I can’t believe how heartbreaking it was saying goodbye to My Furbaby but it’s only one night away in London. Imagine what I would be like going away for a week.
So we were up early because of course ME defines everything and I knew that if I couldn’t go then packing would be a waste of energy, so I left it all until the day. Stupid idea I know.
Our train was leaving Liverpool Lime street and so far no complaints, our taxi driver was so helpful and that was my first worry . We got to Lime Street early as I hate rushing , this meant we had enough time for a cheese & ham toastie from Costa. We had prebooked our train to travel with Virgin and as soon as we went to the desk for our assistance they were ready for us.
As this is the first time we have had a girlie day in so long I booked a nice hotel, so I am hoping to be impressed.
Our London trip is to see Darren Criss perform an acoustic set at St Pancras Church. My Daughter adores him and the minute the tickets were released she had to book them. She even booked herself the meet and greet package which wasn’t cheap but if having an illness like ME has taught me is to live each day to the full.
I don’t know if it is excitement or nervousness about leaving the dog alone at home or the Cappuccino from Costa . I definitely can feel something that isn’t normally there.
I have contacted the Church in advance to ask if I can wait somewhere while my daughter is having the meet and greet , they couldn’t have been more helpful. The church looks spectacular and puts my local Church to shame.
The train ride gave me a chance to catch up with a few things , I think with all that is happening in May I am more than a little stressed and I am finding it really difficult to switch off. I am thinking about what I have to do or could be doing even when my energy levels are at 0.
I stress packed my case with 4 outfits. I had my comfy pants and a shirt left out to travel in and luckily they were suitable to wear in the sun. I did have to change as soon as we got to the hotel as the sun was out when we arrived at Euston. My outfit to wear for the concert was a choice of white jeans and floaty top or if it was cold I had a tunic with leggings with my leather jacket. Got to be prepared. One side effect of the medication or a symptom of the illness is getting hot very quick, it is like a boiling kettle inside my body and my face and neck will be pouring with water, it’s not like sweat it is like water. So everywhere I go I always have a hand fan, always .
We were staying at the Crowne Plaza , Kings cross. I had emailed the hotel in advance to check out just how wheelchair friendly it really was , all the questions I put to them by email and were all answered promptly , they exceeded all my expectations. OK we aren’t talking best hotel in London but for a four star hotel the hotel and the staff really impressed me. I had asked if I could get something delivered to the room for my daughter just as a little treat because she does so much for me, so when we arrived they had laid out a fruit basket for her. We hadn’t even taken our shoes off and she had demolished the strawberries.
As we had to be at St Pancras Church for 17:30 we didn’t have enough time to do anything we just caught up on some TV. I needed that rest I really did. As the room was wheelchair accessible we had a bit more space than a normal room but what impressed me the most was the wet room, the shower was amazing. They laid out lots of white towels for us and of course the complimentary shower gel , moisturiser, shower cap another little touch which impressed me was the face cloths. The even have something in your room called handy , Handy is a mobile phone shape which you take out of your room and it gives you directions and places to go. We didn’t use it but it would be a huge help for getting about.
I think my daughter counted down the minutes till we could leave the room, she was so excited. I had downloaded the Uber app but taxis were available right outside the hotel. I wish all taxis were like London taxis as they allow the use of cards! Why doesn’t every taxi have this it is 2018 , who carries cash??? Taxi driver was lovely and the taxi only cost £8.00 ish , poor memory! We arrived at the church and again I had emailed in advance. The lady at the Church couldn’t do enough for me and even when my daughter went in for the meet and greet the security guard even came over and asked me if I needed water because it was very warm sat outside. Just lovely people, really lovely people.
The lady came out and took me in before any one else so I got a seat where I would be able to see , so I was in my chair right next to the front pew. Eeeek , even I was excited now. My daughter came from meeting him with the biggest smile on her face, he asked where she was from and even done his impersonation or a scouser. She asked for his advice for someone wanting to get into musical theatre as that is what she wants to do. She got some amazing pictures and a poster signed by him. I have to say the price of his merchandise was amazing . She was able to buy a TShirt for £10 !!! How many singers, personalities or even shops sell a thick TShirt for £10 ! Other celebrities should take note!
I loved him in Glee but I can’t say I had listened to his album but Rebecca constantly sings his songs around the house so I had a bit of an insight into the sort of singer he is. I was astounded by his voice, I don’t know if it was just the venue or a mix of several things but hearing him sing with just a string accompaniment was just beautiful. Everyone hung on every word. The whole place was silent just listening to this wonderful singer, he sang one song which everyone joined in with . That whole venue just hung on his every word. He sounded unlike anyone I have ever heard. The final song of the night he asked for all the microphones to be cut and he climbed up the stairs to the pulpit right in front of us , he sang “somewhere only we know” , it was like he enjoyed singing just as much as we loved hearing him.
After the concert we needed food and all day we had looked forward to a Nando’s , of course the one at Euston had to be closed for refurbishment , damn! . We headed back to the hotel and rang room service. The food came so quickly , I had ordered a club burger and Rebecca had ordered a cheeseburger. My club sandwich was a challenge , it went bun then lettuce, onion, tomato followed by a chicken breast, topped with bacon , melted cheese and an egg! I couldn’t have eaten that in a day let alone just before bed. The food cost £32 for the quality I was happy to pay it.
Got into my pjs and into bed , I was exhausted and everywhere hurt but I could not sleep. I caught up on some tv , read , listened to my Calm app but nothing I just couldn’t sleep. At 7am we had planned to go down to breakfast which was lovely , we then sat around for a bit to let our food digest before we went down to the pool. I really looked forward to swim because I haven’t been swimming now for almost 6 years , I used to go every other day so it was one thing I really miss. Being able to move my arms and legs about while the water supported them felt good. I couldn’t do it for long though.
Check out was noon so we went back to the room , showered and packed our cases. Rebecca wanted to go to M&M world which to me is a huge waste of space but for children that artificial chocolate smell that they pump into the shop must make people go mad and spend stupid amounts of money. Rebecca bought a bag of m&ms nothing huge and definitely not more than say 2 family size bags but it cost £14 . £14 .
As the weather was so nice we sat in the square for a little bit , London with a wheelchair is not a nice place to be and by 13:30 I had had enough , so we headed to Euston early, very early as our train wasn’t till 17:07.
Getting home to my fur baby was just one of the best feelings I have ever had. He just didn’t know what to do with himself. He adores his family even right now he is lay on my feet, the minute one of us isn’t here he cries. I swear he has the ability to know when someone is due home because half and hour before he will make little crying noises and go up and down the stairs then back and forward to the window. So that little ball of fluff ok big ball of fluff greeting me at the door was just priceless.
So that was our little London trip. I can’t fault anyone or anything. If I could have had Alfie with me it would have been better. The hotel , the venue , the food and of course the people we met it was all just wonderful. I am paying for it now but it was worth it just to see my Princess smile x