London fights and fun part two…

Well it’s now Sunday, I am exhausted as when I landed in London on Friday, I literally hit the ground running and finally I can breathe!
After Ashley and I did the photo shoot and interview with the lovely man from the Sunday Times (we are the Magazine’s ‘Relative Values’ subjects) we went across to the local Soho newsagent for some bits and pieces, after we presented our purchases, he REFUSED to take our Scottish money…for people outside UK reading this let me explain.

Britain use a currency called sterling or British Pound if you want the loose terminology for it. In Scotland we have our own design of Sterling/British pound and it’s just a different design, not a different monetary value, we are British.

Some English cities mainly London do have shops and services that refuse Scottish ‘money’ on the grounds’ we may have printed it out of a computer and coloured it in with ink markers or something…I suppose they assume it’s fake.

Anyway, the man refused and I got annoyed and called the police, they explained that the man can refuse to take it and I said to the police person
“So if I walk out of this shop with the goods and leave him the ten pounds sterling, then I would be arrested for shoplifting?”

She said “Yes, if you take goods and don’t pay that illegal”

I added, “But I am paying with sterling, so how can that be, he has my legal British money and I have goods”

She then told me “ Get off the line, I have better things to worry about”

“Like what?” I asked.

“Terrorism and bombs” she snapped at me.

“That’s better? Don’t you mean you have more important things to worry about? For someone who is English, you would think you would have a better grasp of your own language and grammar”

She hung up.

We walked out of the shop, I wasn’t going to give him any cash if he wouldn’t take my Scottish cash.

First night in London….
Next morning I was off to BBC to be part of Loose Ends, the lovable Ned Sherrin’s show. It was so awesome, I got to sit in a studio and listen to Courtney Pine and Roachford (two of the worlds best musicians) play just for me…well me and the other seven people in the room…oh and the millions who listen in ever week to Ned’s show.

By the way you can go to this link and listen to the show I was on.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/comedy/looseends.shtml

Then click ‘listen to latest edition’

Later on that night I was off to Battersea to be on stand by at Jongleurs comedy club, it means I sit around and see if an act fails to make it due to doubling up on other gigs, then I go on stage there or any one of the London Jongleurs and fill in. Its good fun and you get paid whether you gig or not!

This morning (Sunday, British ‘Sterling’ time) I awoke, knowing I did not have to work today, hurrah! Lazy day for me and my best mate Monica came round to see me, we had a good chat and then husband took our daughter to Heathrow as she goes home today.

I will miss her, but she really is a grumpy evil mare in the mornings, she turns into some awful snappy fire breathing dragon and poor husband always forgets that and will mistakenly ask her a simple question or make a silly remark as he passes her in the hallway as she stumbles about with her cloven hooves, clawed mitts and red slitty eyes that seem to be the norm if she is awoken before midday!

“Good morning happy girl” he smiles, forgetting she is possessed.

She turns her head, the hair flaps wildly, she opens her mouth and fiery evil flames come shooting out in his direction, I fully expect him to come back into the bedroom with blackened hair and singed eyebrows as the dragon child flaps her fleshy sharp backwings, draws in her blood sharpened claws and goes hobbling awkwardly on her stumpy hooves back into her messy Kingdom, leaving a trail of black smoke and burnt daddy in her wake.

I won’t miss that!