Saturday 31st October 09

Bit groggy this morning as didn't get to sleep until after 3am and the air bed wasn't brilliant, with a bit of a leak, so it became flatter as the night drew on. But there was cereal for breakfast which is always the best way to start the day, for me, and some of the conversations from last night continued until lunchtime, when other folks drifted away, and then at 2, I went out to Canon Park station, as agreed, and met Ruth, my friend from college days, and we caught up with our various bits of life story for an hour and a half in the park, mostly sitting in the walled garden. It was lovely to see her again as she is one of my longest standing continuous friends.

However Ruth had to go and see her parents and was then heading out to a party, so at 4ish she got in her car and I walked through the park back to Paul's flat. I was amazed at some of the huge trees on the outskirts of the park and in surrounding streets, some are vast Sequoias more suited to an arboretum, not residential streets! Nice anyway!

Paul was having another party this evening, with some different guests, and I again helped to prepare a bit of the food.

Monday 24th November 08

Spent the morning getting ready to go down to London, back late Tuesday night.

Cycled down to the station in good time to get the 12.53 but it had been cancelled, so I checked that my ticket would be valid for the next train down, which was at 1.36. This gave me time to cycle home again and pick up my NewScientists which I remembered I'd left on the couch as I was cycling down the first time. Back into the station by 1.15, found the 1.36 to be running 10 mins late so I had my sandwiches in case there was a severe lack of space on the train, as the signage said 'standing room only'.

However, although the train was quite full, I got a seat and sat next to a young chap taking a 'gap year', whose parents live in a smallholding near Salisbury, and we had a good chat about coppicing and several other mutually interesting subjects. Arrived in London just before 4pm, and as I'd arranged to meet Ruth at 5 in Ealing, I went for the tube immediately, topping up my Oyster Card with a tenner first. Went to Oxford Circus, got lost between different tubes but eventually got directed to the Central line (I think!) to go to Ealing Broadway. Arrived there at 10 to 5, found a phone box and rang Ruth at work, and 15 minutes later she arrived and we walked to her car in a nearby carpark.

She lives about 20 mins drive from there... if she used public transport, it would take over an hour and she doesn't cycle. We caught up the past year's news whilst she made an apple crumble using a neighbour's apples, and a pizza using mostly pre-made ingredients... they were both delicious.

I showed her my list of 'Dexterwords' to see if she could help me add anything, after all she's known me since I was 18 when we went to college together in Northampton. It provoked lots of memories and chat. A nice relaxing evening.

Tuesday 27th November 07

Spent some of the day travelling down to London on the train, getting into King's Cross at 145, and then got a tube (bought a £10 Oyster Card) to Leicester Square, where I met Ruth. I have known Ruth since I was 18, when we formed a close friendship at Nene College. We became regular companions but not as close as boy/girlfriend, and have remained fond of each other ever since. She arrived at Leicester Square and we walked over the Hungerford Bridge and had a coffee before going to the Tate Modern. We spent a couple of hours there and then crossed the river on the non-wobbling Millennium Bridge to St Pauls, and had another coffee on or near Fleet Street, and I bought a bottle of Mosel wine for tonight.

Ruth left me at a tube station on the North side of the river and I crossed Hungerford Bridge again and walked South West past the London Eye and down to Vauxhall Bridge, where I found my way past Vauxhall Station and along to where my friend Anna lives. We have a mutual friend and it was very good to finally meet her and her partner.