tonic water

Well I must hold my hand up and say that I am one of the guilty tonic hunters!  Just having some as I write this with just a splash of gin.  All tonic-less persons may join me in Room 123828475@%&(456.  Got absolutely soaked today, the most rain in one day I have ever seen, even in Scotland.  At least it was warm rain.  It rained all day long and seemed to get worse as the day progressed and for the first time ever I was grateful to get into my Manon costume.  I had bought a very fetching plastic cape in the Covent Garden market which Tamsin and Luke seemed to find utterly hilarious!  I must admit it was a bit like wearing a bin liner and I was the equivalent of the ridiculous Japanese Tourist in London wearing a plastic thing that we wouldn't be seen dead in.  hey - ho!  Perhaps it will improve with some accessories from that treasure trove, the 100 Yen shop.  The Japanese dressers are so sweet and mercifully can speak a tiny bit of English.  Alison Place sits near me and she has some knowledge of the language and she is making a fantastic effort in trying to communicate and they greatly appreciate it.  Elsewhere we have been enjoying gathering little snips of mis-translation and yesterday's corker was in a restaurant where we were offered from the drinks menu "A Grass of Beer"!  Presumably that was to follow all the "Crapping" at the end of the performance!  Six of us ladies ate "Japanese" style last night sitting on cushions on the floor round a low table with nowhere for your legs to go.  Amy and Amanda had a real problem and as most of us were wearing skirts we were glad none of the boys were with us!  At one point I looked down at my bowl of delicious tempura prawns and there was someone's foot sticking out from under the table.  How do the locals manage to sit like that so elegantly?  X to all