I know -- I've been a terrible blogger. I meant to write up my adventures in London, but I fell into a time-eating sinkhole with uploading all my photos, writing captions, tagging and geotagging. Then the holidays were breathing down my neck and I had to go into Madame Defarge mode to knit up all the xmas prezzies for my pals (after having knit fingerless mitts before the trip for all my Brit Flickrmates). So, suffice to say I had a great time, met some wonderful new people, and saw lots of things the usual American tourist doesn't get to see. You'll just have to look at the photos and imagine the adventures that go with them.
Now, I'm planning the April trip back across the pond. I'm not going to be as obsessive about researching and putting things onto a spreadsheet -- there's enough stuff I didn't get to in October to keep me busy for a week. I'll definitely want to see as many of my mates as possible, and maybe meet some new ones. Spooner seems keen on doing the walk through Wapping from Shadwell to Westferry, and I still want to walk around more of Clerkenwell and Lambeth. I'm hoping that the Women's Library will have one of their women's history walks while I'm there. Or maybe I can find a walk on labor history or something like that.
I've been thinking that it would be nice to give something back, in some small way, to the city and people I've enjoyed visiting so much. I'm looking into volunteering at Southbank Mosaics, a group of mosaic artists who have done a number of community projects in the Waterloo area. They have a couple of volunteer days each week -- you learn the technique of doing mosaics, and get to help put together something that will have lasting beauty. I've sent them e-mail to ask about the possibility of doing this, perhaps with some other people from Guess Where London (I've got one person already who says she's interested in joining me).
There's always the hope that I'll be better on the next trip about blogging about what I did and saw. I'll try, but don't hold your breath.
