Little Red Car

Got up at 8am as I wasn't sure what time Mary was arriving, but it turned out she wasn't getting here until 12, so it meant I had plenty of time to get ready, and watch some Green Wing before she arrived. I crammed myself into her little Toyota Yaris, which was full of boaties and bags, and we started our way North. I managed to navigate to the M4 from memory - Huzzah. The journey was really enjoyable. Holly and Ed slept for the first two hours, so Mary and me just chatted on the way, and then we stopped at a service station, thus waking said boaties up, before making the final leg to Leeds. However, we realised it was 4pm on a Friday, and that getting into Leeds would be hell (let alone Mary getting out again), so we drove into Bradford (gulp), where Alex met me at the train station. There are two stations however, and we needed the other one, so a rapid trek across Bradford ensued. An odd Polish guy shouted at me, we were accosted for money while buying tickets, though we smartly refused. We eventually arrived at Alex's at about 6*, where tea was waiting. Eeexcellent.

Backdated from 11/01/07

Dogs and Views.

The holiday is nearly over; it's only one day until I go back to Cambridge, and I'm surprised. My second summer holiday has essentially flown by and now I'm starting my graduation year (yeah I have 3 more after that, but it still feels a little significant). My bedroom is a pit, owing to the first attempts at packing I tried yesterday. It's surprisingly hard to take only select stuff; when I pack to come home from Cambridge it's much easier as EVERYTHING needs packing! I have finally thrown away my filthy sauce pan (ruined in Castle End by some unidentifiable tomato burnage, and non-stick scrapage, perpetrator technically unknown), and have bought some shiny new ones from Ikea.

I arrived back from Leeds on Wednesday; I only went up for a few days to say hello (and to keep Alex and her brother entertained while their parents were away enjoying the sun, sea and sand of the Devon coast. We visited Mary, which was great fun - she showed us many photos of her amazing trip to Kenya - Giraffes, zebras, lions, tigers, leopards, buffallo, antelope, impala... everything you'd expect! We also walked the dogs to the top of the hill and took stock of the amazing view. Just one of many discoverable in the foothills of the pennines. Both Alex (Yorks) and Mary (Lancs) have views everywhere - within a few steps of their front-doors, something that I miss in the Kingston Basin, and in the Cambridge pancake. They seemed confused at my almost constant "Wow! Another view!" as we walked round. I also discovered that I like walking dogs. Thus two things for me to attain when I grow up are dogs, and views. You can see the amazingness of the landscape, Alex and Mary and the Dogs in the three photos I have uploaded for your viewing pleasure.

We also had a bonfire with a load of paper shreddings. There's something about fire that just fascinates me, and if I think correctly, every other human being on this planet. Maybe it's hardwired into our brains so that we can actually cook our food (and thus enable us to have lazy digestive systems(?)). We toasted marshmallows in the papery flames, and were merry.

• Films watched: 2. Some like it hot (v.good), and This Boy's Life (a bit dull and drawn out, but it finished well).
• Books read: 1. The Blind Watchmaker. Read it on the trains, and well worth reading. Just ignore the chapter about taxonomy because it's dull.
• Miles Travelled: ~500 including Alex's first venture onto a motorway behind the wheel (and very well she did too).
• Packed: 60%
• Kisses from drunk 30something's on tube trains: 1. My hand I hasten to add.

Muse Live

Saw Muse live at the Leeds Festival last Sunday, and was suitable impressed. All through the day there had been some weird spirally plastic things, like giant tumble-drier outlet pipes behind the curtain at the back of the stage. "Bet they're for Muse," Alex said - and sure enough, they were, along with ten amazing colour screen things - 5 of which levitated (on strings - even Muse can't defy gravity). Their new album sounds incredible live - they closed on "Take a Bow", which, despite seeming simply written, is always going to be a crowd* pleaser. Especially when they end with a huge spark of flames!

Also saw the Futureheads, who were a bit rubbish really. When you can stop looking forward to the crowd-splitting "uh-oh-oh", song, cos you've already heard 6 exactly the same, they have no interest for me. Dirty pretty things were alright, Feeder were, well, Feeder - you know what they're like. I have a t-shirt, but I must admit that I find them a little boring - and the lead singer's close resemblance to Adam-the-Mathmo does nothing for me.

*thanks to Dad for spotting the spelling mistake. Sure it was a cloud pleaser too.

Leedssssss

Went to Leeds for the weekend. Lots of stuff happened.

• Got lots of trains. Four in total

1. Uneventful
2. Got moaned at snidely an old man as we asked an old lady to move out of our reserved seats. Her seat was empty anyway - but she moved with bad grace. Damn this reverse ageism
3. Train broke down... Got stuck in reverse. Had to stop for ages at some random station while they moved the back train to the front. GNER let us down. Got home 3 hours late.
4. Uneventful - just later than expected.

