This and That

After the last rather lengthy posts, I thought it might be a welcome change, if not for you, for me, to write something a little more brief! So, here is the this and that of London....

Today I tried to watch the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace, but I'm not exactly vertically gifted, and every tourist in London and the surrounding area were also trying to watch the changing of the guard. I did catch glimpses now and then.

People in London aren't the cheeriest, but I do my best to try and smile at anyone that will make eye contact with me. They always seem to be staring at my feet...I certainly don't have cute shoes, so it must be that they are trying to figure out how someone with feet that small can walk without tipping over. Either that or the British have some fascination with feet. Seriously, though, its not just that they aren't looking at me to not make eye contact, they are looking at my FEET! It's not like I can help the size of my feet.

I was walking down the street earlier and this old man in his car drove by, singing opera at the top of his lungs. It was so funny because he was gripping the steering wheel and leaning into it and everything. I had quite the chuckle and decided that I hope that I never hold back the urge to sing with the windows down at the top of my lungs.

I hate to lie. Hate it. So when someone asks me if I have any money...sigh. This weird guy wanted money to catch a train to his job interview. He said two pounds...then three...then wanted four. By then I was already looking for some dough for him, so I couldn't very well say just kidding, don't have any. He gave me a hug and kissed my cheek and asked me if I had a boyfriend....sigh. I've been kicking myself over it all day. Why not just say "Sorry, gotta go"and high-tail it outta there?

I've been reading the Chronicles of Narnia while I'm here, and am having an especially fun time doing so when Lewis uses things I've seen--like St. Paul's and Trafalgar Square--to describe things in his book. Like, "Aslan was as big and as still as the lions in Trafalgar Square" or something like that, and I know exactly what he's talking about, because I was there just the other day. It's loads of fun.

The girls' favorite game to play, to my surprise, has been Backgammon! We haven't played too much lately, because we haven't been on the best terms (we're getting much better), but for a long while, they would come down to my room at seven thirty in the morning, or earlier, and we'd pull out the backgammon board and play a few games. I don't even go easy on them and they beat me all the time. Days seemed to go better when we started out with a little one-on-one backgammon time.

I have loads of little stories and snipits from my explorations here, like the crazy lady in Chesterfield...but I think I'll remember them, or at least, remember them in greater detail, when I'm showing pictures and chatting. What does this mean? Well, this means that if you want to hear them, you are gonna have to spend a little time with me when I get home! Sorry. But I'll make you cookies if you do :D