tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62749694221645354452024-02-19T06:51:36.430-08:00JQ Not _quite_ 365Vickyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05668490683430962033noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6274969422164535445.post-60229251957120228462013-10-02T03:40:00.002-07:002013-10-02T03:40:23.800-07:00Time flies when you’re having fun… August and September roundup.<div class="MsoNormal">
So the last entry was
6<sup>th</sup> August. That’s pretty bad – even for me! The only defence I have
is that I have been phenomenally busy over the last couple of months – even for
me! I’m going to do you lovely people a highlight round up of August and
September (to give you an idea of what I’ve been up to).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy14D06QahfKDKShctHzvX4J8P9vBJpI0XKMKqOfTjdTLCsjdJgxqsObigX3EGXrROmp5-hktVoOh3folZVwEJT86MBio5wl1_Pr7O-Awmbfb7HgQZBBEMB26zWV-Qk1fM9V_riqOqySTK/s1600/Vicky+Market+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy14D06QahfKDKShctHzvX4J8P9vBJpI0XKMKqOfTjdTLCsjdJgxqsObigX3EGXrROmp5-hktVoOh3folZVwEJT86MBio5wl1_Pr7O-Awmbfb7HgQZBBEMB26zWV-Qk1fM9V_riqOqySTK/s1600/Vicky+Market+2.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">August<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The 24 Carrots Summer
market took up a whole load of time in August! Had many a meeting to plan and
discuss how we were actually going to pull it off! It was exhausting! It felt
like if we weren’t talking about it directly, I was emailing people drafting
press releases, begging prizes for the raffle or on the phone to someone about
it. We had 10 working days to plan the event, layout, stallholders and get
social media interest in it. I’m very pleased to say that the event went down
REALLY WELL! We had some really cute bunting (which gave it a fete feel), a
great response from our stallholders and a good result on the raffle (£160
split between the JQNF and the Church). I EVEN got to meet Johnny Bravo and get
a signed photo – SO MUCH EXCITEMENT!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYNvFmUwEcWIEnCqW4hB1m1gskZYSePHvreUyoYSpZhLeeYW_KlznF6lpI-uctg2bXDFwJrIvwQdMuf81xX1Fm6Id1XIGkfEl2mMRyauaH80YEyvFnlZ_LBzKiQy_R75_0nTweC0xt3M02/s1600/Vicky+Market.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYNvFmUwEcWIEnCqW4hB1m1gskZYSePHvreUyoYSpZhLeeYW_KlznF6lpI-uctg2bXDFwJrIvwQdMuf81xX1Fm6Id1XIGkfEl2mMRyauaH80YEyvFnlZ_LBzKiQy_R75_0nTweC0xt3M02/s1600/Vicky+Market.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">We had lots of
Birthday things going on in August too! I’ve told you about Emma’s birthday
night out at Bingo, but we had a lovely night out for Jo’s birthday at the Rose
Villa too. Was lovely to catch up with some of her lovely friends that don’t
come to Brum that often </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhquhWn85yfok5fytG2e4PTfrMToyNXnwzPeowb4WT4YMMa9SDNIn-tnCa9gGGAoVOaIGcdk96GLc2BtNPQUdjpxLvqgd6fKDLEjCIkXCCcmbU4MurthhbfZpVFR7USzdIUFqNwQ9RSoffH/s1600/Vicky+Work+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhquhWn85yfok5fytG2e4PTfrMToyNXnwzPeowb4WT4YMMa9SDNIn-tnCa9gGGAoVOaIGcdk96GLc2BtNPQUdjpxLvqgd6fKDLEjCIkXCCcmbU4MurthhbfZpVFR7USzdIUFqNwQ9RSoffH/s1600/Vicky+Work+1.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">On 9<sup>th</sup>
August was the fabulous Dystopiacon! Me and Dan rocked the DJ booth with a mix
of chiptune, beats and geeky breaks. I threw together a Fiona (Adventuretime)
outfit with moderate success – no photo’s I’m afraid though! I’ve been
particularly pants at remembering to grab snaps lately. The night was excellent
fun though (and lots of people requested the set list – which is always
gratifying). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">iVardensphere in
Sheffield was on the 10<sup>th</sup> (the night after Dystopiacon – we were
shattered). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was great to see
everyone again! We might wear black and look quite serious, but the fab
alternative music scene we belong to is our extended family (and it’s always
good to get everyone together). Had a VERY sore head on the Sunday (I blame
myself; and a copious amount of Jagermeister). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">We were very blessed
to have a visit from our brilliant friend Carolyn in August too! Carolyn is one
of my oldest friends, so its always wonderful to catch up over a glass (or 4)
of wine and shoot the breeze. We went out for a casual meal at the pub and then
a few peeps popped over the ceremonial “Drink and Bitch” that we’re all so good
at. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3VRyTG2l-8qixvIqmAtdRpOOXv5SF610rzAfSHu0FQ5pqQTA7ZI_VkhtsGc0Pk4gXdEPmv5OnS7VvnJxAKP7VnChT240jMo1gINHAK_8TUsx2FGyvrMqkA8uYUr0yvLYitTq6jfO8iY8N/s1600/VIcky+Infest+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3VRyTG2l-8qixvIqmAtdRpOOXv5SF610rzAfSHu0FQ5pqQTA7ZI_VkhtsGc0Pk4gXdEPmv5OnS7VvnJxAKP7VnChT240jMo1gINHAK_8TUsx2FGyvrMqkA8uYUr0yvLYitTq6jfO8iY8N/s1600/VIcky+Infest+2.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The week commencing 19<sup>th</sup>
August was MENTAL! We had Infest to pack and get ready for, I had a meal with
work colleagues (it was my last week at my job) and market things to get
wrapped up. It was a great week and I was spoiled rotten by my colleagues
(vouchers, flowers, cards and presents). By the time the market was done on the
Thursday evening, I was completely wiped out. A great time to have to do ALL of
the packing for a music festival, right? 0_o<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9KXddU_Hf7sPwsW9yg2YR9_o7yTL8Z2HVZ85YsFLvUhvuQQwn495r7p2cmBs7Ub0C18zovGUGZFAQ-vlU-pNMPAhz9dGgLs2HGBTKf8EfOinosr_3aa52PkZ6VKZehxNYxy59Q4spMcDV/s1600/Vicky+Infest+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9KXddU_Hf7sPwsW9yg2YR9_o7yTL8Z2HVZ85YsFLvUhvuQQwn495r7p2cmBs7Ub0C18zovGUGZFAQ-vlU-pNMPAhz9dGgLs2HGBTKf8EfOinosr_3aa52PkZ6VKZehxNYxy59Q4spMcDV/s1600/Vicky+Infest+1.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Despite arriving
(after having to go back to the house three times due to forgetting tickets and
important things) totally wiped, we had an amazing time. We drank far too much,
danced so much our feet hurt and met wonderful people. What more could you ask
for than that? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The following week I
had off (before starting my new job). The week pretty much consisted of meeting
up with my mate Mouse and the Brum posse for drinks/coffee, shopping and lazing
around. Bliss. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt-FEHFTm4D9gXXbGNx2-HHO6_WNlS2T8evzo202MdFP1hzREmRLLIWRjF0gb-0iwEM1CsXkmt8jQytiFOZPgU6EeuPNZ7EvLQLrFVY52jf-eVxtdImh_3TsJrbhXsK68yz3ccL3ob9lhA/s1600/Vicky+Church+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt-FEHFTm4D9gXXbGNx2-HHO6_WNlS2T8evzo202MdFP1hzREmRLLIWRjF0gb-0iwEM1CsXkmt8jQytiFOZPgU6EeuPNZ7EvLQLrFVY52jf-eVxtdImh_3TsJrbhXsK68yz3ccL3ob9lhA/s1600/Vicky+Church+1.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">September<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">September started with a bang as I started my new job
on Monday 2<sup>nd</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had to
get up bright and early to trek down to London to grab my laptop and meet some
of the team. The head office is AMAZING! There is a Beer Tap IN THE OFFICE (I’m
not joking), free food and everyone is really friendly and sweet. My first week
was a blur of learning about the site, the Birmingham Community, my role and
various gadgets and gizmo’s that I now need to do the job. I am now a Mac user
and have an iPhone. 0_o<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw1WDmmsBH9fGgNHt5mH-DV-JKbah_m4zg5vSaDuSllnUfjZDOQCKMknXzRT-gH8u7KBv_AUvumWK2Nc6MnEKCVfgCCobXcxuVm1XHI_pc8XuCPamiAew0Wm4yfyvKWC9NQ_vjMw1E6Rx2/s1600/Vienna+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw1WDmmsBH9fGgNHt5mH-DV-JKbah_m4zg5vSaDuSllnUfjZDOQCKMknXzRT-gH8u7KBv_AUvumWK2Nc6MnEKCVfgCCobXcxuVm1XHI_pc8XuCPamiAew0Wm4yfyvKWC9NQ_vjMw1E6Rx2/s1600/Vienna+1.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3yL2qev4cCcgT3FwYko33CLEl1v-l0tM8w93KX8yUZEJtPWZH7dpUnt57JeCYnGyXtPVcPUiXi1axn2vW9OI0BKCAVPvCMDHp-v0bG0W_ZAm78b1H-X8FqVdb9zRt5_jdsNRHLeDYsFC1/s1600/Vienna+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3yL2qev4cCcgT3FwYko33CLEl1v-l0tM8w93KX8yUZEJtPWZH7dpUnt57JeCYnGyXtPVcPUiXi1axn2vW9OI0BKCAVPvCMDHp-v0bG0W_ZAm78b1H-X8FqVdb9zRt5_jdsNRHLeDYsFC1/s1600/Vienna+2.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I had my first taste of Dome Club and Pecha Kucha on
Thursday 5<sup>th</sup>. What a great pair of concepts! Dome club is held in
the 360 dome within Birmingham Thinktank. It gathers people together to watch
films, look at art and discuss the use of the dome moving forward. Pecha Kucha
is also really fab! It’s a simple concept – a presentation done by anyone, on
any subject, 20 slides, 20 seconds on each slide. The result is fast paced,
funny and interesting presentations. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYjmbeQHSVFRLTU9mK_gUPUM2uHhzmYlAhnAlQKT3W4k7qlOSlQl8U6c5kGzj_cwUGIZYlsp1ygh8k23LWZrpKCmHl2nigupd9V_TGKOZOtOmyeP8qn8JAtdVUwQevu3kHU9pzeeosqL-P/s1600/Vienna+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYjmbeQHSVFRLTU9mK_gUPUM2uHhzmYlAhnAlQKT3W4k7qlOSlQl8U6c5kGzj_cwUGIZYlsp1ygh8k23LWZrpKCmHl2nigupd9V_TGKOZOtOmyeP8qn8JAtdVUwQevu3kHU9pzeeosqL-P/s1600/Vienna+4.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I did loads in September, but one of the obvious
highlights was Vienna. We have a thing (me and my nearest and dearest), with so
many 30<sup>th</sup> Birthday’s around the same time; the following question is
posed: “Where would you like to be on your 30<sup>th</sup>?” The deal is, we
then all go. It’s been fab so far as I’ve been to Vienna and Berlin and off to
Amsterdam next year for a 40<sup>th</sup>! Vienna was simply beautiful. Most of
the photos on this post are from the trip (as they were the most interesting
photos from the two months). We drank, ate, went to a crypt and saw mummies,
visited the Natural History Museum and drank (again). <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU2jSdfiLdWS3SXy9x1RMVEmJUx5oYMW52gFvWUFleRXcbij_t9xu3HsbzMo1zHGIpSCWF8A_42c4KIpn2NZy7IxdRlXNLCsbaYC-mgauFLg4hHl9FkQajYn_R97Hs2idgjarrQOMUMulU/s1600/Vienna+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU2jSdfiLdWS3SXy9x1RMVEmJUx5oYMW52gFvWUFleRXcbij_t9xu3HsbzMo1zHGIpSCWF8A_42c4KIpn2NZy7IxdRlXNLCsbaYC-mgauFLg4hHl9FkQajYn_R97Hs2idgjarrQOMUMulU/s1600/Vienna+3.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Another Highlight was Edinburgh! I went for work but
got to see lots of it too! Ate at some wonderful restaurant and tried many,
many different kinds of coffee. It was an exhausting 3 days – but filled with
learning and excitement!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVxmwhiFmFeJu5speP3gncnm7lNpGZZ3RFpEe6g2xgsSVlSTeJfdMPTAPZiyGPU-8HywbaPAWGSGKjvTaOe9T9ZgZBXucipZYoxhQC-BYyRIAeeCPtfi_aLbcglblClYno31zWpoSVjJpz/s1600/Vienna+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVxmwhiFmFeJu5speP3gncnm7lNpGZZ3RFpEe6g2xgsSVlSTeJfdMPTAPZiyGPU-8HywbaPAWGSGKjvTaOe9T9ZgZBXucipZYoxhQC-BYyRIAeeCPtfi_aLbcglblClYno31zWpoSVjJpz/s1600/Vienna+5.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The rest of September consisted of meetings with
friends/contacts, sorting out wedding rings (excite!), <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>quizzes and partying. I would love to do
a summary of everything… but there’s not enough time!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Onwards and upwards… in October now – hold on to your
hats! It’s going to be an exciting last quarter of the year!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Template>Normal.dotm</o:Template>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>814</o:Words>
<o:Characters>4640</o:Characters>
<o:Company>Yelp</o:Company>
<o:Lines>38</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>9</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>5698</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>12.0</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>
<w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
</w:Compatibility>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276">
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-ansi-language:EN-US;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Vickyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05668490683430962033noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6274969422164535445.post-14135502096870341672013-08-06T13:13:00.005-07:002013-08-06T13:13:49.021-07:00July into August (It's August already?)<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Good
Afternoon!</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">So,
I haven't quite left it a month this time, so I am getting better!
