It's Time For Another Picture Post Folk(s):

Yesterday went exactly as I'd hoped it would.

I got on the train, snagged myself a seat by a window, and proceeded to do as I usually do on trains: perch my bag on my bag on my knees, open up my notepad on top of it, and get writing.
     There were delays (as usual) caused by signal problems (also as usual), but I was unconcerned because a) I am well used to travelling via train, b) so were the people I was going to meet and c) I had managed to get to the station in time to catch an earlier one anyway. As it was, the train carrying moi chugged its way into Birmingham Snow Hill at exactly the time the later one should have done, which meant I was right on time.
     Then I made my way out of the station to find Birmingham Cathedral:

This turned out to be a wee bit closer than I had remembered. As Mother brilliantly put it when I returned and recounted my day, it was "...not so much 'exit station, turn right, walk' as; 'exit station, turn right, hop'..."
     Anyway, all was well. I rang Best Friend 0.5(1) - as he now must be known - and he and - as he is now to be called - Best Friend 0.5(2) were hot on my trail.
     10 minutes later, they arrived.

There was some dithering (I love a good Dither, don't you? Best Friend 0.5(2) is particularly excellent at it) with regards to where we should eat, but eventually it was decided that it should be Min Min...

...and off we went.

As we walked, I kept in contact with the fourth of our little group, Best Friend 2, who was running late - I should point out that while she has many excellent qualities and I love her dearly, lateness from this woman is as expected by me as it is from the public transport service - via text. As we actually walked through the door (both Best Friend 0.5(1) and Best Friend 0.5(2) had great fun showing me its 'air-lock' type qualities) she announced that we should go ahead and eat because she had already had lunch. Cue expressions like this from us:

...Yeah...she does this (I'd forgotten).
     So, we pulled faces, sent her a little 'Oh, you' message, and because we - unlike her - were good and hungry, moved swiftly on.

It was decided that rather than order 3 main courses, it would be better to choose four or five (five, as it turned out) starters and have a little bit of each. As I hadn't even heard of the majority that was on the menu, let alone tried it, I thought this to be a spiffy idea.

So, we ordered. While we waited for the food to arrive, we carried on chatting about anything and nothing (I love doing that, too) and traded affectionate insults between ourselves to pass the time before the serious business of Operation Stuff Yourself Silly began.
     In due course, the food appeared.
     To my sheltered and previously unadventurous eyes, the dishes seemed weird and fantastical. The most recognizable one of them looked like this...

...but, never one to shy away from food, I dug in gamely and found them all to be delicious, if a little hard to eat, armed as we were with only chopsticks and a fork.

Just in time for the ordering of dessert(s), Best Friend 2 arrived.
     While we waited and then while we ate, conversation continued unabated. We discussed various aspects of our lives: plans for a Masters Degree - Best Friend 0.5(1) - and a ITQ Level 3 computer course - me - and an engagement - Best Friend 0.5(2) ...when he gets around to it - and for Best Friend 2's husband to find a job, as well as the merits of quitting one's job to 'Find Oneself' whilst funded by one's future fiance - Best Friend 0.5(2) again - and the suggestion that technological untrackabilty gave weight to the suggestion that a workplace photocopier be used to aid in the decorating an office's walls with pornographic material - all of them verses me - and finally, the question of whether hating one's boss/employment should be cause to be allocated some form of disability allowance.
     There was also the chance for Team Best Friends, along with anyone else in the restaurant, to admire my handiwork as I produced my latest masterpiece from the depths of my bag, with the aim of getting one of Team Best Friends to take a picture of it for me. For those interested, here is the result:

Once dessert was dispensed with, we left and made for somewhere else to camp out.
     On route, we stopped in a Chinese confectionery store to look for Matcha Kit-Kats (Best Friend 0.5(1) and Best Friend 0.5(2)) and sweet biscuity things flavoured with Hawthorn (Best Friend 2).
     After a trek through a crowded part of town - during which Best Friend 0.5(1) had to keep reminding me to breathe - we finally arrived at EAT:

Best Friend 0.5(1) wanted to stop at EAT especially, due to his determination for me to try one of these:

...Yep...
     My first impression was that it looked like a milkshake gone wrong. It was mint green and incredibly gloopy, but to my surprise it was actually quite nice. It wasn't the gastronomical delight that the boys had claimed it to be, or at least not to me, but, yep. Nice, I guess.

