greetings from Little Britain

Well, I was going to start with something else, but Blogger won't let me rearrange my pictures so you get the sock! Before I left town on Friday, I finished the first of the Pyroclastic pair. This is a top-down pattern with a somewhat oddly shaped foot (pattern available free on Knitty or Ravelry) and it took a couple of emails back and forth with the designer to figure out what on earth she was trying to convey in her instructions... I love the color of the yarn, but it's a tad heavier than what I like to use for socks, (Mountain Colors Bearfoot) and it was a real pain to see what I was doing because it's so dark. Note to self: lighter socks!So, I'm on my annual work trip to London, with a couple of days to play at the beginning and a day in Munich for work at the end. The pillows in this hotel are standard, but this is what I was faced with in the shower this morning, slightly jet-lagged:
Huh? It makes perfect sense once you figure it out, but what ever happened to the old "2 knobs, one spout" setup? (bottom knob is water temperature; next was on-off for the tub; next was for the wand; and top knob turns on the shower head -- couldn't they have included discreet little labels?)

I had a fun time this afternoon wandering around Hampton Court, and a quilt shop, with Kate and her daughter Olivia. This photo was taken towards the end of the day when we were all slightly frozen --
Kate was very good with history, and pointed out that the Tudors were known for their interesting and varied chimney designs...
I, of course, discovered quilt patterns in odd places:
and was amused by the shrubbery! We dubbed this "the Hershey Kiss" --there were several rows of these mushroom-shaped trees --
and even when many of the perennials have faded, these sentries remain!
So -- thanks to Kate for taking time out to play! It's always fun to hang out in person with "virtual" friends when the opportunity arises.