What can I say, July was a month for big changes in my life... but
I'm sure we'll get to that... I'm really pleased to see the blog has
over 2000 views now. Thats Massive! Why on earth you are all reading
my drivel, I don't know, but I'm pleased that you are!</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">So...
We'll start from the 9<sup>th</sup> (an</span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">d the beginning of my life
changing month).</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">9<sup>th</sup>
July (that was a Tuesday – if you've forgotten)</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">On
the 9<sup>th</sup> of July I had a phone interview for a new job. I
had applied for it after googling my dream job role and was surprised
to see that it not only existed, but was available! After not hearing
for 3 weeks (and chasing them like a hound on heat), I got an email
to ask my availability for phone interview. I hadn't ever had a phone
interview, so to say I was bricking it would be putting it mildly.
However, with a little preparation (all done at my current work,
obviously) I duly awaited the phone to ring. It went really well and
I seemed to connect well with the lady I was talking too. She did
warn me the process took several months to go through, but that was
ok (I already have a job after all). After talking her ears off, I
got off the phone with a writing assignment and a promise of another
call later in the week (as we had run out of time). </span></span>
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">After
that, anything seemed a bit of an anticlimax – but I was super
excited as I was going to see Mark Kermode that evening! Well... what
a fabulous evening it was. Film scores being played by a large,
varied orchestra and being talked through the pieces by my favourite
film critic. It was a real treat to see my old friends Eric, Peggy
and Emma too! </span></span>
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwEaVA8I-xKaWZRTfsyC-Hl7mvQ68iUFfImgWDNN6-r4-k-duOJZoPUFSdQKkU9qtkp-lrInI_qnNctgcSAetunfm7HqZC43nTp9vFO29vs2MIqMHA_8IssFfT7algOy1eRk6DCa3_ZDYq/s1600/IMG_20130806_165521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwEaVA8I-xKaWZRTfsyC-Hl7mvQ68iUFfImgWDNN6-r4-k-duOJZoPUFSdQKkU9qtkp-lrInI_qnNctgcSAetunfm7HqZC43nTp9vFO29vs2MIqMHA_8IssFfT7algOy1eRk6DCa3_ZDYq/s320/IMG_20130806_165521.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">10<sup>th</sup>
is blank in my calender... so in all honesty... I haven't got a clue.
I CAN tell you 10<sup>th</sup> was a Wednesday, so I probably spent
it with Jon, Jo and Caroline... which would have meant it was a
lovely evening (as it always is). In FACT, I can remember this... as
Jo had to dash off because she had a rather important guest arriving
on the Thursday and had to clean her flat.</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw4fmlhYSzKbdmdS8BOJdpeWC0nEsU85RNu1w2S-B_Jd4lj0cz-IKgwaUILudkILo15CL1w9euE9ExPl9KgHvPSB4S1basRrEHr4Dur7KZXWV0ckr4_TU_O8jYhG062Qu3XlEBsU8tuTLG/s1600/IMG_20130806_165822.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw4fmlhYSzKbdmdS8BOJdpeWC0nEsU85RNu1w2S-B_Jd4lj0cz-IKgwaUILudkILo15CL1w9euE9ExPl9KgHvPSB4S1basRrEHr4Dur7KZXWV0ckr4_TU_O8jYhG062Qu3XlEBsU8tuTLG/s320/IMG_20130806_165822.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">11<sup>th</sup>
July - Erick's here!</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">So,
with very little pre-warning, Erick turned up on Thursday 11<sup>th</sup>.
Luckily I get flexible hours at work, so could dash off at a
reasonable time to meet Mr Holmes for a cheeky Thursday Cocktail at
the Rose Villa. Dan joined us when he had finished, and we had a
great meal – followed by more beverages at Jo's place. They had big
news for us, but it isn't my place to spread everyone else's
business... needless to say, it was a happy day!</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">12</span><sup style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">th</sup><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">
July – A rather large night out</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
night started with part duex of my aforementioned phone interview.
Despite telling me the process took months, I was actually asked to
attend a face-to-face interview the following week! Excitement!</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">So...
After that, following on from a lovely evening spent with Uni friends
and new friends in London in June, we were invited to Rob's birthday
on the Friday. We started with a quick stop at the CBD food fair (for
a good gossip with the Bitters'n'Twisted crew), before heading to
(inward groan) Lloyds bar for a couple of cheeky pints. I'm pleased
to say we didn't spend too long in here before heading to the Queens
Arms in the JQ and then on to Dystopia at Eddies. Me and Dan have
been a bit lax with our clubbing recently (having had so much on) so
it was a great opportunity to catch up with everyone and get our
dance on. </span></span>
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMhzM1WXowq9WMNwh5NDhdZ798umPf85awiI5GMcamR9vbgY71xfXZCze34QzFKyib9ZYUoMh87nWmF0pB2gwvP_lRPOhtYmrc54FeFOSEcykkquMwRRsfQ5g968qQkZC1a9QQ3H_djXyt/s1600/IMG_20130806_165553.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMhzM1WXowq9WMNwh5NDhdZ798umPf85awiI5GMcamR9vbgY71xfXZCze34QzFKyib9ZYUoMh87nWmF0pB2gwvP_lRPOhtYmrc54FeFOSEcykkquMwRRsfQ5g968qQkZC1a9QQ3H_djXyt/s320/IMG_20130806_165553.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">13<sup>th</sup>
July – Cheltenham </span></span>
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">On
Saturday, we took the open time (unfortunately our festival workshop
was cancelled) to head to Cheltenham to catch up with the lovely Lee
and Charlie and collect our comic shop winnings. It was a scorcher of
a day, but we had the most delicious breakfast at the Curious Café
(picture below) and had a good giggle whilst enjoying some hearty
fare. Cheltenham is FABULOUS for Charity shops – do have a look
around if you get a chance. It's a lovely town with some real hidden
gems (Proud Lion – the independent comic shop is worth a gander)
and stunning architecture. We were meant to go to a birthday party in
the evening... but it was soooo hot and we were sooo tired... so
stayed in. </span></span>
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT0JkmFSTluW1roMxOHhcuxX0mmkMneOio3W5Gh0IFc7LmbWzxr6Tn8FYnI3K_3Z-QjYQuSNtBTyxo6y1G6NzS3ccM4SA1VjctPfyRLHSWuZ3gAu2RZjpBwULYZZC4LwR0VNQyIvFAM_7r/s1600/IMG_20130713_121232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT0JkmFSTluW1roMxOHhcuxX0mmkMneOio3W5Gh0IFc7LmbWzxr6Tn8FYnI3K_3Z-QjYQuSNtBTyxo6y1G6NzS3ccM4SA1VjctPfyRLHSWuZ3gAu2RZjpBwULYZZC4LwR0VNQyIvFAM_7r/s320/IMG_20130713_121232.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">14<sup>th</sup>
July – ROBOTS AND MONSTERS!</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">On
the Monday we had tickets booked to see Pacific Rim at the “Giant
Screen” (Trivia time – the Giant Screen is the largest screen in
an independent Cinema in the UK). We loved it! Every deafening,
violent, silly moment of it. We both had stupid grins on our face
that didn't leave all evening. </span></span>
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">16<sup>th</sup>
July – HS2 and BCU Birmingham Futures</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">On
the Tuesday, we had once again manage to wangle tickets to a
Birmingham Futures event. Birmingham Futures is a networking
organisation, but they give a certain amount of tickets out to
non-members. It's well worth a look, as the topics covered are all
relevant to the regeneration of the City. This one was really
interesting – but the HS2 presentation was AWFUL. I had mixed
feelings about the service before the talk. I am now DEAD AGAINST it.
The new UCE Building at Parkside is amazing though! The facilities
are out of this world! They have a Green screen TV studio! BLINKIN
GREEN SCREEN! </span></span>
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5DGRw75K_4lVB5tPU6eYfooexOn89d7S42TyDhoWp3Jb6ZfV33AonZUpVyhyFhe-h7IksVE2Np2jpZQY2qFiNAERAnd370gZ0lF6_G3HIO6H7IkWw4FVA3AotqNg-rAA8yOaRdmmOlnhQ/s1600/IMG_20130806_165734.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5DGRw75K_4lVB5tPU6eYfooexOn89d7S42TyDhoWp3Jb6ZfV33AonZUpVyhyFhe-h7IksVE2Np2jpZQY2qFiNAERAnd370gZ0lF6_G3HIO6H7IkWw4FVA3AotqNg-rAA8yOaRdmmOlnhQ/s320/IMG_20130806_165734.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">17<sup>th</sup>
July – Wednesday</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">I
had to behave myself on this particular edition of Wednesday. It
ended up being a lovely evening with Dan, Erick, Jo and Emma – but
it was really nice as I had some low alcohol (I know right, me, low
alcohol?) wine and a reasonably early night.</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUHAJgKQUPT7ZX-V99H44lO5l4LogcNJOoKN83Zri-0PdEOK869wc6GbfJKlwZPp-KAIw_TvQW7AD157zgwLNeoYhEXklm8ymyBgi2UjePlaeFuoozwlJFH77G6aScts75uLxEfO9Jqz8G/s1600/IMG_20130806_165849.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUHAJgKQUPT7ZX-V99H44lO5l4LogcNJOoKN83Zri-0PdEOK869wc6GbfJKlwZPp-KAIw_TvQW7AD157zgwLNeoYhEXklm8ymyBgi2UjePlaeFuoozwlJFH77G6aScts75uLxEfO9Jqz8G/s320/IMG_20130806_165849.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">18<sup>th</sup>
July – London Calling</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">On
Thursday I had the day booked off to head to Baker Street for my big
interview. I was so nervous in the morning... I packed all my notes
(with all good intention of reading them on the train), but ended up
reading a book on the train and trying not to think about it. I got
to 55 Baker Street right on time (after buying a boiling hot bucket
of coffee that I couldn't drink), and got met at reception and
escorted to the office. OMG! The office was SUPER cool! The message
they are trying to convey everywhere was inspiring creativity and
individuality... there was a table tennis set, decorations and each
team had a “theme” to their work area. Much less stuffy than my
current office! The interview went really well and the hour flew by.
