Just a short post before we leave, with some pictures.
This is where we stayed. It used to be a prison and does still look like one from the outside, but it's much nicer inside now, as the pictures on their site show and mine mostly don't. However, here is the shower, which is very nice indeed:
I think Sherlock's spider might have grown overnight. I'm not at all sure she's going to fit back in the bag...
This is where we stayed. It used to be a prison and does still look like one from the outside, but it's much nicer inside now, as the pictures on their site show and mine mostly don't. However, here is the shower, which is very nice indeed:
And the...there is probably a word for this but I don't know it. Open bit that all the cells used to look down into before they got proper doors and beds and luxury showers.
77 comments:
First your birthday, then Mycroft's, and now his - maybe you and L should be event planners, given how successful these excursions have been!
I don't think it can grow, unless you put more stuffing in it.
And it doesn't have a name! You've given it a tag with a name. You're so silly!
When are you going to be home?
Can I go to the prison one day?
And...I guess yet another birthday present was getting home to Sherlock literally launching himself off the stairs - about four or five stairs up - at us when we came through the door.
It's nice to be missed, right?
You...might be able to go to that particular not-really-a-prison one day, Sherlock, yeah. Real prisons, I hope you steer well clear of.
Oh, Danger, I meant to say thanks for cutting me out of the shower photo...I was getting worried you were going to start posting pictures of my saggy old body all over your blog. ;)
Certainly not! I'm the only one who gets to ogle you in the shower.
Hah, yeah, well I was reasonably surprised to find you taking picture of me in the shower at all.
Please ensure Sherlock doesn't steal your phone now.
Or anyone else for that matter.
And thank you so much. I had an amazing birthday.
Maybe we'll get our chance to go for a punt when one of the boys goes to Oxford for university? If not before.
Right, so that was originally a photo of Lestrade, naked and wet, and... there's no way for me to finish that sentence without sounding like a creepy stalker, so I'll just stop now... :-p
Well, I'll get in trouble if I point out the part of the photo he's posted was the best-looking bit, won't I? Yeah, thought so.
But I have to defend him...he doesn't actually go around the country taking pictures of bathroom fittings for his collection. I mean, not all the time.
Unless...Danger, are you a secret sanitary ware spotter??
It was just a really nice shower, that's all! I know you liked it too, you were in there about half an hour.
I was only going to be there about five minutes...before you joined me.
I like any baths/showers that are big enough for two ;)
Shame I don't think we can fit a wet room into your flat. We could just turn my flat into one massive wet room? :)
With a series of plunge pools like the Romans had? Maybe a swim-up...dining room table?
not sure the floor could take the weight...
Maybe we could evict the security from the basement here and do it down there?
Although with the revelation that Mrs Turner and Mrs Hudson both follow your blog...I'd fear that spy cameras would be installed.
I suspect they might object to being evicted so we could put in an enormous shower. We'd have to build a whole other floor above us for them. And probably let them use the shower/wet room/water slide/whatever as well.
I'm not even going to think about Mrs H and Mrs Turner and any possible cameras.
a water slide? Child!
We'll just have to find somewhere remote to swim then, instead.
After having received a bunch of flowers from Mrs Turner addressed to 'Greg The Florist' I just...don't even want to think about it.
I like water slides!
from Mrs Turner addressed to 'Greg The Florist'
HA!
Hey, I'm just a florist, not an ex-underwear model, so shush, you.
No wonder your boxers keep going missing off the drier.
I thought you were making off with them!
Making off to where?? I barely live anywhere but here! You think I have a huge collection of your boxers in my desk drawer at the yard or something??
I don't know! You wear my socks, I thought maybe you were wearing the boxers too.
In fact, you know what, never mind. I'm just going to keep on believing that and not think about the alternatives.
Well...I did take those maroon paisley ones. But not to wear, to chuck in the bin. They didn't do you justice.
Maybe she's trained the dogs to steal them?
I wear your socks out of desperation. I wear your underwear on occasion for different reasons entirely ;)
Those were a gift! Not that I was especially attached to them, but my point is that someone thought I looked good in them. :P
I'm not sure anyone can train the dogs to do anything, except Mycroft.
I'm shocked to learn of such behavior. Shocked, I tell you.
Sorry, I should have asked. I didn't meant to be so...I don't know the word. I should have asked, anyway.
I think the point is someone wanted to make sure no one else would get any further than getting your trousers off, before succumbing to the eye-searing pain of maroon paisley.
You're not that shocked. You wouldn't be giggling if you were.
No no no, it's completely fine. I don't really mind at all. They were pretty awful.
