science Museum

High Street Kensington

Bus Karma I

The Strand

Simpsons-in-the-Strand

Tower of London

Science Museum II

Worst Food Ever

Where the shops are

Neal's Yard Dairy

Seven Dials

Bus Karma II

returning home

Friday 31 January 2003, continued

It's really cold outside, and the girls have already gone into London's Transport Museum, shown here. When Isaac and I are finished eating we join them. We love the museum; we visited it on our last trip and made a mental note to come back. Isaac liked it then, and is ga-ga over it this time. Even Lila is wildly enthusiastic. I buy the annual pass (equal to two visits) so we have the freedom to come and go -- indoor events are at a premium during a winter visit.

Here Lila is stamping around the exhibit floor with her new friend Ian, the son of an expatriate mother. They've been desperately looking for some warm indoor playspace.

Here Isaac and Lila play in a restored train carriage. Isaac was doing a great job of sheparding and protecting his baby sister, despite feeling a bit under the weather himself.

In the back of the museum there is a infant and toddler playspace, including three or four train tables. The kids are loving playing with these, especially as they can run back to the full-size buses, trains, and subway cars.

Where's Rose in all these pictures? Not present. Why? Well, she's been felled by the same bug which has been stalking us. Here you see her asleep on a bench at the rear of the museum, by the playspace. You can see her head between the wood and red train cars. The staff saw her, and the pram loaded with winter jackets and sweaters, and let her be. They also took steps to be mindful of Lila and Isaac, and looked after them along with me. It was appreciated. Rose isn't eating, has nausea, and now is too weak to do anything but sleep. I'm not feeling great myself, but this child- and wife-care load isn't helping things. I'm not sure how many days of this I can handle. We can get food to take away (to our room), and I can buy some more childrens' DVDs to entertain them, but that doesn't help Rose re-hydrate herself (especially as Lila isn't eating, only nursing) and somehow get calories into her to conserve what health she's got left. I hope this doesn't last a week :-|

We play for a few hours, before eating and going home. We sleep well, and long, which was necessary. Rose won't be feeling her best, but Isaac and I will be needing a proper British breakfast before heading out to Marks & Spencers.

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