Thu, 20 Nov 2003

author Tim	location Emerson Valley, Milton Keynes, Bucks, England
posted 17:42 GMT 23/11/2003	section Europe2002/Europe/UK/England/London/London 4 ( all photos )

Meeting Peter, Les Misérables ( No photos )
Midway through the day, after Liz and I had done some serious packing and organising of our luggage (so much to sort through!), a knock on the door heraled the arrival of Peter, Liz's uncle who we stayed with so much up in Carlisle.
He was down to say a last goodbye for a couple of nights before Liz and I head off, and also to see some sights with us around London.
After Les and Pearl provided plenty of cups of tea, we borrowed Peter and his new car for a drive into Hornchurch to post lots of things back to Oz. A little while later, we had 20kg of books and things packed into two boxes on their way back to Oz. One is going airmail so it may actually beat us home!
Peter found us a nice pub in the main road for lunch, where we ate a hearty lunch with a couple of ales before heading back to Les and Pearl's for the afternoon.
A little later, Peter mentioned that he would like to treat Liz and I to a night in a West End theatre! Not ones to complain at such ideas, we grabbed the papers and set out to find something we all wanted to see.
It didn't prove too difficult for Liz and I to come to the conclusion that the one thing we really wanted to see that we hadn't was Les Misérables, showing at the Palace Theatre. Peter approved of the idea (he'd seen it before, but mentioned quite rightly that it has probably changed quite a bit in the ten years or since he saw it, and even more so in the eighteen(!) years it has been running).
So, we got our walking shoes on (Liz's blister had healed quite a bit), and walked up to Romford station. It is quite a marked change from a year ago now when we were spending time up with Peter in Carlisle just how keener Liz and I now are to get on our feet and walk! Second nature now, and it was good to have this in common with Peter, a long-time walker.
Changing at Stratford onto the Central Line (and crossing our fingers as we passed along it through Chancery Lane, site of the derailment that stopped the line for three months earlier this year), we got off at Tottenham Court Road and walked down Shaftesbury Avenue to the Palace Theatre. We couldn't have missed it if we tried with the huge sign out the front, the crowds of people and touts standing at the door, un-ashamed of their trade.
Despite an annoying start with ushers checking tickets right in front of us due to some mix-up or other, the musical was highly enjoyable. Liz's smile didn't fade the whole time, and we were all bopping along to the music, Liz and I having played the pieces in Georges River Concert Band when it existed and Peter having sung many of them in his various choirs. Liz and I didn't know much of the plot line, which was interesting to discover, but the highlight had to be the very clever props (with a big rotating stage), and the shere professionalism of it all. That they can do it night after night is amazing.
Les and Pearl had kindly offered Peter a bed for the night (saving the hassle of finding a B&B and of course the cost), so we all went back there and got some sleep for the coming day.

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