Jule's Hikoi: Catch up

It's about time I did a catch up on the pieces not quite a full post but special. December was quiet with bright spells like catching the train to London on the only non strike day that week to see Kate. Kate's my lovely niece and is over here from New Zealand starting a new job and a new life and, like me, enjoying the lifestyle change of this place. It had snowed a couple of days earlier and the snow was still around kept there by freezing temperatures. Much colder than my last winter visit in 2018.

I wandered along both sides of the river to our meeting place, a lovely Italian restaurant near Tower Bridge. It was lovely to have NZ family time, catch up on the news and enjoy each other's stories. Kate went north to Edinburgh for Hogmanay and I can't wait to catch up again to hear all about it. Wandering back I got slightly misplaced, wandering through Borough Market to the wrong station. Luckily the help folks there pointed me in the right direction and my audio book and I departed back through the snowy countryside.

Countryside, I think that's what always surprises me here. How much countryside there is when this quite small island has such a large population. I noticed that going south to Dorset a couple of weekends ago. That's my next post. Christmas was quiet as was new year, Facetime chats with the crew down south and time out to relax. Christmas dinner was a hot one, I love mid winter Christmases.

Making the most of the time off we did some day trips. I'm surprised how many places are shut at this time of year. Places tourists like me would love to visit. One place open was the Royal Holloway University of London. Well the grounds were open for a wander. It has quite a history and the details are here. Unveiled in 1886 by Queen Victoria, the founders building is amazing. It's one of the first places in the UK women could attend university and was a place where women's suffrage was to the fore. My photos don't quite do the place justice, it's very hard to get the whole into one photo. The website has an aerial shot much better representing the place.

Another visit was to the Battle of Britain Bunker, the war room where the logistics of the battle were negotiated, where men and planes were sent to an uncertain outcome. The history enacted here is reflected in the artifacts, photos and stories. The museum and bunker are well worth a visit.

I'm quite enjoying a cold winter, my first in a while. Especially enjoying the snow, frozen puddles and heavy frosts, all from the comfort of a warm indoor space. Yesterday I went for a wander in -1 on a day with quite warm sunshine. My big coat, a 2018 UK purchase, has had good use.