Trip to London

I took today off to go to London for a private appointment - more of that in a later blog. The weather today was sunny and it was quite hot in the capital. I travelled up by train leaving my car at Grateley Station. I do not know whether it is because of the recession but there was plenty of car parking space - even at 9.30 a.m. I have made a mental note to use this station more often instead of going all the way into Salisbury. London was full of students and foreign sightseers (no doubt because of our poor exchange rate for the £1) as I walked over Westminster Bridge from Waterloo. I spent a little time in Westminster Cathedral which was quiet and peaceful. I lit two candles (one in memory of my father and one in memory of Sara's mother) in the Chapel to the English Martyrs close by the relics of Sir John Southworth - a Catholic priest hung at Tyburn in 1654 during the Commonwealth. He was spared the drawing and quartering. The chapel is also dedicated to Sir Thomas More and Bishop Fisher of Rochester. The name of the new pope, Benedict XVI, is now engraved on the brass plate just inside the cathedral which lists all the popes and English papal legates/cardinals. Unfortunately the engraver seems to have made a bit of a mess of the plate which is badly scratched around Benedict's name. I returned from London in time to visit Tom's school open evening. It was quite a chaotic affair and we only got to see about five or six teachers. The reports were generally good but he must ensure that his homework is done in a timely fashion. Off to Liverpool tomorrow after a morning in Salisbury drafting tribunal papers.