Champagne and ice cream

We took the weekend off.

Four weeks out and we did nothing. Well, nothing to do with the wedding, at any rate. In fact, we took a whole weekend for ourselves. And it felt good.

On Friday, we went out to dinner with a client of M's and drank vintage champagne and Australian Riesling. Wine and roast chicken at an old favourite byo restaurant in Kensington. Afterwards, M took me for gelato and coffee. We ate pistachio ice cream and drank macchiato {her} and espresso {him} pretending we were back in Florence, but actually listening to the torrential rain.

On Saturday we did no housework or washing or anything else and went to the gym all afternoon. Well, we were on the way to the gym when we passed a pub which appealed as they sold fishfinger sandwiches {her} and the football was on {him}. We passed away a pleasant couple of hours having a leisurely sit down with the papers and then another few hours in the gym before dressing and heading to a blogging friend's for supper. Which was heavenly. Great food, great conversation, great evening. Taxi home {extra cost to us £10: moonwalkers caused an enormous traffic jam around Parliament Square and along the Embankment}.

On Sunday again we headed for the gym and I did an hour and a half 'dynamic' yoga class, which turned out to be just, well, yoga. Nothing exciting about it, nothing dynamic about lots and lots of leg and tummy exercises {which my body is protesting strongly about today}. M did rather a lot of running and cycling and some kind of cross training thing because Liverpool were playing and he wanted to watch the game and the TVs on the machines play the football.

We then got the bus home, all the way across London, because, for once, we didn't need or want to be anywhere by a specific time. I don't know why people bother with the tourist buses, there are plenty of routes where a front seat on the top deck will show you everything you wanted to see of London and much more besides. It was a real treat to sit with M, drinking take-away coffee, and just chatting and watching the world.

Of course yesterday evening and today there was washing up to be done and bathrooms to be cleaned and wedding arrangements to make. But a little time off, away from life, away from planning and (dare I say it) away from our friends*, made all the difference.

*Wouldn't want this to become a permanent state of affairs by any means...