On a recent little trip up to Scotland, The Tourist and I stopped off in a Tesco's just outside Glasgow to pick up some odd bits and bobs. Our first request for Cos lettuce was met with some fairly blank stares - if we were after lettuce, it would be in the lettuce isle. What Cos was in particular, they could not be too sure. Our need for 120 bread-rolls that would all still be fresh in a few days time proved also to be a bit tricky. Various bread-roll domination tactics were subtly applied - a trolley as first defence while we hastily body-blocked the actual packets, selected the best and piled the trolley full - all while doing the odd sum! I would like to say that when we paid for the vast various items it was the quantity that surprised the teller. However this would be a lie - it was actually this woman: Fresh from a night out on the town Miss Daisy was just stocking up on a few supplies before Mavis and Sybil came over for round two... Miss Daisy was in no rush though,...

A few weeks ago Elton swooped in to the grounds of Hatfield House, splashed about on the keyboard for a good few hours, and then - very intelligently - flew off, into the night, in his crowd attracting helicopter. He's done that before... No way was he going to spend the next 1 1/2 hours waiting to get into the queue of traffic to leave the grounds. And waste precious beauty sleep snacking on sweets to try and stay awake as the tar of the M25 lead us mile after mile towards home! As you can probably tell, the traffic leaving (and coming into) the venue was less than ideal. But I refuse to let that detract from the concert itself, which was fantastic! I'd never seen Elton John before, nor the Lighthouse Family who player beforehand. And despite bursts of torrential rain, it was still fun, the atmosphere friendly and a wonderful excuse to whip out the leopard-print wellies! Lucky rocking a little leopard Ameba giving attitude Clouds and crowds Did someone say ...

It's easy to walk fast, with your head down, ipod blotting out the cacophony of the streets, making snap-second strategies for dodging tourists and focusing only on where you want to be. Sometimes it's worth taking that moment, pausing on the bridge and just admiring what is around you. I love crossing this river, it gets my toes tingling every time I do - the fast running water that has, and will carry history along with the tide (and maybe my phone if I'm not careful and wave it about) and the skyline that stretches for centuries. Lucky