16 August 2015

Hvala, Croatia!

So...we have returned.

London is far too far from a warm sea.

It was beautiful. I mean, I don't really have words for how beautiful. Stunning. Like nowhere I've ever been.

So, because worlds fail me, have some pics.



Walk the plank!

Sea, sun and..rocks. But no other people!

Best enjoyed with wine. And silence.

A camping spot with no kraken.



I mean, just look at them. The first one is right by our first apartment. Look at that water. It feels like you should only get that on some tropical island, not in Europe! But there we go.

The second one is a spot we found when we were kayaking. It was so amazing - we saw some other boats, but no one else stopped, and we just swam around, leaving our kayaks up on the rocks.

The sunset is from our first island. Just a stunning, stunning view. We'd climbed a nearby hill, and we were going to turn back but then started to happen. We had a torch with us, so we stayed.

Last one is our camping spot - you're not meant to wild camp there, but the guy who gave us the kayaks told us we'd be fine, even though it's illegal. John wouldn't be on holiday if he didn't break the law at least once. At least there was no urchin-rustling, although there were lots of urchins. Mycroft got his own kayak that time, because we were taking more stuff. You shove it into thos black bits on the back, and it all stays dry, even if you fall in. Or are boarded abruptly by small boat-less pirates.

There isn't even that much washing to do, as we barely wore anything other than swimming gear!

We have so many amazing memories. I really think we might go back, too - we only did two islands out of hundreds! I have bruises from jumping off a cliff which was far too high to be sensible, but it was fun! We did backflips off rocks, we saw all kinds of fish and star fish and some lobsters and crabs. We dried off in the sun and ate fresh meats and cheese from the market, we just had a blast. Everyone we met was so friendly and helpful and it just couldn't have been better.

Sherlock found it hard to understand that not long ago the country was at war - the second island we went to was a military island until '89, and still has a lot of concrete military installations on it. I think, to him, wars so close, and in such paradise-like surroundings, must be very hard to wrap your head around.

Two people who helped us out are English ex-pats. Makes you think, doesn't it... ;)

(when we got home and John sat down Maf appeared from nowhere and delicately leapt onto his shoulder, then stood on his head. I assume this is some sort feline claiming ritual.)

172 comments:

John H. D. Watson said...

I rustled nothing at all the entire trip. I hope you're proud. We should definitely go back.

Greg Lestrade said...

I'm incredibly proud. And grateful for you lot for organising it. It was so stunningly beautiful - every moment of it. We have to go back, there's so much more to see!!

REReader said...

OMG, those photos are GORGEOUS! You are so right, L, that looks more like an island paradise far from any mainland. I think I need to hire your trip planners the next time I go somewhere!

***

And since it is already Aug. 17 in the UK--Happy Birthday, DW!

Unknown said...

wow, what a gorgeous location, and a great trip, well done planners, well enjoyed!
S

Greg Lestrade said...

Oh, happy birthday, DW!

Anonymous said...

Wow. Just, wow.

You DO have extraordinarily fine trip planners.

(Of COURSE I believe you John, but isn't that exactly what a successful rustler would say on a public website? Though I imagine if you had, the joyful participation of Head Assistant Rustler & Pirate Sherlock might have been harder to hide.)

Happy Birthday, DW!

-fA

John H. D. Watson said...

Happy birthday, DW!

Desert Wanderer said...

Thanks, guys. :)

Glad to hear you had such a good time. I'm definitely adding Croatia to my list of places to visit now.

Greg Lestrade said...

you definitely should, DW!

pandabob said...

those pictures are lovely, I glad you all had a great time away together :-)

happy birthday DW

how goes the evening gents? post holiday exhaustion hit yet? ;-)

Anon Without A Name said...

Oh, those photos look fab, I'm so glad you all had such a wonderful holiday. I'd never heard of Hvala before, but yesterday I got an email suggesting it as a holiday location, and then seeing your photos, I'm very tempted.

Happy Birthday, DW! Hope you've had/are having an excellent day.

Greg Lestrade said...

