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Hello, Elle!
Fine day here, too.
Yes, WhatsApp are a hoot!
The texts from them are littered with phrases reminiscent of the way I imagine a stern schoolmaster would use to an errant pupil!
Great fun!
The nerve of me, only waiting 8 hours instead of the stipulated 22! Disgraceful behaviour!! Do without your tea for a week!
Are there not awards given out for this sort of thing?
"How to really, really, annoy, potential customers"?
The Science Museum would certainly appeal to this boy.
So would the Imperial War Museum.
Are there any old warships on the Thames to visit?
Before my time, there was a ship called "Mars" anchored in the middle of the River Tay.
It was used as a home/prison for young boys, orphans and offenders. They say that every one of them made good in later life.
Rumour has it that WhatsApp may bring it back to incarcerate folk who have the blasted cheek to get lost in their registration system!
Some of my gang were in London last week and visited Harry Potter's house, went to see "Wicked"?, and the London Eye.
Now, Elle, I have heard many times of London Eye.
What exactly is it?

Hi, Rusty!
At least " What's App" is causing us some amusement! I was chuckling out loud reading your comments! (so it at least has a 'saving grace '!)
Yes, there are several (I think) old warships on the Thames, but the most famous is HMS Belfast. This is a museum ship and run by the Imperial War Museum. There is an admission charge to see over the ship, but the main IWM museum in Kennington is free.
You would really find the 'on land' museum interesting. It's a fascinating place! Very informative! They even have simulated air raids!
It's fairly recently been refurbished - I haven' been since it's re-opened.
Maybe another to go on my "list" for the boys? but they may be a bit too young at nearly 8 and 5? ( they've already been on HMS Belfast, which come more under the heading of 'fun'!)
Now, the London Eye.......it's a giant Ferris wheel, situated on the South Bank of the Thames, between Westminster Bridge and Hungerford Bridge. It's also known as the Millenium Wheel, although it's had lots of other names for 'branding ' purposes - I think it's currently under contract as the Coca-Cola wheel.
It consists of 32 passenger capsules, each of which holds up to 25 passengers. The capsules are attached to the outer perimeter of the wheel and are rotated by electric motors.
Usually , the wheel doesn't stop ; it is going so slowly that passengers walk on and off whilst it's in motion. It can be stopped though for embarkation/ disembarkation of elderly or disabled passengers.
I think, but could be wrong here, that it takes 30 minutes for a full rotation?
You will gather from this that I have never been on it! I am very scared of heights ( I don't like flying; although have suffered it when necessary) and wild horses wouldn't drag me onto the London Eye!
Until the Shard was built, the London Eye was the highest viewing point to see over London.

Hello, Elle!
That is a very informative post!
I don't fancy the idea of the London Eye, now.
I would not say I am feared of heights, just a tad uncomfortable. And me an old hillwalker!
Top deck on the bus is fine!
Yes, the boys will be too young for the War Museum, I think.
It would only be sentiment that drew me there.
What about "Wicked"? Is that for youngsters?
Now, the Shard? I have heard of it, and know it is a tall building. What is it, and why the name? Is that where the cars were melting?
Now, Hatton Gardens?
That is where diamonds are sold/traded.
Is there any exhibitions of stones there, I wonder?
That would interest me, just to see, possibly, how these stones are cut, etc.
I recently found out that there is a River Tyburn in London. The name intrigued me, as in Scotland a "burn" is a stream, probably the same origin as the English "bourne". Bourne features in many English place names.
Speaking of heights, WhatsApp HQ is in Mountain View, California. Mountain View sounds a nice place!

Rusty, I know now what to buy you for Christmas! A book on London!
I'm going to get caught out soon, as I don't know all that much myself - remember I'm not a Londoner born and bred!
One last titbit of information before I take out the dog for her afternoon walk.......
The Shard is a glass 87 storey skyscraper built beside London Bridge mainline railway station, and very close to Guy's Hospital. Whilst my husband was attending Guy's hospital for his chemo, the Shard was in the process of being built, so we saw a lot of the construction at first -hand ( and suffered a fair amount of inconvenience !)
The viewing platform at the top is now the highest point from which to look across. London. But it costs an arm and a leg to go up there!
I think the melting car syndrome was caused by the reflection from the glass buildings? altho I don't think the Shard was involved? I could be wrong!
Now, going back to what you were saying earlier about Fealty's Bar - does it really have a Book Club? how interesting! and unusual surely for a pub to have such?
I've never been a menber of a book club...it sounds a good idea in that I would enjoy discussing a book in which I 'd been interested, but..... I'm not sure I would like to have my reading material chosen for me? I like to choose for myself what I want to read - and when - and don't think I would like to read something picked just for discussion purposes?
Have you yourself ever been to a Book Club? if so, what did you think of the idea?

