Lost and Found

I'm going to bury the lead on this post.
My mother left last week. She was here for two weeks and we went full-speed every minute. There's so much to see here and we didn't want her to miss a thing.
Finally, we're down to the last day. Of all that's yet to be seen, what is it she wants most to see?
The answer is easy: Buckingham Palace.
She knows that the Queen isn't there but she also knows that certain rooms in the palace are open to the public only in August and September. So that's where she wants to go. I'm excited because I've never been there either.
It's a really beautiful day, so we decide to walk to the Old Street tube stop, a little further away but such a nice walk. We get on the tube and make a change that will take us right to the Royal Subway Stop - only it doesn't. I read the map wrong. So we're out, climbing tons of stairs and walking lots more. My poor mother. She's determined though.
Finally, we're off the tube. But we have to walk about eight blocks to the palace. Mom is hanging in there.
All this walking is on faith, because we tried to buy online tickets the night before and none were available. My mom is having none of that. "Let's go. At least we can try," says ever-cptimistic Mother.
We finally get to the palace and yes, we can get in. Hurray! We do the tour and it's fabulous. It's long and entails a lot of walking. But it is Buckingham Palace and it's worth the walk.
Once it's over, we're out back, in the 40+ acres you don't see when you just ride by. The lawn is so green and lush. The trees, plants and lake are breathtaking.
There's a gift shop too. You can buy all kinds of BP stuff. Dog sweaters. Mugs. China. Ties. Shortbread. Pens. My mom bought me a Windsor Castle shower cap. It's white with gold lettering. I'll be such a classy bather!
We walk and walk for more than 40 minutes. My mother is just exhausted. I have this image of a London headline "American tourist passes out on palace path."
Finally, we're out on the street - and near nothing familiar. So, more walking.
We reach the Kensington High Street and decide sustenance is in order. We go to the lunch counter at Marks & Spencer. It's very pleasant -Welsh rarebit for me. YUM. I show Mom the photos I took at the palace. We ooh and aaah.
After lunch, we stop by the market and pick upsome meat and veg for a farewell dinner. And after a lot of traveling, we're home.
As I prepare dinner, I'm telling Keith all about the palace and I reach into my tote to get my camera.
MY CAMERA IS GONE. (There's the buried lead.)
We start re-tracing the day. The lunch counter at M&S was the last time we saw it.
We call the store. They don't have it, but maybe we can call back tomorrow. It doesn't sound good because wouldn't someone have already turned it in?
Now, I do have two cameras, but this one is my super-favorite. But - the angels are on my side, it seems - I had downloaded 500 photos from my camera onto my portable hard drive the night before.
My mother was beside herself. In that logical peculiar only to mothers, it was her fault because she was the one who wanted to go to Buckingham Palace, and if we hadn't ...
I was sick but just had to accept it. In this city of 8 million people, a little lost camera means nothing.
Next day, we put my mom on the plane. Keith calls M&S.
They have my camera!
One more shot, back of the palace. It's a little early in the season, but isn't it a miracle?