With every intention of writing daily in this blog, I was struck down with influenza on January 9. I was sick for three weeks, and with all the complications could not even focus to read a page, much less write anything. Now that I am well on the road to recovery, I hope to get back on track.

“On the road” is exactly where we are. We are currntly in London preparing to fly to Sicily today for a 10-day tour. Being in London is always a treat for me; it is one of my favorite places. I’m not sure what it is, but the minute I set foot on the pavement I just feel good.  On this trip we’ve had a quiet few days, recovering not only from being sick but from a lot of things that needed doing before we left. We really enjoy this flat we found a couple years ago – Egmont Lodge in Fulham, right by Putney Bridge.

So the book today is the famous atlas of this amazing city called London A to Z. I bought my first copy on my first trip in 1972. It looked a lot like this one:

I remember being at a gathering with a lot of Londoners and someone asked where something was. Out of purses and pockets came everyone’s copy of this book! This a complex city, and this  guide  is clear and enjoyable.

These days my A to Z is on my phone, and there are many, many differernt street guides available in London. But this one is unique, with the hand-painted maps. The originator and artist, Phyllis Pearsall, has her own interesting story. Here’s the Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geographers%27_A%E2%80%93Z_Street_Atlasw

When in London, this atlas in any of its forms will get you where you want to go!