My plan to finish exploring the National Trust sites in London continued today. After a slow start and Skyping Mum and Dad in the morning, I headed in to the Banqueting House. This was one of the Historic Royal Palaces but had free entry with my Museums Association Card. It was much smaller than I was expected, beginning in an undercroft with a video explaining the history of the building. It had originally been a palace in Henry VIII’s era, being renovated and evolved throughout subsequent king’s reigns, but was burnt down in the 1600s leaving only the banqueting house itself. It was used extensively during the reign of James I and Charles I for theatrical masques and there was a lot of information about this displayed through the building and on the audioguide. Upstairs, there was a beautiful open hall with a gorgeous ceiling painted with 9 panels depicting angels and James I - this was commissioned by Charles I to honour his father and represented the divine right of kings to rule. I wasn’t in the mood to listen to a whole audio guide sitting in one room though so after exploring the room for a bit I headed off to the station.

I hopped on the northern line down to Tooting and stopped at an Indian restaurant there for a quick, cheap and delicious lunch of dosa (type of crepe made from rice flour and lentils) and chutneys. From Tooting I then continued down the northern line to Morden. After a short walk, I found myself at the Morden Hall Park, a National Trust spot with old stableyards, a snuff mill, a rose garden and lovely walks around the park. I visited the garden centre and got some seeds for our window pots, and then went for a big walk around the park.

Once I’d circled back to the gate the weather was starting to look a bit ominous so I hopped back on the train and caught it back to Bank. When I arrived at Shadwell it was absolutely pouring, so I powerwalked home to have a quiet afternoon doing my puzzle and cooking dinner. At 5:30 I popped out to get a new toy - a Brother sewing machine that a girl was selling on Facebook for £20! I brought it back home and plugged it in to check it worked and it does! I’m excited to start a new project once I’ve finished my puzzle. I finished my night with a quiet dinner and more time on said puzzle.

On Wednesday morning I headed into the city first thing to visit the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition at the Natural History Museum. There were already floods of people heading towards the museum when I arrived at 10:05 (it opens at 10) so I was glad I was prompt this morning! I wiggled my way through the crowds in the first few halls and made my way to the exhibition entrance in the east wing. I absolutely loved the exhibition, with so many fascinating photographs of animals and birds. The winning shot was of a Tibetan fox chasing a marmot and the expressions on both of their faces precisely caught the moment - amazing photography! I was in there for just under an hour and a half and as I headed out the exit, the lines for the museum were curling all the way down the front of the building. Good timing getting out of there! I grabbed some takeaway sushi from Wasabi and caught the train home for another quiet afternoon of puzzle and book time.

Thursday was a similar pattern, although alternating between working on Peter’s laptop, harassing Apple on the phone for when I’m going to get my laptop back (still unconfirmed) and doing puzzle.