So. Yesterday, one year ago, we all met Lestrade. It seems impossible that it's been that long and equally impossible that we haven't known him longer. Equally impossible that I haven't known Sherlock and Mycroft for much longer. Completely impossible that a year and a half ago I was still in Afghanistan.
Yesterday we went ice skating and to the Natural History Museum, wandered around, saw dinosaurs, got coffee and hot chocolate, had generally a marvelous day. I took L out for dinner, and afterwards he took me out dancing.
We weren't quite the oldest people there, but they were mainly in their twenties, generally sweaty, often shirtless. It was easy to imagine L there at that age. I wasn't sure I would like it (me and dancing...no) but it was actually a lot of fun. I have never been fond of being packed into crowds like that, that kind of heat and enforced intimacy with strangers and lack of an obvious exit route, but with L there it was...really nice. I didn't notice the rest of it so much, just him.
We got back...late. Later than I had planned. Poor Sally was asleep on the sofa. We definitely owe her baked goods of some sort. Probably more than one sort. She did say Sherlock wasn't much trouble though, which was a report we've previously only heard from Anthea, who would define a small bomb as 'not much trouble'.
Yesterday we went ice skating and to the Natural History Museum, wandered around, saw dinosaurs, got coffee and hot chocolate, had generally a marvelous day. I took L out for dinner, and afterwards he took me out dancing.
We weren't quite the oldest people there, but they were mainly in their twenties, generally sweaty, often shirtless. It was easy to imagine L there at that age. I wasn't sure I would like it (me and dancing...no) but it was actually a lot of fun. I have never been fond of being packed into crowds like that, that kind of heat and enforced intimacy with strangers and lack of an obvious exit route, but with L there it was...really nice. I didn't notice the rest of it so much, just him.
We got back...late. Later than I had planned. Poor Sally was asleep on the sofa. We definitely owe her baked goods of some sort. Probably more than one sort. She did say Sherlock wasn't much trouble though, which was a report we've previously only heard from Anthea, who would define a small bomb as 'not much trouble'.
116 comments:
Lots of thing do seem impossible, don't they?
But whenever I pinch myself you're all still here, an I'm still here, so I suppose it must all be true.
I definitely wouldn't go back to clubs like that without you. But with you, I enjoy it. Like...like you're my safety, you're there to ward off any other advances. And dancing with you, like that, it was very easy to forget the rest of the world.
Sally - we await your demands. And thank you.
And you're there to remind me it's really London and not somewhere where it's a very bad idea to be caught in a crowd with no escape route. Heh. We are quite a pair.
Sally - thank you again and sorry about staying out so late.
It wasn't that late, and it was fine. Don't know what you were both worried about! Mycroft was the prefect gentleman, and Sherlock now knows all about you, the cow and the pond, Sir.
Brownies would be lovely, by the way. And I might have a favour to ask back, actually. Quite a fitting one. If the two of you are man enough for a challenge...
Danger...what have you got us into??
I'm glad you all had a good time yesterday. Somehow, the Natural History Museum seems like a fitting place to go on the anniversary of your meeting. (And no, not because the two of you are dinosaurs!)
I'm glad Sally and Sherlock got along well. I chortled at your offhand comment about Anthea.
Sally - what cow? I'm afraid to ask about the favour.
I'm not at all afraid to ask about the cow and the pond, however? Sally? Sherlock? Mycroft?
Oh, now YOU'RE afraid? Of what?
As for the cow, well, sadly I wasn't actually there - before my time - but I've heard tell of it.
You know how it is, middle of London, lots of Londoners, lots of London bobbies...so when a cow appears in the middle of a pond it only makes sense to call upon PC Lestrade - country boy, with the accent to match - to coax the cow out of the pond and thereby save the day, stop the calls from worried members of the public and generally be the hero.
Of course, ponds being wet, and police uniforms best staying dry, this led to a certain amount of semi-nakedness whilst pursuing a cow very slowly through a muddy pond in front of a growing crowd... Sir, you can take up the story if you want?
You can't stop there!!!!
Lestrade, next question suggestion for the blog -- what is this about the cow and the pond? :P (Thanks Sally)
It sounds like you two had a fantastic time -- L, the image of you and Sherlock dancing in the kitchen is utterly precious. John, I'm glad that you enjoyed the dancing, too. Did either of you get any propositions, or were you too wrapped up in each other to notice? ;)
Lol once again, by the time I convince my phone to spell things properly, my question becomes redundant. *goes to read*
Thanks a lot, Sal. Sherlock and John are now mooing at me.
What favour did you want from John?
Well, my sister needs a nice girl's day out, shopping, lunch, Christmas fun.
So who more trustworthy to leave her kids with than a Nanny and a DI?