After leaving Baker Street, I dropped my mate Ant a text and went to
meet him in Camden. We had a lovely couple of hours catching up with
a couple of pints in Brewdog, before it was time to head back to the
train station and back to Birmingham. </span></span>
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglS49Tgu676PNjlkTbe-F2IYmHI94b9qlwRSZ5gZ1DP42wUKrrY_BCzBvDkI_GinO5QmhyphenhyphenyKPekdkKOweVk1sWdLM2SO18Yula3J0-aV7y2sH-jnVLNp1CJqczB8z-aepZGGyRsgo5yAub/s1600/IMG_20130806_165910.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglS49Tgu676PNjlkTbe-F2IYmHI94b9qlwRSZ5gZ1DP42wUKrrY_BCzBvDkI_GinO5QmhyphenhyphenyKPekdkKOweVk1sWdLM2SO18Yula3J0-aV7y2sH-jnVLNp1CJqczB8z-aepZGGyRsgo5yAub/s320/IMG_20130806_165910.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">19<sup>th</sup>
July – Evil Dead Double Header</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">On
the Friday was a night me and Dan had been waiting for, for a while.
As part of the “Shock and Gore” festival at the Electric Cinema,
we had booked tickets to see Evil Dead and Evil Dead 2 on a posh
sofa. We met with some people from work down the Old Contemptible s
first, before heading to The Station for another cheeky pint. Once
everyone was gathered, we all trouped down to the Electric for the
main event. What can I say? I laughed, I text a waiter to bring me a
pint to my SOFA SEAT and we all had a bloody good time.</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">20<sup>th</sup>
July – Manchester</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">On
the Saturday, we had arranged to go and see our friends Liz and
Rowland at their place in Salford. After doing some morning markety
chores, we jumped in the car and hot footed it up the Motorway to get
to their place. Following a quick trip to Tesco (for more booze and
BBQ supplies), we fired up the grill and had a wonderful afternoon
(and then evening) in the warm sunshine eating lots of yummy food and
drinking more than our allocated daily units. The night ended with me
falling asleep mid-conversation on the sofa.</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXVvWgCn3EgAYJq9BrGzXs8wP4IU64UFK4JaTJIPINg9l2doACHASt3zaozWmN2gBwPWPL35CNksuEM5GzIEV7YA9YIjhQIoT9j6jcIuvppgDJC-wM-Vs0x0WZ5PBDl6Z4ydDIIAVZXzNs/s1600/IMG_20130806_165929.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXVvWgCn3EgAYJq9BrGzXs8wP4IU64UFK4JaTJIPINg9l2doACHASt3zaozWmN2gBwPWPL35CNksuEM5GzIEV7YA9YIjhQIoT9j6jcIuvppgDJC-wM-Vs0x0WZ5PBDl6Z4ydDIIAVZXzNs/s320/IMG_20130806_165929.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">21<sup>st</sup>
July – Lucky, Lust and Liquor </span></span>
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Sunday
morning was nice and chilled. After scoffing some pastries and having
a few cups of coffee, we all jumped in the car to try a legendary
“Almost Famous” burger. The Bacon Bacon Fries accompanying the
Bacon Bacon Burger (a triple burger with loads of chilli, cheese and
additional bacon) did NOT disappoint. Well worth a trip! </span></span>
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">22<sup>nd</sup>
Quiet time!</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">There
is nothing on the calender for todays date... I believe I went for
cocktails with Clare, but other than that... just chillin.</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">23<sup>rd</sup>
July – JQ Market Meeting</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">It
was time, once again, for the UDMG marketing meeting. A very pleasant
evening plotting the next summer market on the 22<sup>nd</sup>
August. The Drop Forge has a roof terrace, who knew?</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">24<sup>th</sup>
July – Wednesday</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Was
just me, Emma and a guest appearance from Emma's Mum (which was
lovely). I don't always see Emma that often, so it was really nice
to catch up with a good mate and just have a relaxing chat on her
balcony... we both had a tad too much wine though, so was a bit
tiddly!</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">25<sup>th</sup>
July – Thursday</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Emelie
was back from Sweden for a bit, so we had a special edition of Gay
Thursday. Everyone was about and Jon had a bit of a full house. It
was lovely to catch up with Em as it always seems so long between
visits. We chatted, had a few drinks and not too late a night.
Doesn't sound rock'n'roll, but it was very nice :)</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfZfjGp4cNTaaaEvuuAAPGI4gmpKhmT2Ff51VHAJ-VO87Y_ujiiD5RhjQKUzmO5IozPInXB2jdec-pBhXug1XlgZ8dslTDP_RBzPO4xnlkUqBNhOzdvZXE66hoOW7C-E2rFomJYltisLWb/s1600/IMG_20130728_205159.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfZfjGp4cNTaaaEvuuAAPGI4gmpKhmT2Ff51VHAJ-VO87Y_ujiiD5RhjQKUzmO5IozPInXB2jdec-pBhXug1XlgZ8dslTDP_RBzPO4xnlkUqBNhOzdvZXE66hoOW7C-E2rFomJYltisLWb/s320/IMG_20130728_205159.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">26<sup>th</sup>
July – THE DAY OF RECKONING</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">I
GOT THE JOB! I GOT THE JOB! I can't give too many details on here,
but needless to say I will be organising events, blogging, social
networking and generally being cool in Birmingham for a living. Very
exciting stuff! U start on the 2<sup>nd</sup> September and I CANNOT
WAIT! The evening consisted of home made waffles and lots and lots of
fizzy wine, which was a good way to welcome in the end to another
week. </span></span>
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY36BG3rIbHZY_YonfdgdRyr3q0gBol4_EykT8Rkd_PQ8P_9sUUuIdcWQWWpvrcPxiv8ZDTf9WzH1X2bXHpXnVlauFa9d1IoNkxZH5BewXJfU3pjciDapv4K9JE5LnpY7Rsvdfm7klw3WI/s1600/IMG_20130728_205008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY36BG3rIbHZY_YonfdgdRyr3q0gBol4_EykT8Rkd_PQ8P_9sUUuIdcWQWWpvrcPxiv8ZDTf9WzH1X2bXHpXnVlauFa9d1IoNkxZH5BewXJfU3pjciDapv4K9JE5LnpY7Rsvdfm7klw3WI/s320/IMG_20130728_205008.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">27<sup>th</sup>
July – Oh I do like to be beside the seaside...</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">On
Saturday we had our first ever trip with the JQNF Community to
Weston-Super-Mare. We all met at around 8:30am and piled on to our
lovely coach to zoom down the motorway. After a well needed coffee
break halfway, we launched into a JQ Quiz (there was even a prize
donated by a jeweller) and much fun was had before we drew up to our
destination. The weather wasn't scorching but did start off ok. So we
made the most of the first hour on the beach. By some miracle, the
sea was in! The group spread out over the beach and swam in the sea,
built sandcastles. Chatted and got to know each other. Me and Dan had
a sneaky bottle of Cava before hitting the arcades. Once all of the
2p's and 10p's were spent, we took a wander into the town for
fish'n'chips before hitting the Weston Beer Festival. By the time we
all got back on the coach we were all tipsy and tired, but chatted
about what a lovely time we had all enjoyed. </span></span>
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjopAOV25jYe-kUo9jcqsuQqeKC5_eHrVA848tTj8BldTQxwO-XF7EVHcnIyLGTyUHdG8-hNDyL4gFQ5QBaA67Ewd8hk1aU-xBbekXX_sWNTvOmV3yawgRSIF_3mrhY9TTyH0im-dczwwYJ/s1600/IMG_20130728_205307.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjopAOV25jYe-kUo9jcqsuQqeKC5_eHrVA848tTj8BldTQxwO-XF7EVHcnIyLGTyUHdG8-hNDyL4gFQ5QBaA67Ewd8hk1aU-xBbekXX_sWNTvOmV3yawgRSIF_3mrhY9TTyH0im-dczwwYJ/s320/IMG_20130728_205307.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">28<sup>th</sup>
July – Chores and Cinema</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The
morning was very uninspiring as we had neglected saturday chores to
attend to, but we did get to see the last in the Cornetto trilogy,
“The Worlds End.” We both thoroughly enjoyed it and it was a good
round up to the weekend.</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyEzEt6F1N48SLwWrlYcJgQ-ZzciaHKDFA6RFzEwY38r33r2OFP7nyruBOuK4Dlu3jtM4qW55UpjMlx6GsYvWs-czR4t_Awm95-v8iHsl3baCqd9wcBB64VBfiO1TumBBVQVbxLt6zPoLk/s1600/IMG_20130728_205126.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyEzEt6F1N48SLwWrlYcJgQ-ZzciaHKDFA6RFzEwY38r33r2OFP7nyruBOuK4Dlu3jtM4qW55UpjMlx6GsYvWs-czR4t_Awm95-v8iHsl3baCqd9wcBB64VBfiO1TumBBVQVbxLt6zPoLk/s320/IMG_20130728_205126.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">29<sup>th</sup>
July – The Beasts of St. Paul's Church</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Monday
bought around the next monthly instalment of the St Paul's Church
cinema club. We were treated to “The Beasts of the Southern Wild.”
We had persuaded some coach-trippers to join us, so as well as a
great film, wine and popcorn; we had good company and a lovely chat
at the end of the film. </span></span>
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeDKewxF31SUwv6BWS4tLZ_Mj6j4DgCwK0k9A3XYu9f07Hncynwm8Pzq_VzHoRLkghlhYLjE4dgk4fftQml3AclEjrm7l4gy1xzi7nDY32aHVXkSYj-zSdjGLY93gc662avgvsANa44_e1/s1600/IMG_20130806_165617.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeDKewxF31SUwv6BWS4tLZ_Mj6j4DgCwK0k9A3XYu9f07Hncynwm8Pzq_VzHoRLkghlhYLjE4dgk4fftQml3AclEjrm7l4gy1xzi7nDY32aHVXkSYj-zSdjGLY93gc662avgvsANa44_e1/s320/IMG_20130806_165617.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">30<sup>th</sup>
July – Wednesday</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">This
was a thoroughly enjoyable Wednesfield around Jo's place. There was
food, tunes and camaraderie as we caught up on our weeks and plotted
Emma's birthday night out on the Friday. </span></span>
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">2<sup>nd</sup>
August – BIRTHDAY BINGO!</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">On
Friday, I went to a colleagues leaving do after work. I did my
favourite trick of “going for one” and ended up “staying for
three.” After some catching up with old work friends, I hoofed it
down to the Gosta Green pub (our pick up point) to wait for the lady
of honour and Dan. Our destination? Mecca bingo in Acocks Green. I am
a self confessed bingo lover, but it was great fun to introduce new
people to the fun. We even had a £200 winner in our group, which
made it extra exciting!</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">3<sup>rd</sup>
August – Japanamania!</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Saturday
was very exciting. After waking up early and going to the dentist (as
well as other assorted chores), we met up with Jon and Tom to head to
the Electric Cinema. I LOVE Studio Ghibli and much to my delight,
they were showing the newest installment (From Up On Poppy Hill) for
a few days. We grabbed a beer from the foyer and enjoyed a visual
feast surrounded by friends. Afterwards we headed to Woktastic (the
BEST Sushi in Birmingham) for some conveyor sushi and mulling on the
film. A really pleasant, relaxing evening. </span></span>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyAn700TvVtdCqsf5XpVh6-oWtjDrATxyV5pXyhBsZhvF2XlSh4fStdK1w1JMGPw2CdvaXY63A0nUsOQrrcBcALds8oEZsIXrokHgVt78DFIaPh-py9nhunYHscb2bNSnhbzh46DYtdmjB/s1600/IMG_20130806_165703.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyAn700TvVtdCqsf5XpVh6-oWtjDrATxyV5pXyhBsZhvF2XlSh4fStdK1w1JMGPw2CdvaXY63A0nUsOQrrcBcALds8oEZsIXrokHgVt78DFIaPh-py9nhunYHscb2bNSnhbzh46DYtdmjB/s320/IMG_20130806_165703.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">4<sup>th</sup>
August – Monsters University</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">After
a fortnight of film, it was only right that I also indulged my love
of Pixar. I was really chuffed with Odeon, as their 10:40am showing
was only £4 per adult AND we got some BOGOF vouchers for next time.
