New York, New York.....

Packing.....

The 17-year-old wanders in to the bedroom as I'm packing, surrounded by cases and piles of clothes. He watches for a few moments and then, in a slightly confused tone, asks 'Mum, why on earth are you packing those?'
Me, looking up with a pair of long black socks in my hands, 'What?, Oh these, they're my flight compression socks.'
Him: 'Your what?'
Me: 'Flight compression socks, you wear them on long flights to stop deep vein thrombosis.'
Him: 'Deep vein what? What's that?'
Me: 'Blood clots in your legs.'
Him, nodding at socks, 'Well, they won't be any use.'
Me: 'Why not?'
Him: 'They're my football socks.'
Ah, ok.

Just arrived, 4am UK time, a huge bed each!

Rockerfeller Center.

Getting to grips with the lingo.

The 11-year-old, ordering breakfast: 'I'd like some eggs please.'
Waitress: 'Sure, how would you like them?'
Son, looking a bit unsure: 'Er, I'd like them fried please.'
Waitress: 'Would you like them sunny side up?'
Son, looking more than a little confused: 'I don't know what that is'.
Waitress: 'That's when they're looking at you with the yolk facing up.'
Son: 'Oh right, so is the other way rainy side down then?'

Look what I found in Battery Park

Ah, so that's the real one.......

Times Square

Central Park

Central Park

Hot chocolate in The Boathouse, Central Park

Brooklyn Bridge

Bell given by London to New York in rememberance of 9/11

Freedom Tower going up at the World Trade Center site

Taxi!

The amazing Flatiron building

One boy's idea of WWE heaven, ToysRus, Times Square

Busking New York style....wandering through Washington Square Park, Greenwich Village.

The 11-year-old: 'Wow, there's a man playing a piano.'
The 17-year-old, looking around,: 'Blimey, how did he manage to get that here? Oh it's on wheels, perhaps he was dropped off by someone in a van.'
Slight pause while we listen to the music.
The 11-year-old: 'Well that's not something you'd see in Bath every day.'

Busking Greenwich Village style

Empire State, one tall building....

What a view.....from the Empire State

My favourite building, the beautiful Chrysler Building

And again....breathtaking at dusk

Downtown skyline from Staten Island ferry

And finally.....well, every girl deserves a treat.......

Flying home.

Settling into my seat on the British Airways 747 waiting to leave JFK for London.
'Good evening ladies and gentlemen, I'm Captain Mandy ****** and I'll be flying you to London this evening'....
Oh great, six hours of not being able to get 10cc's 'I'm Mandy, fly me' out of my head.

Horror story on the High Street.

This is the time of year when the opaque tights, boots and woolly dresses are packed away and I head to the shops to see what's in for spring. Most years I can usually find something to add to my spring/summer wardrobe and more often than not it's red or navy and involves stripes.

Well, this year, be afraid, be very afraid. I'm no style guru but surely I'm not the only one who thinks something has gone badly wrong? Having seen what's on offer I'm not surprised that so many other countries consider the British bad dressers.

Fashion appears to have gone completely bonkers and taken a plunge back into the 1970s but come up with clothes that are far worse than they were first time around.

Marks and Spencer used to be the stalwart of the High Street for good quality basics but I can only hazard a guess that someone smuggled in some very strong hash cakes or dodgy acid and the buyers were all off their heads and having technicolour hallucinations when they ordered this season's stock. I can't believe that anyone in their right mind would ever want to wear let alone buy any of these disasters. They're not even cheap, buy a top and skirt and it'll set you back around £100.

Biggest horror of all - the mushy pea green sack shaped top with inset gold sequin panels and, if all that wasn't bad enough, it's in that foul slippy, slidey fabric. Get too near any flame and you'd go up in a flash. (M&S Limited collection).

There are some gorgeous shoes out there - but these aren't them. Gold sequins again, perfect for that bad taste 1970s fancy dress party but little else. (Office).

Ah, the sausage dress. Squidge yourself into this and look like a fuchsia porker and, yes, that's a zip up the front and the fabric is ridged so it'll cling nicely to every lump and bump. (M&S again).

Anyone remember Showaddywaddy? Violent blue jacket with leatherette (yes, cheap and nasty pretend leather) sleeves and skin tight leopard skin trousers to complete the Shakin' Stevens look. And this is for women! (You've guessed it, M&S Limited collection again).

Now it's Star Trek. Puce yellow jacket with black seams, completely shapeless. Team it with the purple polyester pleated, elasticated waist knee length skirt that your Granny wore in her 80s.

Oh dear god. Cheap airline air crew uniform circa 1975?

Then there's the 'resemble a floral sofa' look, this one is courtesy of Sainsbury's Tu range.The camera has softened the colours in this, that yellow is actually a shrieking mustard.

Words fail me......almost. My personal favourite.Throw in short sleeves, pleats, a collar, waist seam, buttons and then make it in the most unflattering aubergine, cheap fabric going and this is what you get. Sainsbury's again.

I'm certain there are some lovely, stylish, flattering clothes out there but it's going to take some hunting to find them this year.