So here it is, a week since my last post already! Just for all you Albertans, the sun is shining here and the weather is quite mild - certainly nothing like the cold temperatures and snow that you have out there! Just thought I'd rub that in!
The weekend was great with the twins. We had lots of fun, without running around too much. Saw the huge Christmas tree in Covent Garden, went to the Tower of London, did my Saturday morning shopping, and lots of crafts and playdough and stuff like that. They had brought the "Mary Poppins" DVD and I had "Narnia", so we watched those while they were busy painting and playdoughing! We really enjoyed our time together. The trip to take them home was something else, however....
We got a bit of a late start on Sunday, as the girls wanted to go inline skating (they had brought their skates), and then there was the general dawdling and fooling around while they got packed and stuff. We jumped on the tube to Waterloo station, and got there without incident. It's important to understand that it wasn't just me and two 8-year-olds; we had a daypack full to bursting with their clothes, a small wheeled suitcase with their inline skates, and two other largish bags containing various and sundry other stuff, including the thinkgs they bought with the spending money their mom gave them. The girls helped me as best they could, but a lot of it was too heavy for them to carry for very long. We managed to make it to Waterloo station by 2ish, and then I realized we hadn't eaten lunch. So, we (and all our bags) went into Burger King to grab a bite. That done, I had promised the girls I would get them a Starbucks frozen caramel frappucino thing (sans caffeine!) so I had to leave the girls upstairs with all the bags and run downstairs to get this. Then we go to look at the board for the next train to Brookwood. Normally they run every half hour or so. I couldn't see any trains to Brookwood; there were just trains to Weybridge with a rail replacement bus services to Brookwood. I went into the information place and was advised that they were doing work on the tracks and there wouldn't be a train to Brookwood for another hour and a half!! So, we jumped on the Weybridge train. This was going to delay us a bit. We got into Weybridge in just under an hour, and went out to the bus stand. I was told then that there was no bus to Brookwood, but that we would have to take a bus to Woking and change there for a bus to Brookwood! Sigh. So, we load ourselves and our bags on the bus and I amuse the girls by reading from the book that I bought them (we had already played hangman and a card game and I was bored with both!). We got into Woking in about 20 minutes, and discovered that the bus to Brookwood wasn't due to leave for 25 minutes! We went into the station and it was small and there were no seats. So the girls and I plopped down on the floor and I read another chapter of the book (so glad I had that along!). The bus finally arrives, and it is a coach - fairly old, narrow aisles and very steep narrow stairs up into it! I struggled with all the stuff up into the coach (the girls could barely make it up the stairs, they were so steep). By now we had been travelling for and hour and 45 minutes. It took another 20 minutes to make Brookwood (one of the girls fell asleep), at which point we had to walk another 10 minutes to their house. A 2 hour trip that would normally take 50 minutes! I was knackered. I stopped at their house for a cup of tea and then headed back to Waterloo. Fortunately, the train was back up and running, so it was quick and smooth back into Waterloo, and indeed even the tube was on my side, with my trains waiting for me on the platforms. What a day!!
Monday night I had choir practice. We did some really nice songs. I don't think I'll be singing in the Christmas carol concert with the choir, however. We only have four Monday rehearsals and I've already missed one and will miss next week as well. In addition, he's planned another 3 hour rehearsal for the Saturday afternoon of the concert, and I just can't manage that. It's too much. Maybe next year, but I need to bring my voice back to form slowly.
This weekend my friend Donna is coming out from Calgary - I'm really looking forward to her visit. We are going to the Princess Diana photo exhibition at Kensington Palace on Saturday and Mamma Mia on Monday night. She leaves for Malta on Tuesday, and I am flying out on Thursday afternoon to spend the weekend there with her. We're going on a jeep safari on Gozo, the north island, and are also spending a day horseback riding. I'm really looking forward to it!
There are several Christmas carol concerts going on at the Royal Albert Hall, so I'm going to try to go to one of them, if I can find someone to go with.
That's all for now! Au revoir!
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