When Vix Met Krista (and Clare, Curtise, Lucy & Lou, too)

Krista's in town and I've a fellow short-arse to play with. Believe it or not my girl is even more beautiful and bubbly in real life.

I'm a giant in my 6inch heels

We've been Skyping for ages and get along like a house on fire but the last few days has been even more brilliant than I ever dreamt, I don't think we've stopped giggling, chatting, bitching, bum-slapping and hugging since the moment we picked Krista and Chris up from the train station on Thursday.

Bromance - Chris & Jon get along together brilliantly

What have we been up to?
On Thursday we introduced them to the joys of Herefordshire pear cider, Kerr-ang radio and Heinz Salad Cream, sat in the sunshine and walked around the neighbourhood, touring my childhood home, petting dogs and spotting Rob Halford's younger brother. Jon made his famous pizza and Krista got a tour of my wardrobe.

On Friday they got to try HP sauce and saw the rag and bone man leading his horse and cart down the avenue. We went charity shopping in West Bromwich with all four of us managing to score. Krista got frocks and a bag, Chris found an old skool computer game, Jon bought books & music and I got bell bottoms. 

We visited Wolverhampton's Wightwick Manor and lusted over the William Morris wallpaper, Pre-Raphaelite art and De Morgan ceramics but strangely the other visitors seemed more interested in gawping at us than the fabulous stuff on display.

We took them to the pub to sample real ale and Black Country pork scratchings. The Lizs were almost as excited to get to meet Krista as I was (I've yakked about nothing else for months) and loved the personalised necklaces she'd made for them. We took them off to the Shahi to find out how American and British Indian restaurants compared and walked back marvelling at the dubious dress sense of Walsall's clubbers.

Sorrow by Van Gogh

On Saturday we left the boys to play nicely together and strolled into good old Walsall town centre. Krista paid her first-ever visit to a cobbler so he could sort out her knackered Fluevogs (repaired for £4.50), I quickly introduced her to my favourite piece of art in the New Art Gallery before meeting this divine bunch of babes.

Clockwise from far left: Lucy, Clare, Krista,Curtise, Me, Louise. Thanks to Lou's lovely Mum, Jacqui (in the picture below), who snapped us!

After upsetting most of the clientèle in Costa Coffee with our hideously loud shrieking and laughter we toured the chazzas of Walsall. We got papped by the manager of one charity shop as he wanted to display a picture of his most glamorous customers ever on the front of the till. We then adjourned to Wetherspoons' for lunch, cocktails and a spot of pensioner pulling in the sunshine.

 Curtise rocked a groovy vintage maxi, my Californian frock was a gift from Krista.

Lucy scored this stunning 1970s sun dress and we bullied her into keeping it on. Clare found her pretty frock on eBay.

I'd love to know what they were talking about!

Krista dazzled us all with her killer pink mini and Louise made like a sexy Fifties starlet.

No visit to Walsall's complete without a trip to the now-legendary Second To None. Krista was nearly wetting herself with excitement over the array of affordable frockage on display. You'll have to wait to see what she bought.

I tried to make Curtise buy the most incredible pair of red, white and blue Crimplene bell bottoms. You'll just have to imagine how good she looked with that banging bod of hers.

It was Lucy's first visit but hopefully not her last. She rocked an amazing 1960s leopard print sheepskin coat with a leather trim. It was only £10 but a tad too bulky to lug home to Wales on the train. Clare spent a pittance on a Liberty frock, 1930s elbow length gloves, Cloisonne earrings, a badge and a Stratton compact.  

Linking to Patti's Visible Monday as you can't miss us!

Lou and her mum had left us by then but luckily Liz was on hand to take some group photos. This nearly caused a pile up as the traffic slowed up to watch the goings on.

After a final beer in Wetherspoons we kissed the girls goodbye and set off to Liz and Adrian's (via the Arboretum and the lake) for a delicious slap-up Moroccan dinner and a tour of their gorgeous mews house. The boys had been on a countryside stroll to Walsall's oldest boozer, The Manor Arms, built in 1102. 

This morning we made Krista try Marmite for breakfast (a resounding thumbs down, I'm sad to report). They're now off exploring Edinburgh for a couple of days before hooking back up with us in the Lake District on Tuesday.

We miss them already!

See you soon!