We loved the film and laughed all the way through. The lovely thing
about Pixar movies for me is that it's like seeing old friends. You
know them, you love them and for a little while, you get to live your
life with them through magical animation. The short film about
Umbrella's was super cute too – so I came out of the cinema feeling
all warm and fuzzy inside. Sticking with the “Worlds End” and
“Fuzzy” theme, we rewatched Hot Fuzz in the evening. Genius. </span></span>
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_vh99by9p3cpftYoJB84b0Pbe61Pu7zWbuAP_dDcjO18UhKpmFEyKu_MIQ01MnIK_FfTBlAtzjYWm1X86IUNViBvb13YeiEgvrMVV9ib6qdP8WEExPgEVYcoIWcsp4NJlBwLYCPNYX6I-/s1600/IMG_20130728_205236.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_vh99by9p3cpftYoJB84b0Pbe61Pu7zWbuAP_dDcjO18UhKpmFEyKu_MIQ01MnIK_FfTBlAtzjYWm1X86IUNViBvb13YeiEgvrMVV9ib6qdP8WEExPgEVYcoIWcsp4NJlBwLYCPNYX6I-/s320/IMG_20130728_205236.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">6<sup>th</sup>
August – 24 Carrots Market meeting</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">So
this brings me bang up to date! We had a further meeting about the 24
carrots market at St Paul's Church. I am very pleased to announce
that we have a market on the 22<sup>nd</sup> August! There will be a
BBQ. Pimms, Stalls and hopefully a lot of fun. It's all being run by
volunteers (with the help of Vicar Mary), so if you're about – come
on down! </span></span>
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnEy-NSfW7_EvJAafxVJmjc4t_DSDBq6lOUu_xxMX_G10rTpwDdU5Dxj6PO120b-lzv_DXayn7UOclRM2zgB7_izt_hIT0iojVEF_G1aiaw74WMoeO_kv_kHcSf8MNrzhyphenhyphenL1ggghr1pu9a/s1600/IMG_20130806_165641.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnEy-NSfW7_EvJAafxVJmjc4t_DSDBq6lOUu_xxMX_G10rTpwDdU5Dxj6PO120b-lzv_DXayn7UOclRM2zgB7_izt_hIT0iojVEF_G1aiaw74WMoeO_kv_kHcSf8MNrzhyphenhyphenL1ggghr1pu9a/s320/IMG_20130806_165641.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Hopefully
that's given you a little taste of what I've been up to. Again. I am
knackered... but I genuinely think if I stopped – i'd be bored! I'm
really excited about my new job and especially about iVardensphere,
Deejaying Friday, Infest and my new job – so it's all happening in
Vickyland!</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Much
Love, Vix </span></span>
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
Vickyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05668490683430962033noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6274969422164535445.post-58444856517919658152013-07-08T07:19:00.001-07:002013-07-08T07:19:25.009-07:00June into July<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">June into July…<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So, despite me thinking things would be quieter towards the middle of the year, it’s all gone off! I’ll try and summarise some highlights for you (with plenty of photographs), but there really is too much to remember!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We haven’t had more than 3 nights in over the course of June – July… so busy busy busy. Really nice though! Caught up with old friends and family and made some new ones and been to lots of exciting locations… well… I’ll go back to the beginning shall I…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKhfmxNDszTDoqHQaWK30ZBseTLWWNFk-0-72SNanc2Nto262u_DZewgg1ebwZqGUYwyAemNNL1PnUevm1eZe8EvHLURFOhXiuHH4c9tGeogoGiWNJtNmZp8japjf5la7nbLPnX7TCTOXo/s1600/IMG_20130707_181709.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKhfmxNDszTDoqHQaWK30ZBseTLWWNFk-0-72SNanc2Nto262u_DZewgg1ebwZqGUYwyAemNNL1PnUevm1eZe8EvHLURFOhXiuHH4c9tGeogoGiWNJtNmZp8japjf5la7nbLPnX7TCTOXo/s320/IMG_20130707_181709.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">3<sup>rd</sup> – 5<sup>th</sup> June (Erick’s here)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We were lucky enough to have a visit from our wonderful friend Erick on 3<sup>rd</sup>… after a brief SOS meeting with Jo in the park post-work, we hoofed it to the Ropewalk on St Paul’s Square to enjoy some moderately warm sunshine and some lovely cold pints. It was really nice, as Jo had never met Erick – but they got on really well and we all sat out and drank far more than previously anticipated. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">On the Wednesday, we had booked a day off to hang out and take Erick somewhere fun. Obviously, we settled on one of the funnest places in the UK – Alton Towers! Despite getting there early and it being a Wednesday, it was surprisingly rammed. It didn’t spoil our enjoyment though and we managed to get on 13, Nemesis, Ripsaw and most of the big rides. The highlight was definitely the new ride though – Smiler. Despite advertising a 3.5 hour queue (seriously), we chanced single riders and got on within 30 mins. Totally worth it. We left after that, figuring that nothing else would be as good!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We were back at work Thursday, but it wasn’t too bad. Erick was going to see some other friends, so it wasn’t any skin off his nose and it was nice for us to have a break from work – even if it was just one day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinEtkUMY9-42QVftb9v386VMHni5xyhLBNLcDWzxv2K8BTpcbV4iuXusWd9LSEMWiG7D2h3k9Hz6_tPUBX_c6FG0ZfoKmCv2Q9EvI3rB06i-bSPN6eDqjYEFTgZXkrRNoi9MRabiWMzoVV/s1600/IMG_20130707_182519.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinEtkUMY9-42QVftb9v386VMHni5xyhLBNLcDWzxv2K8BTpcbV4iuXusWd9LSEMWiG7D2h3k9Hz6_tPUBX_c6FG0ZfoKmCv2Q9EvI3rB06i-bSPN6eDqjYEFTgZXkrRNoi9MRabiWMzoVV/s320/IMG_20130707_182519.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">7<sup>th</sup> June – Judder!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We filled the Thursday night and managed to adequately prepare for Judder on Friday… Judder is a club night in Cheltenham run by our lovely friend’s Lee and Charlie. We managed to blag a last minute hotel for just over £30, so after work it was all systems go! Bags packed, fancy dress outfit prepared and a dash in the car later – we were ready for our first taste of Cheltenham goth. The theme was comic books, and the company and costumes were brilliant! We had a fabulous night chatting and dancing, and to top it off – I won best dressed female (in a borrowed Tank Girl outfit), so it really was a night to remember. I can’t wait to go back!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Saturday was Cheltenham Science festival. So slightly hungover, we made our way to the town hall to soak up some knowledge. We didn’t stay for long, but we did have a lovely mooch around and saw a mock surgery – which was really interesting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<o:p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhkQIIJ8RGfkwv6Kj2owL4BdbwR4fgqrSM_2iBPVp656IU9FmynLuRmF894XRCYwCSeRMq5GJVbCCG6hkN4EFMcapvmMz63HiwpKDlO7CtxJugem0G8zsNVxnvlhy7pip8fQa8ZjN53uWi/s1600/IMG_20130707_182424.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhkQIIJ8RGfkwv6Kj2owL4BdbwR4fgqrSM_2iBPVp656IU9FmynLuRmF894XRCYwCSeRMq5GJVbCCG6hkN4EFMcapvmMz63HiwpKDlO7CtxJugem0G8zsNVxnvlhy7pip8fQa8ZjN53uWi/s320/IMG_20130707_182424.jpg" width="320" /></a></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">9<sup>th</sup> – BBQ fun in the sun!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">On the 9<sup>th</sup>, we had a full day planned. However, I had taken a bit of a spill on the Friday night so was limping quite drastically. I sat out the art installation (A universe of sound) and did a few chores, before meeting up with the others for sun, a few beers and some grilled veggies and meats. Ended up being a lovely afternoon filled with catch up chats and giggles.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Monday and Tuesday were blessedly quiet and a good chance to catch up on charity stuff for work and the JQNF posse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also booked our flights to Vienna in September, so that’s something else to look forward too!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<o:p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIidmItsjt5Wdh-nFl65pT96tggy7gF23yy70fsduHRHjW0q933aeUD_dHCIKf0UWS85fg5JyU_mxN2xezICVtkVlk_I_KQnrzfDrcYok26f6iz7lQUO7gQ2iX7MrNQM3ygtBTMfh2dO3c/s1600/IMG_20130707_182358.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIidmItsjt5Wdh-nFl65pT96tggy7gF23yy70fsduHRHjW0q933aeUD_dHCIKf0UWS85fg5JyU_mxN2xezICVtkVlk_I_KQnrzfDrcYok26f6iz7lQUO7gQ2iX7MrNQM3ygtBTMfh2dO3c/s320/IMG_20130707_182358.jpg" width="320" /></a></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">12<sup>th</sup> – Bollywood Dancing<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">On the 12<sup>th</sup>, I learned how to Bollywood dance. It was a free event put on by the CBD, and was great fun! The day had been very pleasant, but it unfortunately rained when we were due to do our workshop – which was probably a blessing in disguise as we got to do it indoors (away from the eyes of the people working in the CBD). I’m not very graceful, but I gave it my best and me and Jo danced until the sweat was going in our eyes. Not a lovely picture… but fun all the same!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">On the Thursday I had a well overdue catch up with Cate at the 6/8 Kafe. It was good to hear she was doing ok, as many of my friends are having a bit of a rollercoaster of a year… <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZzdUbuiriNbVcRJPKtCaZqcgKoAOk-ZZn5IIIwVOnIHi11nsdnwF9FEy788ymrg0S_e-hPN2hWeRGed1_-uYjLvjOGErdZy_zb5jWSboE4vjKdH5Czq6lXUA51lK24Fk6Ln1DXCCu4FPg/s1600/IMG_20130707_181750.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZzdUbuiriNbVcRJPKtCaZqcgKoAOk-ZZn5IIIwVOnIHi11nsdnwF9FEy788ymrg0S_e-hPN2hWeRGed1_-uYjLvjOGErdZy_zb5jWSboE4vjKdH5Czq6lXUA51lK24Fk6Ln1DXCCu4FPg/s320/IMG_20130707_181750.