Party time

It's been a hectic few days. Apart from catching up with work last week, on Thursday Mountain Man and I headed off to London for our annual family bash yesterday for lunch... well I say lunch, but it starts at 12 and ends around 4. And added to that this year there was another get together last night, so we went from one party to another. We eventually hit our beds at some time well after midnight this morning, and then had to get up today to get the train back to Edinburgh to find that No. 1 son (who was kindly looking after the dog for us) has some dreaded hand problem, and had also managed to leave the keys to his flat and his phone in his flat and couldn't get back in. This was not a great start to our getting home, and consequently I didn't get home til almost 8pm, feeling tired, stressed and worst of all I'd missed the Strictly final. Thank goodness for technology and recording devices, and for Mountain Man who'd remembered to record it in the first place!

The family bash: Luckily I only managed to place my foot in my mouth once, when my mother (who'd had more than a few) was becoming over effusive and I said something a bit unfortunate when there was a pause in the conversation. Everyone took a sharp intake of breath, looked at me, looked at my mother, who had a momentary glare, but carried on. Everyone let their breath out and the party continued. I still shiver slightly at the memory.

Friday night get together: which was for a few OU friends who could make it. Cathy the Bookseller generously held it in her home. There was a slight problem when we got lost getting there, but she sent her husband out to fetch us in her car, which was quite a relief I can tell you. I'm blaming my iPhone that decided that her abode was approximately a mile from where it really was. Don't ask me how or why, but no matter as we got there in the end.

It was lovely to catch up with folk again... they really are a special bunch of people. One of them had even bought some crackers which his wife had made, and we were delighted with small bottles of eau de cologne that they'd picked up in Germany. We were then given a goody bag by Cathy, with 3 books which are to be sold to the general public next year and some personal notebooks for each of us which was just amazingly fab. I felt quite emotional, but of course had had quite a bit to drink by this time, which I'm sure contributed. It also highlighted the fact that I'd managed to leave the very small tokens I'd brought back from South Africa for them in my suitcase at my mother's house. Oh well they will just have to reconnect when I go down again in February... not that they're really worth it, but it's the thought etc etc.

An exhausting, but lovely time was had. Time to unpack the suitcase, put the recorder on and watch the end of Strictly and find out who won.