Most likely not safe for work. I watched this in the middle of the night and nearly died trying not to laugh out loud and disturb the sleeping household, tears running down my face.

The rest of 80gumdrops’ channel is also definitely worth a watch. Especially if you share my sense of humour.

We walked through the park towards the west side and found a little place to stop and have a bite to eat, close to where we thought the geocache should be. Troy, being a very useful man of the Navy came equipped with GPS (well, his phone did) and I made a call to John to get the co-ordinates for the cache to cut down on any more walking about. Of course I’d completely forgotten that he was 5 hours ahead of me at an important work event, but fortunately he was able to get the information for me in a moment or two, seeing as he’s connected to the internet most of the time. I wrote down the numbers and comparing them to our current location on Troy’s phone, we could see that we were very close.

While Bethany, Sonja, Suzy and the kids rested their feet, Troy and I headed off to deposit the travel bug in its new temporary home. Then Troy went back to get the piece of paper with the coordinates on it, which I’d skilfully left behind on the table. See, that’s his navy training showing through again: he knows that you’re going to need some coordinates if you want to use GPS for anything other than knowing where you are right at that moment.

I was very grateful for Troy’s help, as the cache turned out to be across the road from the park. With the GPS then telling us that we were in the right place, we had the confidence to look about a bit, quickly spotting a hole in the stone wall up among the shrubbery. At the same time, another geocacher arrived looking for the same cache and we went through it together. I deposited the travel bug for another person to find and the fellow geocacher’s mother took a picture of me with Troy in all our triumphant finding glory!

The next stop was Strawberry Fields, which I wanted to see (a) because it’s a landmark in the guidebook and (b) for my own amusement I wanted to have a photo of myself by the mosaic, as a friend had done years ago. When we got there though, the mosaic was covered in what I would term “all kinds of crap”.

I don’t pretend to be any great Beatles or John Lennon fan and I know that there are people out there who felt/feel genuine emotion at his death. However, I think covering the “Imagine” mosaic in flowers and strawberries, set out the way that one fan or perhaps a group decides takes something from the memorial for others; it seems like a form of possession. The roses hadn’t been left there by individuals over time, they’d been laid out very precisely, almost barring entry to the mosaic. At what point can one then clear away the dead flowers and rotting fruit without causing offence to those who left them? Why not just enjoy what was laid there for everybody, rather than trying to very publicly turn it into something of your own?

Before we parted ways, we did what bloggers must do and took some group photos to record the event. Having two cameras firing and two kids running about and one baby mesmerised by the new pile of hair that was suddenly within reach makes for a fun set of shots as you try and look the right way at the same time as corralling children, one of whom finally comes to sit still next to you the moment you decide to do a photo of just the adults.

Bethany’s photos of the day are here and Sonja’s are here

At the end of a very nice day together we all said goodbye at the nearby subway station. The Washington delegation had some subway navigation and a train ride (including an unrequested hour long delay) ahead of them and we caught a cab to head back to midtown.

Another day of double blogging – publishing a 7 Days shot as well as the next episode in the New York trip saga. I’m up to, err, day two so far, also known as the day when Suzy and I met up with Bethany, Sonja & Co.. You can now read about the first part of our day together in Central Park here. A jolly fine time was had by all.

I’ve had all the photos from our trip ready and waiting for some time now, it’s just a matter of putting them together with the stories I’m gradually writing. Here I’m putting the photos into the text in WordPress and paying no attention at all to the (meanwhile much tidier) hell hole behind me that is my desk.

Suzy went for the American bagel option at breakfast, while I went for the America Honey Nut Cheerios option, Cheerios feeling very American to me as I’ve seen them mentioned so often on blogs I read. Apparently they’re just the thing to give your kid to nibble (though maybe just the plain version, not the version covered in a sugary glaze). I also had a cup of coffee, half of which I then threw over myself in celebration, so it was just as well we were ahead on time as we had an unscheduled laundry and dry off with a hairdryer session back in our room. I may have smelled vaguely of coffee during the day, but at least you couldn’t see where it had landed any more.

