Mother Mash ... with Mother!

My mother arrived this morning! I was there to greet her at Gatwick Airport when she stepped off the plane at 8:45 a.m. Of course, there was about a hour between the time she stepped off the plane and I actually SAW her. Customs, you know.
What a day my mom has had! As soon as she arrived, we hopped on the Gatwick Express train and headed back to London's Victoria Station. There, we switched to a bus - the 73 - that winds all through London and ends up in our little borough of Islington. We hopped off the 73 and there was wonderful Keith to meet us! The three of us - and luggage - boarded the 43 and got off about three blocks from the flat. I think she walked through our front door around noon!
That's a lot of ground to cover for anyone, let alone someone who is ... well, old enough to be my mother. But she's a sport and we've had a great day. After she arrived at the flat, we decided to bypass scintillating conversation and just take naps! I had left the flat at 6:45 a.m. to get to Gatwick and was exhausted!
Around 7, we left for dinner, headed for good old Mother Mash. Faithful readers will remember our first trip there last week ... it was such a hit across the pond that guests are requesting a visit there upon arrival.
So, the three of us boarded bus and tube to get to Mother Mash and a fab dinner. Mom did the steak pie thing and Keith went with sausages again. I went wacky and tried a new pie - chicken, ham and leek. It was brilliant, as they say here in London.
We sprang for a celebratory dessert - all of us tried a pudding. Here, puddings are individual sponge cakes, very moist and flavorful, and covered with warm custard. Talk about comfort food! We were all ready for naps again.
But we had miles to go before we could sleep, so it was back to tube and bus. My mom now is a pro at riding the subway. She rode the longest escalator in Eastern Europe and did a lot of walking on some of London's busiest streets. What a day. Now she's having a cup of coffee. She's going to wear US out, I promise.
She's here for two weeks. Hurray!