Wimbledon and Notting Hill...two movies in one day!

---

This morning because we were living like a local, I thought I might go for a run like a local. We are so close to Wimbledon Common that I just had to check it out. The journey there didn’t start to well as I got a little lost on the way. But thanks to the trusty GPS in my phone, I sorted that incident out and was back on track within minutes. I started to run around the Common, trying to decide when I should make the big leap into the unknown! A Common is essentially a big park but Wimbledon’s is massive! On top of that it also has a golf course and lots of little scrub tracks! Halfway around I entered the Common and immediately regretted it. I found myself running through bushland, over creeks and down golf fairways! Every time I came to a junction with a map, I was so far of course that I had no idea how to get back. Finally I started running in the direction that I was certain would take me the long way round, which is what I wanted. But before I knew it I was back to where I started! Again I tried to go another direction to give myself a longer run and surprisingly I found myself running past the All England Lawn Tennis Association, commonly known as Wimbledon! I’ve had a few pretty cool runs around different cities, but I did smile to myself running past Wimbledon, being the tennis fan that I am!

Eventually, I was back to familiar ground and was obviously not paying attention. You have to be very careful on these London footpaths as I found out when I seriously rolled my ankle! It was bad enough to make me stop and almost vomit, but not bad enough to stop me from getting home and certainly not bad enough to stop me from going out today. Swollen or not, I was going to Notting Hill!

No trip to London is complete without a visit to this quintessential suburb...on a Saturday morning none-the-less! It was heaving with all walks of life even on this overcast, dreary, London day! Our spirits weren’t dampened and we wandered down Portabello Rd with the thousands of other tourists. My main objective was to buy a bag similar to one I had purchased last time I was here. Our trip was very productive and after a great coffee break at a “French” boulangerie, I found what I was looking for!

Jas went out with a mate this evening but otherwise, the afternoon was spent at home, just like a normal London family!

---