Nodnol

18 days and no blog, best remedy that.

Things are pretty good. Spent half of this week in London visiting Kate. Was great to get away - first time since I opened the shop. When I left Swin City at the end of 2007 I told myself I’d be facing at least 18 months without a holiday. Well, June 2009 is pretty much spot on!

Did some touristy things and was lucky enough to be able to use Katie’s Merlin pass to visit the London Eye (cool, but actually quite dull), Madame Tussauds (overrated really) and London Dungeon. More on the later in a moment.

I got in Sunday night and we went to Camden to get shitfaced - after Kate and her wonderful housemate Justine made cottage pie.

Sidebar - was really worried I wouldn’t get on with Jizzle as she and K-Dubz are such good mates and it would suck if I didn’t like her, but that girl is great people. So damn positive, but very hard on herself. She deserves every success in this world.

Camden on a Sunday is not the party I’d expected. London clearly parties hard on Thursday-Saturday, but Sunday-Wednesday is like any other town or city in terms of night life I found. Ah well.

We did manage to get pretty damn wasted. I agreed to take on Kate’s hangover like some kind of sympathetic magic craziness. Oddly though, twenty minutes later I had gone from being the more sober one, to being absolutely wardrobed (joke copyright Michael McIntyre) and Kate had sobered up.

The next day Kate had to work, so Justine and I went round the Dungeon. I stupidly fueled my body with a Chai Tea Latte and a cheese pastry. Half way round the Dungeon I became really dizzy and felt really dehydrated. To stop myself fainting, my body flushed with sweat which was really unpleasant.

So despite feeling stupid and self concious, I enjoyed the Dungeon very much. Kate’s shows were excellent and the whole experience is well put together. Worth a look folks.

Jizzle and I went off to look around Forbidden Planet and explore Tottenham Court Road in search of books, musical instruments and sushi. Lunch gave the two of us to have a long chat about life, love and London.

I then met up with Laura B and had drinks on the Thames and then a tired and slightly hanging Katie joined us for dinner at a bistro in Covent Garden. Yum, yum, yum. Had a good evening and then we went back to the girls’ place and passed out.

Tuesday was the Eye and Camden Market and drinks around Tottenham Court Road. All good. I also took a pointless solo trip to Finsbury Park. Not doing that again.

Wednesday was manic and I had a disconcerting experience on the way home. One for another blog I think. Nothing bad, just hard considering the last few months.

Massive thanks to K-Dubz and Jizzle for making me feel very wlecome. I will be back soon!

Back to work Thursday and the shop was perfect. My little baby had been perfectly looked after by the wonderful Tony and Jo. Thank you both - without you, the last few days would have been impossible.

I’m also very proud that my shop can survive without me. I feel like a parent who’s little kid went off to playshool for the morning. I must be doing something right if my ways and systems can do the necessary without be there. :)

Anyway, that was Londinium. Good times. I was shattered when I got back though - great city, but I couldn’t live there! Now I need a restful holiday…

More soon.