Back with my Muffin Puffin!!!!!!!!!!!!

Family,

And a good evening to you from across the Pond. I am back on the ground, safe and sound and waiting for pumpkin to come home after her Athletic conditioning class. That's right - she's lifting weights - I'm lifting my fork. All is right with the world.

So first off - whilst on the plane last night, I wrote the blog entry that was intended to be tonight's installment. However, because it's still saved on my work PC, looks like that will just have to wait until tomorrow. I realize that this throws my day count and chronology out of balance, but you'll just have to forgive me.

Okay, so this morning started off great - we landed on time, I was the third person in the customs line, and I cleared immigration at 7:05 AM. After that, things take a storyteller's turn for the worst.

1. Baggage Claim: So we wait FORTY-FIVE MINUTES for the bags to arrive. Keep in mind that we were the third flight to land that day, and the other 2 flights had already cleared their belts. What exactly were all those cats doing in the bowels of Gatwick? And further more - my bags were among the very last to come off, which I can deal with. However, as they tumbled down the conveyor belt, I couldn't help but chuckle (or rather tremble with rage) as I noticed the "priority" sticker on mine (since I've got "status"). If that's priority, I'd hate to see how a bag labeled "extreme donkey" is treated. Hee-haw...

2. Gatwick Express: THEY'VE MOVED PLATFORMS!!! WHY WASN'T I CONSULTED ON THIS? So I am running from platform to platform (carrying both bags and my backpack, mind you, because there are NO DOWN ESCALATORS), and finally I catch the Express that's 15 minutes late. The cause of the delay? RAIN. Really - because we've never seen rain in the United Kingdom I guess...

3. Victoria Station: Getting on the Tube was like hitching the last helicopter leaving Saigon - CHAOS. I had to wait through 5 trains before I could finally get on one - talk about a MADHOUSE! I was ready to leave all the US purchases on the platform and learn how to make homemade shampoo at that point.

4. The walk home: Rain. Wind. Cold. No free hand for an umbrella. No foresight to pack a jacket. Welcome back!

That being said, I got home, got showered, and got dressed. All uneventful, save the moment when I noticed one of the lotions I'd brought back for JT EXPLODED all over my shoes. VERY stylish. So rather than the cap-toes, I went with the Sam Taylor Corporate Hiking Shoes - the picture of European sophistication.

But I did get to work, and it was a productive day. And now here I am, having just talked to puffin and and anxiously awaiting her arrival back at the flat! Hurry home, baby pie!!!

Okay, that's all the news that's fit to print. I promise to give you the weekend re-cap tomorrow. Chat then!

Love,

Sam and (back together again!) Jenny