It felt almost like normal yesterday as youngest daughter and I went on the train to London Bridge. Apart from having to wear masks on the train, underground and the stations it seemed almost as if none of the past 14 months had happened. We walked to the London Eye and just sat there enjoying the atmosphere and being out in the sunshine. There was a very nice feel, as although it was quite busy it was not crowded, sadly though most of the food stalls that usually line the Thames were not there. I hope the people who run them have survived financially and will be able to set up their businesses again.
We walked along and had a lunch at Wagamama which is a Japanese restaurant. It was so perfectly and safely run, we sat outside enjoying our meal and commenting how things had changed so much in the past year. To pay our bill, we just had to scan a code on the menu that had been given to us that takes you to the Wagamama website, then give the number the waitress had given to us and your itemised bill appears on your phone and you can pay directly. You don't have to pay like this if you don't want to but the pandemic has certainly made businesses adapt in a clever way and lots of good ideas will carry on after it is all over.
After our meal we walked down to all the second hand book stalls and browsed for ages. Some of the books were really expensive but I wanted to try and support the people who own the stalls, who must have had such a bad year and bought an old ladybird book for my collection of old children's books.
Even though the sun had gone in and it was quite breezy sitting by the river we sat for a long time just chatting and planning more days out this summer. It feels as if we need to take advantage of everything just in case it all goes wrong again. There are some positives to the last year and the pandemic in that we seem to appreciate times spent with friends and family so much more. I made a short video of the afternoon there and the busker at the end of the video is worth watching, he was wonderful and really added to the atmosphere while walking along the river.
The weather stayed fine until we got home and I phoned eldest son who was much brighter and said he is definitely on the mend, which for me was the perfect end to a really nice day. I hope everyone has a lovely Saturday what ever your plans are. xx