Hvala just means 'thanks'! There's a place called Hvar, but it was a bit busy for our tastes, although it is supposed to be nice. Honestly, from what we saw, I don't think any of the islands aren't nice! Some are just busier.

Anon Without A Name said...

Ah, I'm easily confused :-)

REReader said...

How's everyone doing, settling back into the everyday routines? (I always feel I need another vacation when I come back from vacation... :) )

Greg Lestrade said...

Yeah, I was back at work today, just got home. Mycroft's been at work today, making up for lost time. Sherlock has been studying maps so if we move to our own island we can fend off pirate raids, and John's been attempting to organise two boys, a husband, a cat and two large dogs all to be fed, exercised and groomed...

REReader said...

No just easing into things for any of you, it sounds like!

(Except perhaps Sherlock is still holding onto a piece of holiday there. :) )

Small Hobbit said...

Has John successfully groomed you L?

Greg Lestrade said...

He snorted with laughter so hard he made a dog bark when I mentioned I might not shave for work. Does that count?

REReader said...

...Yes. :D

Greg Lestrade said...

His snorting worked. I shaved.

Although Sal gave me a lanyard for my security card and a mug for my birthday, both saying 'undercover cop'. The beard might just have swung it...

REReader said...

Hee!

Becca said...

Happy belated birthday Greg! Your pictures look heavenly I am just back from Alaska, where I saw everything from bears to orcas to salmon. Lots and lots of salmon.

On the opposite end of the spectrum from your trip, have a picture of a glacier!

http://i1290.photobucket.com/albums/b523/becwright/Mobile%20Uploads/2015-08/20150810_091423_zpscx8v02qc.jpg

Greg Lestrade said...

Someone has stolen a stuffed Wolf worth thirty two thousand pounds.

Sherlock has asked me if he can help find it...

Never a dull moment.

REReader said...

... Thirty two THOUSAND?

Please tell me it's an artwork by someone named Wolf and not a stuffed animal toy. *considers* Or a hunting trophy? A museum specimen? I mean, really, what?!?

Greg Lestrade said...

It's a taxidermy arctic wolf. Stolen from a flat. Im not on the case. Should probably get John on it. Actually, thinking about the descriptions of the suspects....John could have taken up wolf rustling. I'll check the wardrobe when i get home.

John H. D. Watson said...

What would I want a stuffed hellhound for? We've got two live ones.

Greg Lestrade said...

This one is white. You might have wanted some variety in your collection.

John H. D. Watson said...

Oh, well...fair point. What if Sherlock got beetroot on it though?

Greg Lestrade said...

Then the Met would never find it. We're looking for a white Wolf, not a pink one.

John H. D. Watson said...

Ah, the perfect crime...

John H. D. Watson said...

Not that we have a stuffed pink Arctic wolf in our flat. We definitely don't.

Greg Lestrade said...

Of course not.

How's your day? Filled with hounds and pirates?

John H. D. Watson said...

Yes. And garlic. We harvested some from the allotment, possibly a bit late I'm afraid, but it still smells extremely garlicky. As you will see (smell) when you get home.

Greg Lestrade said...

At least we won't get a vampire infestation.

REReader said...

(Why would anyone want a dead beautiful animal in their home? Better to spend the 32,000 pounds on wildlife conservation, so anyone can see live beautiful animals. *sigh*)

Mmmmmm, garlic!

Greg Lestrade said...

(when I got in Sherlock grumpily pointed out HE didn't get beetroot on Maf. She got it on herself. He wanted an edit and an apology....)

Desert Wanderer said...

Sherlock, there's a Watson Island in Australia, in the Gulf of Carpenteria (not the one in Queensland) that's near Skull Island. Potential, do you think?

REReader said...

He wanted an edit and an apology....

That's fair. *nods*

What is Watson Island like, DW, do you know?

Anonymous said...

When (see my faith in the Met?) the stolen wolf is found, I am interested to hear where one hides such a thing. It's got to be like a well known painting - that has to be held secretly - except that I figure much more of the public would recognize a white taxidermied wolf than a Great Work of Art.

