Peals and planes and pasta

As we arrived at Paternoster Square for breakfast at Pret a Manger, the bells of St Paul’s were ringing really loudly, it was very joyful, quite amazing to hear. It was a beautiful day and the streets around the area were cordoned off for the Half Marathon. Many of the runners were dressed up in colourful costumes and so were a lot of the spectators who had gathered to cheer them on. For example the supporters of the runners for Great Ormond Street Hospital were dressed as Dickensian characters and were carrying placards which said “Dickens helped to save GOSH”, which he did - he held fund-raising dinners and performed public readings of “A Christmas Carol”.
James and I took the tube to the RAF Museum at Colindale, which we visited for the first time last year. James had really enjoyed it but felt that he needed more time there because his previous three and a half hour visit just wasn’t enough! This time, although I was happy to be there, I felt that I had seen enough of the planes last time. So I took my Kindle and found a sheltered bench where I relaxed in the sunshine while James visited all the different hangars. Oh my goodness - it’s the first time this year that I have actually felt TOO hot when sitting outside! Brilliant! I read my book happily for a couple of hours until it was time to meet Jennifer and Russell for a convivial lunch at nearby Spaccanapoli, a tiny but excellent South Italian restaurant. The food was authentic and beautifully cooked, and it had a friendly atmosphere. We all had a great chat and a laugh, I was really touched that they had made the journey to meet up with us. 
After they left, James and I spent several more hours at the RAF Museum before travelling back into central London and going for a twilight walk along the riverside. Before returning to our hotel we went for a drink to the Blackfriar pub, a favourite of James that we have been to before. It’s in a narrow wedge shaped building built in 1875, on the site of a medieval monastery. The pub was nearly demolished in the 1960s along with all the surrounding buildings. It was however saved by a public outcry led by public figures such as John Betjeman. Now it stands in incongruous splendour among modern office buildings. The interior is decorated in marble and bronze Art Deco style and the walls are covered with wooden carvings of monks and various mottos such as “Finery is Foolery”; it’s very attractive. It was a very pleasant place to finish our day.