A DAY ON THE RIVER

OK, so for those of you who follow my blog, you will remember that the last time I was on a boat, was the nightmare journey from Panama to Colombia, on which I spent most of my time, throwing up, exhausted and at breaking point! So you can imagine that when I found out we were going on a boat for my friend Ali's surprise 30th, my body was filled with a sense of dread. Luckily when I turned up at Caversham bridge in Reading, I realised this was not going to be a sailing boat on the Caribbean ocean, but a canal barge on the Thames. In fact this experience on a boat couldn't have been more different. It was pure bliss. The sun shone all day; we drank bottles of Champagne and cava; ate great food and I got to perv at all the hot rowers doing their stuff on the river (one of my friends told me I was a menace to men. I told her I was alright with that).

The best thing about the day though was catching up with loads of friends I haven't seen in ages and who I missed lots while I was away. I bored them with the real Stories of my travels. They filled me in on there lives while I was away. I felt everyone has grown up so much while I've been away. God! Maybe we are now really turning into adults.

Ali, as she always does, took it upon herself to try and set me up with someone, as I think she worries as I'm the only single one left of her friends.
"What do you think of kevin's friend over there?"
"He's really not my type Ali. Besides he all dressed in beige!" I said
"But he's got a Ferrari."
"I think it will take a lot more than a Ferrari, Ali for me to fancy him!" was my reply. I later found out he drives home every week for his mum to do his washing. Definitely not my type. I'd eat him for breakfast. So can I just say, to my friends now: Please can you all just try and stop setting me up with people. I hate it and I'm perfectly fine on my own!

There was one important person I got to see for the first time: Stan! Stan is the 6 month old baby of my friend Claire, who was born just before I went away. He's a big deal as Claire is the first of us to have a baby. Now Stan hadn't met his Aunty Carly yet, but Aunty Carly isn't very good with babies. It's not that I hate babies, it's just that I'm not very good with them; I'm too selfish. I'm not saying I don't want kids, but there not something that is natural to me, but I have to say that I fell in love with Stan. If I could pre order a baby (Claire told me it doesn't work like that!) I would get myself a Stan. He never cries, he is so chilled and he looks cool. He even wasn't bother been held and fed by drunk Aunty Carly! All That said, I still wouldn't change his nappy. Claire said she is determined to make me do it one day. I told her she has a battle on her hand, if she thinks I'm ever going to change a babies nappy! It was a perfect day.