what to do with 4 spare hours in Peterborough

From its foundation in 655 AD Peterborough Cathedral has withstood attacks from Vikings, Normans, conflagration and Cromwell. But it was an oasis of calm yesterday when I had to while-away 4 hours waiting for my passport to be rustled up at the Passport Office round the corner. I discovered that Katharine of Aragon, Henry VIII's first wife, is buried in the cathedral and so was Mary Queen of Scots until her son JamesVI/I removed her to Westminster Abbey.

A cup of coffee with Anne, who had kindly agreed to hold my hand for the day, a trip round a Chinese supermarket admiring the great packaging and the strange contents (I bought a big bundle of the world's hugest cinnamon sticks) and then a seat in the sunshine to listen to a free concert by a string quartet playing everthing from Vivaldi to Mack the Knife. What a great way to spend the day. Oh, and I did get my new passport too!