In the front room

Had my first dinner party since moving the tables to the front and the sofa and chairs to the back. A good time was had by me. I think the others enjoyed it as well. I shall get back in the swing of having people around. This morning I went to church! The new vicar at St. Andrews suggested I come as I had been telling him how much I like incense and paraphernalia. He issued the invitation with the following sentence, "Come to church on Sunday. It will be an event with smoke." I like his sense of humour but I reconfirmed the fact that I am not a Christian. Nice day today so I took a walk this afternoon. I was going to go down by the river but was too lazy to get in the car and go to the farm. I will try to get to the gym this week and watch my fruit and veg intake. It's a pity 5 a day doesn't mean 2 beers and 3 glasses of wine. Oh well.

Getting One's Comeuppance

I have just limped back from my first gym visit of the year. I made no gym visits last year so this was a biggie. It was also shattering. It was supposed to be beginners Pilates but the teacher didn't show so another young, blond, fit person took over and treated us to an abs class. Now I know what abs stand for - ABJECT. I kept cramping up and being generally hopeless. I'm well aware of my state of fitness - 1 on a scale of 1-10 but even knowing that, I was horrified. I shall continue with it because I can't go on like this. The sweet young thing asked me about my cramps and when I told her that I have them everywhere, all the time, she said I should see someone. I think what she was saying was, "Don't come to the gym, go to the doctor." Pathetic. I am sticking to my 5 a day routine so perhaps with some decent food in me and a regime of activity, I might turn back into a human being.

O Canada

My arm is sore from patting myself on the back. Jane suggested that making New Year's resolutions was a waste of time and I agree but she did say that one could have'intentions'. One of my intentions is to do a cultural thingy each week. Today was the day. I took myself all the way to Dulwich to see the exhibition of the Canadian painters, Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven. This involved taking the coach to Victoria and then a train to West Dulwich and then a walk to the gallery. It was pouring with rain and the wind was howling but I was not deterred. I had decided to go and I am so glad I did. These Canucks are terrific. It was well worth the trip although I may do an Oxford event next week.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

I am not going to follow Alison's example and post daily but I will try to write more often. I spent New Year's Eve with Adam. We went to a party at Nancy's and then came back to my house and watched telly till midnight. We held hands for the countdown and expressed delight and amazement at the fireworks in London. Tonight is the Book Club - The City and the House. I'm off to Dulwich tomorrow to have a look at Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven. All very Canadian.

Day 4

Day 4

Starting to flag. I have discovered that, when it comes to groups of new people, I am a two-day person. Day 3 was Christmas and it went well. The management left a stocking on each person’s doorknob with a tangerine and some chocolates. I’ve eaten the chocolates. The tangerine will have to wait for a moment of conscience. I walked up to Hyde Park in the morning before lunch and flopped on my bed after lunch – too much champagne, wine and food.

We had a bus tour of London this morning. It wasn’t very good partly because you can’t see anything from a regular bus. The tour guide was about a C+. Then on to St Paul’s Cathedral. I did not climb to the whispering gallery but I enjoyed being in such a wonderful building. We came back at 4:30, just in time for a nap. Tonight is the disco.

Home tomorrow.

Day 2

Day 2

I sat beside a nice chap on the coach to Somerset House and; when we arrived, he said, “Let’s walk up to Covent Garden and have coffee.” Sounded like a plan to me so off we went. By the time we got there, had coffee and walked back, it was time for lunch so I missed seeing pictures at the Courtauld. Oh well, it’s not as though I can’t get to London easily so I will put it on my list of upcoming cultural events. The new me in the New Year! Then it was off to the Royal Albert Hall for carols. It was a lovely concert which involved the audience standing up and singing the well known carols. I was sitting beside the coffee chap and when he started to sing, I thought, whoa, what’s going on here. Turns out he sings with the Bach choir in London. I kept my mouth shut after that. Back to the hotel, quick nap, dinner and an early night. I wasn’t sorry to find out that there wouldn’t be any games and quizzes until tomorrow.

Day 1

Friday, December 23, 2011 6:26 PM

Day 1

I confess to being very anxious this morning while packing the bags and locking the doors. The bus arrived within a minute of my getting to the bus stop – good omen. The front seat was empty and waiting for me – good omen. It was a quick easy ride to London and I taxied from the bus stop to the hotel. Check in over, I went to my room. It’s a bog standard Marriott hotel room which suits me fine. There is a big bed, a big telly, a mini bar and a perfectly usable bathroom en suite. The first bad omen reared its head when I tried to connect to the Internet. This is doable but they charge a small fortune for the connection; i.e. £6 per hour or £15 for the day. Maybe this isn’t steep but it’s the first time I have stayed somewhere where the connection isn’t free. That usually means you have to go to their Internet room but I wouldn’t mind that. Anyway, if I want to be in touch with all of you, I have to pay for the privilege.

After I checked in, I realized I was starving so I went for a quickie lunch in the bar. A lady of senior years (my age it turned out) invited me to sit with her and I thought it would be churlish to refuse. She is another virgin Just You member so we had one of those getting to know you conversations. She was widowed last March so, sad but not rejected. I was getting a tad bored when another virgin turned up. There are 96 people in the group, not all virgins. We all met later for a drink and a run down of the exciting activities to come. The meals will be buffet style which I’m pleased about because I can stuff myself with the better items. I met another virgin at the get together meeting but this one was male so I guess virgin is the wrong word. We talked about our divorces. I suppose when you get 96 people together who range in age from 50 to 80, they are bound to have past relationships that need airing. Oh well, tomorrow we are off to Somerset House (Courtauld Institute) and carols at the Royal Albert Hall. Games and quizzes in the evening and then it will be Christmas day.