Me and Lizzie have just spent two nights in London. It just so happens that the day we were there was the hottest day for a while in British weather – creeping up to the high 30s.It was unbearable.We went down as part of her Birthday present – to see the opera, Carmen, at the London Coliseum. The only thing I knew about Carmen was the three or four line summary wikipedia – cultured, I know – which actually ended up spoiling the ending for me.

Nevertheless it was a great show and it means I can now say I’ve been to the opera.

I did feel sorry for the little girl sat in front of me who was trying her best to sleep quietly — taken along by her family perhaps — and ending up sliding off her chair on to the floor.

The morning of that day we had spent at London Zoo — a first time for us both. The guy at the ticket office loved my T-shirt (Lost Boys Cover); I liked him. In fact all the staff I spoke to were really friendly.

I think my favourite part of the zoo was the free-roaming spider room. It was basically a medium sized greenhouse-like area that you followed round, which had many golden orb spiders loose. There was a second species which may have been a Madagascan spider, but I’m not 100% sure.

Again, the lady working in there was super friendly — she was telling me how the big golden orb spiders were the females and the tiny ones were the males. The male’s job in life is to mate and run — or get eaten.

What a choice.