We were so cunning at Penn Station: we found out where the Washington train would be coming in and walked down to meet it. Except what probably then happened was that when we went to the left of a supporting wall in the walkway, the others were walking by on the other side. With nobody we knew in sight I called Troy. After a moment he couldn’t hear me, though I could hear him, but he kept talking in case that was so. See how useful he is? That’s Navy training for you. With a bit of to-ing and fro-ing we finally met on the street outside the station and it was so … ordinary. So wonderfully ordinary. I’ve known Bethany and Sonja and their families online for a few years now, so there were no awkward introductions, is was just “Hi! Ok, so let’s head to the park” and off we went. And by “off we went” I mean I followed Troy while he navigated the subway route and got us where we needed to be.

Though I felt completely at ease with Bethany, Sonja and Troy, Annalie, Noah and Elliora (I need a collective noun for them) I did end up being a bit camera shy. Not in front of the camera, as being photographed doesn’t phase me one bit. No, it was behind the camera that I wasn’t as active as you might expect of someone who’s got together with a couple of other photography-loving bloggers. I feel as though I should have taken more people photos than I did. But there’s always next time and it’s a lesson learned.

We stopped for a bite to eat outside the park and I ticked off one of my New York objectives: have a hot dog from a cart. It was an amazing hotdog. Seriously, songs should be written about it, children should be named after it. Do you think they offer mail order?

The first stop at Central Park was the zoo. We had to return the children. Ha ha. On this humid day Annalie led us straight into the tropic zone – thanks dear! – which to be honest wasn’t all that different from being outside under the fiery sun, but was full of mongooses and weird-looking birds.

The polar circle was of course somewhat cooler (I know!) and kicked off with a polar bear. He was endlessly swimming back and forth in his enclosure, which made us wonder how he was doing mentally, but having read this article in the New York Times, maybe it is simply that he’s burning excess energy? I didn’t see any other polar bear besides Gus, but apparently his companion Ida was terminally ill and was put down a week or so after we were there.

Whether happy or sad, Gus was undoubtedly a star attraction, especially to the crowds of school children who flooded in when I was there, eager to place their hands on the glass against Gus’s paw as he pushed off.

Do you know what’s weird, by the way? Watching “Definitely Maybe” and seeing not only the New York skyline that you know so much better now, but also people standing exactly where you have stood at the penguin enclosure in the zoo. Exactly.

Annalie picks out the latest member of the family: a sea lion called Sea-a.

We had a sit-down for a drink and an ice lolly around lunchtime (America, listen up: you need Calippos), giving us a chance to rest our feet while the kids ran off to a huge pile of rock to scramble up and down it. For the most part we ladies let Troy corral them. After all, he’s in the Navy and understands the dangers of rocky outcrops where you don’t expect them. Slap bang in the middle of the city, for example. Central Park is quite mind-blowing as you can feel as though you’re in the middle of the country, with tall trees all around. Only if you crane your neck to look above the canopy do you then see the skyscrapers towering above.

Elliora is such a chill little dude. She had an incredibly long day, but barely made a fuss when she got tired. But I mean, why would she? She was travelling in style, either in the Ergo, or the buggy and any time she wanted to grab her Mom’s hair, well, it was right there.

Anyway, today Suzy and I had our second meeting with the internet: we joined Emily and Jen (who had flown in from South Africa for work) in London for a wander around Borough Market and down by the Thames, before heading to the Tate Modern café for a very long lunch and a whole lot of talking.

I’d taken instruction from Lauren (as I consider anyone who calls visiting London simply “going up to town” an expert in the matter) as to where we should meet. In fact Emily walked up behind me (and gave me a fright) at London Bridge station, so she, Suzy and I walked together to the arranged meeting point of Southwark Cathedral, where Jen walked up behind us and gave me a somewhat smaller turn.

