Wednesday

Morning getting a bit of work done and packing, Matt is also busy working as he has to take a bit of time out later to drop me to the train. Train to Toulouse was about 2:30pm and wanted to leave plenty of time. Not much to tell as you can imagine, so standard pics of the station, Matt leaving and a couple from the plane.

At the airport by 4 which was pretty good. Cue airport pics.

Arrived in London and finally got to take the Elizabeth line, just one stop but super excited about it and looked like a tourist taking photos for you. Couldn’t have been more happy to see Peter and what a welcome. Fortnum and Mason Champagne followed by my favourites from the best Chinese in London. What a hero and what a  welcome!

In the meantime things are looking pretty sunny back in France.

Time for bed but nice to get the earlier flight back, makes a huge difference. Anyway, it’s still a long journey and we’ve been talking for quite a while.

[21 September 2022]

Thursday 

Up reasonably early as Peter and I are off to the London Mithraenum. Hey, I’m a classics grad and I still had a little idea of Mithreaus. It was good but you could tell it was developer led and a nod rather than an amazing event. 

Peter and I however went for Pinchox, they weren’t quite as good as San Sebastian but it was nice to share some of my recent experiences with Peter.

[22 September 2022]

Friday 

Busy working for the most of the day. In the evening I was off down to Clapham to go try on my Maid of Honour Dress. It fitted like a glove.

We then had a couple of drinks as Tonia had decided to kindly offer us a lift down to Sussex for the weekend. If it hadn’t been for the car not starting and us arriving with Vicky’s kit she may have been more irritated but we were grateful we didn’t have to get the train. Thanks Tonia.

[23 September 2022]

Saturday 

Can’t be up late today, we have a date with a bridal dress shop, in fact the one that Nicole got hers at. But obviously all that is confidential – so you’ll just have to wait and see. Lunch was at the golf course and saw John and Steph, who’d been kind enough to take Monty for the morning and then offered to take him for our second appointment in the afternoon – apparently nearby family has its perks. Even better we were invited over for dinner and were comparing The Guv’nor that we get in Spain to what they buy in the UK

Back in France it was the Festival de Montagne at St Beat. There were birds. Jonny nearly bought a rabbit, or maybe a large pair of living slippers. Cressida was less keen.

At John and Steph’s we had a wonderful lasagne, shared stories and had a good evening. Cheers both. Time for us to get home to bed, John has to be up at 4am for a skydive!

[24 September 2022]

Sunday 

With the push of mother I’d managed to convince the owner of the shop to let me go back and try the dress on again. Sold.

After lunch, and half an hour looking for Tonia’s keys, we were on our way home. A quick stop off at Clapham to see Lee and have a pee, I was back at Pete’s for more Chinese and a well deserved sleep.

Back in France and it looks as though, in Matt’s words ‘Today’s harvest has been bought to you by the colour red’. He’s then been fighting with plumbing.

[25 September 2022]

Monday 

Last full day. Morning meeting cancelled but lots of work to do. Afternoon meeting back down at Lambeth Town Hall which meant I could go see the kids quickly before my evening date with Pete. 

Met a lovely lady at the tube station on my way to meet Peter looking rather lost. Hillary used to live in London but she’s 85 and had an old printed map. It also just so happened that she was also going to the Bridge Theatre to see the same play I was. She was amazing, if a little slow on her feet, she went to Bedford College (now part of Royal Holloway and Bedford New College – i.e. where I went to university). When she started she was studying Classics (like me), but she struggled as she didn’t have a lot of experience in Greek – pretty standard for most of us and the same issue I had. She transferred to sociology after the first year. What an odd coincidence.

Weird play, Ibsen’s ‘John Gabriel Borkman’. Beer after, where we saw a pretty damned fancy cat, and then home. I think Meow is going to need a French bow tie!

Matt is trying to entice me home with pictures of Business Cat helping him work.

[26 September 2022]

Tuesday 

I have a meeting first then off to the airport.

Matt has been busy on his way up to Toulouse, the boot is full of insulation so I need to have my bag at my feet – it’s like being on a plane!  As much as I love it, London is always hard work and very busy so I was looking forward to a rest when I got home. 

[27 September 2022]