Thursday, 7 October:

We spent most of today catching up on email and catching up on the blog. Hotspots are wonderful things, as you can sip a nice warm green tea and surf the net. Did some housekeeping (checked up on the apartment, went to the grocery store, etc.) Suzanne is becoming quite connoseiur of British shows. She is up on both the Bill and Eastenders. Of course this is only because we are both sick and haven't been up to doing much lately.

We went to IKEA tonight, which was only two stops up from where we were staying (Neasden), but goes into zone 3. Typical for us, we got off the train, followed the signs, missed one and had to walk about a mile out of our way to get there. Once inside, I got the impression that it was bigger than the one in San Diego. Also, it seemed to have a broader range of options. Cheap was cheaper than dollar for pound in San Diego and expensive was higher end than SD. And this store is open until midnight! We really liked the price of sheets and linens here, as they are the best buy in town for all cotton. That being said, we haven't been to Marks and Spencer yet. Suzanne picked up a box of her favourite cookies, and we headed back to the subway. The walk back was MUCH shorter, as we went the right way. We should have clued in to the fact that we stopped seeing people carrying IKEA bags.