You do owe me :)
I'm sure we can manage that. How many of them are there?
There were two last time I heard anything. There's still two, right, Sal?
That doesn't sound so bad.
Sorry, yes, still two! They can be a bit of a handful, but nothing you two fine gentlemen can't handle. I mean, she manages on her own, so you two should be more than a match for them.
Just let us know when. And make sure your sister isn't concerned about Sherlock influencing them or instructing them in how to make stink bombs or anything. If we're both, we'll probably need to take him along.
John...Sherlock won't instruct them to do much. They're...what, Sal, about two for the eldest and...six months for the youngest? Something like that. I've only met the older one.
Right, well, I was going to say I could probably do it on my own, but I don't know anything about babies. You are definitely coming.
nearly two, and 7 months, yes. They might be a worse influence on Sherlock than he is on them.
They could come to you, if it would be easier. I mean, you're so central, we could drop them off, go shopping then pick them up again.
Boss, John, you can change nappies, right?
My sister will be so happy.
Whereas I'm some sort of baby expert? It has been a few years! I sort of imagine everything has changed. Hopefully to be easier.
The main thing to ask is whether Sally's sister uses cloth or disposable diapers/nappies. :)
You know more than I do!
No need to fight, you two. I'm sure you'll both be as lost as each other, and still survive just fine.
Boss, we'll have to work out when we can both get the same day off.
Thanks!
RR - I used to be able to sort of do cloth ones. I'm assuming disposable ones are easier. Actually, I'm hoping that even cloth ones are easier now.
Danger, you must have had to do something with babies when you were training to be a doctor. Surely.
Disposables are DEFINITELY easier. No rinsing out, and they have sticky tabs, so no risk of sticking the baby with a pin. (Although when I was babysitting, back in the dark ages, I did learn how to stick only myself with the safety pins. :) ) If you can deal with cloth ones, you're gold.
Bottles are a lot easier now, too.
A bit, but that was twenty years ago and it's not as if we took them home with us.
Yeah, I can see how they would discourage you taking them home...from what I've heard of student doctors...
Right, well, twenty years ago for you, more than thirty for me...Sal, are you sure this is a good idea??
I mean, I don't mind, but she might have second thoughts!
I can confirm that not one of us should've been trusted with small children.
But we're all responsible adults now. Right?
all two of us? Or are the blog readers going to be in on the babysitting too?
And I'm only responsible some of the time. And for some things.
For instance, when you look as gorgeous as you looked last night...I definitely wasn't responsible for any of my actions :)
I'm sure we'll all be happy to give you all sorts of babysitting advice. :D
(I'm adult enough, yes. Responsible...well, that's a judgment call, isn't it? Heh.)
All two of us, and presumably the people in my class, who will hopefully not be helping us babysit.
I'm sure it'll be fine. It'll all come flooding back to us.
Make sure we have lots of clean shirts. There's nothing babies like to puke on more than a nice clean shirt...
For instance, when you look as gorgeous as you looked last night...I definitely wasn't responsible for any of my actions :)
I suspect you were quite willing to do them though!
Oh yes, very happy to give advice from a distance. Been there, done that, changed the t-shirt.
Rider - I just made it plain Danger could do whatever he liked to me ;)
SH - I'm certain we'll be fine. It might even be good for Sherlock to learn a bit about babies and toddlers. Help him understand what Mycroft went through!
It'll be very interesting to hear Sherlock's take on your adventure in--literally--babysitting. Really very. I hope he gives us a full report.
*points*
*laughs*
*Gets ready to answer baby questions*
You guys were so suckered its not even funny. But you'll be perfectly fine. You won't break it. The most they can do is scream if they're unhappy, and I know you guys wouldn't let a little person be unhappy long. Just remember to keep the diaper over the bits until you're ready to switch the new diaper, and you'll be set! :D
(and RR- the new cloth are contoured with elastic legs and velcro tabs. Its pretty awesome. I didn't use them myself, but looks way easier than the old style, with pins!)
Velcro? Contoured? That's BRILLIANT!
(I'd still rather not have to rinse out dirty diapers, but not having to worry about pins and folding...wonderful!)
I'm going to imagine - well, no, not imagine, because I don't need to dream about nappies - but assume, that they'll be your usual disposable ones anyway.
I used to help mum out loads, and did look after Nicky's two, as well, so I think we'll be fine.
It'll probably be quite fun. In some ways.
I'm sure it'll be fine.
And I still want to hear about the cow.
Well, John, you managed Ok with the security guy's toddler back during the riots, right? So it'll be just like that, but with a baby as well. And Lestrade for moral support. What could possibly go wrong?
