The Young V&A Museum has been on our bucket list since it was known as the V&A Museum of Childhood. Leslie spent the day in the company of her sister and brother-in-law, Buzz and Neil, visiting from Albuquerque, and their daughter, Liesel’s cousin, Leslie’s niece, Andi. Still with me? So it was just Liesel and me who made our way to Bethnal Green in the east of London.
The Museum was great fun. I expected to see lots of toys that I once had as a child, but there was so much more.
For instance, this display case includes a boatswain’s whistle very like the one my Dad owned, and it led me to wondering what happened to it.
Best of all though, was coming across a very old friend. He was one of my first ever TV heroes from over 60 years ago
Ollie Beak was a chatty and cheeky owl who was on a show with singer Wally Whyton. And I noticed from the accompanying label that this puppet (yes, I was surprised and disappointed to see he was a puppet, not a real owl) was made by Peter and Joan Firmin, and Mary Whyton.
Rachel Whiteread is a very innovative artist. She collected dozens of doll’s houses, who knows how long that took, and put them together to make a small village.
Three old men stuck in the lavatory… Three of us failed to turn the taps on to wash our hands. All because the supposedly helpful image showed us that the sensor was under the tap. In fact, the sensor was under the sign itself. Whoever did that has a great sense of humour. Of course, in the old days, you could just turn the taps on and off as required.
Play, Imagine and Design are three areas that surround the so-called Town Square within the Museum. We spent a lot of time walking around here, coming across such fascinating items as five-billion dollar bills.
After a short bus ride, we found ourselves very close to Spitalfields Market. And who can refuse a quick visit to a favourite market?
Amongst the tempting items on sale were t-shirts with some innovative slogans. We took the vendor’s card and we’ll maybe follow up online later.
Best of all, we found the Humble Crumble shop. They serve up artisan crumbles in a variety of innovative flavours, they are proud of their emphasis on seasonality and sustainability. Bottomless custard is on offer, but we didn’t take advantage while we ate our crumble together with coffee from the next door establishment, Noxy Bros.
One thing that still surprises me about London is the spectacular, unexpected views you come across.
This big TV screen certainly brightens up the place, with a link to Outernet, whatever that is. It’s somewhere near Denmark Street, which we came across after a bit of a bus ride. We couldn’t identify Cormoran Strike’s front door.
Later on, back in the west of London, we crossed the river Thames at Kew Bridge, the first time we’d seen the mighty river on this pilgrimage to the capital. Viewed from the top deck of another bus.
In the evening, we went to Richmond for dinner, with Leslie, Buzz, Neil and Andi. Steve was working at the pub, The Prince’s Head, famous for its starring role in the popular TV series Ted Lasso.
This was a belated celebration of Liesel’s birthday and indeed, she did receive a suitable dessert as we all sang the song for her.
We dropped by the pub and said a quick hello to Steve. And we admired the fire someone had lit on Richmond Green. We never did find out what evidence was being destroyed and from what criminal activity.
A quick tube ride and a taxi ride found us back home at the stables.
After waking up and breaking our fasts, we watched the riding lessons for a short while. And while I admire the skill of the riders for, at least, staying on top, I confirmed to myself again that you’d never catch me on top of one of those beasties.
We’d agreed to meet up with Buzz et al in Regent’s Park for a walk amongst the sculptures. It was a beautiful day. We travelled by tube, and changed at Hammersmith. It feels unnatural to catch a Circle Line train at Hammersmith. Just another sign that the universe is getting out of whack. I reminded Liesel that I used to live along the road a bit and although I wasn’t aware at the time, I was just a stone’s throw away from where Mary and Tony Visconti lived with then baby Jessica.
In the park, we watched the birds in the boating lake, coots, geese and, we think, a great crested grebe. We had no bread, nor peas, to throw at them.
Buzz, Neil and Andi joined us and after a bit of debate about which sign to trust, we walked over to the Frieze Sculptures in the English Gardens. Bringing together a group of international artists, Frieze Sculpture 2026 considers the medium as a porous and relational ecology, influenced by social, spatial and environmental contexts. Curated by Fatoş Ustek, the works in this year’s outdoor display interact with ideas of hybridity, both natural and urban, responding to the ecosystems of The Regent’s Park while acknowledging its metropolitan surroundings. So says the sign. I couldn’t have put it better myself. And indeed, some of the items did amuse, or impress, or inspire.
Old, recycled tyres and steel, this tree is over 7 metres tall.
This elliptical monolith is made from perforated, anodised aluminium. It draws on cosmic geometry and the concept of deep time, prompting us to reflect on celestial phenomena and the passage of time. I just thought is was very clever and if I had a garden, I would be happy for it to be the centrepiece.
Andi and Liesel are just following instructions engraved on the plinth, at ground level. Through their bodie, an alternative monument was born. They said it felt like they were flying. Very clever.
We had a walk along Marylebone Road and found a quaint little Thai restaurant where we enjoyed lunch. On the way, we passed by a couple of bollards. The more recent one was erected during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, while the older one was really old, King William IV, so sometime before 1837.
And then, around the corner, looming larger than life, we saw the Post Office Tower. I’ve only been inside twice in its 60 years. Once when I passed my 11-plus exam. And once just a few years ago when I climbed the stairs for charity and for fun.
Later on, Leslie and I found ourselves in the vicinity of Liverpool Street Station. A remarkable structure caught our eye and I was surprised but delighted to see it was by a favourite Japanese artist, Yayoi Kusama, who sadly died just a couple of months earlier.
And yes, another Humble Crumble was enjoyed in Spitalfields Market.
And in the evening, for dinner, we visited the Adam and Eve, a pub curiously named after Jeffrey Archer’s final novel. I don’t think Liesel believed me when I told her about the L-shaped pool table, and no, we didn’t play, I wouldn’t want to show Liesel up. The food was Korean and very tasty, but we agreed, it was maybe the sauce was a little bit too spicy.
From here, it was a short walk to the venue for our evening entertainment. We don’t see Martha Tilston up north, so what luck, she was here in London at the same time as us. Hackney Folk Club was hosted at Chat’s Palace and we arrived at the perfect time, sitting at a table very close to the stage.
Before Martha appeared, we enjoyed a song each from half a dozen other artists on the open mic. Did I make a note of their names? No. (I have asked and I’ll edit this if I hear back!)
After the break, Martha appeared with her backing band, well two guys named Matt: Matt Tweed and Matt Kelly. As usual, she put on a great show, a few of us sung along, a few more when specifically invited to do so!
As an encore, they walked out amongst the audience to sing a couple of songs.
After the show, to avoid the rain (yes, it was raining again!), we took an Uber to Bow Road tube station. While the platforms were under cover, the roof was leaking in places. So when our train arrived, Liesel chose the door that took us through a veritable waterfall, a cascade of rainwater pouring from the roof.
We’d mostly dried off by the time we arrived at Ealing Broadway. Fortunately, a taxi was immediately available to take us back to our cottage. By which time, after walking in the rain for maybe a minute, we were wet again. Still, it’s an adventure, right?
