I returned to London from France slightly earlier than planned. This was due to tragic event that I will post about sometime in the future.
After a short trip out of town, I found myself alone in the house in SW18. This was because my hosts were away in Turkey. I decided that given that I was in London again, I would do some more ‘London Stuff’. Unfortunately, I found myself with a heavy cold for the first time in years. It is only when you fall sick that you recall the last time you felt bad. This cold slowed me down a bit.
The Natural History and Science Museums
I have always been fan of the museums which are located along Cromwell Road. The route to the museums from South Kensington station is interesting. The aptly named Exhibition Road has been converted into a shared vehicle and pedestrian space. It seems to work. The vehicles just travel slowly.
Code Breakers
The Science Museum had a special exhibit on the Bletchley Park code breakers. I have been interested in the role the code breakers played in WW2, part because my mother was a cypher clerk in the RAAF and used the famous ‘Enigma’ Machine. She didn’t talk about it much. I am not sure if was due to not want to break the Official Secrets Act (apparently a lot of ex-service people respected the Act until they died) or because she simple couldn’t remember that part of her life due to Alzheimer’s. Last year I went to Bletchley Park, which is near Milton Keynes. I suggest you go to the former and simply drive through the latter. Back to the code breakers: as the exhibit explains, the fact that the Allies were able to crack the Axis communications was a huge advantage and played a major role in the winning of the war.
First Byte of an Apple
Another exhibit that caught my eye was: ‘things that changed the world’. These included the microwave oven (that has had no impact on my world) and the Apple II computer. I used one of those in 1982 while working for a Chartered Accounting firm in London. It was the first time I used a spreadsheet. I recall it was called VisiCalc. We used the spreadsheet to generate the financial statements of our clients. This was done on one big spreadsheet. The Trial Balance was in the top left corner. The P&L Statement was to the right and the Balance Sheet below. The notes to the Statements were below that. We were amased at our ability to make changes to the Trail Balance and for those changes to flow through to the P&L and BS. This was done, of course, by formulae that we entered into the sheet. The only way to keep track of how the sheet worked was to have a paper version. This was done with a series of butcher’s paper sheets that were pasted on the wall of the office. The cell formulae in the cells for the P&L and BS that linked back to the TB were on the paper sheets. It was all very primitive, but it worked.
In the case of one client, we took the computers into their office. We carried them in normal suit cases. The staff in the office were simply amased.
The Book of Morman
One of the great thing s about London is the theatre. There are over 40 theatres in the West End. Most of the shows are musicals or comedies. The ‘Book of Morman’ is both. It is complete irreverent and extremely funny. It should be compulsory viewing for all religious aficionados. I say that in the context that, if you can’t laugh at yourself and in what you believe (I believe cyclist should rule the world), then you cannot be taken seriously.
Don’t go and see the show if you are concerned about hearing about maggots in gonads
Voting at Australia House
With the 9th of September approaching, it was time to vote in the Australian election. I am still enrolled in the seat of Warringah which takes in Mosman, on the Sydney Harbour, and the northern beaches suburbs to the north. The seat is held Tony Abbot, who is now the Prime Minister. Needless to say, Warringah is the bluest of blue ribbon seats. I am sure if Jesus Christ were to return and run for the Labor Party the Liberals would still win this seat.
It is said that we have ‘compulsory’ voting in Australia. If you don’t vote you are fined. I think the fine is $200. Technically, this is not correct. You only have to attend at voting booth and have you name ticked off and be given voting papers. That is it. You can decide to nothing with the papers or vote informal by incorrectly marking the papers. This can include writing messages of the papers.
The voting at Australia House takes place in what was the Newspaper reading room. As is the most places now, the place is staffed by security guards. I am sure Al-Qaeda went long on shares in companies that provide security service before the 11th of September 2001.
I decided to take a photograph of the scene in the room. I was accosted by one of the many security guards, who told me that photography was not permitted “because it is a security risk”. I refrained from asking what that risk was.
Mama Mia
As I left Australia House I passed the theatre that is staging the musical using ABBA songs. I decided to buy a cheap ticket – GBP 20 which is not too bad for a West end show. As it turned out I really liked it. The ABBA stuff is part of ‘the music of a generation’. I particularly remember in 1979, ‘Dancing Queen’ being played in Tiffany’s nightclub (opposite the St James Tavern) at 11.50 p.m every Saturday night . The Swedish girls that thitherto denied any liking to the band got up and danced, leaving their white clogs anywhere.
Back to the show, there were some ‘Swedish Girls’ of the late seventies in the cheap seats. They knew all the songs.
I am not sure if the writers of the songs, the ABBA blokes, ever envisaged that their song would be used in a musical. Whoever wrote the script was very clever in mixing the song and their lyrics into the dialogue. It would be pretty difficult to use the words in ‘Waterloo’ in the storyline. Unsurprisingly this was used at the encore. The middle aged svenka flicka danced to ‘Waterloo’ as if they were in Tiffany’s in 1978.
Cabinet Rooms
The next day I meet up with my ex-colleague at Australia House. This is always a pleasure meet up with her.
I had decided to visit the WW2 Cabinet Rooms. My ex-colleague gave me directions. Some people have interesting ways of describing how to get to places.
The rooms are located beneath Whitehall offices opposite the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. They were where Churchill and the war cabinet and the forces commanders ran the war effort. The rooms including the ‘Map Room’ and the Cabinet Room, and the sleeping quarter are as they were when the complex was closed in 1945.
Halfway through the route through the rooms, there is the ‘Churchill Museum’. The museum traces Churchill’s life and career. Whatever you might say about him, he had one hell of a like. Some of his military decisions were not the greatest. No providing sufficient air force resources to Singapore was one.
Lords
On Saturday, I decided to go to Lords. There was no cricked being played, so it was good day to do the tour.
There were several groups for the 2.00 pm tours. Our guide was a woman – she was very good. The tour starts in the museum. Of course the star exhibit is the Ashes Urn. The guide told the story of the Ashes very well. This not a good time to be an Australian cricket supporter – the guide took great pleasure in make some cynical, however, amusing comments about Australian cricket today.
The tour takes in the ‘ Long Room’ and the home and visitors dressing rooms. On the walls of the dressing rooms are the Honour Boards with names of the players that have scored Test centuries and taken 5 or more wickets. The guide some notable absences on the boards: Ponting, Steve Waugh, Lillee and Thomson, Warne. There is one player, Keith Miller who appears on both the batting and bowling Honour Boards. This is not a surprise. If there was ever a ‘big match player , Miller is it. The MCC have planted a Snow Gum in memory of Miller in gardens behind the pavilion.
The tour finishes in the Media Centre. That is the ‘spaceship’ looking thing at the Nursery End of the ground. I actually think it looks great. It has the best view of a cricket ground I have ever seen
Abbey Road
I had been told by nice girl in Seattle that: “if I was going to Lords, that I must go to Abbey Road” and to a street where a certain left handed guitar player lives. I typically do what this girl asks.
The pedestrian crossing never changes – and one in a group of four crossing the road inevitably takes off their shoes.
The Design Museum
On my last full day in London I went to the Design Museum which is now near Tower Bridge. It is about to more to somewhere in Kensington. I went there primarily to see 3D printing in action. This could be one of those ‘game changing’ technologies.
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