(OK, I admit I am laughing a bit, but that's mainly because I got out of most babysitting duties when everyone realised that almost every baby I got within five feet of screamed or threw up. And I never ever changed a nappy in my life :-p)
Hmm. Come to bed now, and perhaps tomorrow I'll blog about the cow.
Perhaps.
And be very thankful that mobiles and digital cameras didn't exist back then, or it'd be all over YouTube.
Nameless - toddlers can walk and talk (sort of). It's the really tiny ones I worry about.
L - Deal.
You be thankful! I'd like to have seen it!
John, tiny babies aren't really that hard to mind--make sure they're clean, dry, and fed, then hold them so they can hear your heartbeat, right up against your chest, and relax. (If you're tense, the baby will be tense.)
Toddlers, OTOH, are like greased lightning. You can't take you eyes off 'em for a second. Really.
I can't really remember how mobile nearly-two year olds are. It's all a blur...
Once they start being self-propelled they do not stop. Unless they're asleep.
Okay, that's an exaggeration. But not much of one. And they grab at everything, safe or dangerous. You probably are better off going there, now I think of it--I don't know how hard it would be to make your place toddler-safe.
My mon just looked over my shoulder and said not ALL two-year-olds are quite so active--but any might grab something dangerous and pull it on to themselves at the speed of light.
RR - don't forget that John's already had a toddler at the flat before, when he minded the security guy's little girl. Plus I would think a flat that can safely contain a Sherlock shouldn't be too bad for a toddler. I;m sure the guys will be fine.
Oh, of course they'll be fine! We're talking about two small children here. I was babysitting kids that age when I was 13, and it really wasn't a problem. And that was before mobiles, too--I usually couldn't reach the parents with questions. (I could reach my mom, though, and just at first I did, but only out of nervousness.)
Happy anniversary-of-meeting-under-suspicious-circumstances, guys! Hooray for serendipity!
And about diapers, disposable ones are very advanced now. Buy lots of wet wipes as well, and remember to wipe backward toward the bum instead of forward toward the...well, you know. If you have a big enough wet wipe you can get it all off in one go, drop it inside the used nappie and tie it all up in a neat pack sealed with the tabs :)
I'm over here giggling thinking of John and Lestrade as two-year-olds, all big eyes and curiosity (John) and speed and fearlessness (Lestrade). I, of course, was a perfectly well-behaved two-year-old. Never tried to flush my father's wallet down the toilet or anything...
Also, John or Nicky, I'm having a hard time remembering what PC!Lestrade looked like for this cow story. Either of you have visual aids?
DW - I'm sure they don't.
RR - we shall discuss details with Sal and her sister. But I imagine the fact our flat is hound-proof will be a help. They also try to eat, explore and destroy everything.
Oh, good point--that hadn't occurred to me. (The dogs probably have more reach than a two-year-old, too.)
Can you get back to sleep?
I did, for a bit. Woke up again at four. Spent some time staring at my gorgeous boyfriend and wondering how my life became so great.
I'd fuss about the not-sleeping but it's pointless since you have people there to fuss at you more effectively. So instead I'll just say--take that last bit you said to work with you, yeah? To pull out and look at when you need a pick-me-up.
Yeah, I will.
I think it's inevitable, with the case right now, that there'll be a few hours of lost sleep.
But we'll get there.
Good enough.
Yeah, probably--and yes, definitely.
And then there'll be a whole new case to lose sleep over ;)
Heh. Well, maybe to a lesser extent.
I suppose I ought to get some sleep myself at some point...
Probably wise.
Of course now I'm at work my body is completely ready to be asleep...
I find I'm most likely to get a broken night's sleep on a Sunday. Irritating to always start the working week knackered.
Hope your day goes better Lestrade.
Nameless, yeah, can't pretend the prospect of being back here wasn't part of the reason for my sleeplessness.
And RR - the dogs can definitely reach more than a 2 year old. They're so big they can reach more than Danger...
*waiting for John's response*
Just contemplating the many many possibilities for revenge.
L, do you want to have lunch before I pick up Sherlock?
Revenge is sweet, right?
Lunch, yes, brilliant plan.
Arrested someone this morning. Feeling marginally better about life.
That is very very good news. Did it go all right? No one injured?
Arrested someone this morning.
Good.
Yeah, it is good news. I mean, it's one of those where nobody wins. But at least the remaining family can have the body released to them and get a bit of closure now.
No drama, no one injured.
Congratulations, Lestrade. You and your team certainly worked hard for that one.
Thank goodness. Congratulations.
I should be there shortly - I'll text you, all right?
Yes, congratulations. And hopefully you will be able to sleep a bit better tonight.
DW - the team did a great job over the weekend.
John - okay, yeah, I'm just in the office, starting the next one...
Thanks SH. Hope so.