I suppose it's all down to if they care.

P.s. I doubt Maf would allow any wolf to steal her pink thunder, anyhow.

-fA

Small Hobbit said...

I learnt today coffee is good for removing difficult stains like beetroot. So maybe the pink wolf can be restored to its correct colour.

REReader said...

Wouldn't the coffee just stain whatever it is brown?

Greg Lestrade said...

That would be the Wolf we don't have and that we haven't dyed pink, I assume??

Small Hobbit said...

Indeed!

Greg Lestrade said...

John, thought you'd enjoy this:

http://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/selections-from-hp-lovecrafts-brief-tenure-as-a-whitmans-sampler-copywriter

John H. D. Watson said...

That is amazing.

Sherlock said...

Desert Wanderer yes I want to go to those islands!

Anonymous said...

"That would be the Wolf we don't have and that we haven't dyed pink, I assume??"

I can see why Sherlock despairs, sometimes. ;-) With a proper sense of adventure & scientific inquiry, these are mere quibbles!

Though I hope the day the weekend proceed happily, with or without Wolves.

-fA

Greg Lestrade said...

it's very sunny. It's beautiful. which is good, because i'm sitting by the side of the road with a puncture. Sorry kids, I'll be later home than even i thought.

REReader said...

:(

That's not how you want to end a day. (But at least, not raining!)

Greg Lestrade said...

I fixed it enough to get home, I'll get it properly sorted tomorrow. Sherlock will doubtless want to come and watch.

REReader said...

Glad you got home okay--it's rather late to be fighting with tires.

Anonymous said...

That's the best way to learn lots of practical things - watch/help someone else. Great that Sherlock actually wants to do so!

Glad it didn't take hours to get home to the gang.

-fA

Greg Lestrade said...

it is hot, and there is no azure sea to leap into... this is a terrible situation!

Lancs. Anon said...

Here, I have to tell you it's distinctly autumnal, and still no azure sea to jump into!

Unknown said...

the glacier pic is cool (!), it really has that turquoise color in the crevices!
I have just discovered that many of the proms concerts can be listened to on line for 30 days after they go up, and I'm having a nice little music festival at home. Fiddler on the Roof last night, Beethoven this morning. Working from the ones that are about to disappear towards the ones that have more time left on them.
S

Greg Lestrade said...

terrible news from Shoreham airshow. Our thoughts with all those involved.

Greg Lestrade said...

rain, rain and more rain. Why do dogs shake when it's still raining?? Why do they shake after they've run back to you? Why do they seem bothered when two minutes later they jump in the lake anyway?

All of the above also goes for small boys.

REReader said...

To let others share in the joys of being wet, of course!

Did Sherlock help you fix your tire yesterday?

Greg Lestrade said...

of course, now the weather is delightful...so Mycroft gets to walk the hounds in glorious sunshine....

Sherlock came with me to the garage. The man changed my tyre whilst under a barrage of questions.

REReader said...

As my grandmother always said, if you don't ask, you don't learn. :)

(Mind you, she didn't have much patience for people asking HER questions...just for her asking other people questions!)

Joolz said...

As it's gone midnight here can I wish you both a wonderful anniversary. Congratulations John & Greg and here's to many more. Are you going out for a meal or a night away or anything to celebrate? Have fun whatever you choose to do. :)

REReader said...

Happy anniversary, John and Lestrade! Second anniversary is traditionally cotton--comfortable and durable. :)

(Thanks for the reminder, Joolz!)

Becca said...

It's been two years? Where has the time gone?

Happy Anniversary John and Greg!

Anonymous said...

A very Happy Anniversary gentlemen! May there be many more loving and [as much as humanly possible] happy years ahead together.

-fA

Greg Lestrade said...

Thank you! You're all very kind. We are going out to dinner. Couldn't say if either of us has planned anything more ;)

Greg Lestrade said...

I have been informed we are not going out to dinner... Dinner is coming to us... Mysterious.....

pandabob said...

