I went to London on Friday.

and do you know what Innernets? It was a very big and busy place!

Not so big and busy that I was able to hide from those crazy real imaginary people who have been haunting my blog for some time now.

Having collected Missus Moog from the ABBA train station, we (Missus Moog, Wonderwoman and myself) set off for Islington - along with two thirds of the population of the UK. On arrival we were a little taken aback as the queue to get into the C.L. fair stretched down around the building and snaked its way along the road into the next block!!!!!! There really wasn't much for a girl to do other than join the wait and take out her knitting to pass the time!

Finally we got in and were descended upon by one highly excited Locket and marginally more cicumspect Gina. Obviously I had to be a little nice to Locket as she had my ticket but once through the door I dropped all pretence and reverted to my normal charmless self.

The (by-now-traditional) blogger meet-up gift exchange thing took place (in order thanks to Locket, Gina and Lesley)

and then I ran off and hid from them all because to be honest (with the exception of Ali, Locket's bossy big sister and occasionally Gina) they were appallingly behaved - swigging wine, making vendors think they had a sale, being rude about other shoppers and getting sworn at! This doesn't even begin to cover the whole 'showing of exceedingly large pieces of cloth' thing. Or the 'quiche filled with cement' thing.

The afternoon was rounded off with a trip to Loop. I think the bumping of their cases over the London pavements had made both Locket and Missus Moog slightly crazed, I'm not sure either is fit to be out publicly in shops. There was a suggestion from the lovely man at Loop that we may like to offer compensation for the whole situation. I would just like to offer my apologies now and ask that he hold off on lawyers for as bit until I can speak with those two ;-)

Thankfully Wonderwoman (not!) went home quite happy, clutching a bag full of gorgeous Manos del Uruguay. I had to pry it from her hands to get her coat off her when we got on the train.

Then to finish off my trip you won't believe WHO came off the train behind me and got into the car parked next to mine!! Yes, that instigator of A.R.S.E. - Mrs Ibsongay. I watched carefully in my rearview mirror all the way up the hill!

Help and support required. Send urgently. ** EDIT

EDIT: Okay to prevent confusion and allay distress let me put it clearly:

* 100s&1000s are little spherical non-pariel sort of things which are used for cake decoration, ice-cream toppings and for making the internationally reknowned and also world famous 'Fairy Bread'.

* below is the picture of an international comparison of Australian and UK 100s&1000s. The Australian ones are at the top of the picture. They are bright and shiny and very pretty. The lower ones are the UK ones (also known as 'foreign') - they are all quiet and shy in their colouring.

Hey y'all.

this is a long weekend (aka public holiday, bank holiday) this weekend here in the UK (yes I know it is in Aust as well but I'm here on top of the revisionist history hill and it is my blog so.....) and my brother-in-law is arriving at some point this afternoon.

I don't know when b/c CK and his brother couldn't actually figure out which train he might catch. Two sensible, very grown-up men of wide travel and experience, both with access to the innernets yet googling 'train time to on top of the hill' seemed beyond them! Consequently I am housebound despite my paints and brushes being down at school b/c I have to wait here to go fetch B-I-L should he have caught an earlier train.

Do I seem a little annoyed? Hm! This would be becauseI had plans. Plans do you hear? It is not often in my life that I am sufficiently organised to actually have plans which I actively follow through (loads of intent but little completion) and I was looking forward to getting a tick in that box today. I was 'good mother' this a.m. and did reading with Babyman's classmates then normally while they had assembly I would go and paint some more of my cupbaord out in the hall but no, it has been moved hasn't it? So rather than mooch around school for the three hour assembly Mr Headteacher indulges in I came home to do my boring Friday housework. Which is when I spoke with CK.

My fabulous plan for going back down to school for a few hours this afternoon has gone the way of the dodo and I have been lurking at home getting in the way of my dogs' snoozes. And I have been mulling. Mulling over what to feed these people this weekend (Yes. It is only one more than normal but still....). Mulling over just how revoltingly dusty my living room was (note 'was' - got a demolition crew into blow up the dust bunnies' megalopolis!) . Mulling over the mini-quilts that are calling to me (I bought fabric and I may be in love) . And mulling over the juggling that has to take place this weekend. Birthday parties, swimming, mopping up Club Penguin provoked tears, choir recital at church (is it bad if I take my knitting and just sit up the back quietly?) and all the dirty clothes that lurk out in my laundry.


Not the most clear picture but you should be able to see the difference between the insipidity (is this a word?) of the UK 100s &1000s and the Australian ones. The foreign ones are also made differently. They are hollow, little puffs of coloured air made solid.

So to keep myself going throughout the weekend I am going to finish painting the little box I am working on and will send it out to somebody on Tuesday. Would you like it? Leave a comment. I shall select a name from a number entered into the random interger generator more commonly referred to as CK. Perhaps on Sunday. Maybe Monday. At some point over the weekend anyway. Interested?