Coming and Going to My London

By Trish Hoskin

A series of short stories on my trips to London focussing on my particular memories and experiences.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trish Hoskin
• Release date: Jul 2, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386550679

Book preview

While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.

COMING AND GOING TO MY LONDON

First edition. July 2, 2018.

Copyright © 2018 Trish Hoskin.

Written by Trish Hoskin.

Coming and Going to My London

Contents

Coming and Going to My London

Overview

Chapter 1 – How Can I Stay?

Chapter 2 – High Teas

Chapter 3 – It’s a feeling

Chapter 4 – Getting to The Burbs

Chapter 5 – Chelsea Flower Show

Chapter 6 – Royal London

Chapter 7 – The Seasons

Chapter 9 – Architecture and Buildings

Chapter 10 – Tube Bombings

Chapter 11 - The Mind is a Wonderful Thing

Chapter 12 -  Food, Fads & Fashion and Just in London

Chapter 13 – 20 Years On!

Chapter 14 – Epilogue

Overview

I have written this a series of memories of my wonderful 9 stays in a city I love with a passion – London. She bewitches me she beguiles me – I love her so. I know it may seem that I have rose coloured glasses on when I talk about her, but I do know like any other city and town there is always a bad side and there is not always the richness or luxury that I describe. I understand that, and I know there is poverty amongst her and there has been cruel events and often cruel history but for all that besides my own beloved Adelaide and Australia this is the one place in the world that I would never feel out of place. Each story may be out of timeline order, but they are written as the stories flood back rather than a bit of a droll chronological order type story.

Chapter 1 – How Can I Stay?

The sun is streaming through the sheer curtain sending casting shadows across the bed. It is warm in the room and as it is still daylight savings there is no hint of the late afternoon turning darker.

As I lay on the bed looking across at the beautiful V & A Museum, I am dressed, my bags packed waiting for the hotel shuttle to take me back to Heathrow and that long-haul flight back to my real home.

I am on my 5th trip to the city and all I can think of is in this moment when I should be getting up and going to the hotel reception and checking out is how can I stay? what can I do to delay the flight?

The window is slightly open, and I can hear the traffic, the black cabs idling in the middle of the wide section of the road across from the hotel, cabbies chatting to themselves – they are at the quaint green structures that I have always assume were for their tea stops. I hear the tourist buses move quickly up Cromwell Road honking at a tourist as they run across the street in front of them.

The smells of the blooms in the flower boxes nearby and the warmth in the air not to mention a few fumes from traffic, but this is London this is the city that I have come to adore, and I don’t want to go home – not yet at least.

This trip has been one of the most wonderful – having spent 14 nights at the Rembrandt hotel a fantastic find, a week over in Ireland and then another 6 nights back at the Rembrandt. I have wandered the streets of London both by myself and some with my bestie who joined me for a short part of the beginning of the trip before she went off to discover more of England. In the scrapbook that I took 5 days to complete once I got home, I called this my Art and Cultural Assault on the City.

I have so many memories and stories I feel they are all jumping out at me all at once, but each deserves their own tale, so I shall try to contain them to one story at a time.

Back to this trip, I knew I wanted to spend a large quantity of time in the city as it has always fascinated me. I managed to get the hotel for an amazing price at the time after talking to a girl online from a hotel booking site – she had just spent the weekend there and told me how it was close to everything – a couple of minutes’ walk from South Kensington underground stop, across the road from the V & A and to boot – the price included full buffet breakfast. She went away and talked to the hotel and because I was staying for a total of 20 nights she got me 10 pounds per night discount which was a considerable sum for me then over five hundred Australian dollars – more spending money!

I had planned the trip