Saturday afternoon and evening were free. "What would you like to do, girls?" The answer came in chorus: "GO TO HARROD'S!" So off we went to the famous department store, with silly me thinking that we'd be there an hour or so. Three hours later, when I pried the girls away from the junior clothes and CD music racks, we left for Picadilly Circus, squashed into a red double-decker bus. Finally, we were in the heart of the city, on a beautiful evening, with the lights, the incredible energy, throngs of people, buskers making music on every corner -- London at its most exciting. The girls looked around for a couple of minutes, and then spotted a Bath and Body Shop. In they went. With all of London's glory right outside the door, they spent an hour looking at makeup and body lotion in the same store we have on the main street of our home town! Amused to no end, Barb and I stood in the store and talked while the girls were happy as could be.

On Sunday, we went to Brighton on the train to a Flutewise Day organized by Liz Goodwin. The girls played in a group class and met young British flutists. They were exposed for the first time to extended techniques and quarter tone flutes by Marion Garver from San Diego. Because of the humor he used to make his points, Trevor Wye taught a lively and informative masterclass. My students played "Moment Musical" by Schubert, which they d been studying for months for this occasion. The last event was Trevors Flutes Fantastique, which was as hilarious as the first time I saw it. Later, we were invited to dinner at the home of Liz and her husband Tony, along with a few other lovely people.

On Monday morning we visited Boosey and Hawkes (B and H) flute factory where Buffet-Crampon flutes are made. We saw the machines and all the steps in the mass production of flutes in this huge plant, and played some flutes at the end of the tour. Lisa Nelsen, the events coordinator for the British Flute Society and a consultant for B and H, met us there and generously took us all out to lunch.

Sadly, we cancelled our plans to visit and perform at an elementary school that afternoon. Everyone was tired, one girl had an ingrown toenail, and we needed time to pack for our flight home. As you might imagine, within five minutes of arriving at our rented flat, the girls' stuff had been strewn everywhere. Staying in this last afternoon allowed the girls to sort their things and rest a little before our gala last evening.