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">15<sup>th</sup> - Ritual Noise<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">For the life of me, I cannot even remember what I did on the Friday now… it’ll have probably been eventful on account of us not being in on a Friday for weeks – but I couldn’t honestly tell you… Saturday was a rush day. Got up nice and early, went to market, did some chores before shoving some stuff in a bag and dashing to Lancaster with Jon in tow. We were staying with our friends Jex and McBain who put on a monthly club night at “The Park” hotel. Once we had got there, we settled down with a couple of drinks and had a quick catch-up before heading to the venue for 8pm. A mad might ensued with seeing old friends, meeting new ones, dancing and teapots filled with cocktails before dying a tired drunken death at about 3am.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The next day was father’s day and Dan’s niece’s birthday. It was lovely to catch up with Dan’s family, and we had some tasty BBQ food and nibbles, as well as plenty of coffee and squash (to hydrate from the night before). Luckily, we woke up quite spritely – so running around after a 2 year old and a 4 year old was more fun than a difficult obstacle to overcome. They are just so darn cute – it was good to get lots of cuddles and play with their new circus tent. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Monday and Tuesday I was out and about playing catch-up with people again – having non-alcoholic cocktails and coffee (as I’d packed in booze for two weeks), before networking Wednesday…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitf_h0btOjwUSTQJMOnK6lxpfGpL3jDre2pk-lIYAGYz4dT1Nvc2ZHcKoVTYZDNIcdt2e1EBopfgnSrxGSwW8Ufj6zgSN_v4on4n3Wwbfn5xY41PftcGcfqSL2WkBX-JduYmnTtk3us9Og/s1600/IMG_20130707_181517.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitf_h0btOjwUSTQJMOnK6lxpfGpL3jDre2pk-lIYAGYz4dT1Nvc2ZHcKoVTYZDNIcdt2e1EBopfgnSrxGSwW8Ufj6zgSN_v4on4n3Wwbfn5xY41PftcGcfqSL2WkBX-JduYmnTtk3us9Og/s320/IMG_20130707_181517.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0y1d1LzZsnMYIE4FpbcggiSKumGlyPGnJJjUgfKrF263t3mirfyibcAw_x526NzJPHsa3XQWkjWheEb0Q3FDbhwdojncIMC4IHdOJKzgf_QKzfEhu8B0yN6N0zkDVPi85Cg_7A6fCDM0s/s1600/IMG_20130707_181609.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0y1d1LzZsnMYIE4FpbcggiSKumGlyPGnJJjUgfKrF263t3mirfyibcAw_x526NzJPHsa3XQWkjWheEb0Q3FDbhwdojncIMC4IHdOJKzgf_QKzfEhu8B0yN6N0zkDVPi85Cg_7A6fCDM0s/s320/IMG_20130707_181609.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">19<sup>th</sup> – Birmingham Futures<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">On Wednesday, me and Jon went to a Birmingham Futures Networking event at KPMG (Snow Hill 1). We were lucky to blag our way onto the guest list, so we had a great evening of watching the sun slowly set from one of the highest buildings in Birmingham and hearing some really inspiring speeches about the progress of regeneration and tourism in the City Centre. I sing Birmingham’s praises all the time, but it’s nice to see people with real power and authority showing their love for the City. Jonathon Cheetham (Head of Retail Birmingham), hit the nail on the head with his speech. He culminated with a statement along the lines of, “We have something really special in Birmingham. The problem is, we don’t shout about it.” It’s true. We have everything here, from fashion and art events, to live music, world firsts, food festivals and more free museums than you can shake a stick at! I came away filled with love and a renewed commitment to sharing my experiences in Birmingham with as many people as would listen…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih6b4trQT3WHLgalSqB0IT4wbIvT5SsDHspHdx0KYEfrqHXtZ7RHfhFkCkZXmNrL-9f53bz6csYA_pgKBLSqRromz3tB7cl7o0CDkCy4h4EdqzNDx7TNQMSjtXelNfqTnYoebxMcpRb9ZX/s1600/IMG_20130707_182259.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih6b4trQT3WHLgalSqB0IT4wbIvT5SsDHspHdx0KYEfrqHXtZ7RHfhFkCkZXmNrL-9f53bz6csYA_pgKBLSqRromz3tB7cl7o0CDkCy4h4EdqzNDx7TNQMSjtXelNfqTnYoebxMcpRb9ZX/s320/IMG_20130707_182259.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">On the Thursday, I met up with Cate once again. This was a nice quiet evening and a good chance to get an update on gossip with her and Jo. Friday was exhausting. After a long week at work (lots of meetings, late finishes and early starts), I had arranged a Zumba event for Charity. Come 5’o’clock I was nervously waiting in the lobby of my building praying people would turn up and pay their £3 to strut their stuff. It was a hot day and a Friday evening, so I was pleased with the turn out of 11 people (seeing as about 10 dropped out on the day). We had a great time and made £40 for charity – which the company should match – so will be £80. Not bad for an event that cost nothing to run.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">22<sup>nd</sup> – sober gigging<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So Saturday 22<sup>nd</sup>. I had managed one week sober at this point and was determined to carry on…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>after another day of chores and normal Saturday things, we met with Clare and some of her friends at the Island Bar. Did you know if you buy 4 alcoholic drinks you can get a none alcoholic drink free? It was a revelation to me and meant that I had 2 lovely fruity cocktails for the princely sum of nothing. After this, we headed down to the Sunflower lounge to see 3 bands for a fiver – a bargain in my book! Linerunners (from Hereford) were a well-rounded and post-punk influenced band. We drank in their original compositions and duly tapped our feet, clapped along and shouted our approval all through the set. They were followed by Batsch, a massively underrated British Electo indie outfit, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The last band were Bella Diem from Birmingham. Whilst being very tight and sounding very mature, they were a bit AOR for my tastes – so we slunk off halfway through their set to grab a much deserved good night’s sleep.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">On the Sunday, me and Dan spent the day together. We hung out before heading to the cinema to see “Man of Steel.” Whilst it was not groundbreaking, we both enjoyed it far more than we thought we would and got a free drink (courtesy of a voucher emailed from the cinema), so it was a nice chilled afternoon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I had to have a chilled one due to a 5:30 start on Monday morning to catch a train to Cardiff. Dan duly got up with me (to drive me to the train station). Bless him. The journey was a bit of shock to the system, but the training course was really good (I am now officially a BSI trained auditor) and I fell in love with Cardiff. I stayed in a Holiday Inn over the road from Cardiff Castle and next to the stadium, so was bang in the middle of town surrounded by its clean streets and pretty shop fronts. It was hard to be away from home for a couple of nights, but I did enjoy learning a new skill and meeting people from all different industries.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxXCokvOVkgyvbbiG1IZTH0uvofkzcKfxFuDhn4-rgWXoLTsBZsi5DXmayfv50_UmzjeCwti_SG3DZLTXfDG27CDoOynzFKTrhDZ431IubgEnNJVcp9fxRXETsk-ea8FAPazzEnBtMs8Uw/s1600/IMG_20130707_182329.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxXCokvOVkgyvbbiG1IZTH0uvofkzcKfxFuDhn4-rgWXoLTsBZsi5DXmayfv50_UmzjeCwti_SG3DZLTXfDG27CDoOynzFKTrhDZ431IubgEnNJVcp9fxRXETsk-ea8FAPazzEnBtMs8Uw/s320/IMG_20130707_182329.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">26<sup>th</sup> – Food Fair <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">On the 26<sup>th</sup> (straight off the train), I met with Dan and headed to Yelp’s food fair at Hotel La Tour. I had never been to this venue before (even though I did a lot of the permit’s to help build it) and was pleasantly surprised. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<o:p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTfix0tzO3oEuNM4C1sI3lGHtis7erWMVwyVl2TKRqFR4FnbSH7fzeQKb3NpupaE1wkyrkWRiI6qMgiaUAhIG4En86wd_npsOfxIFIeEBApLtnlV0ujv4OXVzZInGEdihyphenhyphenN-4hi_qOgsX-/s1600/IMG_20130707_182113.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTfix0tzO3oEuNM4C1sI3lGHtis7erWMVwyVl2TKRqFR4FnbSH7fzeQKb3NpupaE1wkyrkWRiI6qMgiaUAhIG4En86wd_npsOfxIFIeEBApLtnlV0ujv4OXVzZInGEdihyphenhyphenN-4hi_qOgsX-/s320/IMG_20130707_182113.jpg" width="320" /></a></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">By the time we had got there, the majority of food had gone. There were still a few people milling about, and it was nice to catch up with Gilly, Rickie and a couple of other friends I hadn’t seen for a while (whilst eating some delicious macaroons). There was a load of free booze left, much to my despair (as I still wasn’t drinking), but it was still worth a visit and a look at some of the gastronomical delights that Birmingham has to offer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The foodie theme continued on the Thursday, as we attended the #BYY Food Rave. We got there quite early, which was a pain – but did mean that the lovely coffee people gave us some free hot drinks to warm us up. Once inside, we partook of some delightful starters from Lasan, some delicious vegan food from a deli in Moseley and the biggest Chilli Dogs you have ever seen – all in all, a good first event for the Brum Yum Yum crew.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<o:p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMCeq8hme9dUMyN48lmfQRgmyKwLmOSpXaLbJZMV1fyMgGVBS6t0-JcqlZikJAKv4c5XVwCAuozAwVFa8AXPMINh2CbmRkQCfR0VCblwDvPxeulYsPKufAqz56qNZmiJznZQWvuIxfKSPh/s1600/IMG_20130707_182226.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMCeq8hme9dUMyN48lmfQRgmyKwLmOSpXaLbJZMV1fyMgGVBS6t0-JcqlZikJAKv4c5XVwCAuozAwVFa8AXPMINh2CbmRkQCfR0VCblwDvPxeulYsPKufAqz56qNZmiJznZQWvuIxfKSPh/s320/IMG_20130707_182226.jpg" width="320" /></a></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">27<sup>th</sup> Storming the Castle<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">On the Friday (after an early night – luckily), we took Carolyn and her birthday princess (4 years old) to Warwick Castle as a special treat. After a fairly rude awakening (not the lie in we would have hoped for), we wrestled with the car seat and got safely to our destination without incident. Lacey was a treat, full of excitement and wonder when looking upon the eagles, princesses, knights and towers of this historic monument. We had a delicious picnic lunch and finished the day on a high, presenting the birthday girl with a princess hat to congratulate her on her exemplary behaviour. After cooking them both a spot of tea, we threw some stuff into a bag (once again, our trusty backpacks did us proud) before another early morning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7cz3K5SVMjTef-iWfHoXZzahlOiMnBytgAvegS482H0jMtnYGDc05tjEkh2ht-3wlBfXTlrF7eDL_k1Cd4zdQ6kJio7Nfqcmu37Lg-5gsLmxKVYEeEMjvU-yAVgrrKxS3HCNOXDccQhGw/s1600/IMG_20130707_182158.