"It takes a long time to grow an old friend."


THURSDAY 10 November

I've only known, Lynne & Ellie a couple of years but something tells me that we'll be doddering around together when the zimmer frames are needed. I can't think of a better way to spend a day off work than mooching around with people you like. Poor Ellie had to work so could only join us for the eating and tea drinking but managed to squeeze in some talking in that time. We were joined at lunch and the first part of the afternoon by Julie, who I hadn't met before so there was plenty to talk about. What did we do? Do you mean apart from eating lunch and talking and sitting in Patisserie Valerie and drinking tea and eating and talking? Well, we dropped in on Bravissimo and one of us had an uplifting experience. If you've been there you'll know what I'm talking about. We also managed to fit in a few bookshops and Lynne and I were tempted by the new Canongate myth series. Lynne came away with Karen Armstrong's "A Short History of Myth" and Margaret Atwood's "The Penelopiad". I was more controlled and just bought the Atwood book.
I'm in very erudite company when I tag along with these two. Ellie works in publishing and Lynne is an experienced reviewer and manuscript vetter. I'm a bit of a lapsed reader so it's just as well that this pair keep a watchful eye on my reading.