Traffic is what we spent a large part of today stuck in.
Normally, back in the olden days, we would use trains, tubes and buses to travel up to London. It would be a pleasant day out; I used to have clinic appointments and associated tests up to 6 times a year and we'd make it a pleasant day out.
I'm a member of the V and A Museum so when we were in that part of London we would have lunch there and go to an exhibition, or visit a favourite part. And the shop!
Other appointments were at a hospital on the other side of London, and the bus went along Charing Cross Road (Foyles bookshop and music shops and walking distance to Covent Garden), and through Trafalgar Square (galleries, St Martin's in the Fields).
Excellent. A splendid day out.
Now, in these modern times, we slog through rush hour traffic in the car, eyes on stalks and alert for every road sign and junction, arrive, after several wrong turns and 'Now Get Out Of That' situations and find the dark underground car park where we pre booked a space. Then a 45 minute walk (at my pace) shivering through back streets to avoid crowds to the hospital. No more lunches at the Vand A... just a sandwich at the hospital cafeteria, get through the lung function tests, and a CT scan this time, walk back and retrace our steps.
Am I complaining? Well, yes, actually. I think I am. I miss our excusions.
But, there are always silver linings. I've got 5600 steps today; most days I'm only getting around 1500 at the moment. A sandwich from the snack bar for lunch, and a kit kat and a yorkie bar to keep us going on the way home, is infinitely cheaper than coffee and croissants at Pain Quotidien, followed by lunch in the member's room of the V and A.
And just think of the money I saved from not going to the shops!
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