Montreal, Ground Zero I'm back in reality. I arrived yesterday at around 6:00 p.m. I was relieved to get off that damn plane (7 hours of Jim Carey films is really too much--"The Majestic" is such an incredibly bad film that it seems like it lasts for all eternity). I was sooooo happy to see my little yellow bug sitting patiently for me in the parking lot. It popped its little trunk so that I could load my suitcase in, and then it swung the driver's-side door open so I could get in and start it's kitteny-soft engine. Purrr we went down the highway. I got home and everything was right. The garden had grown a lot. The cat's were glad to see me. I slowly unpacked a few things (mostly laundry), stopped by to see my cat-sitting neighbours, and then left to do a quick grocery stop. Back at 8:00. Ate. Asleep by 9:00. Purrr. My last day in London started off badly and ended superbly. My allergies really acted up in London (in comparison, back in Montreal, I'm virtually symptom-free). I left my hotel at around 10:00, but nothing is really open on a Saturday before noon. No coffee, and most importantly, no toilets. I walked around miserably waiting for any kind of institution with facilties to open. Finally one did, and then I went into power spending mode. Explored some more boutiques in Soho and bought some herbal remedy things from Neal's Yard (as gifts, mostly). Walked to Piccadilly Circus to find that huge bookstore that Time Out talked about, but I think it had been taken over by a huge Virgin Mega Store (not a good thing). Walked back to the hotel for about 4:00 and napped. Met my friends B and A for dinner in a lovely place called the Jardins de Palais on Long Acre. What a feast we had. Lots of fish things in yummy creamy sauces. Wine. Chocolate for dessert and a fruity dessert wine that B insisted (rightly) that we try. A lovely dining room, with excellent service (actually too good, as I had to shoo a busboy away several times as he attmpted to take my appetizer plate away from me). B and A were excellent company and we talked about everything under the sun, from costume design to peaches. I loved my vacation, but I loved coming home. Real work begins tomorrow.