1944 August in London

My summer trip to London has got off to a bad start despite rising around 6am, I relaxed too much until 10am and then everything became a rush as i changed mind and left too much to do with too little time to do it.

The weather was kind with pleasant sunshine but it was touch and go whether I will arrive at Kings Cross before the torrential rain forecast. If so then a taxi will be essential for the short journey to the Royal Scot and additional expense. Already I have spent an unnecessary £3 having forgotten to take the metro pass from the suit after changing into the casual summer wear with the jacket fearing that the suit could be drenched on the trip from the station to the hotel.

These were my only notes made before commencing to write again while killing time in the temporary travellers lounge just outside the main concourse at Kings Cross station three days later. It is 3.20on Saturday afternoon. The reason for the gap is that I was able to connect online on the train an engage in an important conversation on Yahoo Instant messenger. Well it seemed important at the time Earlier today I had a potentially more significant conversation and the next few hours will reveal if this has been yet another false dawn among so many false dawns over the last two months. Now reviewing this on the following Tuesday I have report it was the false dawn of false dawns.

Because of this the highlight of the trip has been one of the great meal experiences of my lifetime. Many buffet meal restaurants have opened in the UK over the past decades offering a variety of foods within a range of prices. I have not previously heard of such an extraordinary eating extravaganza as that provided by Day’s of 75-79 East Street Brighton.

It scores the maximum number of stars for such eateries because of design, ambience, choices available, quality of foods, approach of staff and costs with the food for six coming to 83.94 for a priority weekend evening and a further 16.60 for drinks. I will later see if there is an internet site for the restaurant if it is part of a chain, so I can try and recreate the range of food available as well as more detail of the six plates I was able to experience concluding with a simple chocolate ice cream before which there had been a small of a mango tasting custard with a little , a small chocolate finger and a large blackberry, a charlotte ruse and a few large grapes. It is interesting that I remember the deserts I selected and those available. A range of fresh fruits including melons, a choice of ice creams, profiteroles with sauce and cream which I rejected on this occasion, plates of sweets for the children, various cakes and creams,

There where two areas of starters and main dishes. There were three central with prepared dishes but these were constantly replaced with fresh trays as the contents were consumed

From the starters I enjoyed two separate portions of spiced prawns with some crisp seaweed on the first plate, some olives, small sushi portions wrapped with rice. With the second there was crispy fried duck, some spiced beef, and chicken portions. For the main course I had some Thai Beef Curry, a large Papadum, small piece of Naan and rice. I then had a mixture of tasty meats, some green string beans, cooked warm celery. All in sufficient quantity to savour individually and the combination of flavours, but limiting the quantity to ensure I enjoyed the puddings. I drank the greater part of a large bottle of fizzy water. I was full by the end of a good two hour sitting. There is no web site but Trip adviser reviews which I joined some time ago and had to get a new email before it was published.

I was allocated a double bed room at the Royal Scot, small but with a chair at the desk and plenty of power points although I did not need more than one forgetting to bring battery charger and deciding against the camera. The windows were not double so I heard plenty of street noise which was moderate on the Wednesday but bad on the Thursday.

I was determined to control food intake during the trip. For the Wednesday I started with cereal and before leaving the house had a piece of steak with a good portion salad and a banana, finishing the salad at the hotel which included the remaining pieces of ham and pork followed by grapes and coffee. For Thursday there was pan au chocolat for breakfast with coffee. Lunch was a box of French fries, a piece of chicken breast and three spicy wings together with an icy can of diet coke for £2.99 from the Halal no alcohol here, cooked fresh, filling and exceptional value for money. I returned for another helping on the Saturday before travelling home. Earlier I had purchased a BLT sandwich which I enjoyed back in the room with coffee.

The journey homeward had its moments of interest. There was a couple of hours to kill between leaving the room at 2pm and selecting a good spot on the station to get to the train to find a table seat. At one point I spotted what appeared to be a scarf and a book abandoned on a chair and asked a couple nearby if they knew who had been sitting at the seat and they did not so I gathered the items and placed them on top of the unit close where I was sitting to hand them in next time the assistant who checked the toilets from time to arrived. The toilets had been used by all and sundry until the assistant had locked them. The two items were immediately claimed by a young woman who had gone into the far corner close to the toilets to recharge her mobile on a power point. When she left and then a man sitting on an adjacent seat, I moved over to use my laptop. While this was excellent I then found myself advising people that the toilets were locked and where the facilities were located in the main station with new temporary facilities for ladies on the far right hand side with men’s remaining were there had always been on the far end of the far platform, unless one was first class who have their own. Those were the days.

The plan worked and I was able to have a choice of seats electing for one of two by the disability toilets and designed for those with wheel chairs or mobility problems. It was a gamble of course so I stood to see what happened. During the wait I assisted a young Black mother with a child in a buggy, looking after the child while she sorted out seats with a friend and then looked after the buggy and luggage in the other area from where I hoped to sit. Alas shortly before train was to leave there arrived two very large Black women plus electric wheel chair. My presence was fortunate for them because I was able to assist in ensuring they were comfortable and as the other seat was vacant, using a case for the computer I was able to manage where I was although the system was temperamental as it tends to be, especially when the train is packed, as it was. I was able to return to the other seat at Peterborough when the two women alighted. The station staff were well prepared for the arrival. I needed more food having a Ploughman‘s sandwich and coffee before the final lap of the journey by Metro from Newcastle to South Shields with the early Saturday nighters going in both directions. I will do a sport and film catch up as the concentration on project work of one kind or another continues.