Tina the Princess: Easter news

No, you did read that right. This is my Easter news post that should have gone on about four weeks ago. This blog is nothing if not current. But there are blog worthy stories in my Easter so I'll carry on.

So, as motivation and reward for finishing my dissertation Dad and I went to London on the sleeper train. I've told you before about the sleeper train but it really is something I love. And this year we had a whole cabin each with a little connecty door inbetween. Wowser! So long as you can cope with it taking 18 hours to get to London it's totally worth it. But, as is often said, it's the journey!

With a few hours to kill in Glasgow on a Monday night we we decided the cinema was the best plan for the evening's activities. There wasn't a whole lot of choice that week and it came down to two choices: The Lincoln Lawyer and Your Highness. We chose Your Highness. Big mistake. Huge. If there's ever a movie you don't want to be sitting beside your dad for, it's Your Highness. In the end, we lasted thirty minutes before walking out.

In Glasgow we saw this sign. It makes me despair somewhat.

In the morning we were in London Town (as Fearne Cotton likes to call it) and walked through the city watching everyone on their way to work. There's something nice about seeing a city wake up and get ready for the day. We went to Leicester Square and then Trafalgar Square, where excitingly I saw the countdown clock for the Olympics and Paralympics.

465 days to go (best said in a So Solid Crew style).

Now I've often lamented before about how difficult it is do get strangers to take the photo you want at tourist attractions. The Graceland experience stands out in particular. But here, my own father failed to catch my vision of me and the 2012 countdown clock.

465 days to go til what? (But nice to know it took 35 seconds from one shot to the next.

After Trafalgar Square we were off to sort out tickets for that night and then we hopped, skipped and jumped over to Greenwich. Well, more a Tube, a DLR and a DLR (two DLRs might have something to do with me saying we'd be better going to another station. We weren't.)

I'd never been to Greenwich, or even Canary Wharf so it was quite exciting to see Apprenticeland up close. And from the ground.

We walked around for a bit, it was so nice and sunny. Ah, remember when we had good weather back in April?

Canary Wharf is like new sandwich in the bread of old. If you see what I mean.

In fact we walked so much we couldn't be bothered to walk up to, arguably, the main attraction at Greenwich, the Royal Observatory.

Well, it was up that big hill.

A much better vantage point of the Observatory. Although maybe not for star gazing.

We did go to the Maritime Museum. Quite interesting, although I've forgotten most of what I saw. Oh there was a nice toy boat exhibition, 'Toy Boats through the Ages' or something like that, where I learned that it really wasn't until the Twentieth Century that boats became toys that children could really play with. Before that it was models that broke too easily. Sorry, it was only a temporary exhibity; I've really whetted your appetite for more, haven't I?

I do enjoy funny toilet signs. You know, like T-Birds and Pink Ladies in a Grease themed restaurant. I told Dad to do his best sailor face. This was it.

After trekking back to the centre and getting dinner we were off to see Wicked. I know, it's true I still have never seen the Wizard of Oz, but I liked the couple of songs I had heard. Plus there was nothing else that was really grabbing our attention that we felt like we had to see. Even without understanding the nuances of all that was going on, I really enjoyed it! Rachel Tucker from I'd Do Anything was Elphaba, she was very good.

This is the lobby of the theatre. The Wicked people are big into green.

A quick Tube ride back to Euston and back on the Sleeper. We hadn't got hot chocolate the night before, but decided that we would coming back. So we went up to the buffet car and who walked in? Only Channel Four's Jon Snow! I, of course took a (not very good) surreptitious photo.

I think he knew I was taking a photo of him. He gave me a look as I walked out past him. Oopsy.

So that was London. Later in the week a few of us decided to go to the Mournes. It was a gorgeous day! We climbed Slieve Bearnagh. At the end of last summer we did Donard, this time it was a new challenge. Well, kind of new. I did Slieve Bearnagh last summer too. Gosh, I sound like I'm always in the Mournes. Nope, these three times in the past couple of years is it.

Ah the old Trassey Track and Bearnagh in the background.

Bearnagh is alright, challenging but do-able I think we decided. The last part is quite steep, but we managed it ok. We had lunch at the top and then circled back around to Hare's Gap. At lunch we took a few photos. Not content with expending all that energy on getting to the top, we thought we'd do the jumping shot for extra fun.

Oops. All that effort and I cut their heads off. 'Sorry girls, once more.'

Jill took a much better photo. (Comparing the two I think Karen may have 'enhanced' this one.)

On the way back down Hare's Gap, tragedy struck. Well, not real tragedy. Having made it to the top with two girls not dying about heights and/or steep gradients (Liable to throw up and lie on the ground! Eeek.) it was me who had the injury. About to blow my nose, I had a tissue in my hand, I took a big step downwards while looking back to say something to someone. Because my hand was holding my tissue, it was in a kind of fist. Because I was turned around, I didn't notice the large waist height rock beside me. As I took the step down, my hand punched the rock. Aiow.

Just a few hundred metres on and my knuckle was no longer a dimple. It was swelling up. As we got closer to home it became impossible for me to bend my fingers at all on my right hand because of the swelling. An evening with the ice pack and the next day it was ok again.