Lorraine and I decided to catch up this weekend. Reading is very close to Basingstoke and we thought we would make good use of it. We were going to go to London and visit Elena, a friend of Lorraine, but the trains to London from Basingstoke were closed for engineering work. I went to Reading instead. We visited Royal Henley on Thames. It is close to Reading and you may wonder what makes it Royal, they have a rowing regatta once a year which some royals attend. Plebs like me would have to stand on the other side of the river from the royals though, and still conform to the dress rules i.e. skirts and dresses are not allowed to finish above the knee. We then went and saw the Pirates of the Carribean and had a drink in Reading. I caught the last train back to Basingstoke where some fellow lunged at me as he was getting of the train and his mate grabbed him before hitting me. I then caught a taxi and came home and had a call from NZ. I made it to the ripe old age of 24 yesterday, and my friends and family called. Thank you to those who emailed/ texted/ called/ sent packages to me. I really appreciated it. I now have 11 birthday cards to look at on the windowsill and I smile each time I see them, the little things mean so much.