Obama visit, having a rant.

The Americans are a bit paranoid aren't they... rant away Felice, you have my understanding!

Oh dear! I had to smile the other day when my 19 yr old granddaughter was affected by the tube train strike. She is at Uni and living on her own for the first time in London. When her usual station was shut she simply walked until she found one that was open. coming home in the evening she suddenly realised that, being a creature of habit and always going the same way, she actually had no idea where she lived! I hope she's not caught up in these disruptions.

Experigran, I am in Brussels If your Granddaughter is here send me a PM and I will make sure she is safe.
It isn't even Obama, any US 'dignitary' gets the whole treatment, yet our King can go to Church on a Sunday with little fuss.It is just soooo frustrating, especially as Brussels gets the blame for everything going.
It makes me laugh when the EBC news tells you that Brussels wants this or that, every other country take a look has a laugh and ignores it, then the Ebc have a panic attack.

Felice , King??

No sorry, Felice, I thought you were in London. She's nervous enough being there. Thanks so much for the offer. I really must pay more attention!

The Belgium king...

Oops , did not read Felice post properly !

Experigran your granddaughter has no idea where she lives?

Am expecting a friend for supper or would tell you about some of the wee British 'darlings' we have at the most expensive day school in Europe. Born here can't speak any thing except English, and when you take them into the city on wow 'PUBLIC TRANSPORT' they get and I really mean this 48 phone calls from parents in one hour to make sure they are ok, I was a Scout leader.
then they go back to the UK to Uni, and go completely off the rails, it can be a very strange community here, I know of one family who go to England every month to shop, as the children will only eat British Food. And we are talking baked beans here !!!!!!!

I had hoped [from the title of your post] that Obama was dropping in to have tea with you, but sadly not.

She knows her address, Riverwalk, but found she could not relate it to where she could exit the tube! It is quite a culture shock when you live on the Isle of Wight!

I often run errands, for people or go to pick up stuff from FB. I know how to get to work, sociology shops etc, but anywhere off the beaten track I am useless. Often I struggle to find where I am going! only to find on my way home I know exactly where I am if taken a different way. Feel foolish. As for living in London, I often got disorientated if I came out of a wrong exit from the tube....or worse still the first time I used it, sitting on the central line waiting for a northern line train to come I because I didn't know they ran on different levels....
As for Obama coming, air traffic over our house seems to lessen and is replaced with chinooks flying in formation. One I assume being an airforce 1 playing the find the pea game in the air.

Sociology should have been schools ....

When Hillary Clinton was in St Andrews to receive an honorary degree, my sister and I were highly amused at the number of US Secret Service men around the robing venue - they were a very open secret! They looked just as they would in a movie - dark suits, dark ties, overcoats and ear-pieces - most likely guns in holsters too. There may well have been more of them mingling with the onlookers but they were more difficult to spot. The Fife cops were out in force too.

It sounds very exciting!

When Prince Edward visited our town they wouldn't let me leave my bike in the usual place. I was a little bit affronted.

When we used to get Party Conferences in our seaside town, the centre went into more or less lock down for a few days. Especially if it was a party in power and the PM was due to visit. A friend and I were walking along our beach with our dogs one morning, we must have got too close to the centre where the conference was taking place. Suddenly two large men , 'packing heat' , approached in a determined manner and told us to about turn. After a few words of outrage we did turn back. They were large guys and we were just two old ladies with dogs.

Unfortunately one of the downsides of living in a lovely city is that we get all the meetings of everyone and everything, there is one here today, and a friend just had to drive for an extra 55 minutes to go 1 KM. Ok today is for the Ukraine and as I said in a previous post we assist an Orphanage and half-way house there through our Church so perhaps he will forgive them. Slight concern there, as money was sent a month ago and still not arrived in the account of the orphanage.

All extremely OTT in my view. One of the G20 conferences will be held in DD1's nearest city this year and the pavements have been or are being all replaced. I suppose the public will be able to enjoy the benefit of lovely marble pavements when all the schmozzle about how to save the planet has died down again.

It's only one day and a few either side- I'd be very happy to have my routine upset a bit if Obama came here (fat chance ;) )- I'd love it.

Well we had Kate visit , did not seem to cause too much bother !

We've had party conferences in the town where I work and you wouldn't even have known - indeed I haven't until after the event. I suppose if my office had been nearer to the conference venue it might have been different.

Granjura, if you got anywhere close to seeing him, you would be in the grip of a very large man with a gun, ummmm

Nonu, it's the Americans , not so bad since Bush went, then even people who lived and worked anywhere near the area he was likely to be were moved out. Strange but then again we live in a city where in 2008 the most popular boys name was Mohammed.