Going home (or Blog 2 at last!)
Hello. It seems like a long time ago I promised I would tell you all about walking to work… and walking back home. I told you about walking to work… and then I went silent. I didn’t tell you about going home. So I’ve just started worrying that you might think I haven’t gone home in four weeks or so! Maybe you think I’ve been living in the office? With a little bed under my desk? You know we do work hard here in BBC Learning English…
Well I am happy to say that is not true. I’ve been home every single day, it is just that I haven’t told you about it. And now I will. You’ll remember that my intention was to do a little exercise. I do it on the way home by walking from Bush House, where we have our offices, to Victoria station, where I take a train to my home in Brighton.
I really enjoy this walk. It takes me past some typical London attractions.
I walk down a road called the Strand, and very soon I am in Trafalgar Square, part of the traditional centre of the city, and site of Nelson’s column – that’s that tall thing above the cyclist!
Then I walk through a very impressive archway, which leads into the Mall – a wide and tree-lined road that goes straight up to the entrance gates of Buckingham Palace.
As you go through the archway, there is a little parking space, which says ‘Reserved for the Cabinet Office’. The Cabinet Office is of course at the core of the British government – after all Number 10 Downing Street, where the Prime Minister lives, is about 200 metres away on my left as I walk though. I must say, I’ve always hoped that I’d see a big car with a minister jumping out, maybe running with lots of important papers, trying to deal with a critical political crisis, or perhaps nowadays I should say a financial crisis. But I have never seen that. The parking space is either empty, or has a tiny little white van parked there. I think the Ministers get to Downing Street a different way.
Anyway, once I’m through the archway the really good bit of the walk starts. I turn off to the left a little and enter St James’ Park. Suddenly everything goes green and you forget that you are in the centre of London.
What I really like is that in summer the park is full of people just relaxing, playing football or sitting on the grass reading or talking. Whatever day of the week it is, it suddenly feels like the weekend or a holiday. 
There are also some great deckchairs, the traditional striped ones and some new more artistic ones.
And believe it or not, there are lots of animals. Pigeons, ducks, swans – and squirrels. The squirrels seem to put on little shows for the tourists, running right up to them to get little pieces of bread or biscuits. This one however ignored me… I think he was too interested in what he had just found to eat.
So, finally, after my small trip through the park, I come back into the city again. I’ll leave you with a last picture - a traditional British pub, just before I get to Victoria railway station. It is called ‘Bag O’Nails’ – a way of saying ‘Bag of Nails’ but not bothering to pronounce the ‘f’ in ‘of”. In Britain lots of pubs have strange names. But why call it Bag O’Nails? I just don’t know. There must be a story there!
All the best!
Andrew
Comments
Hello Andrew, I'm glad you're back to Blogland. So....you've finally arrived home :-) I think that after a hard day at the office it's very refreshing to have such a lovely walk you have every day. Perhaps the ministers do the same as you and that's why you don't see many cars parked. Hey, I have 2 traditional striped deckchairs as the ones you posted on the blog. They always remind me of holidays. Looking forward to your next blog. Best wishes, Cris
Hello Andrew! I´m glad to hear from you again. As a matter of fact, I was thinking that your next blog it would be about how you manage to sleep in the little bed under your very organised desk :-). Anyway, the pictures are really wonderful. I particularly like the one which shows the little squirrel. Oh how cute! All the best for you too, Ana Paula.
Hello Andrew! I frankly burst into laughter as soon as I read the fourth sentence. Too funny to think up a workaholic man kind of a prisoner of his office!! What sort of trees grow in St James' Park? Where I live there are a lot of squirrels, you know, because of the large forests of pines(in the south west) Why can't I see the artistic deckchairs? As for the pub, is it possible that carpenters met , I don't know after a backbreaking day of work to have a pint and unwind? They had their bag of nails hung at their belt and they got rid of them before sitting and enjoying this rest. It can be an explanation, can't it? But it would be interesting to know further. So I charge you to "knock" at the door and ask why this name. Come on, be a bit inquisitive. I'm sure the owner will be happy to tell you... for an article for your job ... See you soon with the outcome of the story!! Bye for now.
Hello Andrew, Nice to hear from you again. I enjoyed reading your first part and now I was happy about your second blog. I like your style of writing, a bit ironically but also showing a deep feeling for your "London". Am I right? I had great fun reading your part about Number 10, Downing Street. You should cultivate your satirical style. I know the way you takes every day and in my opinion St. James Park and Regent's Garden are one of the best in London. I really hope you will be the staff blogger soon. All the best, Felicitas
Hello Andrew, the pub is so charming and the squirrel is cute. Reading your blogs, it gave me inspiration to walking to work. In fact, my workplace isn't so close to my home so I decided to keep on riding the car until my son's school and then walking to work. After that, when I pick him up, I walk to the school again. Unfortunately, the first day of my shift, it was raining cats and dogs and as I'm used to hot and sunny days, I've got a cold. Still I think it's a healthy activity. :-)
Hello Andrew! I´ve just checked your walks on the streetmap. There are almost all included places to see. You´ve made them familiar to me like I´d be a local one. It seems to me that your walks are pretty long! (Definitely any distance I should take in a big city on my feet seems to me too long.) In my point of view then the exercise you do surely can´t be a little one. Although I´ve caught an inspiration in your idea and last two month I do my walks after work almost daily too. It takes me an hour or one and a half as I don´t need to rush. That is why I am unabe to compare distances we both take. At any case I prefer this healthy activity to another one these days. And as I check the weather condition there in London it seems you will be pleased to take walks yet long time for ever mild temperatuses there. Lucky one! Let us to know how it goes, please! Marianna
There are a lot of London attractions on your way home. It is just what a tourist wants to see. It seeems that you are on holiday everyday.
hi Andrew,it seems you go home by walking in a beautful picture everyday,and I 'm jealous of you(especially your tourist).But I have to admit that I really thought whether your placed a little bed under your desk in your office. I always have the same thought that maybe our president has another access to his own home, because I often walk through the Zhongnanhai(the place our President live and work) but I've never met him. Andrew, I look forward to have chance to read more your blogs( Blog 2.5,Bolg 3...). I really enjoy reading them very very much.
Hello Andrew, I found this blog entry very interesting. Speaking of Trafalgar Suqare, my little sister visited it just last week and really liked it. Best wishes, Naheed
Dear Andrew, everybody here is glad you are back home at last! As I see your working day usually comes to it’s end in the pub on the picture. So we can be sure BBC staff can take some rest too ;) Now I’m looking forward to reading about your weekends in London! It must be even more rich in emotions then your way home :)
There was this 6 minute English presented by Elena and if that is true she is goinng to travel abroad than many best wishes and good luck! We´ll miss her! Anyway, I am glad we could read her blog here and my special thanks for letting us to know about streetmap from her ˇMeet us profile´. Marianna
its hilarious , i like this one . well, learn more about the London. Thanks for sharing. x.x.
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