Back in Blighty

I've a feeling that I'm going to be a happily exhausted corpse by the time I go home if things keep up at this pace.

Yesterday didn't quite go to plan, what with Gale Force Ten conditions on the Irish Sea keeping the fast ships in port and making life difficult for the bigger ships. I had to race to make it to the Ulysses on time, and then as ever boarded the ship wondering at the ludicrously designated stairwells -- the ruby, sapphire, emerald, and diamond stairs. That's red, blue, green, and dirty white to the rest of us. The conditions being too tumultuous for reading I just put my head down awhile, eventually waking to blink at the signpost in front of me -- signs pointing to the Volta Picture House, Leopold Bloom's Pub, the Grafton Arcade, and my favourite, The Cyclops Family Restaurant. How sweet. The Cyclops family.

Anyway, all this meant I arrived in Manc more than an hour behind schedule, but still with a little time to spare to dash off an e-mail before going to Sam's talk on Roman infantry combat - it was interesting, and struck me as a useful nudge towards us getting an accurate take on the matter, though I still have some slight concerns. But then, I've a habit of looking at exceptions rather than rules. Wine then, and dinner, and then drinks, there to be briefly joined by Laura dropping off keys -- to much interest, it has to be said. Was she my complication, people wondered? No, I laughed, and matters aren't so complicated now anyway.

Unfortunately, she neglected to tell me of the curious way the key would have to be applied, so there was an incident on the doorstep some time later. Anyway.

Today was good too, with mass in the Hidden Gem kicking things off properly before I met up with Becca and Andrew for lunch, then getting stuck into the auld shopping and eventually heading off to the cousins. It's been a lovely evening.

Mass? Well, today is the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, after all. I always find it funny that at least according to the Bible, Eve is made from Adam's flesh, animated and transformed by God, and Jesus is made from that of Mary... clearly we're not exactly talking about cloning, but we're certainly talking about shared genetic material. Ahem. Just a thought.

It's Horace's Birthday too, but that's a separate issue.