Elle, 87 Storeys?
I never realised it was so tall. Is it an office building?
You'd need a cosy jacket on up there!
No, you are not a local but you know a lot about London.
Now, there are many parks etc in the city.
Would any of them have a loch where you could take the boys out on a wee boat. Play at pirates? Boys like that sort of thing.
Now, Fealty's, also known as the Ormeau Arms.
Don't ask why it has two names...it's Irish!
I have never seen the book club in action, or how it works. Maybe they meet there once a week, or what?
It is a very old traditional "man's" pub. Always busy.
Great craic in the bar, and lounges for live Irish and Tradional music. You use your elbows to get to the bar, order up, and enjoy the place. The Guinness pouring is a joy to watch. Very skilful.
Gets a lot of tourists in, too. There is a large marina nearby and boats coming and going.
I used to be in a History Book Club for a year or two.
Update, the fine folks at Mountain View have sent me an email, calling me "Hi", would you believe.
What ever happened to "Dear Sir or Madam"?
It has been a revelation dealing with these people.
Certainly brightened up the day!
They have sent instructions on "how to format your number", and to ensure I have a "stable internet connection" and to turn off "task killers" and "text message interceptors" and write back to them if none of this works (and I don't think for a moment, it will!)
I have to change my number from starting with 07 to 44, and I am wondering if that is where the problem lies.
I think it should start +44. The + could be key?
Anyway it wil alll become clear at midnight.
The coundowns at Cape Canaveral were nowhere near as exciting as dealing with WhatsApp.
Oh, and at the end they enquired if I would be "interested in translating for us?" and gave me a website to contact. Is that a job offer, think you?
It is extremely kind of them, and I am grateful, but I am quite content in my present circumstances.

Hey, Rusty!
Well, our afternoon didn't quite turn out as planned......
After I last spoke to you , just as we were about to go out for a walk, a friend rang asking us to take her to the hospital. She had hurt her hand!
So of course, we did..... luckily her hand turned out not be fractured as she had feared but a torn ligament.
The dog walk was much delayed!
Anyway, back home again now.....
Sorry, the Shard houses a hotel, offices, and several restaurants. All at astronomical prices! I had written this info on the previous post, but somehow it disappeared!!!! I must have accidentally deleted it?
Regarding your suggestion to take the boys boating. We do have pedal boats on the lake in one of our local parks - but neither of us has ever attempted this?
I'm quite a proficient rower - at least, I was - haven't done that for a while though!
Living not all that far from the Lake District whilst growing up, I spent many an hour rowing on one or other of the Lakes there. Shades of "Swallows and Amazons"! Fantastic children's books.
(You were going to try reading Arthur Ransome, did you ever do it?)
Just what exactly did "What's App" want you to "translate" for them????? A somewhat dubious job offer?
"Curiouser and curiouser" as Alice said !
I can't wait for midnight.......when all will be revealed ......

Good evening, Elle!
A friend needing help? Well done!
Your pedal boats will be great.
Boys like things like that.
Now, my adventures with WhatsApp and the fine folk at Mountain View are over. I uninstalled it.
The more I looked into it the more I suspected that the kerfuffle with me was because I already had a WhatsApp account on my phone. This, I think would give them/me problems. I may have been able, at midnight, to get it up and running on my Hudl, but I think they would delete my phone account, and that is a bad idea. I still have the email and will click on the link to see what they want me to "translate"?
Maybe I could work from home?
There are many high tech companies based at Mountain View, and Paula Creamer lives there.

Hi rusty and elle
I may have mentioned that I still regularly read the Arthur Ransome books.

Just in case, for elle's benefit, Paula Creamer is a successful American woman golfer................

Hi, Chris!
Yes, I know you still read the Arthur Ransome books. You were instrumental in my starting to read them all again!
I recommended them to Rusty, but I don't think he's tried them ? not yet, anway?
Thanks for the info... you were quite right, I had no idea who Paula Creamer was/is!

Good evening, Rusty!
Well, I wouldn't want you to run into problems with your current account with "Whats App" for your phone , so if you think that might happen , then it's just as well you have uninstalled the app. on your tablet.
But I would have thought that the company would be pleased that you want to have their taradiddle on your Hudl as well as on your phone? Surely they would - should? - consider that a plus? It would be like showing faith in their product?
(but then the whole thing has been weird from the beginning so who knows?!)
So no denoument at midnight? What a shame! I was looking forward to it!
I do wonder what they want you to translate?
It's as well that Chris told me who Paula Creamer is- I didn't know, of course!