#osterley

But before...

VE day celebrations in May 1995, in Hyde Park. A concert, Cliff Richard was there. I was 10 with my mum and maybe my dad.

Met another boy and he was called Syad. His mum mentioned we should come over to her home in Osterley the following weekend.

I remember it was really fun, but I remember knowing the parents regretted inviting me and my mum. Awkwardness, but I had fun even though Syad might have not really wanted to be friends or his parents may have not influenced him to be my friend.

The house was a nice home, large proportion garden, a nice suburban house before Heathrow was built and but after the Piccadilly expanded, making the middle class come here.

The house was very noisy, last minute booking, especially after mother threw a tantrum earlier in the week and father caught a cold so naturally we both have one now too. A lot of things tend to happen again with holidays, colds and tantrums are a common theme at the moment. There's the threat of a fight every evening too, especially last night.

The house has a noisy heating and water scheme that comes on very early and seems impossible to change how we want it. It's also not far from the train station and Heathrow, because Spencer House and the Marilyn exhibition required public transport.

White bed linen, bin men at 6.45 am, uncomfortable furniture, no regular TV transmission only on demand. Outrageous fines if you break rules. Smart locks and ring doorbell, which parents don't quite understand what it does and doesn't see.

Osterley was good despite the conservation scheme, though the food hall has gone downhill like all NT places.

Spencer House was really interesting although it makes you want to go to Althorp again.

The Marilyn exhibition was a little disappointing, not a lot of real items, replicas that were not really identical. The audio tour was good, but extra and the shop was expensive rubbish.

The jubilee line was busy and a frantic nightmare.

Windsor was busy, there was a queue for the Queen Mary Doll house. We spent longer in the queue than looking at the house because you couldn't linger.

The state rooms were good. The Undercroft was too busy, though a welcome addition. The shop and guides were not at all helpful, rather officious, put me off buying things. I planned on getting a lot more than a bookmark, but felt it would be better online.

St George chapel and shops felt rushed because of the need to get back to the carpark. If there hadn't been a queue for the doll house it would have been better.

It's the last day and I feel like shit because of the cold, conscious of disturbing people with blowing my nose yet I've been awake since six because of the boiler.

The tablets worked for Ham House so I was able to enjoy it, although not all the rooms were open, which was slightly disappointing. I thought that was the case in the summer because of the heat, but apparently it's a lack of guides, but then the majority of them don't do that much anyway.

The food was the usual NT fare, though I enjoyed my stew and doughnut.

The journey back avoided the M25 circular, though we got back in the dark. At one point it's like the war, with no signs or lights except those from on coming cars which are too bright.

| Day 320 |