We’ve been busy today – taking Mark to see more of London, then home for supper with an extra guest, Ray P. I hope Ray doesn’t mind me saying he is a lot like me in some respects, garrulous! I finally threw in the towel at 1am when the subject returned to cameras for the fortieth time this evening, with Ray and Mark sitting up until 3am before turning in themselves.

The weather has, since our return from Cornwall, been well, a bit grim really – heavy showers and humid but not masses of sun. That’s why, when the sun glinted down on this wrought iron work on the back gates of the Hampton Court Palace, with the sky looking extremely ominous behind it, it seemed like a good shot for the day.

Luckily we managed to dodge the rain by finding our way inside the palace when it actually started to come down. I suppose luck wasn’t really in it actually, we paid for the privilege! I must say, I thought it was quite poor value because it had little or no real insight into life there, either when it was built by the (then) Archbishop of York, Wolsey, or indeed the much later residents, George II and Queen Caroline. Most of the rooms were empty, except of paintings and wall hangings, only a few rooms are furnished.

David got quite upset by a huge painting in the entrance hall of Henry VIII’s apartments because it contained (among other things) a naked child sticking a pole up the bottom of a dog. He felt quite aggrieved about this brutal scene. When I saw the painting later, it was indeed brutal but I think the ‘dog’ was in fact a goat!!! Not that that excuses the behaviour of the naked child – so, even in those days parents let their kids do whatever they pleased – nothing much changes there then! Interestingly, David hadn’t even noticed the woman in the scene in a full-on highly ornamented dress but with both her naked breasts exposed!!!!

I realise I am a total philistine but that sort of stuff really leaves me cold. I can’t say I appreciated any of the art in the palace at all. But I have said all I want to say on the subject of ‘art’ before.

I’m certain that last time I went to the palace (probably about fifteen years ago), you could walk all of the grounds free and only paid for the house itself and the maze – now most of the gardens are only accessible to those who are prepared to stump up the ‘king’s ransom’ of £12.50. Ah well, I suppose that it’s good that the upkeep of these places doesn’t come out of my taxes (or indeed anyone’s taxes), it comes from tourists. Do I sound a bit jaded? Yep – I suppose I am really. Perhaps it’s the irrepressible republican in me.

Last year, David and I found out our dream was about to be realised and two years ago, we were revelling in the luxury of having access to a proper cooker for the first time in six weeks!!!