First few days.

Well as is the tradition when one returns to a familiar place, the first thing to be done is to re familiarise oneself.

As we arrived first thing in the morning, to avoid a week of jetlag related problems, we decided to try to stay up until early evening then have an early night.

So off we went shopping. Richmond here we come. We were deposited in the middle of the shopping area and made our own way around the shops. Some of the smaller ones had changed, but the larger shops and the usual High Street shops were all still in the same place.

After a couple of hours of shopping and wandering around we hopped on the bus for home, in Ealing. A light evening meal and then off to bed.

Wednesday arrives and still finding our feet, it is back in the car and off to Kingston to do more shopping. Alison and Olivia head home and we do the rounds of the shops, find somewhere for lunch, we choose Carluccios, it is a franchise operation formed by famed London restauranter Antonio Carluccio. We had a reasonable anti pasta plate and a sudw of green beans.

Fortified, it is back into the shopping fray we go for another 3 hours before finding the bus stop for the ride home. This time we get to see other familiar landmarks along the Thames through Kingston to Richmond via familiar roads (A307) past the entrance to Ham House, then via the Dysart Pub til we hit the river again for the last bit into Richmond. Out the other side and alongside Kew Gardens, over Kew Bridge turn left and drive past Eel Pie Island before we turn onto Ealing Road and up past Brentford Football Ground (Griffin Park).

Then home for dinner and a reasonably early night.