A wonderfully festive weekend

I could write a week of posts about the weekend I've just had, and in fact, I may well have to! It was a great start to the festive season, although I was almost glad to get back to work to have a break today.

On Saturday, I went to London, for a day out with Paperback Reader Claire. An incredibly efficient bus ride, spent listening to Christmas carols on my ipod got me to London 3/4 hour early, which meant I had a huge amount of time to browse the shelves in the Notting Hill Books and Comics exchange where we had planned to meet. I offloaded some of my unwanted books which meant I had £28 of credit to spend; I had, however to stop choosing books when I couldn't carry anymore. These are the things I picked up (crowned by the exquisite Persephone 90 which was a present from Claire) (she also gave me the new Nigella book, not pictured)

As you can see, I managed to snag several VMCs (including one I already had - K didn't check my shelves fast enough - but I passed it onto Claire), a book set in Cornwall by Jill Paton Walsh, two children's books set in the war (Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo, and Blitz Cat by Robert Westall), two children's books belonging to series of which I already have one - Emma's Island (Honor Arundel), Across the barricades (Joan Lingard), a lovely Eyewitness guide to Monet (for only £1!), The dig by John Preston which I've wanted to read for ages - a fictionalised account of the digging up of Sutton Hoo, Waterland by Graham Swift, which again I've wanted to read for ages due to its watery theme, a copy of Wish her safe at home by Stephan Benater which I was intrigued to read about on Rachel's blog (Claire also picked up a copy), a book from the Little Black Dress imprint to which I am completely addicted for easy reads (more about those another day I think), Monica Dicken's Kate and Emma which I've read before but don't own, Corsets to Camouflage by Kate Adie, ditto - and it's such an interesting popular book about women's history and their role in wars, and Full term which is the last book in a quartet which I've not come across before but is set in Oxford and for that, it interested me.

After that, we went and warmed up with drinks in Starbucks, before catching the tube down to Hoborn for some lunch, where I took this picture of our matching Persephone bags. Sadly we didn't have time to go to the shop on this occasion, but we did of course use our bags to carry them around!)

The main reason for our visit was a trip to see the stage production of Raymond Brigg's The Snowman. This was the third time I'd seen it, and it didn't disappoint - it translates beautifully to stage and is a really magical way to start Christmas. Claire said I could put up this picture; I apologise for the blurriness - I obviously had too much tomato soup!

Thanks Claire for lots of fun - it was a great day out! I think this post has quite enough in it so I will write about what K did in my absence tomorrow, and my advent tea party on Thursday.