Out of London

Somehow we've ended up spending the night at the 'Sebastian Coe Health Centre". I suspect the last of my Labor Party credibility is now gone.

We caught a taxi across to the hire car place in reasonable time (passing JM Keynes' house on the way). We set what i assume is some sort of record by having someone bump into the back of our car within 5 minutes of us picking it up. And no, i am not exaggerating or being figurative - we literally got around the corner from the hire car place and had someone run into the back of us. Luckily it didn't cause any damage, but it left me fairly nervous for the rest of the day's driving.

We stopped off at the Greenwich Observatory for lunch and had a look at the museum and displays there. It was very interesting, but i didn't really feel like doing the "I'm in this time zone, i'm in that time zone" dance that most of the other tourists were doing. Also, i swear to god i saw Hugo Weaving there. I didn't go up and say Hi or anything, but it was pretty cool.

We also visited Knole, which is a stately manor confiscated by Henry VIII and given to the family of the writer Vita Sackville-West. Mum was very keen to see the gardens there, but unfortunately we didn't quite get there in time (missed by 4 minutes). The grounds were spectacular however, and we saw some deer just walking around. They remind me a little of the kangaroos at Tidbinbilla.

We had a bit of a time finding a place to stay overnight (hence the Seb Coe place) as it turns out that this week is very busy for hotels and bed and breakfasts in this area.

The English countryside seems amazingly beautiful - it is exactly like every beautiful picture you've ever seen. Of course it helps that we've had wonderful weather so far.

The one thing that irritates me a bit is their road system - they are laid out in a very haphazard manner, and people seem to go charging down tiny alleyways without a second's thought. I suppose it's the legacy of having to build modern roads to fit medieval/18th century towns and villages.

Tomorrow we're heading over to Cantebury, and we'll be seeing the cathedral there. Should be very impressive - hopefully i'll have some pictures to post next time.