Midway through the Matcha Munching (...can one 'munch' a drink?...), a guy called 'Rich' showed up. Apparently, in a moment of weakness, Best Friend 0.5(2) had agreed to help him move house. We all shook hands and said pleased to meet you and such, and then immediately returned to the debate that had been raging before his arrival; should washing done every day (YES!) or not (NO!). One argument (mine) was it should be done every day if possible (it isn't always possible, obviously, but mostly it is) because that's what responsible people do, and in any case, it takes approximately 10-bloody-minutes. The other argument (theirs) was that it didn't matter, the job wasn't going anywhere, after a full day at work including travel they had more important things to do (these 'important things' ranged from going out somewhere to having sex to watching the television), and that I "would understand when I lived by myself". I countered this with the comment that it depends on the person, not the location (after all, there are people that work 12-14 hour days that keep their entire house free of even the smallest spec of grime while at the other end of the spectrum there are folk that don't have a job at all and live in a veritable pigsty), and repeated that it takes 10-bloody-minutes. Rinse, wash, repeat. There were other arguments too; tumble drying verses hanging clothes up by hand, for example, but it was the Washing Up Debate that took the majority of the attention, and quite rightly so.
     Towards the end of the W.U.D, Rich and Best Friend 0.5(2) left to move Rich from one house to another. Then, once we had given up the W.U.D as a lost cause, I amused the other two of Team Remaining Friends with the anecdote of my River Cruise Experience - short version; a rift between the group members due to a dog made it a memorable occasion, I shall tell you about it sometime - as we finished our Matchas, before Team Remaining Friends got moving as well.

...As a brief aside, my choice of coat drew some surprised glances from passersby (along with, at some point, rueful head shakes from each and every member of Team Best friends). It's the only waterproof one I have, now my less standout-ish anorak is out of commission (short version: the cat got hold of it), and it looks like this:

...yeah.
     I know.
     But it works!

...Anyhoot...

We headed for a place called Cass Art so that Best Friend 2 could pick up an easel. From the outside, it looks as though it is quite a small, and unassuming kind of place, but inside, it looks like this:

 Cool, huh? The Aladdin's Cave of Paint...
     While we waited for Best Friend 2 to secure her easel, plus a few other things, myself and Best Friend 0.5(1) stood off to one side to wait. The W.U.D was rekindled briefly, then abandoned once we realized we were going round in circles (yet again).

After that, we headed towards a shopping centre in search of a hat and a rucksack (Best Friend.2 again). On route, we got distracted by and wasted a lot of time in a wondrous shop called Tiger, which sells all manner of marvelous, fun and useless things:

A while after that, once we had exhausted the possibilities of finding either a suitable rucksack or hat in the centre, we adjurned to the floor below - which handily contained one of the many entrances to New Street Railway Station - so that we could sit down, as we were all tired by that point and my heels were beginning to complain.
     A few minutes after that Team Remaining Friends decided to call it a day. Best Friend 2 went into New Street to await her train, while myself and Best Friend 0.5(1) made our way back to Snow Hill in order for me to catch mine (train) and him to catch his (bus).

While we waited for the train, we chatted about various things - that we had had a great day (answer: definitely), whether I intended to keep The Alice Plan going (answer: yes), when the best time might be for us to meet again (answer: possibly in a month or so, if not, during the next half term holiday), and what Best Friend 0.5(1) planned on having for dinner (answer: eggs).

Just before the 18:53 pulled in, Best Friend 0.5(1) told me he expected to see a Blog post describing my day in detail, to which I graciously replied, "of course".

So!
     Here it is.
     With pictures.
     Just for you.

Thank you. That is all.

=bows. walks off=

Alice x