Market Towns

10 September - Recovery from the comic book party wasn't too bad, could have been far worse. Several of the people from the party stayed at the Halsmere house and there wasn't any movement before 10am, for some not until much later. Apparently the Absinthe that I had brought with me from Slovakia didn't agree with some who'd tried it (obviously it couldn't have been the beer, the wine, the vodka or the dope or the whatever that had disagreed with them) and there were several oaths never to try it again (it was much as I remembered, evil tasting but an enjoyable buzz that followed).
Later in the afternoon I finally had my reunion with Mariax, who i'd met in Australia about five years ago, it was great to see her again - have not seen nearly as many people as I would have liked to have seen so the ones that I have seen are all the more special. We went out to COlumbia Fields Markets and also went to Brick Lane and Spitalfields, more markets. It was like a very large, very trendy Glebe Market, it was also very reminescent of the Sunday market at Chang Mai in Thailand. There was an enormous number of people with enormous tattoos and ridiculous numbers of piercings (i read in a Canadian newspaper that the markets had hosted the annual world tattoo convention last friday so that may have accounted for the painted population). There were some great things for sale and an enormous amount of crap as well (unlike the CHang Mai market, though, even the absolute crap was super expensive). Another highlight was the corner on Brick Lane where all of the stolen bikes were stolen (according to Maria, most of the bikes were probably stolen from the Lane itself). Didn't buy any souveneirs as i've not much longer in the city and i've got no room in my luggage to put them anyway but did eat some very nice bagels.
Returned to the house as the last of the other guests were shuffling off, mostly recovered from their Green Fairy nightmare I hope and me and Kimberley went out to meet Yvonne and Steve, friends of hers and Kate Mills, who I'd met very briefly in Australia. Very nice night in a very reasonable bar in Peckham. From Steve I got some interesting strategies to simulate the secret service on a Stag Night, may have to try that next year when young Matthew Gray goes through the ritual.