Borough Market was packed, but we still managed to squeeze through the crowds and take samples of yummy prosciutto, mozzarella and pork and stilton pies. Sadly the crazy chocolate cake man was nowhere to be seen/heard. He sells a kind of chocolate fridge cake, which he claims is a dangerously potent aphrodisiac and he is constantly fighting off admirers who have tasted it.

A rainstorm emptied itself on us on our way to the Tate Modern. What started as a bit of rain, enough to put up your umbrella perhaps, suddenly became a downpour that soaked your trousers and warranted at least quickening your sodden pace to the gratifyingly close tunnel, where others were already sheltering.

Soon blue skies returned over St. Paul’s and we ventured onwards along the river, pausing briefly to enjoy the smell of a man’s nuts, as it was put at the time. Of course if you’d been there at the time, you’d have realised we were talking about the nearby vendor selling honey roasted almonds. And there’d have been no sniggering. Because we certainly weren’t sniggering.

We stopped in the entrance hall of the Tate Modern, finding reflections for 7 Days in the glass walls and in the mirrored donation box. We actually spent so long staring into that box that other people started coming over to look, assuming we were gathered around a fascinating exhibit. When in fact we were just gathered around a pile of money that didn’t belong to us.

Sandwiches and chips were ordered at the cafe and we enjoyed a leisurely lunch, talking about, well, everything – everything from crocodile meat to labour durations.

Two facts about South Africa that I can offer you now, having talked to Jen, is that they like their meat over there and there are no important people depicted on the currency, instead, they go for animals that could do you quite a mischief if they took against you, such as bison and lions and whatnot. Oh, and the exchange rate from rand to pounds involves dividing by 11. So I am very glad that I do not need to do that, because that kind of requirement makes my head shut down. Numbers sadly don’t work very well in my head any more. Unless of course we define “work” as “scramble”, because they do that quite well. Hence my traditional blank stare at the bill while I wait for someone else to tell me what to take from my purse. Before we let the waitress take the money though, we asked her to take photos of us to mark the occasion. Then we walked back to London Bridge and a crazy man tried to shake hands with me. And that was that.

We spent most of today with Bethany, Troy, Annalie, Elliora, Sonja and Noah in Central Park. Fantastic sunshine and great company. They’re on their way back to Washington now and after a well-earned rest at the hotel, we’ll be heading out soon for some food and then to see the night-time view of the city from Top of the Rock.

But no.

Every time I see the headline “Jordan in Christian relics row” I still stop and wonder what Katie Price has been up to now.

Suzy had given me a voucher for two free boxes and my first arrived this morning. Inside there was a mini West Country Cheddar, red onion and chutney focaccia, black peppercorn rice crackers, a “jaffa cake” mix of hazelnuts, orange raisins and dark chocolate buttons and orange and ginger flapjack. You also get a recycled paper napkin and a little leaflet with the nutritional information for each punnet.

The packaging is very sweet and I ripped open each punnet, thinking I’d just devour the lot for lunch, rather than graze on it for the next few days (incidentally, every time I’ve read the word “graze” in their literature today, I’ve read it as Graz, because apparently the German side of my head likes to “help” even when it’s not its turn). However, all of it piled up on the plate made me look a bit of a piglet, so I put half the crackers and jaffa cake mix back in the punnets – and realised that actually the big flapjack was split into three portions. This stuff is really meant to last you a few days til your next package arrives.

It all smelled really good and tasted great, really flavourful. I have a fairly sedentary working day, so I’m not sure I’ll keep going with the boxes, as I have no great need to “graze”, but I can see that for those who do need something to nibble during the day, these portions of “good stuff” are a great alternative to an “easy” chocolate bar.

If any UK readers are interested, I have a voucher code that will get you a free box to try the service. Just leave a comment and I’ll send you the code.

If anyone else has done the meme, do leave the link in the comments for others to find.