Happy anniversary gentlemen :-) dinner sounds like it's going to be interesting, I hope you enjoy it :-)

Anon Without A Name said...

Happy Anniversary, gents :-) Have a lovely evening.

John H. D. Watson said...

Thanks, everyone! The boys are...planning something. Together. Mostly without arguing.

Greg Lestrade said...

Without arguing? Truly a special occasion. Home very soon! Hoping to avoid all further rain.

Love you. Two years? Can you believe it?

John H. D. Watson said...

I love you too. It feels like longer than that, actually, and I mean that in the best way.

Greg Lestrade said...

ha, I believe you. And our entire flat smells amazing. Mycroft has shooed me out of the kitchen. Our young sommelier has offered us a starter of baked camembert and a crisp white wine. In his words 'I tasted it, it's horrible' - he truly sells it!

(the wine, I add. He and Mycroft have their own camembert to inhale - no cheese survives this house.)

REReader said...

Truly the harbinger of an anniversary to remember!

Greg Lestrade said...

..I am staggered by how amazing this is. We have candles! We have music from our wedding! We have boys eating in the kitchen to leave us in peace :)

We have food so excellent I'd pay a large amount of money for it.

pandabob said...

Those boys are pretty special :-)

I'm glad you're enjoying yourselves :-)

John H. D. Watson said...

They really are amazing. We're so lucky, in so many ways.

Greg Lestrade said...

I think I probably am the luckiest man on earth.

We had the camembert, then Mycroft had made some salt crust baked lamb with aromatic rice and veg.

Sherlock has announced he has made dessert...and it's brains.

... I hope it's sweet brains, at least.

Anonymous said...

Wow. Those boys are fantastic. But it's you two who made y'all into a family, and that's why they know how to be fantastic. I'm a little verklempt, here.

Anonymous said...

p.s. If it really looks like brains, I hope Sherlock will take a photo you can share!

-fA

Greg Lestrade said...

not just brains - brains and blood! Or, as we were pleased to discover, brain-shaped panna cotta with a raspberry coulis 'blood' surround.

Now we're enjoying a delicious dessert wine Mycroft got for us as a present, and both boys have gone to bed (one not-very-subtley shoved off by the other...)

Kestrel337 said...

That's a lovely picture, right down to the last detail.

REReader said...

What Kestrel and fA said!

Awed compliments to the two chefs, and all best wishes for a happy anniversary and only happier ones in future...

Small Hobbit said...

Congratulations to you both - I know - I'm a day late - the time eating monster appears to have been around again as it appears to be almost the end of August already.

Glad you had such an excellent time - here's to many more!

Desert Wanderer said...

Sounds like an excellent night for such excellent guys. Congratulations and many happy returns!

Greg Lestrade said...

It was lovely, those boys are just wonderful.

John has also been texting me planning a little get-away once they're back at school....what an amazing husband he is.

Joolz said...

Oh what a lovely way to celebrate - an occasion for your boys to treat you and one for you to treat yourselves, the best of both worlds. :) You are indeed both the luckiest guys and deservedly so. :)

Greg Lestrade said...

we have eaten truffles on the sofa tonight. I have found truffles so full of brandy that Sherlock doesn't like them, which is a great result. ;)

Imagine how differently our lives would have gone if John hadn't put that ad in the back of The Times : Wanted, two small geniuses and a washed up copper for love, care and motorbike rides. Will travel.

John H. D. Watson said...

(And he brought me flowers last night. They're beautiful.)

Greg Lestrade said...

I've just been waiting for Maf to shove the vase on the floor ;) she's been very restrained though.

REReader said...

I suppose that her restraint is her anniversary gift. :)

Desert Wanderer said...

Where is this magical paper where people the caliber of Doc advertise? I might need to subscribe.

(Also, 'washed up?' Bit harsh. Gently used, maybe. ;) )

Greg Lestrade said...

Ha. Without this lot I'd still be smoking 20+ a day, never going home, living off scotch and take away. If not washed up, definitely approaching rocks in stormy seas.

