Made it! I'm in London, England, on the other side of the planet. My dream trip has begun!
The flight was, well, long and that's all I have to say about that. Ok, maybe one more thing - flying long distance causes swollen ankles. Where there used to be a definite juncture between my legs and feet there is now just a long connection of blubber. Most unattractive. I certainly hope they go down or I'll be stuck in long pants for the rest of my life!
Currently I am happily ensconced in the spare room at Chez Vanessa and Rick in Faversham, Kent. I am tucked up in bed with a cup of tea and a kitty, which is about as ideal as it gets. I managed to stay awake the whole day after arriving in the morning yesterday and have had about 10 hours sleep overnight - jet lag schmet lag! My furry companion is a gorgeous little ginger 1 year old kitty named Persephone - Persey for short. She is one of three feline inhabitants of this lovely little English home and the most accepting. Polonios (tabby boy) seems to view me as a newcomer who is good for occassional cuddles whereas Tiggy (Antigone) looks at me with complete disdain - she is my new project - you will love me kitteh!
Travelling from the airport to Faversham meant going through King Cross station (yes Monopoly lovers, THAT King's Cross station). One could easily get lost and resign themselves to living in this labyrinth. What a crazy place. Luckily Vanessa knew where she was going or my story would end there. The countryside is so pretty with quaint little houses everywhere, totally goregous. Faversham is a really sweet town. Most of the houses I've seen so far are squished side by side with doors practically on the footpath and really little - you wouldn't want to be tall! Vanessa's house is opposite a beautiful park. It is long and narrow - the house not the park, that would be a rather useless park if that were the case - with a small area out the back. It is two storey with stairs so steep that they had to cover them in carpet and put in a banister on the wall so as not to be mistaken for a ladder! It is cozy and comfortable and already feels like home. Now for those of you who don't know, Vanessa and I used to flat together in ChCh when she lived there. We've been friends since 2003 but I haven't seen her in person for about 7 years so this has been the most wonderful reunion :-)
Today's mission is to plan my three days in London. There is so much to see! First priority is to see a Westend show which I am doing on Monday night - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory! I hope to do a bus tour, go to Warner Brother's Harry Potter studio (I'm going to Hogwarts!) and tick off as many Monopoly sites as I can find. Oh it's tough being me ;-)
Right, time for another cup of tea.
