What a Weekend!!

When last I updated, I had very little to say. I was just enjoying the novelty of being able to work when I like, sleep 10 hours a night (if I so choose) and not having much to do.

But what a weekend! I knew it would be a bit crazy, but I had no idea just how so. It was definitely fun, though, for the most part.

Kathy's Garden Party

Saturday was a fun day. Kathy had her annual birthday party, and I'd been living around all kinds of wonderful smells as she's prepared the food...Brocoli and Stilton Quiche, Chocolate Cheesecake, Spinach and Almond Lasagna, Raspberry and Kiwi Pavolova, Potato Salad, and many, many others.

I've met all of Kathy's kids (Jane, Helen, and Roland), so it was nice to see them again before I go. They're all very nice. Derek's daughter Katherine was there with her two children, as were his brother and sister. His sister Mary is a sweet lady and we actually once chatted on the phone for a few minutes when she called for Derek. I also met Kathy's brother Pete.

It was a lovely afternoon. We sat in the garden drinking wine and stuffing our faces. The family is very close-knit and it is lovely to see step-siblings hugging and kissing in greeting, and that Kathy's kids are genuinely fond of Derek's family members, etc.

I was actually a teensy bit put out that I had to leave, but I had a reception to go to.

Donna's Wedding Reception

I ended up travelling to Donna's reception (in a town called Benfleet) in a very roundabout, time-consuming way. I took a bus from Burnham to Maldon, where I met my friend Louisa. From there we drove to Chelmsford, where our friends Jo and El live. At their place, we caught a taxi and got to Benfleet.

What I didn't like was that Jo had arranged to stay at the reception until 1:00 in the morning, basically ensuring that Louisa and I had to spend the night at their place. I knew, just knew, that my Sunday would be wasted if I stayed.

Anyway, the reception was fine, as far as these things go. Donna looked beautiful and very, very happy. I am glad I lent my support on her big day, even if I did spend much of the evening with a headache. The venue was quite small and crowded, and blue from cigarette smoke.

Sunday

I ended up staying up 'till four talking with Louisa when we got back from the reception. She has been my closest girlfriend in England, and I wanted to chat with her while I could, as she flies out today to spend a month in Greece.

Ended up getting four hours of sleep. My eyes snapped open at 8:00 sharp and I was awake. I fixed a cup of tea (Jo and El had insisted we make ourselves tea and coffee if we woke up first) and read a newspaper I found lying about. Eventually Louisa awoke, and Jo and El made their way downstairs. We all chatted for a couple hours before Louisa and I got on our way. We stopped for lunch and then she dropped me at home.

This is where I had the first of my more difficult partings.

As I said, Louisa has been my closest girlfriend in England, so saying "see ya" (remember this: I hate the term "goodbye") to her was quite sad. No tears--we both insisted we keep it cheerful and light, especially as plans are definitely being thought up to visit each other. She'd love to see more of the States, and, of course, I'd love to come back and visit Essex.

Still, it was definitely a sad feeling to watch her drive off. Thank goodness for email!!

It was about 2:00 by the time I got home, so I spent the rest of the afternoon chatting to Kathy's son Roland and his girlfriend Leanne before they left, then showering and scraping 24 hours worth of food and wine off my teeth (I'd forgotten my toothbrush and Jo and El's place--ewwwww). By 4:00 I was seated in the garden with a book of crosswords, trying not to fall asleep. I spent the rest of the afternoon/evening longing for 8:00 to come so I could go to bed. I was not allowing myself to nap, as I had a very, very, absurdly early wake-up call for...

Monday's Outing

Alarm went off at 4:00. I rolled out of bed at about 10 past, showered, put on my war paint, and then hiked to the station to catch the 5:34 train. I arrived in London at 6:41, had some breakfast, and then I took the Tube.

Yes, the Tube. I will not bow down and let the terrorists make me afraid to take the Tube! Besides, I'm too cheap for a taxi from East London to West London.

When the bus for Premium Tours arrived at the designated location, I hopped on and gave my name to the tour guide. Nothing. She did not have my name. Gah! She advised me to ride to Victoria Bus Station with them and said we could sort it out there.

When we got to Victoria, I found out that the reason my name was not on any list is because the tour I had booked, the Leeds Castle, Dover, Canterbury, Greenwich tour, had been cancelled due to only 3 people booking.

Thanks for calling me and letting me know before I got up before the crack of dawn!!!

They told me I could go on another tour, all of which included not one thing I haven't seen before. I ended up on the tour of Warwick Castle, Stratford-upon-Avon (Shakespeare's birthplace) and Oxford. All of these I have seen, but 6 years ago.

It was a nice day, though. I was able to kind of rush through the parts I'd done before (the King Maker exhibition at Warwick, the house Shakespeare was born in, etc.) and go directly to the shopping and photo-ops.

The best part of the tour was actually Oxford. When I went 6 years ago, on a class trip, we didn't see much. This tour took us inside Christchurch College, where we saw the gardens that inspired Lewis Carrol in writing the Alice stories. We saw the tree that became the Jabberwocky tree in his stories, etc. It's 400+ years old, and truly magnificent.

We also saw the Great Hall, which inspired the Great Hall in the Harry Potter movies. The best bit though, was walking up a short staircase that was actually used in filming.

Remember the bit in the first movie where Harry and the other first-years get off the boats and walk up some stairs? McGonnagal meets them at the top to take them in for sorting. Well, we walked up those stairs, and the tour guide pointed out the spots where Maggie Smith walked, etc. So that was kind of fun.

I made it back to Liverpool Street a bit after 7:00, and to Burnham at 9:45. It was a long, long day, but fun. I'm glad I did it, even if I had to change tours last-minute.

And now...

So here I am. It's Tuesday, and I have a boatload of things to get done. I will, though.

Just think, in a few days, I'll be shopping at Target, watching NASCAR, and cuddling my Millie. Can't be that bad, eh?

Cheers,

Meg