Good thing you had enough fortitude to get past them then. ;)
Police training - I'm used to seeing horrific things, but still working towards my goal...heh.
Actually, I'm fairly sure you never wore them early on in our relationship...or just got undressed in the dark when you did.
Anyway, feel free to model Aussiebums and leave the paisley to past decades, yeah?
(And it's not fine! You could have had a deep emotional attachment to them, and I should have asked/thought about it.)
You and your Aussiebums. You can get me some for Christmas. Or possibly I should get me some for your present.
(It's not very likely though, is it? Is anyone deeply attached to maroon paisley boxers?)
They could've been...I don't know, a final gift from your dying grandma or something, for all I knew.
And yes, you could. The latter.
Don't get me wrong, I'm as happy in M&S boxers as the next bloke. But sometimes it's nice to have nice things, right? Especially when I get to see you wearing them.
I would hope my grandmother would have better taste. (All right, I see your point, but I still think it was rather sweet in an odd way.)
I'll just see if they sell maroon paisley ones...
God, they probably do. They do have some...suspect patterns.
Can you rustle up an extra day to tack onto this weekend? I don't want to enter into what will probably be 12 days of continuous work...
Beyond my powers, sorry. You'll have to ask Mrs Holmes. She could probably work something out if she wanted to.
Ha, yeah, probably.
She is, in a sort of around-and-about way, responsible for me sitting on a sofa with a massive cuddly spider half on my shoulder, half on the back of the sofa, watching my laptop screen. Which...never occurred to me as a possibility in my life, really. I do believe anything is possible.
Ha. I don't think anyone could've predicted Alice.
You two are ridiculous. It is delightful.
Whenever you say Alice I'm feeling like you're thinking this:
http://images.wikia.com/aliceinwonderland/images/a/a8/Alice.jpg
and I'm thinking this:
http://www.vasiliska.com/uploads/posts/2010-02/1265725490_alice-cooper.jpg
Alice the spider does more closely resemble the second one...
Exactly! And one of his early bands was called 'The Spiders'.
I feel happier calling Spider 'Alice' if I'm thinking Alice Cooper...Although I think I'll mainly be calling it 'Spider'. Which sounds like I'll be cuddling you and some wannabe gang-member all night...
It'll please Sherlock though. He thinks I'm very silly for naming her.
You are.
But I like you silly. Silly is good. The world outside is too damn serious.
No danger of that in here.
I think...you should let me take you to bed and give you a very serious thank you for a lovely weekend, and a brilliant birthday.
Sound okay to you?
Sounds more than okay to me.
What is going on in our city?
Stay safe, all of you. Feels like we're being stretched pretty thinly by all the different pockets of looting/fighting.
I'm feeling slightly guilty that I'm so glad I'm no longer on the front line.
It was all kicking off last night, wasn't it?
Reading Twitter and the BBC, looks like a peaceful (if intense) protest on Saturday night got hijacked, in the current way of things, by people who saw the opportunity to smash and burn. And then last night, that got hijacked, in the way of things, by more people who saw the opportunity to smash and grab. Fuckers.
(I should probably avoid commenting on the fact that people wouldn't be bemoaning the lack of police officers on the ground if police numbers and budgets weren't being slashed.)
Hope all your people are OK and not caught up in it; same for everyone else here.
Yeah, all a massive excuse for the low lifes to come out in force. Brilliant!
And of course, the police are being criticised for it. Cut our numbers, cut our budgets, then complain when we're not 'out in force'. There is no way we can win.
Super said 'the press are criticising the speed of our response.' so someone muttered 'You're telling me. By the time I got there all the good stuff was gone.' hah.
The news said they were looting. Were they pillaging too, like Vikings? Is this what Viking attacks were like? I really think you should take me to see it.
Looting and pillaging are sort of the same, and yeah, they probably were. But not quite like the Vikings. Just like...a bunch of criminals.
You're not going to see it, end of discussion. You can see it on the news.
What have you been doing today?
Viking warriors were criminals too though. They made almost all their money sailing to other people's homes and stealing their things.
We went to the British Museum and we're going back on Friday to see them do the tea ceremony, do you want to come?
They were, you're right. I don't know why I feel this is different. I suppose it's because these people are just doing it because they're taking advantage of a very sad and serious situation and using that as an excuse to break into shops and burnn down people's homes and property.
What's a tea ceremony? And what time is it? It sounds like a lovely thing to do with all of you.
The times and things are here http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/events_calendar/august_2011/the_way_of_tea.aspx
but it doesn't say very much about it, but John says in Japan they invented a whole ceremony for drinking tea and not even normal tea with leaves, it's green and powdered and you make it with a whisk and I looked it up online and he was right.