Greg Lestrade said...

I may be literally washed up if this torrential rain doesn't stop. I hope John and Sherlock are having fun somewhere. I don't think Mycroft will be selling many ice creams.

Anonymous said...

It is pretty striking how the Met seems to lurch along with so many fewer hours of your personal attendance than you used to give it. Sally hardly ever seems to need to [try to] send you home anymore. (knock wood)

The public is lucky, though, that like so many under-appreciated public servants, you're still putting more into it than mere money can ever buy.

Hope the day is productive, if wet.

-fA


Greg Lestrade said...

The Met does lurch along, with far too many people spending far too long at work for no pay, no thanks, no recognition. Luckily most officers do actually care enough to do it anyway.

Anonymous said...

That commitment among most public employees to getting the job done, despite miserly institutional support and - in most cases - little public notice except criticism has been par for the course in the states at least since I worked for the federal government in the '80s - but it just seems to be getting worse and worse over here. "Government waste" and "lazy, inefficient government employees" are election year staples.

It just pisses me off how many people I know who rely on government services seem to believe it all.

-fA

REReader said...

It is my firm belief that politicians that campaign against government services have disqualified themselves from running, since if the position they are running for does not provide government services, they are taking money for doing nothing at all. (Which in the case of most of them would be an improvement.)

Greg Lestrade said...

I'd happily redeploy the officers on close protection duty for our politicians back onto the streets ;) But don't tell anyone, or I'll probably be made George Osborne's CPO.

Sally said...

Oh we try to send him home all the time. But apparently he has to work at least 40 hours a week.

REReader said...

Silly man.

(And how many hours do you put in, Sally, hmmmm? ;) )

Greg Lestrade said...

You'd miss me if I was gone and you got a DI who wasn't nearly as lovely as me. And couldn't sing as well.

Anonymous said...

I'm sure Sally'd miss you. For entertainment value if nothing else.

And you'd miss her.

Can't say more than. Not a bad perk in an often thankless, dangerous and frustrating job.

-fA

Anonymous said...

Also guys, thanks for this blog. Today was a crappy day in my little world, and reading over some of my favorite posts for half an hour was a much-needed distraction.

-fA

Greg Lestrade said...

I might sack her. Assault on a senior officer. She gave me a handful of sriracha peas. But I didn't cry. Life with John 'hotstuff' Watson has made me tougher.

Anonymous said...

She didn't force you to eat them, I'm not sure that's assault. Though I guess you could write it up creatively.

Just goes to show, though, danger (the lowercase kind) lurks 'round every corner!

-fA

Greg Lestrade said...

she didn't warn me, either! And she offered them to me. I'd much prefer Danger (the uppercase kind) to lurk around every corner...

Mycroft bought home some delicious ginger ice cream today. We'll miss him when he's gone back to school!

REReader said...

We'll miss him when he's gone back to school!

(Even when he's not bringing home ice cream... ;))

Greg Lestrade said...

nah, just the ice cream.

REReader said...

:D

Greg Lestrade said...

Tomorrow those of us who aren't working are going to go bats instead...

All about bats at the natural history museum.

REReader said...

My sincere sympathies to those missing out on the bat exhibit! (Including me.)

Greg Lestrade said...

And finally I've managed to organise a surprise all by myself!! And none of this crowd have a clue what... They just have to keep tomorrow morning free ;)

pandabob said...

Woohoo go you :-D

Greg Lestrade said...

I'm ridiculously proud of myself - keeping secrets from this lot is nigh on impossible!

Sherlock said...

I want to knoooooooooooow

REReader said...

Sherlock, at least you will find out before we do!

Becca said...

Oooh, a surprise! Anticipation is fun.

Anonymous said...

My city has a bat colony that lives under a bridge conveniently located near a bit of park land/grass that runs down to the water. Watching them emerge is impressive.

Surprises!! Yay!

-fA

Joolz said...

How were the bats yesterday, Sherlock - well worth a visit I'm sure?

Hope your surprise is progressing well this morning, Greg, looking forward to hearing all about it when the fun is over.

