"So long farewell, auf weidersehen good-bye"

I was presented with a box of Thorntons for my birthday a month ago, and I've got down to the last pieces of chocolate. I'm left with choices between Lemon Parfait and Strawberry Velvet. Why can't Thorntons make one standard mixed tray, and then one tray underneath brimming with caramels?

...

I went out bowling last night in Bloombury for a dear friend's 24th birthday. It was wicked. We bowled, drank, ate (I had veggie sliders - teeny tiny burgers exactly like in Harold and Kumar get the Munchies), and then we did karaoke. To be honest I was slightly worried about the karaoke, having never really done it before, but I must say it's the way forward from now on.

I've been having an introspective week though, as I had to say goodbye to a couple of friends who are moving out of London. They're good friends, people who I felt close enough to go to the cinema with, go to the Globe with, eat with, perhaps not live with or go away with - but getting there. I've known them about 3 years, and they were friends of a friend who left London last year, so it was nice to be friends with them on my own terms, i.e. we have no connection to each other other than the fact that we all like each other's company. It's amazing when you realise this, that you can be friends with people through friends; it just slowly evolves without anyone noticing it. I always wonder whether there's a watershed moment in the development of a friendship, perhaps there is but you never notice it. I always thought it's when you first eat together with someone, coz you're never really as vulnerable as when you're eating.

Anyway we toasted to 'new beginnings', had a chinese, talked, then there were watery eyes. It was a 'see you soon', rather than a final goodbye, but I'm sure I'll see them again. I once said a heartfelt goodbye to a person who was leaving for Sydney 3 times before I finally saw her go, and that was because I kept bumping into her the next day. The last time we just said 's'laters' and left it at that.