• Fixed Alex's dad's computer. Took us a couple of hours, but we defeated it.
• Went to Ilkley and bought sequins... Well, if I will come on a dress-making trip, I should expect this stuff ;) More excitingly, I saw Alex's dad's practice. Was very posh!
  
• Played lots of frisbee, distracting her brother from AS level revision in the process - it's necessary - he would have melted from the Latin pain if it weren't for us.
• Played lots of guitar - need to practise for the May Ball! So many songs, so little time!
• Went to church... St Wilfrids is a very good looking building.
• Ate Alex's Mum's amazing food of joy. MMmm

Tom
xxx

Wow - so it's been a while. "What have I been up to over this Christmas period", I imagine is something you are not running through your heads at the moment. If you are, stop, because I am not on a Jamie Frost level of fame yet, and any comparisons are not fair.

Righteo. So, 6 Weeks of holiday, what have I filled them with

The first 3 weeks, from the 5th to the 23rd of December I spent working. I got the job selling Christmas Trees, and spent up to 12 hours a day at a small bowling green in Richmond flogging Norway Spruces, Nordmann Firs and Fraser Firs amongst others. It was a good job - a little cold at times, but I quite liked being outside and £7/hr is not to be sniffed at. Somehow I managed to mix in some Xmas shopping in my 3 days off.

After Christmas I went and visited Alex au Leeds, and trundled across the pennines to celebrate new year at Mary's. We played trivial pursuit (Alex and me got about 8 questions in a row correct - at least 2 of which I knew the answer to!), and I drank a massive glass of Champagne. Woke up the next morning with a hangover (obviously), but luckily managed to shake it off on the train (sorry Halifax) so I was well enough to enjoy Alex's mum's 3 course new years meal (using the 2nd best cutlery! I was honoured!). It was great fun :)

Upon returnerising I have realised that I only have a week to get all my work done for uni. This includes two pathology essays and a researchy thing, plus revising for exams (PfVP next term and a path mock)... arses! Back to the grindstone

My apologies for not keeping this up!

Tom
xxxx

Leeds Festival

Leeds Festival

Leeds festival was amazing - my first festival, and well worth the £136 odd we paid for it. We (Alex and I - oooh correct grammar) saw about 24 bands (I think) including the wonderful Cooper Temple Clause, The Coral, Elbow, The Killers (who were distinctly average), The Foo Fighters, Babyshambles, Razorlight, Clor (who amazed me both in being great and in having a guitarist who looks just like Ben...), Maximo Park, Sons and Daughters, Yeti, Forward Russia (with the best ginger, plump, glasses wearing, bearded guitarist I have ever seen - everything a guitarist shouldn't be, yet amazing!), Bloc Party, LCD Soundsystem, The Futureheads (bore) and Kasabian.

We arrived on Friday morning (probably around about 8am, we had to get up at 5.30!) and hunted for a tent pitching spot, eventually finding one next to three tents with "peace and love" stickers on their outsides - clearly we had friendly non-rioting neighbours! So, we pitched up and then made our way through queues and queues of people to get our wrist bands (which has since fallen off my arm - grr, they are supposed to be invinsible) and to get into the main arena bit. I was amazed at the sheer volume of tents there, it took about half and hour to walk from our tent to the arena, through a sea of tents.

We did stuff other than listen to music of course, including a Ferris wheel trip, the eating of lots of lovely festival food (including tent-cooked super noodles; so good!). Alex also got a henna tattoo, a picture of which is below - fortunately it had just dried by the time we went to see The Coral as the henna got minced by the bouncing crowd! I could have said 'mosh' but I don't think a Coral crowd can be described as a mosh - it was all too friendly.

It was always interesting being woken up in the middle of the night by random drunk people stumbling over your tent's guy ropes and other people loudly asking their friends questions; questions including the classic: "have you got any cashew nuts?"

Generally the weekend was amazing, see the photos below!

Our tent, pitched up and safe from arsonists.


Forward Russia's guitarist :)


The arena, including shark-shaped Lee Sounds Unsigned Tent and someone in the foreground who I assure you is not Mary.


The Elbow photos came out best because it was daytime. They were also amazing!


A good shot of the main stage and screen


They sprayed us with little bits of paper with the title of their new album on. Best marketing plan EVER. I'm buying it! It was like it was snowing!


Alex displays henna tattoo.


The Cooper Temple Clause how I love you.


The Killers... pretty lights!


Look! Up high! Goodbye vertigo, we went on the ferris wheel... the rickety old ferris wheel... that wobbled... and unscrewed itself... and clanked and clunked...


Alex was windblown and scared... come to think of it, so was I, but I didn't capture that on camera. haha


Guess who these guys are!


A round of a clause


Yes, the lasers were better than the foos.