Enjoy your day everyone. :)

Greg Lestrade said...

It's going pretty well! Although the weather could have been better.

We went up the Walkie-talkie, in the SkyGarden.Coffee, breakfast, views out over London. It was good! Usual questions of destruction or death defying acts from some people...

Sherlock said...

We saw Tower Bridge open and close to let a rug through it to go and help a cruise ship and it was good and I had cake.

REReader said...

What a great way to start your day!

Tina said...

re bats: a co-worker was invaded by 15-20 bats last night, who obviously thought her open bedroom window was the entrance to their cave. It wasn´t, and she had some difficulty in convincing them to leave. She said she felt like a lead in the old "birds" movie.
A nature organisation told her this could happen again during the next two weeks, because they were young bats who were still learning to navigate. She is not happy, because it´s 32 C outside, and an open window more than necessary.

Greg Lestrade said...

My news page just flashed up 'Watson out of US open'...I didn't even know he'd entered. My husband is so amazing.

Bats were good! Very interesting. Weather is rubbish.

Becca said...

And multitalented! To teleport from London to Queens and back without you noticing :)

I splurged and bought myself the nights package to the Open this year. So I'm going every night of the tournament, plus the semis and finals. It's gonna be sweet!

REReader said...

OMG, Becca, that's AWESOME!

Greg Lestrade said...

Becca - Mrs Holmes probably has concorde in her handbag he borrows. Sneaky like that, he is. ;)

Hope you have a fantastic time, Becca.

Anonymous said...

BECCA!!!!!!!! That's so awesome. I hope you have a fabulous time.

That sounds like a fun start to the day. No wonder "Watson" didn't want to miss dinner with you all.

My easiest access to the early rounds of the open is at my gym, so I guess I'll become a gym rat. I'd at least like to see more than the highlights of some Serena Williams' early matches. These are the moments I briefly regret axing my cable t.v.

-fA

Becca said...

fA, I forget if you are in the US or not. If you are, the usopen.org website has free streaming via computer.

Greg Lestrade said...

One last day of freedom for our youngest... To be partly spent buying school shoes.

pandabob said...

This summer holiday seems to have gone by in a flash!! I'm glad you've managed to fit lots in and I hope you manage some fun today alongside shoe buying :-)

Greg Lestrade said...

So..the news informs us that Britain's sperm bank only has 9 donors...i feel completely bound to make a joke about how many w*nkers I meet on a daily basis....

But seriously...9.

REReader said...

...That's an alarmingly small gene pool there.

New school shoes! I remember that as a fall highlight--we didn't have school rules about shoes, so my mom always let me pick any style I wanted. ...Well, they had to be age-appropriate and something non-damaging to young feet, but otherwise it was up to me. I took full advantage of that. (It was the late 60s and early 70s, there was a lot of advantage to take!)

Anonymous said...

How can that be right about the sperm bank? Surely you can't support a sperm bank's operation unless it has hundreds of . . . customers annually? Wouldn't it be genetic malpractice to let any significant number of people avail themselves of the sperm, all those half-siblings running around? And so many factors would probably cause them to be clumped within certain demographics, rather than distributed among the population. Ah well, I assume it's some thing to do with y'all having (having had? if your current crop of Yahoos have their way?) the National Health Service that causes me not to understand. Now I have a google mission, to see what I'm missing.

Becca, thanks for the tip. I will at least be able to keep an eye on the matches at work! On breaks, OF COURSE. Just strangely timed & lengthy breaks maybe. So what if I'm in the office for 12 hours to get 8 hours of work done , , ,

Kids have been back to school for a week or two here. This summer just blew right by.

-fA

Greg Lestrade said...

Sherlock has to have black shoes, that are proper shoes, not trainers. Apart from that, it's up to him what style.

fA - I'm afraid I don't know the ins and outs of sperm donation, it was just on the news today we only had 9 donors!

REReader said...

Style is important. There is power in style! :)

Anon Without A Name said...

