Twittus Interuptus

What I would have twitted while in England…

• Note to self always travel on Christmas day. Awesome empty airport.
• Bummer no personal view screen for flight to Philly, going to listen to Fearless14 and knit.
• Brought our own snacks on plane, Since I will not pay for airline food, chicken and arugula sammiches & gingerbread cookies
• Note to self on Christmas even airport shops close early.  I guess no Philly cheesesteaks for us.  I’m starving!
• Long boring wait, I try not to sit down, since will be seated for another 5 hours. Closed airport shops are boring
• Cramped seats, but personal view screens yeah! Seated in very last row of the plane. Can watch Sex in the City with very few witnesses.
• Hancock is not a good movie
• I have no idea if I will recognize my Uncle Peter
• Tiny British car plus 2 big American suitcases equals tight fit.
• Hard to see the Mumzie like that, but glad to see she is still Francesca
• On boxing day getting lunch at a riverside pub after 2pm is nigh unto impossible
• Mmm  a bitter shandy and fish and chips, with a view of a very cold river
• The Knowle is as I remember it. The bruise on my head reminds me to duck better next time. 400 year old timber doesn’t care if I’m jet lagged.
• Sooooooo tired, got no sleep on plane, I just need to make it to 7pm
• Made it to 6pm, slept like dead and overslept. Starting the day late.
• Thomas is determined to make Mumzies crazy cat Biggle love him.
• Finally got to meet Melanie, she is most awesome.  Dropped us off at Tesco for big grocery shop.
• I love super markets, only staying 5 days, don’t need tons of food.  But it all looks so good. Must have rolly cakes,  flake bars, PG tips and sausages
• Got to hospital only to discover that we missed afternoon visiting hours, grrrrrr.  Took bus into Oxford proper. Buses in UK so much better than US
• Mmmm lunch at Pret a manger, my favorite sammich ever, egg salad with smoked salmon and cress.  So yummy.  Pret needs to come to US.
• Back to hospital, but Mumzie was sleeping. I left her the blanket I made. Lots of lovely orangey colors to brighten up her bed.
• Thomas and I quite happy to sit in Kitchen and watch UK telly,  Have a stuffed turkey breast in with roasting British potatoes in oven. Hot cup’a tea in hand.
• Can I say how unbelievably tasty English apple juice with elderflower is! Ambrosia pure ambrosia
• Took walk around Brightwell-cum-Sotwell, fed the ducks in the moat, tried to keep my face from ripping itself off my skull and jumping in my pocket to stay warm.
• There is a wall in Brightwell-cum-Sotwell that is older than the USA
• Mumzie gave the okay to pillage the fabric stash, so I have.
• Also started to go through photos, my childhood was screwed up, fun, but screwed up.
• Thomas and I both have slight mockney accents, it’s embarrassing.
• Visited the Mumzie, she was quite chipper. The patient who liked the windows open is gone, so it was quite warm, Mumzie happy, me too hot.
• More Oxford today, had lunch at the Eagle and Child, the pub where Tolkein and CS Lewis hung out. Sadly no ideas for epic novels sprang fully formed form my mind
• Spent some Christmas money at Lush on fancy fresh bath bubbles and such.
• Mumzie a little dimmer in the late afternoon.
• Biggle purrs?
• Officially planning to do nothing on New Years, despite offers.
• Visited the Mumzie, she’s telling everyone that’s it my Birthday, which it is, and that I’m 50, which I’m not! Told her to tell everyone I’m 32, must make her slight dementia work in my favor.
• Took bus to Abbingdon, yet another lovely village, had amazing Chinese food for lunch, very flavorful yet delicate.
• Abbbingdon, had an Abbey, now has lovely garden/park complete with folly
• Found a great very inexpensive suitcase to haul all the filthy lucre back.  Mumzie said  I could take some fabric home, and dammit I’m taking fabric home.
• Another grocery shop, it’s my birthday and I am having lamb.  I love Waitrose markets, so much yummy stuff,  the cheeses alone mesmerize me.
• More yummy drinks with elderflower.  Thomas had yummy beer.  Lamb was most tasty, and a delicious chocolate trifle for dessert.
• My Birthday Ipod touch is waiting for me, when we get home.  Woot!
• Mumzie sleeping when we stop by, so we head to Oxford for final shop.
• Thomas got his pretentious pipe for pointed pointing.
• Tempted by so many books, settled on the new Jamie Oliver.
• Bought Adam Kate and Jack all of the British publication Harry Potter books.
• 3 pashmina shawls for 5pounds
• Lunch in cellars of one the chapels at Oxford.  It was a healthy locally grown meal. Hope it makes up for all of the UK junk food I’ve been eating
• Got a nice last visit with the Mumzie, told her I expected her to hang around for my next visit, and that I loved her very much.
• Even with an extra suitcase packing is a bitch
• It’s sad now that we are leaving Biggle seems to have accepted us, and almost likes to be pet.
• Melanie managed to score us passes into the executive lounge at Heathrow, so we won’t have to wait with the riff and the raff.
• Executive lounge is awesome!  I don’t know if I can go backing to the real world after experiencing this.  The have celery salt for your bloody mary.
• Thomas is lusting after duty free whiskys
• Sadly all that Harrods stuff holds no sway over me any more.  All I wanted was a “stay calm carry on tea towel”, and none were to be had.
• Center row for the trip home, watching Baby Mama.  Airplane food made in UK is better.
• Traveling on New Years day not nearly as relaxing/empty as traveling on Christmas
• Have to go through immigration in Philly as well as collect luggage to go through customs, and then through TSA again! Have to pack duty free items in luggage since TSA is scared of liquid.
• I have been in a secure airport, where I bought my 4$ water, then in a secure plane, then in a secure airport, why should I have to get rid of my water! To get from one gate to another in a secure airport!
• I hate the TSA!!!!
• Philly airport is long and confusing, finally found gate, almost enough time to get a cheesesteak, but I was denied.
• Crowded flight,  flight to UK in last row, flight to US in front row.
• Spending too much time on the runway makes me nervous, never been convinced of theory of flight.
• Longest flight home ever, felt like it at least.
• Shuttle full of other people who get dropped off first.  
• What’s with all the fog, really don’t want to crash and die on way home from airport.
• Suitcases made it inside house, cat is berating us, I love our bed.
• 3 suitcases, 2 letters from the TSA, informing us they had been opened for secondary inspection, my job is done.
• Still drinking tea