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7cz3K5SVMjTef-iWfHoXZzahlOiMnBytgAvegS482H0jMtnYGDc05tjEkh2ht-3wlBfXTlrF7eDL_k1Cd4zdQ6kJio7Nfqcmu37Lg-5gsLmxKVYEeEMjvU-yAVgrrKxS3HCNOXDccQhGw/s320/IMG_20130707_182158.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We caught the 8:10am train to London Euston on the Saturday morning (the penultimate no drinking day). After a pleasant journey spent reading and yawning, we caught the underground to Camden before walking to London Zoo. We were meeting Steve, Jo and co. at around 1pm – so took the opportunity to see all of the animals which are our favourites before the majority of families arrived (with lots of over excited children) and scared the animals into hiding. When the others arrived, we were shattered – but grabbed a spot of lunch before a pleasant meander around the more popular animals (mine and Dan’s favourites were the Aardvarks, Ant eaters, Bats and night time animals) in the blazing hot London sun.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguxTfJpsdKpX7avITihrI_ST6TG95UZ0oopfEtqieWmvkQaCcQX7iQw13xZQNryGuLgr4yUdpaNaKlNp4LX6hz2zNZaOqrKEk4GRZsEl2QGQtTdixVudPjXJaPaPqGv5kEA_pz3hol40vH/s1600/IMG_20130707_182611.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguxTfJpsdKpX7avITihrI_ST6TG95UZ0oopfEtqieWmvkQaCcQX7iQw13xZQNryGuLgr4yUdpaNaKlNp4LX6hz2zNZaOqrKEk4GRZsEl2QGQtTdixVudPjXJaPaPqGv5kEA_pz3hol40vH/s320/IMG_20130707_182611.jpg" width="320" /></a></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Once we had seen all we could see, we headed to Soho (through the Pride masses) and grabbed a gorgeous burrito – before breaking my alcohol fast early (only 5 or 6 hours, mind) with a cold, cold pint of British lager in a swarming street. After visiting a few Central London bars, we headed back to our friends house for a nights kip in preparation for another bid day Sunday..<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">30<sup>th</sup> It’s a nice day for a… goth wedding…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I woke up feeling AWFUL on the Sunday. I wouldn’t have minded, but I was very sensible on the Saturday (drinking plenty of water and eating lots of food). It was a long slog to get ready… but we did it. Once I had finished offloading the contents of my stomach (which wasn’t helped by being out in the sun all day on Saturday sans headwear), I managed to make myself presentable for our trip down to Camden Town Hall to celebrate the wedding of our friends, Lysa and Alex.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It was a lovely day, filled with old friends, tears and a sense of celebration that lasted from the start of the celebration to when we sadly had to leave and catch our train. I was definitely ready for bed when I got in, but had a real life affirming “Love is all you need” sort of day. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsd0mxVB183iLdfYAlbSWGf-sFRmbu-Qcs6u46BlX0pEz78toR8qosNU7I5f-Issnl6hvoghgQrw_ewn1xOuZBg2gXKTqJE6gh4chf1af1HBvKCHTmOyS7Tp9yL5Nf8rKSYTBLynuk4eWB/s1600/IMG_20130630_150741.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsd0mxVB183iLdfYAlbSWGf-sFRmbu-Qcs6u46BlX0pEz78toR8qosNU7I5f-Issnl6hvoghgQrw_ewn1xOuZBg2gXKTqJE6gh4chf1af1HBvKCHTmOyS7Tp9yL5Nf8rKSYTBLynuk4eWB/s320/IMG_20130630_150741.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Luckily, we had the Monday off work to recuperate. I had a charity quiz to run in the evening (another £200+ raised for the Children’s Hospital), but it went without incident and my dear work colleagues won (again). It wasn’t a late night, but after leaving the venue (Temple Street Social), further pints were enjoyed in both the Old Joint Stock and the Wellington… meaning I might have been a little merry. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">3<sup>rd</sup> July – CBD launch<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Wednesday was a big event for me! I had my magazine debut in the Colmore Business District Area guide! It was all a very fancy affair (at Hotel Du Vin, don’t you know) with lovely food, wine and good company… made some great contacts and got commissioned to write another piece! I ended up staying up waaay too late, but it was worth it and put a big smile on my face for the rest of the week. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">4<sup>th</sup> July – Independents day<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Another night… another swanky event… on Thursday we went to the celebration of Independent retailers in Birmingham. The night started with a coffee and a read of some free comics at the 6/8 Kafe, before moving on to the Great Western Arcade for free cocktails (courtesy of Bitters’n’Twisted), nibbles, interesting conversation and live jazz. Called it a night pretty early as it had been another busy week, but had a really good time with Jon, Caroline and Jo. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOEjU_mPozgl3SZX21C2X6nVALgfcHyGj4Q2Yz6HQHigshflFsjAvPmQWw9GpLOl2-Hk5NJjA0U5XTaRs6sr_4tf_2Op9g_qZVFwpb8Qz_PeZxh9Rw4_wDOoRx_t2k8y2MYK1dvrLRleP8/s1600/IMG_20130625_213315.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOEjU_mPozgl3SZX21C2X6nVALgfcHyGj4Q2Yz6HQHigshflFsjAvPmQWw9GpLOl2-Hk5NJjA0U5XTaRs6sr_4tf_2Op9g_qZVFwpb8Qz_PeZxh9Rw4_wDOoRx_t2k8y2MYK1dvrLRleP8/s320/IMG_20130625_213315.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">5<sup>th</sup> – 8<sup>th</sup> July – Carnival in the Sun!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The last few days to give you an update on… Finally went home and caught up with the parents in Milton Keynes at the weekend. It was my brothers birthday and carnival weekend – so it was the social height of Buckinghamshire’s calendar! All joking aside, it was a great chance to actually put my feet up, catch up with the family and see some of my friends..<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So… I’m going to leave it there for now, but stay tuned blog fans! We’ve got a busy weekend this weekend, next weekend and pretty much until the end of August (not even counting all the stuff planned in the weeks!). </span></div>
Vickyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05668490683430962033noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6274969422164535445.post-43839411519932309062013-06-03T09:55:00.001-07:002013-06-03T09:55:20.980-07:00May Part Deux<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
So, as predicted, I’ve been lax as ever. May has been a really busy
month in the Osgard Household! No time to stop and think, let alone write the
blog. Thanks for being patient and bearing (Grrr) with me. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Let’s start where we left off… Eurovision! What a night that turned out
to be! Me and Danface headed down to Lidl in the day to stock up with European
snacks for a fun filled themed evening. Ended up buying lots of interesting
sweets and savouries for the hungry hoards. After doing Market, Lidl, town and
Tesco – we cleaned the flat and rearranged the furniture to fit people in. To
give you an idea of size in the flat, you can comfortably fit 4 -5 people in
the living room. We managed 10 (with some of our friends having to sit on the
floor). When people started to arrive at 7:30, we realised there wasn’t enough
worktop space! To top off the brioche, Finnish crackers and assorted cheeses,
snacks and other cakes; we were bought Borsche (I have NO idea if that’s spelt
right), a Russian cake, a Dutch apple cake, a Jameson’s cheese cake, French
truffles and lots of other bits and pieces… the tables were GROANING with
foods! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE-I1dVeeFZyqaAO3thZ5k40tG8vSXFhga32VB_VrnDLmRfJrel_dV-51A62DNAcNAgmva7id0UiG-AXih-pGg8nwMZR6ihaejEPpu2bKIAdI5eNtVXHRuY4TRptl2ZjoUXuzRs990yL48/s1600/IMG_20130603_171936.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE-I1dVeeFZyqaAO3thZ5k40tG8vSXFhga32VB_VrnDLmRfJrel_dV-51A62DNAcNAgmva7id0UiG-AXih-pGg8nwMZR6ihaejEPpu2bKIAdI5eNtVXHRuY4TRptl2ZjoUXuzRs990yL48/s1600/IMG_20130603_171936.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR9AZEoWFvrJugV_l2NJC-6hpvc-14phyphenhyphen3AlN2uBZYRHZQf9UZ0hOSC4Sdhaqn7hJqxuRuZkzyQrM69mCEXH4RydssGDxZP0_AMtOsb5IZ1_jCA_WfMD-vKjCp-_7N0BZbpDliTh6P2qd4/s1600/IMG_20130603_172027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR9AZEoWFvrJugV_l2NJC-6hpvc-14phyphenhyphen3AlN2uBZYRHZQf9UZ0hOSC4Sdhaqn7hJqxuRuZkzyQrM69mCEXH4RydssGDxZP0_AMtOsb5IZ1_jCA_WfMD-vKjCp-_7N0BZbpDliTh6P2qd4/s1600/IMG_20130603_172027.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA3x2wZzvh-k59IFnr4vhcjJrehCRf0_76RnzEe6JNQp4ZB7exUyhvU_UF4IXtaGLWlVfjUdt0QBn9O0gbW7fx6mywgfbh3rHAksralPzpo0HX0qhbbB7Ib1iD9S_Aa_odOBLdVI32UooM/s1600/IMG_20130603_172103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA3x2wZzvh-k59IFnr4vhcjJrehCRf0_76RnzEe6JNQp4ZB7exUyhvU_UF4IXtaGLWlVfjUdt0QBn9O0gbW7fx6mywgfbh3rHAksralPzpo0HX0qhbbB7Ib1iD9S_Aa_odOBLdVI32UooM/s1600/IMG_20130603_172103.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDwvR0_WZs5pOJsqB2Ry8iJNwpaPOoWASUXPuHuL8c3jgDgoT0OgNMaW1zMPnGnsnDeAYMaJ1YxGsVip5Rhfmxftg2wtJ5XQhhx_efjE0N607fj4Wnq63_tqa27XnZypmF7lHrUmZ5qC6J/s1600/IMG_20130603_172127.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDwvR0_WZs5pOJsqB2Ry8iJNwpaPOoWASUXPuHuL8c3jgDgoT0OgNMaW1zMPnGnsnDeAYMaJ1YxGsVip5Rhfmxftg2wtJ5XQhhx_efjE0N607fj4Wnq63_tqa27XnZypmF7lHrUmZ5qC6J/s1600/IMG_20130603_172127.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Everyone chose a country to support, so we had Jon turn up as a Russian
monk, Jo came covered in packs of Malteasers, I painted a Norwegian flat on my
face and dressed in red and blue and everyone else had little touches to give
away their favoured country. Before the contest, I ended up putting some cold
hard cash (£2.20) bets on – walked away with a whopping £1.20 profit. Get in! Our
Sweepstake was a success as well, with Jon walking away with £9 on Azerbijan.
