Weekend and MMs party

Yesterday:
set off only slightly late and took a train (which adds 20 mins walking time immediately but F and I do both prefer them), had really funny conversations on the way in which we decided to put various things on a virtual Norty Step (entities that ended up there were: The Weather, The Road, The Railway, The Railings, The Trees, F's hair and many others) and then we invented the conversations that some of them would have, some of them bickering with each other in a siblingish manner and blaming the other for their misdemeanour, and considered how long they would each have to be there, based on the 1 minute per year of age principle. At Brighton, we got off the train and went to catch the bus which was already at the stop. We settled down in the last 2 seats at the back as the bus pulled out and I looked at F and thought: 'Where's Dozy Mog?'. I asked her and we both realized that we had left him on the train! I got the driver to stop the bus, by saying vaguely and ominously 'Please can you stop, it's my little girl!'. We rushed off the bus and back to the station at full speed - the train was still there with just under 2 minutes till its departure time. Flashed the tickets at barrier and garbled at the ticket man about 'child's favourite toy on train' and ran over to the train. We got on and I felt sure we would end up back in Lewes, with so little time left, but we ran through the train, not sure where we had been sitting. Just as I was giving up hope and thinking we might as well get off anyway, F found our seats and there was Dozy Mog, all abandoned, next to a businessman who maybe had designs on him. We picked him up and rushed off the train, which pulled out almost immediately! Had to spend a bit of time high-sixing each other, reassuring Dozy Mog and generally recovering, then we got the bus again (same tickets!), changed in the high street and got the main bus up to MMs.
As we arrived Mr Pineapple Head was in full flow, so after a bit of coaxing, F decided she could cope with watching him and we thoroughly enjoyed the show.
Later (after the bouncy castle broke - oh dear) there was parachute time, which F enjoyed. I was a bit in and out, doing some table clearing and restless jittering between one task and another, but noticed that it seemed to all be going a bit sour, due to at least one child who wasn't listening and was being kind of obstructive and annoying. Apparently there was other trouble at various points - it's just a real shame how MMs is at the moment. It could be so good and sometimes is, but it's just not working how it could and I don't see that there is much that can be done about it.
Other stuff - Xmas is apparently nearly here and I haven't done much at all, when I'm not out and about with F, I just have my head in my work. Still, it will all get done to some extent and the point is to relax anyway and have a break. I am sorted for F's prezzies, but everything else is looking difficult - when will I manage to buy wrapping paper and do cards? I don't know! I can do the food shopping easily as that's almost all online stuff. I guess I'll need to pop into town one day, maybe before Little Ninjas or something, to get sellotape, etc. My head gets kind of dizzy when I think about it all, so I guess I need some lists. They always help.
F is playing The Sims 2 again on XBox, she is actually playing it properly these days and even reads the odd word!

Weekend:
put IKEA Norrebo birch storage bench together, which took much longer than expected but looks fab and is nice and roomy inside (have put spare bedding, towels and clothes in our one and got another one to do for F's room, which will take all sorts of bits I reckon, even to the extent of revealing the floor, if we are lucky)
ordered more IKEA stuff which will be arriving sometime next week for F's room, our room and living room
went over to Btn for pub lunch with old friends, then back to theirs via Infinity foods and had a lovely time, though F had a big wobbly at the end, over a misunderstanding about being lent a doll
watched stuff like Strictly Come Dancing and Armstrong and Miller, hung out with J and F, ate nice food and drank wine and Bloody Maries and didn't work