Now what? nuntium duocentesimum tricesimum quartum

And today's dilemma is...
I'm out of thread.  It's "vintage" which is of course code for "really old".  It was my Aunt Rose-E's so at minimum it's 40 years old.  The label says $.15 but with an actual "cents" mark.  Do they even make that anymore?
But in the stash, there is another, made by a different company with a different number.  Could it work?

Oh boy.

Let me explain how/why I'm in Birmingham.  I have a very dear friend who is a Brummie who grew up here and then lived for many years in Greenwich.  Two years ago, she moved "back home" and had me over to help her unpack.  She felt bad last time because we "worked" the whole time and wanted an opportunity to show off her town.

Today we went to the Back-to-Backs which were fascinating, although quite cramped to these modern eyes and stifling in this heat!  I swear it wasn't this warm in Italy!

It's been a very relaxing trip, staying in a home, rather than a hotel and not trundling 17 middle schoolers about.  My friend is an author and recently finished her latest book in June.  For the last several years, I have been the lucky "first audience" as she reads her new book aloud.  I do get to make suggestions here and there and I tat while listening, hence the great "productive" nature of the last week.  Plus I couldn't sleep on the plane to save my life so I got a lot done then!

Tomorrow we are going to London for the day (doesn't that sound quite pompous?).  We are going to the British Museum to see an exhibit of archeological remains from Alexandria (Egypt).  We went to Egypt together in 2007 to specifically see this stuff (as research for her book then) only to find the museum there was CLOSED!  So, 9 years later, we finally get to see the collection.   Of course I drag the poor woman through the Roman galleries for as long as she can stand that too.

And I get to tat on the train, there and back!  Perfect.