We had a brilliant time – shouting at the TV and singing along… The real mark
was the hangovers everyone had on Sunday.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
On the Sunday, Me and Dan attempted to do some tidying up – before
heading to BMAG. We had been meaning to go for ages to catch their “Metropolis”
exhibition, but hadn’t really had a chance. We got there for 1pm and started to
wander around… before realising it was 4:15 (the museum closed at 5pm) – so had
to make our way out. The place is a total maze – but totally brilliant! If you
haven’t been recently, put aside a few hours and pop down. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPny81cgFVys9DY1pUt__pMnH2Mu1bAeg9f1GQ6aYDUuv4tjRQBXJWDiExamu_RTlkiSqPIGADg7X2_KsrQNyVazdzJ9hpUnj6ijI4TQ2TtJA4JbVG37UIREsFt1rcjqoRfRatCqq4RNbp/s1600/IMG_20130603_172157.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPny81cgFVys9DY1pUt__pMnH2Mu1bAeg9f1GQ6aYDUuv4tjRQBXJWDiExamu_RTlkiSqPIGADg7X2_KsrQNyVazdzJ9hpUnj6ijI4TQ2TtJA4JbVG37UIREsFt1rcjqoRfRatCqq4RNbp/s1600/IMG_20130603_172157.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzjv09GUNJC6DB8g5uRIPX1M7DZ8hpWOXkOQ2wqdfyV7K8RsbHsyPjXTx6jO-6ba68_jCuu0fJIdwy1x31VqFhyphenhyphenPhjg717NUtuGKNRcKyTLDSqGTuQ5fMIz0gfCD7EdI_ENqRLnjcSTZGs/s1600/IMG_20130603_172229.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzjv09GUNJC6DB8g5uRIPX1M7DZ8hpWOXkOQ2wqdfyV7K8RsbHsyPjXTx6jO-6ba68_jCuu0fJIdwy1x31VqFhyphenhyphenPhjg717NUtuGKNRcKyTLDSqGTuQ5fMIz0gfCD7EdI_ENqRLnjcSTZGs/s1600/IMG_20130603_172229.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3GZmAURYDqK6mOw7uf592igXVBohUxSlMzaDPohTbzFk065UrgP4vlo11rgARN4kbeYf7erFS1GqODB7kDtKD7vdYzwA4opILJCpTP7JizoB7Q14ziWMfF2X9srZUQyikbiLADcArLYw4/s1600/IMG_20130603_172317.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3GZmAURYDqK6mOw7uf592igXVBohUxSlMzaDPohTbzFk065UrgP4vlo11rgARN4kbeYf7erFS1GqODB7kDtKD7vdYzwA4opILJCpTP7JizoB7Q14ziWMfF2X9srZUQyikbiLADcArLYw4/s1600/IMG_20130603_172317.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFRrE4OL0JWne8_MaUnF2ZFM06yHhCCSKtqmj_54G1z_piWnKP1LobCNwwxZvhyd2m_QX1I2GvHdRTuTqZsVvh3gp9fDamLl8KE_bwffldiKxq_UBiulmZheBesCXR5-P4kuXainNjLPBa/s1600/IMG_20130603_172458.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFRrE4OL0JWne8_MaUnF2ZFM06yHhCCSKtqmj_54G1z_piWnKP1LobCNwwxZvhyd2m_QX1I2GvHdRTuTqZsVvh3gp9fDamLl8KE_bwffldiKxq_UBiulmZheBesCXR5-P4kuXainNjLPBa/s1600/IMG_20130603_172458.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC-ZIRqKhvHP9QJMt4IHI_aNDplEriDOifUQNhwHh5IhmuTHY1sFeoloXJuFGKLBxzS8lQSTbIUoBHvELLn5mBh9GJJZtOXF-rkLPNiWsioESY170IZvYip5oqwKJovnVprcIgafLZrJHU/s1600/IMG_20130603_172545.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC-ZIRqKhvHP9QJMt4IHI_aNDplEriDOifUQNhwHh5IhmuTHY1sFeoloXJuFGKLBxzS8lQSTbIUoBHvELLn5mBh9GJJZtOXF-rkLPNiWsioESY170IZvYip5oqwKJovnVprcIgafLZrJHU/s1600/IMG_20130603_172545.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
On the Tuesday, I had a very exciting evening. I got invited to
undertake a safety visit on the Birmingham Queensway tunnels at night. Rather
than giving you a complete run down on here (and repeating myself), the blog I
wrote for that is shortly due to appear on here <a href="http://www.amey.co.uk/BrumTunnels/SiteManagerBlog.aspx">http://www.amey.co.uk/BrumTunnels/SiteManagerBlog.aspx</a>.
Keep an eye on it! It was a lot of fun, but very tiring as I went to work for
7:30am, home for 12:00pm, picked up and 9:15pm and back home for after 1am!
Didn’t take any pictures of me in my sexy PPE (Bright Yellow is NOT my colour),
so I’ll leave that to your imaginations. Needless to say, it’s not pretty.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHbb7vDusCFCS7w84D9ty4NhUGJwhB2Sq_V-BE73RbfSmhLcXpkPEmS_1YxWK3lX3XVjKuitcCyWEKzYabC-2AkIKHAD8zPxupN8w_MRa_dXgYGYNJTwUYRs5lDrQyQQgwF5giIlTuTymo/s1600/IMG_20130603_172607.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHbb7vDusCFCS7w84D9ty4NhUGJwhB2Sq_V-BE73RbfSmhLcXpkPEmS_1YxWK3lX3XVjKuitcCyWEKzYabC-2AkIKHAD8zPxupN8w_MRa_dXgYGYNJTwUYRs5lDrQyQQgwF5giIlTuTymo/s1600/IMG_20130603_172607.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
On Wednesday – I was shattered (as you can imagine). We still had Gay
Wednesday, but I wasn’t very with it… However, it did spark a good conversation
with my friend Jo about how we haven’t been out together (on our own), in years
– the summary of which will appear later.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
On Thursday, me, Dan and Emma had a fantastic evening. As one of my
birthday presents, Emma had booked us tickets to go and see “Dr Frankenstein’s
Travelling Freakshow” at the Old joint Stock. We got there for about 7:15 and
grabbed a pint and a quick catchup before heading upstairs to the eerily decked
out waiting area for the screen. The corridor was all laden with torn and
stained circus flags and a weird black and white video was showing on a loop
with creepy circus music playing in the background. When the doors opened to
the theatre, we quickly found seats opposite the stage. The stage was quite
plan, just raised with boxes and decorated with a mini big top (like a utility
tent), again with the strange circus music playing over the top… I’m not going
to give too much away about the show on here (in case you ever get to see it),
but I would encourage you all to catch it if you can! Details of the tour are here
<a href="http://www.tinshedtheatrecompany.com/%23!frankensteinfreakshow/cjvj">http://www.tinshedtheatrecompany.com/#!frankensteinfreakshow/cjvj</a>
and the only review I will give was that it was hilarious, edgy, unsettling and
gripping all of the way through. A real treat!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn-0T8UbF7isp0HLtLu-u2U2S0bmDcABxxKX-qfT4wpanchwjPM1M58h30nlIMQPTvLn6DpTOudv272jjJv5YyEngQWtMisR-7UTkppVFZlRWss2TcDEtM29tnoV2QZ0rZsLoXiTCcjdCE/s1600/IMG_20130603_172745.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn-0T8UbF7isp0HLtLu-u2U2S0bmDcABxxKX-qfT4wpanchwjPM1M58h30nlIMQPTvLn6DpTOudv272jjJv5YyEngQWtMisR-7UTkppVFZlRWss2TcDEtM29tnoV2QZ0rZsLoXiTCcjdCE/s1600/IMG_20130603_172745.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyCho6P-gylExCydHVBSMkYmNljsW_MOegMj7F5sNjTRXKlnoUIonSl3H2ZL2ui3sd0mSLciSKTwpWK3AXmrS8ncFHq8kJhqM6AV8Gz44dyRvauZu1T5Fl6MDtBdQgI_jIteG26mubw8eE/s1600/IMG_20130603_172701.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyCho6P-gylExCydHVBSMkYmNljsW_MOegMj7F5sNjTRXKlnoUIonSl3H2ZL2ui3sd0mSLciSKTwpWK3AXmrS8ncFHq8kJhqM6AV8Gz44dyRvauZu1T5Fl6MDtBdQgI_jIteG26mubw8eE/s1600/IMG_20130603_172701.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
The Friday in work was a half day (thank goodness), as it was balls.
But… Friday was a nice day, as it was Nate’s birthday! A fun half day of
surprise birthday goodness was hatched. We started off by all heading to
Sarehole Mill in Birmingham to have a Tolkein inspired afternoon. A really
lovely museum built around a working watermill (which the lovely gent switched
on for us so we could see it in action). Despite the cold, miserable weather in
Birmingham – the bright and breezy atmosphere being around our friends made it
a lovely trip. Once we had finished, we dashed back, put our Glad rags on and
headed back out to Las Iguanas. A really nice meal was had by all before
heading to Highlight Comedy Club in town for a mix of stand-up comedians. The
first couple of comedians were quite frankly, naff – but were made up for by
the individual and quartet in the second part of the show. We had quite enough
drinks to ensure that we were receptive for a good laugh – and the last act
were so good, we were howling in the aisles!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWC67AxoTB3dm33sZGGhT5V-n0dzvghxg1D0rrPIySXqunHo0-ikdCJRsU5l1Q8qwqaqUC7757YYDBzwRx1s83DGpBpP7bHszetxp4oYgE6XzV51oryN37Tua6f2gBknlbhlUeZ9Av1uul/s1600/IMG_20130603_172815.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWC67AxoTB3dm33sZGGhT5V-n0dzvghxg1D0rrPIySXqunHo0-ikdCJRsU5l1Q8qwqaqUC7757YYDBzwRx1s83DGpBpP7bHszetxp4oYgE6XzV51oryN37Tua6f2gBknlbhlUeZ9Av1uul/s1600/IMG_20130603_172815.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBewn7De-TaeNteks2pphsOggcii6VJXTb_t9M_-T4Ev9BrtaeoWK1Hn1D-W1ds8VKxateGHhZH-OpVTz_FxIqxGa67cBS1HPxlMUdEP1h1kBuyZLa-_nCIS-TRpiBebMVjcbFNsuE6jId/s1600/IMG_20130603_172917.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBewn7De-TaeNteks2pphsOggcii6VJXTb_t9M_-T4Ev9BrtaeoWK1Hn1D-W1ds8VKxateGHhZH-OpVTz_FxIqxGa67cBS1HPxlMUdEP1h1kBuyZLa-_nCIS-TRpiBebMVjcbFNsuE6jId/s1600/IMG_20130603_172917.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
On the Saturday, we managed to drag ourselves out of bed early as we
had gotten our hands on some tickets for the Pinhole Camera workshop in the
CBD. We had a great time building our own pinhole cameras and learning a little
bit about how to use them before running around the area like mad things, just
trying to get a good shot! I have attached my best photo of the day (the
negative and the positive version), which I ended up being quite pleased with.
