Tues, Dec 23rd (Part One)

Welcome back to the saga that is the White-Kerr 2008 Christmas. My last day at work for 2008 was not a good one. Yesterday I came down with a cold and it seems to be settling in my chest. Not good with just 48 hours before the big day. Thankfully none of the rest of the household seems to have caught it. So keep your fingers crossed.

For today's agenda, Dawn scheduled a trip back into London for the Kerrs again. This time to the financial district, which (as it's the oldest part of London) has some of the oldest sights. Even Jim went. There had been rumours that Mr Kerr would stay behind to keep tab of his investments on CNBC and Bloomberg. However, I think rumour was the operative word.

As usual, the journey was not without its mishaps. The first occurred as the three got on the Underground network to catch a tube to Tower Hill. Dawn pulled out her map to check and see what line they needed to be on. However Jim went one step further and proved that men can ask for directions. He went in search of a stranger on the platform in hope that they might be able to help. He came across a couple with a little girl. To repay the complete stranger for his assistance, Jim tried to persuade the family to come with them. I never got the gist of how this family felt about Jim's kind offer. All I know is that the three of them did not get off the tube with Dawn and the Kerrs when it arrived at Tower Hill.

The tower, which is really several towers, dates back to the 11c and is certainly a recognisable landmark that tourists all head for. Thankfully, the majority of them today must have been down the West End doing last minute Christmas shopping, as the three of them didn't have too many bodies to fight past as they visited the White Tower, the Jewel House, and Tower Green (where Anne Boleyn and Sir Walter Raleigh, to name two, lost their heads). As with most monuments, there was obviously a fee for the pleasure in traipsing around these historic buildings. Fortunately, the Kerrs were able to use a 2 for 1 deal by presenting their First Connect Rail ticket.

As you may have come to expect, once the three left the Tower, the first port of call was a pub. Rest for feet and throat refreshments were the order at the aptly named "Hung Drawn and Quartered." However, instead of being full of tourists, the majority of customers were men in dark suits who had escaped from their high-powered jobs in buildings like the Nat West Tower and Lloyds.