Wedesday afternoon

This is the last day of the London Online conference. Professional comments aren't going to be found here - this is the fun side of things. I've had a good few days since I last emailed.

Monday morning I'd scheduled a meeting with a colleague, but since I had my bags with me, being en route to the Online conference hotel, it had to be somewhere easy to get to and where I could manage the luggage. So I arranged to meet her in the crypt of St Martin's in the Fields, where I'd be doing some brass rubbing. A most civilised way of conducting a meeting. Amazingly I was the only person doing a rubbing. several tourists came and looked intently at me as though I were a museum object and made loud comments, not realising that I could understand them (they were French and German). They thought it was pretty and interesting, but didn't understand the tradition. After the meeting, I caught the bus through to the conference hotel - always an adventure with luggage. Still jet-lagged, it was an early night.

Tuesday morning - first day of the conference - so was a good girl and spent the day either in session or doing a quick whip around the exhibition. Another early night.

Wednesday - it looked as though it was set to be a glorious day - clear sky was revealed as dawn gradually broke. Now, it should have been a Warning! Clear skies in northern winters usually mean FROST! I found this out by nearly going for six on the icy footpath - indeed I saw someone else take a tumble. It all vanished as soon as the sun came up, but it wasn't something I'd encountered in London before.

Wednesday I left the conference at about 4pm to go to visit Fional and Catriona in their new flat. They're a bit closer to the Elephant & Castle tube station than they were, but nontheless I got a bus from the tube, even for one stop. It was very cold again once the sun went down, which it does at about quarter to 4. F & C were in good form, eager to show me their new flat - now one year old, but since they spent so much time abroad this year, still feeling new to them. It's very comfortable and they're obviously pleased with it. We had a delightful evening looking at photos, catching up on news of each other and mutual acquaintances, and it was only when I started visibly fading that they threw me out. Two bus routes led directly back to the hotel, so in the hope of seeing the Christmas lights I plumped for the relative warmth of the upper deck of buses rather than the hothouse of the tube. I wasn't disappointed. Regent St lights this year are in the form of giant stars, suspended over the street like giant star-shaped sheets of tiny silver lights. The theme seems to be tiny silver lights for most of the decorations, which definitely links it all together and gives cohesion to the visual feast. I hope to get out one evening with the camera and try to take some pictures. The windows of Fortnum and Mason tell a fairy story and are magnificently done, as usual. The Norway spruce has been erected in Trafalgar Square, but the lights aren't on, yet.

It seems to me that the crowds are down on recent years. Is this due to the economic crisis that's on everyone's lips, or is it that I was expecting a greater crush? Or is it the very cold weather keeping people off the streets? Certainly, I haven't tried to walk down Oxford St yet (an acid test), but Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square seemed positively peaceful compared with my recollection of the Christmas season. If it gets worse - that it, more people - I'll correct myself.

I'll be heading back to Helen's tonight, and after a busy day tomorrow I'm looking forward to a free weekend! Nothing's planned, but I'm sure we'll come up with something interesting.

More later.