Ooh, I have fond memories of new school shoe shopping, and the utter joy of wearing new shoes home from the shop :-)

Small Hobbit said...

I have far too many unfond memories, based on "why are your feet so big?" (which started at age 0) and "no, those are not suitable". Followed by "ugh, that was expensive".

Greg Lestrade said...

I certainly never wanted to wear mine home from the shop...or indeed to school ;) Mind you, they were usually from the school jumble sale or a charity shop - not so much choice on the style!

They are indeed expensive, considering his feet grow at the speed of light.

pandabob said...

As I understand it fA the sperm bank has only been open a year and it takes nearly a year to certify sperm as ok to use, after tests and stuff so they weren't expecting to have many donors all that quickly but 9 does still sound like hardly any!! We have a limit of 10 families per donor over here so that there aren't too many related children running around not knowing it.

I hope the morning goes well with the return to school gentlemen :-)

Anonymous said...

Ah, pandabob, you are a gem! Saved me some research. I hope the school year starts out with more excitement than dread for your little tribe. (Do I remember right, you have two in school and one still too young? Guess it doesn't matter, for the purpose of wishing it goes well!)

-fA

pandabob said...

Thanks fA :-) i have two at school now, yes, the middle one officially starts today!! It's currently madness here ;-)

I hope you have a lovely day at school Sherlock :-)

Greg Lestrade said...

He went off to his new class today full of excitement, I'm glad to say. And now John and I don't know what to do with ourselves!! No boys under our care, as Mycroft is at work...

Small Hobbit said...

I'm sure you'll think of something ;)

Greg Lestrade said...

Well so far I've vacuumed the sofa. Found £2.14, a dog chew, Maf's mouse, three of Sherlock's socks, my driving licence and some degus food...

REReader said...

Lovely to hear that Sherlock is enthusiastic about school! (He has a birthday coming up, no?)

Enjoy the novelty of a temporarily boy-free zone!

Small Hobbit said...

That's more than I've found - I've been sorting my bedroom and found two mini tubes of toothpaste and 21p. And filled two large bags with clothing for the charity shop.

Becca said...

Does he have the same teacher as last year? Or is he breaking in a new one?

Anonymous said...

So, how long have you been driving without carrying your license, Detective Inspector of the Met? ;-)

Waiting to hear if Sherlock has any comments about the first few days back. Hope his forecast for the term is favorable.

-fA

Greg Lestrade said...

I've no idea how long my licence has been festering in the sofa - but there's no need to carry your licence in the UK, so it doesn't really matter.

Sherlock seems pretty happy! They get to do 'real science' this year, and other 'real' things...not sure what he's been doing up ;til now - lots of fake things!

REReader said...

Do you have to carry a different photo ID?

Maybe they were doing training pre-science and other training pre-things!

Sherlock said...

Yes it was good and we have more computers in my new classroom and my new teacher is nice and we know her because she takes us swimming too and she can play the guitar like Lestrade and the piano and she showed us how to do origami today.

we get to do real experiments with real chemicals now too but we haven't done it yet.

We're having toad in the hole for dinner.

Greg Lestrade said...

No, you don't need to carry ID here. Lots of people don't even have any ID. If you don't drive and haven't ever travelled abroad - which is quite a lot of Londoners - then you won't have any. If you do drive there's still no need to carry ID, but you can be asked to produce your licence, and you have 7 days to do so.

Anon Without A Name said...

Because I've neither moved house nor got points on my licence since I passed my driving test a very long time ago, my driving licence is the old paper kind, no photo on it :-)

Sherlock - that's all sounds good, experiments with chemicals can be lots of fun. Toad in the hole for dinner sounds rather nice too :-)

REReader said...

That sounds so civilized, L and Nameless! (We're all the time being asked to provide photo ID for things--like for medical care, or to enter buildings.)

Sherlock, now I understand why you were excited, that sounds wonderful! (One of my nephews is very into origami--he started at around your age. Fascinating what you can do with a single sheet of paper!)

Greg Lestrade said...

