i had another wonderful trip to the big smoke the other weekend, and came away much happier than when i went, and packed full of thoughts and ideas...

There were many creative, inspiring ideas... i'm not sharing them here though as they'll either spoil the surprise or those artistic coves amongst you may pinch them and beat me too it... so you'll just have to keep an eye on the "work in progress" for updates on that front...

Sitting on the South bank, watching the world go by, listening in on half heard conversations... plans for a play starring pirate Jason, a mop dance and a character called Blue Ray... hmmmm... "Are you still working with the frog motif?"... The boys were the funniest... "Anna is so compliant, she'll do anything i say... oops that came out wrong" there were many other mis-spoken words in this conversation, not sure if there'd been such dazzling revelations if they'd known how attentive i was being... hiding behind my shades ;-)

There was a surprise round every corner... the Big Leap - youths jumping and somersaulting in the strangest of places, doing the skateboarding tricks, without the skateboards, across underpasses, steps, bridges, fences... most energetic...

The Alternative Village Fete was astounding, so many re-using crafty people... the pics tell a better story but... the cakes... the jewellery... the jigsaw art... the magnetic tape bags & ornaments... create your on things stalls... and hula-hooping...

It was most reassuring to see the number of concerned glances and looks for the parents when we spotted a small lone child... although which of us would have been first to act for fear of being labelled and stoned in this current climate... and whilst i'm on that subject... what are people thinking in this day and age posting video of their little kids playing naked to Youtube... it's sad that i'm thinking that way, but i really don't get how they aren't...

The beach, and yes i call it a beach, there's waves lapping along a sandy shore and kids paddling and making sandcastles, so... it may be beside the Thames but... the professional sandart was pretty impressive i must way... loved the plug and plughole concept ;-) but the most overt smiley moment had to be to the little bunch of chavs playing half clothed in the water... whilst their scary dog and equally scary girlfriends watched from the beach... despite their best efforts to get both involved, the dog was having none of this chase the stick thing, not if it meant getting wet... the most amusing part was as they got wetter, their trousers hung down lower, i was just curious to see if they could get wet enough to leave themselves totally exposed to the growing audience ;-) sadly ot before I got bored...

i can't travel alone without music... it's how i know the words to so many songs, silence scares me... to this end i had to buy some batteries for my MP3 player... sadly i should have paid a few more pennies... one battery was flat before i'd even hit Reading on the way home!

How come the assumption is that the toilet seat should be left down... Can anyone explain that one to me..? if the majority of people using the toilet are men, why should they feel the need to put the seat down? it's mostly up when they're in there so... it troubles me... in a very tiny insignificant way... sorry, random thought...

The bus is best for travelling round and seeing the sights, but for people watching you really can't beat the Tube... The girl wearing bright lime trousers, a gold top... with her blonde hair all fancy with bright orange spikes... her bright orange nail varnish on her toes... quite startling for a Sunday afternoon, a long overdue walk of shame? she had a need to write... whilst i watched the others discretely trying to read what she was scribbling, sideways, or upside down... only i was afforded a decent look, and i chose to respect her privacy... well i did have a glance and it wasn't very interesting...

Then there was the old man who boarded and hesitated to take the free seat, i assume that it was in case there was a lady who had greater need than himself... very chivalrous :-)

i think i miss heard the announcement "Are you on the right train?" but it still made me smile...

The train journey home was a busy one... i managed to get a seat but i was a lucky one :-)By the time i reached Didcot the train was packed to bursting so, out of the goodness of my heart i gave u my seat and went and sat in first class... where the seats were both comfy and totally empty... i see no reason why, if your train cannot provide enough standard class seats then those of us with the balls, should just take the first class ones... we've paid for a seat so i think we've got the right... if only more people thought that way, i did encourage those standing to do so as i disembarked...

i don't understand why people need a double seat for themselves and their baggage, and will defend their greed quite vociferously.... or how they grab a window seat and then read or sleep all the way...
 
if you put 8 sugars and 4 milk cartons in a train brewed latte it's almost passable...

Well, apart from a quick mention of Hamster Heath... and the thought that if parents have a problem when their children leave the nest, and become less dependent surely the kindest thing those kids can do is to continue to be dependent... a philosophical justification for scrounging of your folks into later life :-) there speaks a lady that needs a lift now and again x

May your days be shiny and your nights slippery
hugs and stuff
lucidia x