Again, apologies for nothing yesterday but I will make up for it today.

Yesterday was spent at Tate Britain, Millbank looking at our cousins with our cousin.

We had arranged to meet our cousin in the foyer first. She had travelled especially to do this.

The Tate is big so we wandered about through the different galleries soaking up the atmosphere and the art and then we found “our” painting.

It is obviously a very popular picture and possibly the must-see of their collection.

We asked a total stranger to take our photo standing in front to show all of us cousins together. The two little girls are our first cousins three times removed, I think.  They are our Great Great Aunt Kate’s (of the Diaries) first cousins.  Their mothers were sisters.

It was nice to see they had an armed guard taking care of our cousins.

But I was slightly concerned by their neighbours, for obvious reasons. Young men all “bare nekkid”. I expect the girls avert their gaze in good Victorian fashion.

And we wandered around, going from room to room, admiring the incredible artists, some of whom were contemporaries of Aunt Kate, which made it even more fascinating. I even managed to dredge up some Greek, or was it Roman, God mythology for my cousin, which hopefully suitably impressed her.

Of course I had to take a photo of this painting but I found it worrying as the cliff was far too alluring.  Lambie would’ve been down that in a shot to go and get stuck.

Finally, the gift shop and we found you could buy our cousins in many forms including a spectacle case, fridge magnet, bar of chocolate and a tea towel!

It was a memorable day out and I’m glad we’ve all seen Polly and Dorothy (or Poz and Doz as they were always known) together as a family.

Apologies for the radio silence but I have been at a school reunion lunch seeing friends from over 40 years ago and we are all exactly the same.  I kid you not. No one had changed and we just restarted our conversations where we had left off last time.  I love friends like that. The best. It was just like school all those years ago.  I also think being at boarding school adds another level of friendship because we suffered together.

Afterwards, I went back to Dorset on the train to stay with one of my school friends from the reunion in her perfect thatched cottage, complete with roses around the door.

What can I say? Well, I have never laughed so much in my entire life.  All evening tears were rolling down my cheeks, crying with laughter while we remembered our school lives together.  There was even singing (just don’t ask – wine may have been involved and I was not responsible but someone had to show them how to do it properly and, as Deputy Head of Music, that job was mine).

Moving swiftly on, I also met possibly the best dog ever and I am totally smitten. She was a delight. The name? Wiggie.

Anyway, I am back in London now having got the train back to London this afternoon.  I have a large glass of wine sitting beside me and a large cheesey grin on my face from remembering all the laughing.  It was the best time.

I think school friends are the best. Time hadn’t changed us. Nothing better, really.

The Caledonian Sleeper rolled into Euston Station at a very civilised 8 am, which was perfect.  From henceforth this is the only way to travel. The experience was very similar to the boat but without the waves – so a happy and rested me.

I am staying with my sister in south London so we decided to hit the shops.  First the local ones for provisions and then onwards.

Wwe hopped on a train and went to the new Battersea Power Station which was amazing.  When I lived in London before moving to Shetland, I used to see it regularly as I have always lived south of the river. In those days the power station was derelict and the area pretty grotty so it was incredible to see the massive change and surrounding building work too.

As we went out fairly early, the shops were all fairly empty, but filled up later during the day.

And I may have visited the Apple Store and  I just may have bought a little something for myself.

All shopped out, we went home via this place but we didn’t go in as we would’ve definitely come out with something or rather a someone.

It took rather a lot of willpower to walk past empty handed but we told ourselves we were being sensible. 

Today is the first day of my holiday. I am currently sitting in a train station lounge waiting to board the sleeper train from Aberdeen to Euston tonight.  I flew down this afternoon in a relatively uneventful flight. Though the landing was a tad feisty.

I may have eaten my weight in free shortbread but no one is counting. The hot choccie is made of water which is disgusting but I am still drinking it.

Exciting times ahead and tomorrow morning I will be in London.

I’ve left Pepper on her best behaviour with a promise not to run away in my absence and Floss is holding the fort at home so all is well.  Poor lass has filthy weather ahead this weekend.  I am feeling rather guilty.

Possibly more tomorrow, though please bear with me as I am writing this on my iPad, which does not bring out the best in anyone.

I am a great believer in putting folk to work if they offer.  I  mean it would be rude not to. They’ve come all this way, which as we all know is not easy.

So when Michele said she was “happy to help”, I gave her a brush and said “choose your pony”.

Once all the ponies had been brushed to their’s and our satifaction, we all found a dry spot to sit down on.  We waited and it didn’t take long.

And we chatted, while hugging or being hugged by small hairy ponies and put the world to rights, looking at the beautiful view.

There are worst ways to spend a holiday.