Up West.

After all the work I had this week - I was glad to get away from my desk for a day, even if I came home to a couple of dozen 'crisis' style emails.

Walked into town for a change, had a coffee in the college because I was early - saw a number of A level students in for their results - all dressed up as if they were going clubbing, the girls probably anticipating a tabloid shot of them waving a piece of paper in the air - mostly wearing crop tops and push up bra's.

I caught the fast train to London, the journey to Ashford was OK - a woman with a giant pram got on the train with me - it had 8 wheels and so many accessories and extra bits and pieces that she would never be able to declare herself homeless - my house is less well appointed. I managed to get a seat and was absent mindedly fiddling with my upper lip, wondering if my gums were going to get worse and my teeth fall out - when I realised the bloke opposite was glaring angrily at me - he had a hare lip. He was also reading a book about Kenneth Noye so I made a point of not making eye contact again. There was also a man with a waxed moustache - it's that kind of train. He got off a Rye.

There were 4, very wealthy looking and rather smug retired people to my left around a table - the main man did all the talking - he looked like Albert Finney. He was set next to his wife but referred to her in the 3rd Person throughout, she just demurred. We went past a set of wind turbines and he went into a rant about them - used the word 'statistically' in every sentence and said 'I know what I'm talking about - I listen to Radio 4 "

I changed to the fast train at Ashford. Lovely train, polite staff, free power points etc. Two blokes who didn't know each other sat together and after a brief conversation realised they were both failed actors - and went into a rapture of memories and anecdotes about "Chekoff in Eastbourne, for christ-sakes - what was I thinking" and stuff like that.

The first thing I did in London was bump into someone I knew and work with. I told him how much I earned teaching and he was horrified - assuming I was on twice the figure.

My primary reason for being in London was personal - and it was a very important and successful day.

We went through the British Museum - which is lovely and exciting but so packed with foreign tourists keeping the economy going, we had to leave. It threatened rain so we went to a small cafe in Bloomsbury - the girl working there was about 30, pretty, had a very broad smile with perfect teeth and probably the nicest nature and best manners I've ever come across in London, obviously she was foreign. Whist waiting to be served, Justin Lee Collins came in, jumped the queue and managed to draw as much attention to himself as possible by making a big point of trying to be incognito - he might as well have had a giant billboard above his head saying 'LOOK AT ME - DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM' - he also made sure everyone knew he'd be back at exactly the same time tomorrow - in case you missed him today. He has facials - you can tell, spends hours brushing his hair and has tiny hands and feet - like a lemur. Later on, A. bumped into Sinead Cusack whilst trying to find the toilets at the National Theatre - she was rushing about with a cup of tea looking theatrical. London's like that.

It rained a lot - but I didn't mind.

There was a bloke in Tate Modern who looked like Ryan Gosling after a very bad car accident - it really creeped me out.

We went to the Lamb and Flag - not been there in years but still my favourite pub in the world. It was £4.05 per pint - I could have cried.  A very posh, very pissed couple in their 60's sat on stools - we had a table - the woman gave me daggers all the time, and talked very loudly - she looked and sounded exactly like Anne Leslie - I'd like to say it was her, but she's the kind of person who trawls the internet looking for herself and taking revenge on people, as we got up to leave another couple next to us sat at our table - then the pissed posh couple ran over and literally threw them off the table - 'I've been waiting at least 2 hours for this table - if you don't mind' - they hadn't. They also succeeded in throwing the poor couple off. In another life I'd have got involved and made my feelings clear, but decided against it.

We noticed on the south bank that big chunks of the London skyline are less than 20 years old and don't really 'fit'. The Shard looks awful.

On the way home - a group of 4 very silly, very pissed, infantile, posh middle aged women took the table next to mind. They drank red wine (from a box) out of Champagne flutes - they talked constantly but made no sense - everything was giggles and shrieks. One had a phone with 'Man, I feel like a woman' as it's ring tone - every time it went off they all sang along. Another had the sound of a barking dog. They wore tea dresses and made me think about Fred West. One of them started a conversation about how they were all successful, independent women in charge of their lives - but each one called their husband and asked to be picked up at the station - in a fawning, girly, baby voice "please darling, please come and pick me up - I'm wearing the wrong shoes to walk".

Came home to about a dozen panic emails from clients and a stack of emergency work to complete before lunchtime.

It was, on the whole, a very good day.