Medical care here they just trust you are who you say you are. Entering buildings occasionally requires ID, depending where it is and why you're there. (Walkie Talkie needed photo ID. Lots of places say they do but don't ever ask for it.)

REReader said...

Even if you have your medical insurance card with you, they want to see your photo ID before giving you medical care here, it's weird. I guess there are people sharing medical insurance.

Almost any building with any sort of security might ask for photo ID, at least in New York, not just courts and government buildings but also hospitals and office buildings. Land of the free, right?

Anonymous said...

It's the little things! I'm baffled at not needing to carry a licence to prove who you are & that you are licensed when you drive! Identification - almost always a driver's licence - is also the first thing one is asked for in any interaction with law enforcement once any pressing situational info-dump or health or safety concerns are dealt with. And a government-issued ID (usually driver's licence) has been needed for a bank transaction or to pay with a check (does anyone except we old folk do that anymore?) in stores for as long as I've had a licence. It's used as ID when you sign a legal document/have something notarized as well. It's only been the last 15 - 20 years that more buildings have been requiring i.d to sign you in or out, or that it's been needed for medical care other than if you were using a check as payment. Now the doctor's office checks ID against your insurance card (if you're fortunate enough to have one.)

I'm glad Sherlock is so pleased with his new classroom. Remember when it was all new John had to insist/argue him into going to school every. single. day?

-fA


REReader said...

All true, fA! The DMV even issues non-drivers licenses, so you can have a photo ID even if you can't drive, because you need something.

Greg Lestrade said...

It's never really been a problem with ID and driving.

And today is feast day of Gregory the Great. I feel a feast coming on ;)

Anonymous said...

Celebrate!

-fA

Kestrel337 said...

Sherlock, real chemistry with real chemicals sounds like great fun. I think the most chemistry I'd done at your age was dripping clear liquids into white powders to identify iodine, water, vinegar, baking soda, cream of tartar, and corn starch.

Greg Lestrade said...

Well...we had pizza. Sort of a feast? And Sherlock asked why his school uniform doesn't involve a blazer and hat....

REReader said...

I do think pizza counts as a feast!

(Do you want a blazer and a hat, Sherlock? Or is it just wanting to know?)

Greg Lestrade said...

He wanted a 'proper' uniform. Until it was pointed out he had to keep it clean and tidy and not lose any parts of it.

REReader said...

There's always something....

Greg Lestrade said...

Glad our government are finally moving in the right direction to help refugees. Completely terrible situation we just can't turn our backs on.

Anon Without A Name said...

About bloody time too.

Greg Lestrade said...

And not nearly enough, Nameless. Can't believe the politicos are still bickering about it all instead of actually helping. I'm sure they'd be the first trying to seek help if it was them under threat!

Closer to home, 'what I did on my holidays' seems to involve far too much 'planned to stab another kid on my first day back at school' for my liking. Where do these kids learn that this is the answer?? Sometimes I despair.

REReader said...

It's not just Europe, of course. Native Americans make up roughly 2% of the US population; the other 98% came from somewhere else. But there are an awful lot of Americans trying to pull up the drawbridge after themselves nonetheless. (Nothing new about any of it, I'm afraid--for example, the US sent shiploads of Jewish refugees back to Nazi Germany, and the government that did it knew exactly what would happen to them.)

Greg Lestrade said...

Hopefully places like Germany and Italy will show our Govt that they are handling this very badly.

In other news, it's still raining here. I can't remember the last time it was sunny. And tomorrow we lose Mycroft back to school for his final year - where has the time gone??

Joolz said...

Yes let's hope they get things moving quickly.

It's amazing how fast the year is disappearing, isn't it and I don't like it. :( I've got one back to Uni & the other starting Sixth Form on Monday - how can he be old enough for that, surely he was just being bounced on my knee.. ;) - well that's a whole other thing ;)

I'm glad Sherlock is enjoying his new class and getting to do proper science now & I'm sure Mycroft will be his usual brilliant self in his last year. Have any decisions been made about where to go next yet?

Have a great day everyone. :)

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