I'll have to look at those times later, mate, when I'm back in the office.
John knows a lot about tea, huh? He does like it a lot.
I'm on nights at the weekend, so I should be off in the day on Friday.
He said he went to Japan once. Can we go to Japan? But after we go to New York because Innie promised to buy me cupcakes.
I'm sure that you'll get to go anywhere in the world you'd like, in your life.
Have you asked John all about Japan? I bet that was an interesting place to go.
Danger; no idea when i'll be home tonight. I might head out for a bit with the nightshift, especially if it looks like there'll be more trouble. Is there something easy for you to cook for the boys?
Hmmm. Well...you might want to come home reasonably early actually. Might miss something if you don't. Just saying...
Danger, that sounds . . interesting.
Greg, be safe.
That does sound interesting...should I start to expect my dinner on the table every night or something?
I shall be with you as soon as I can then - riots permitting.
I'm not sure I'd go that far, but you might like this better than dinner.
Good luck.
Dunno, I like dinner a lot...
Are the boys out? And you're naked and waiting for me?
I can't believe the streets are full of looters in broad daylight. Very glad I'm not heading back to my flat tonight. Although I should check it's still standing some time.
I'm very glad you're not too. I've been watching some of it, and it's so...strange. Almost like another city.
Don't want to ruin the surprise, but I'm afraid I must say that no one is naked.
Right. No dinner, no nakedness. I'm out of ideas.
Be with you soon. Anything we need?
And yeah, it doesn't seem real, does it?
Real enough. Just...not like London.
No, we don't need anything. Just you.
I suppose I mean doesn't seem real that it's happening literally down the road, when elsewhere in the city it's still normal.
Glad we don't need anything, just locking the bike.
Am now slightly wary about what I will find...should I have borrowed body armour?
It's a surprise! I'm not going to tell you.
I...I'm literally speechless. Thank you.
Readers...he is, in case I haven't mentioned it, amazing. And I just...every step of my birthday he's just been so thoughtful and...and I don't deserve any of this, I really don't.
Thank you, John, I love you and...now I'm going to put this down and fetch my guitar, and sorry, you might all starve tonight. This is just unbelievably kind of you.
You're welcome, and of course you deserve it! The only one in danger of missing dinner is you. Suspect I won't be able to pry you away from your guitar all night now. :)
I really can't believe I deserve any of this.
Five me a song, anything, a favourite, you deserve the first song with it.
Give me...
Oooh. Excellent, let's see... Folsom Prison Blues?
Miming right up. Let me get plugged in and check it all out.
This is amazing. You are so kind, seriously. No one's ever got me something so perfect before.
Coming! No miming! The real thing. Bloody phone. I'm too excited to type.
GUYS! A little more detail, please? :-)
John, did you just give Lestrade a guitar? That is just... endlessly wonderful.
Lestrade, you deserve every moment of it. Happy birthday!
No miming
Ha. Are you sure? I'd quite like to see someone try to mime Folsom Prison Blues...
Not a guitar (wouldn't know where to start) but an accessory. I'll let L tell you when he's calmed down a bit. ;)
I wish you could serenade us all. After John gets the, very well deserved, first song of course.
Happy Birthday!
Sorry, sorry, he got me a brand new amp, and some really really nice headphones. So now when I feel like playing it doesn't matter if the tennis is on, or the boys are studying or asleep, I can play and not disturb anyone. And...this is honestly the kindest, most thoughtful, thing anyone has ever bought me. Well, joint first with Spider, anyway!
Still playing...and making rockstar faces. I think he likes it!
Am not! I'm just...feeling the groove, or whatever you say. Enjoying myself!
I do like it - I love it. Just have to play a lot to set it all up for me. It's brilliant.
But after we go to New York because Innie promised to buy me cupcakes. Sherlock, you bet I will. One each time I see you.
You should think about going to India, too - I was born there, and it's a fascinating place.
John - you are a lucky man getting to see L's "rockstar faces." See if you can sneak a picture, please? We already know from the shower photo that you can move like a ninja.
Lestrade, that sounds like an amazing gift! Wish we could all see your rock star face!
Sherlock, when I was in Japan I was very lucky to be able to have the Tea Ceremony with my friend's aunt, who is what is called a Grand Master. She teaches the ceremony to others, and has a room set aside in her house to do the ceremony. The tea was very bitter, though, and kind of gross, but it was a really neat experience! I hope you have a lot of fun at the ceremony, and try not to make a face if the tea doesn't taste very good.
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