dateline

Yesterday, Sainsbury's around 5pm

You were probably there. I know that because the majority of London was there too. How many million people do they claim to shove into Times Square every year? That's how many were at that Sainsbury's yesterday.

We did something like that wedge formation the Romans used to break their enemies' ranks in battle. Lestrade first (he has something of an aura of policeman about him that makes people take notice) with Mrs Hudson just behind and me in the back holding both the boys by the hand. Mycroft wasn't pleased, I know, and 12 is a bit old for that, but I kept losing him when I wasn't actively holding onto him.

Whole stretches of the shelves were empty like London was expecting the apocalypse instead of a holiday that does, let's face it, come around every single year. The only left in any quantity was tinned soup. There was a tower of tomato with a little girl on top of it, apparently reenacting the fall of Saigon with her mum as helicopter.

It was a precision operation on our part. We got the veg, stock, and root beer (it was for the ham??) that we needed and got the hell out. Mycroft walked with Mrs Hudson (and dignity befitting his age) on the way back. (He helped carry the shopping too. I'd get in trouble for calling him sweet, so I won't.)

Lestrade let Sherlock ride on his shoulders. I got the impression it was a first for Sherlock. He wanted to hold my hand the first few minutes, and normally he's so fearless as to give me nightmares.

More about the actual party later. I've got to go. Sherlock's a made a smoke bomb again, and I don't think he meant to this time.