I should be there shortly
*snerk*
Thanks a lot. Lestrade. My mind seems to be permanently stuck in short joke mode now.
DW - he brings it on himself, right?
He does. But you keep poking him and we'll see who brings what on themselves. :P
I will keep poking him for as long as I am able.
How romantic. <3
(Psst, DW? I don't think "romantic" is precisely the word you are looking for... ;))
Only if he keeps bringing it upon himself, obviously...
And I'm buying him a tart and tea. What could be more romantic?
Tea and pastry is indeed romantic.
(What I say after having to type in the captcha FOUR times is not.)
Exactly. Not everyone buys their boyfriend tarts.
DW - you don't need to encourage him, he's bad enough on his own!
Yep, a different adjective is definitely called for. In addition, if you like. :D
What's more romantic then Lestrade declaring his intention to stay for the long haul?
There's a question for the two of you. What's your idea of romance?
I wasn't objecting to the romance, or the tarts.
I figured...
I'll leave Lestrade to make jokes about your efficient packing on his own.
DW - definitely in it for the long haul. And I assume you mean poking?
Heh. Right, sure. Until next time, at least...
As in not short, just more efficiently packed. I'm not in a position to comment on his poking, efficient or otherwise.
Hope that last answer wasn't in response to my saying I was in it for the long haul, Danger!
You got Shortstuff? He okay?
And Sal says disposable nappies, so we'll be fine. Don't need to remember any happy origami
Hope that last answer wasn't in response to my saying I was in it for the long haul, Danger!
Ha, no! Not at all. Merely a response to the inevitability of the next short joke. And the dogs do not have a longer reach than I do! Although if they could walk on their hind legs we'd all be in trouble.
He's excited about babysitting and wants to help. And peeved that he missed having lunch with you, but all in all not too bad on the crankiness scale.
No one should forget happy origami!
You are giving me a smiley Monday morning one way and another, a rare thing, thank you!
I think Sherlock will find a baby fascinating, not to mention the differences between a baby and a toddler. Please tell us all about it after, Sherlock!
As for romance--quiet dinners for two are lovely, and tea and *carefully not saying "tarts"* cake is wonderful, dancing is fun--but "long haul" and making breakfast with Sherlock while John gets a bit more sleep? That's romantic. :)
Danger, I can get Fri and Sat off, if we can do Harrow on Fri and babysitting on Sat?
The dogs so do have a longer reach!
And nappy origami. Which my phone insists should say happy profanity.
Sounds perfect to me - did you ask Sally about Saturday?
If they do, they have a longer reach than you do too!
I imagine there will be some nappy related profanity.
Sal's fine with it. Means I need to work Sunday, sorry.
And don't make out I'm the same height as you! Giant, me. ;)
Have you stopped talking to me...
No, just cleaning up a minor disaster.
Uh oh?
How minor? How disastrous? You both okay?
No injuries except for the cake Sherlock and I were making... I'm afraid there's no hope for it.
Oh dear. What happened to it? Dare I ask?
Great that you were baking though.
You'll get it next time!
If any cheering up is needed, I was just looking at this on YouTube--never fails to make me smile. :)
(I was looking at it because I needed some happy for my blog. In case you were wondering.)
Sherlock was trying to break off a piece to try when it was on the cooling rack, and it tipped over and hit the floor at speed. There was a blast radius of about three feet. Sherlock's lucky it didn't hit him instead.
Ah, so in fact nothing wrong with the cake at all!
Pity the dogs weren't around to "help" with the clean up... :)
Well I'm very glad he wasn't hurt. And hope he's learnt a valuable lesson.
I'll be home in a bit. Feel like I've been hit by a bus, after today's emotional rollercoaster.
RR - well...It turned out also to be not quite baked in the middle. So it sort of splashed too.
L - is there anything in particular you want for dinner (that won't end in disaster)?
I asked him if he'd learned anything after you said that. He says to tell you: "Yes, I learned not to eat cake higher than my head."
Not really. There's probably gnocchi in the fridge, if we want something quick?
I'm not going to take the golden opportunity offered to me here to make jokes about things above your head... I hope you're both proud and grateful.
Leaving now.
"Yes, I learned not to eat cake higher than my head."
That's a nice, specific lesson. No danger of him drawing overbroad conclusions, is there? :)
Well...it is better than the egg incident. The lesson he learnt from that, apparently, was 'eggs are stupid'.
Locking bike, Doc. Be with you in a min.
That was a bit overbroad. Hmmm. Surely a happy medium comes next!
Not eating cake higher than your head is a valuable life lesson. So is "eggs are stupid",come to think of it.
Lestrade - very glad for you that you got an arrest, and brought some closure to a grieving family. Also glad you got to have a nice tarty lunch with your boyfriend :-)
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