If you’re interested and around Birmingham, these will be on display (along
with the other less good pictures) in the 6/8 Kafe for a month! In the evening,
we had a chilled one (which we needed) watching “Dragon Wasps!” and the
beginning of the “Toxic Avenger” before heading to bed. Turns out running
around town all day in the sun is pretty tiring.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRwJdHW6lehgHmAn_62Q3ChBSTiVXm7d1EDmj7nkSnEkYoRzJVWDjdwi3dCMnz4SKWFsrUP427MnAwR30rXH2rUVX4Co0fYc7RqTF_mXk1kQ9sAL0PfQAzAH3_HoHpMpSwuymFumqb1ljw/s1600/pinhole+camera+picture+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRwJdHW6lehgHmAn_62Q3ChBSTiVXm7d1EDmj7nkSnEkYoRzJVWDjdwi3dCMnz4SKWFsrUP427MnAwR30rXH2rUVX4Co0fYc7RqTF_mXk1kQ9sAL0PfQAzAH3_HoHpMpSwuymFumqb1ljw/s1600/pinhole+camera+picture+1.jpg" height="320" width="216" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5UQnKoP_7uV5vCyoo9dJqu7ySGIa7CP_QRgcbj9ioVAJ5Hj_vtfRpA8ph5YqGVb__LQEsQIenBVhT5jiFKO9-90hN_5Jk3kXs4g4Ck74qcnVav8HtywdnNWtBoCqr1USc3sRwSi1MOqzp/s1600/pinhole+camera+picture+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5UQnKoP_7uV5vCyoo9dJqu7ySGIa7CP_QRgcbj9ioVAJ5Hj_vtfRpA8ph5YqGVb__LQEsQIenBVhT5jiFKO9-90hN_5Jk3kXs4g4Ck74qcnVav8HtywdnNWtBoCqr1USc3sRwSi1MOqzp/s1600/pinhole+camera+picture+2.jpg" height="320" width="216" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
On Sunday, we made the most of the sun! We took Jo and Caroline over to
the MAC to visit their monthly food fair, before heading to “Animalmania” at
Blakesley Hall. Just £1 to see Skunks, Meerkats, Desert Rats, Tarantula’s,
Bearded Dragons, Turtles and Snakes. We had a nice walk around the gardens too
– which was fabulous in the warm weather. As we finished earlier than we
thought, we had time to walk around Moseley Bog too – which was beautiful. All
of the walkways have been raised on logs, so it’s like walking around a forest
with wild flowers and ducklings. By the time we made it home and had made a
start on dinner, the last thing we felt like doing was going back out – but
back out we went! Back to Squeeky’s and Gitzy’s for another chilled evening to
watch the new series of Arrested Development. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR2pYpEV-6UnDczn0GSCZJbjzh4ahecwhkLFx3UmzN0OJ9F3YKUjWs7rf91E0cluHld7-JXsTHTN6nOlciHyAay593_DXDwH-eFKNsL39uqJaQsmBQLaPBYg7KPDiYzVWOiaw0BJwwnzsf/s1600/IMG_20130603_173011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR2pYpEV-6UnDczn0GSCZJbjzh4ahecwhkLFx3UmzN0OJ9F3YKUjWs7rf91E0cluHld7-JXsTHTN6nOlciHyAay593_DXDwH-eFKNsL39uqJaQsmBQLaPBYg7KPDiYzVWOiaw0BJwwnzsf/s1600/IMG_20130603_173011.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgA3HmkNSiAL-a4Qei0xXpe15l7b4ZuOJ56MH9TInHisZx1zM7q05tcbRa5uaoZgcq0Vekb2G9t35siI5F5u66Zkd_8e9QYLHYegiK0mnZuZ7vZl0ba388sVx5-oNkNoEk7vLifZ01gNUM/s1600/IMG_20130603_173044.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgA3HmkNSiAL-a4Qei0xXpe15l7b4ZuOJ56MH9TInHisZx1zM7q05tcbRa5uaoZgcq0Vekb2G9t35siI5F5u66Zkd_8e9QYLHYegiK0mnZuZ7vZl0ba388sVx5-oNkNoEk7vLifZ01gNUM/s1600/IMG_20130603_173044.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlK2dW3n4A6K2Pq_rmpM-tEV5jIBXL5sg74_zOYYHJH_6iOBkxdCT1rceqjvAUNl7qLU_oz6mB0_tDkxQ4tNeWLxgOVDqF7_A5tTyP7pllbp22XiBE0KV8BonpNIObroeIOBfGd9xBASWW/s1600/IMG_20130603_172942.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlK2dW3n4A6K2Pq_rmpM-tEV5jIBXL5sg74_zOYYHJH_6iOBkxdCT1rceqjvAUNl7qLU_oz6mB0_tDkxQ4tNeWLxgOVDqF7_A5tTyP7pllbp22XiBE0KV8BonpNIObroeIOBfGd9xBASWW/s1600/IMG_20130603_172942.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Bank Holiday Monday was (luckily) Lazy. Desperately so. I don’t think I
got out of bed before 2pm – but trust me – I needed the rest! We did manage to
fit in the weekly shop and the chores though –
as well as a trip to the lovely St Paul’s church for film club – so it
could have definitely been lazier. Another great night was had with Vicar Mary!
No film club in June, but if you fancy joining us in July – the line-up can be
found here - <a href="http://www.saintpaulbrum.org/Film%20Club%202013.pdf">http://www.saintpaulbrum.org/Film%20Club%202013.pdf</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzbd9egHwZU4QnPfSEOGL6RVHT7dn_zY7EDs7xXPq95M-fGCY6GDpITybKDI_yRwLLHv6UT9SObGESTt7hBswpSr9e-Ktwxx7JPiu5-ofP6jRynGTB3g3aqhj3LS4_CsEygFkk8hQKQnDk/s1600/IMG_20130603_172630.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzbd9egHwZU4QnPfSEOGL6RVHT7dn_zY7EDs7xXPq95M-fGCY6GDpITybKDI_yRwLLHv6UT9SObGESTt7hBswpSr9e-Ktwxx7JPiu5-ofP6jRynGTB3g3aqhj3LS4_CsEygFkk8hQKQnDk/s1600/IMG_20130603_172630.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Wednesday was lovely. I’m not having an easy time at work at the
moment, but all of my friends are being amazing! On Wednesday it all went a bit
girlie – with Tira, Caroline and Jo all coming over my place. We had plenty of
wine, ale and peanut butter chocolate fudge (as well as the usual line up of
bitching and chats), so that was a good hair down affair. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Thursday started off with a bit of a sore head (Blame the red wine),
but I had a brilliant evening at a charity fashion show for Barnado’s. The brief
the students were given was to buy materials from a charity shop for under a
set amount (about £5 I think) and then create a catwalk piece and some smaller
items to sell. I bought some lovely pieces off the lady pictured with the blue
neckpiece (below).I was tucked up in bed by a reasonable hour and manage to
sleep beautifully. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEue0t6NdRx3wMA3Zhyphenhyphenb2L1-Y6kR3RQy7SoYa2REMoqY7gPM9btmwIfFXEtiQ5DVeyQ1OiB2KvK0fKmo2nsew2cU7dYAagtutXM1P1MoKqWve8-3u56vojNLvijF_eeVKPi_9yksSrJa1q/s1600/IMG_20130603_173119.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEue0t6NdRx3wMA3Zhyphenhyphenb2L1-Y6kR3RQy7SoYa2REMoqY7gPM9btmwIfFXEtiQ5DVeyQ1OiB2KvK0fKmo2nsew2cU7dYAagtutXM1P1MoKqWve8-3u56vojNLvijF_eeVKPi_9yksSrJa1q/s1600/IMG_20130603_173119.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtsXfVMUlsVRSGm8v2ElBwNFvewylwQGiB82MJkUw1zu9ReQ74IYkKHfKFVnk5qbXpTpgCmZ3GQpE0AqVCRBTUgMNv7jLQuG5JlS6ynoeWoo3v5raStkU55L4ztxhzFB90SAF33Ekkf6zU/s1600/IMG_20130603_173145.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtsXfVMUlsVRSGm8v2ElBwNFvewylwQGiB82MJkUw1zu9ReQ74IYkKHfKFVnk5qbXpTpgCmZ3GQpE0AqVCRBTUgMNv7jLQuG5JlS6ynoeWoo3v5raStkU55L4ztxhzFB90SAF33Ekkf6zU/s1600/IMG_20130603_173145.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Going back to events of earlier… it was mine and Jo’s girlie date day
Friday! After a brief drink down the Rose Villa in the Sun with Clare (she wasn’t
feeling very well), I met some other work friends at the Jekyll and Hyde. Jo
turned up promptly for 6:30 for a last cocktail in the sun before we were
seated for food. Had some gorgeous Sea Bass with Samphire followed by Ginger
cake and a gin flight. After our meal, we went to see Jon and ended up hanging
out till 1:30am!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Saturday was another chore day with added Goth fun BBQ! After our
wander round town to pick up foods and clothes, we headed to Bournville to our
friend Nate’s house for a chilled evening with lots of grilled meats and some
laughs. Didn’t head back too late – so got a decents nights sleep with a large
added lay in to boot! Just did some chores before watching some more Arrested
Development (just two more episodes to go!) with Squeek and Gitz in the evening.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
So… we’re in June already! Lots of exciting things planned for this
month including a trip to Judder (Cheltenham), Ritual Noise (Lancaster), Dan’s
Parents (Houghton), a food based rave, a wedding, London Zoo and Warwick
Castle! It should provide some interesting photos (and hopefully good
reading!). Must dash – got a job application to do before Erick gets here from
Italy tomorrow. TTFN!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
Vickyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05668490683430962033noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6274969422164535445.post-53858553596038368072013-05-14T10:00:00.001-07:002013-05-14T10:00:06.933-07:00May we dance?<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
May we dance? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Welcome to May! The first week in May was the busiest week ever at
work! I had to dash from meeting to meeting, with barely time to grab my salad
for lunch. I did have some really good LEAN based project meetings with work
though – so that was good! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
On the evening of the 2<sup>nd</sup> was the long awaited team night
out with work… it was really frustrating as it was one of those things that
everyone in the teams (H&S, Performance and Quality) moaned that no one
organised – so I did – and then no one turned up! Well, that’s a bit of an
exaggeration… it ended up being me, Nate and my colleagues Stephen and Andy. It
was a good night – but a few ales combined with an empty stomach meant I took a
bit of a painful spill on the way home. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqzOSgnM5hhlnlTQ8rg5leV59wTWEDjpcBu6VN2xpA9kAB9b1YpXCRTzksoV-jadCFILk3SR0ilzrGirvrc082gk9TaG5U0naJmovM_0WDT8g1EpEC8IbGJU-u6zieuMS0qZGI5npaMa67/s1600/IMG_20130502_174919.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqzOSgnM5hhlnlTQ8rg5leV59wTWEDjpcBu6VN2xpA9kAB9b1YpXCRTzksoV-jadCFILk3SR0ilzrGirvrc082gk9TaG5U0naJmovM_0WDT8g1EpEC8IbGJU-u6zieuMS0qZGI5npaMa67/s1600/IMG_20130502_174919.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
I’m going to do a bit of a fortnight round up for you… so hold on to
your hats! The Bank Holiday weekend was totally fab. The Friday afternoon, I
finished work early – so had a wander around town to grab some bits and pieces
in the sun. Went through the new Station (pics below - looks great) and got to see the giant Monty Pythonesque hands they use to direct people... made me giggle!We decided to have a quiet one, as the rest of it was going to be
bit nuts! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Mj4I3exQ1lt6OXlWOGefsDww0kJzW9C60tkeP5xE_JDGwIQSVesvPsIkHsvygINAwCRjisWFeRY-o7xxdcN3wFYqufkLF-hIVm72Vc5X3EjdhfAOFOIG6Eiskt5mDEY4-yip8q0PulCl/s1600/IMG_20130507_155416.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Mj4I3exQ1lt6OXlWOGefsDww0kJzW9C60tkeP5xE_JDGwIQSVesvPsIkHsvygINAwCRjisWFeRY-o7xxdcN3wFYqufkLF-hIVm72Vc5X3EjdhfAOFOIG6Eiskt5mDEY4-yip8q0PulCl/s1600/IMG_20130507_155416.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5icyT_A5cFoMCBFbLcGUNSWIrNKBNbHi89PYF0wX2iwhNBmnVIN4tIM-EDqfB4NCChasRUYjyJ8Jmgc-iyBFoA5-prGF58ME4B5SSsLw4cWCJ5sDom7t-OolIdAz9GMPiuwTS_yWsb4BE/s1600/IMG_20130507_155444.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5icyT_A5cFoMCBFbLcGUNSWIrNKBNbHi89PYF0wX2iwhNBmnVIN4tIM-EDqfB4NCChasRUYjyJ8Jmgc-iyBFoA5-prGF58ME4B5SSsLw4cWCJ5sDom7t-OolIdAz9GMPiuwTS_yWsb4BE/s1600/IMG_20130507_155444.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIQhQQF8wd8XtmugIL1KHzvFz8S5jrDbdNT8O278NViPRfuYCKBZr5OvhM7vQ9hG-9PJYR3Xlqj0g8eFx3fY4jh5fuNL7wicXs6QA-LTrymflQ3M0pOVQ8T7cODZP4463Fna6mDBMKbgoC/s1600/IMG_20130507_155515.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIQhQQF8wd8XtmugIL1KHzvFz8S5jrDbdNT8O278NViPRfuYCKBZr5OvhM7vQ9hG-9PJYR3Xlqj0g8eFx3fY4jh5fuNL7wicXs6QA-LTrymflQ3M0pOVQ8T7cODZP4463Fna6mDBMKbgoC/s1600/IMG_20130507_155515.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
In the morning of the Saturday – we decided we would get ALL of the
chores done. We got to Market, the Supermarket, cleaned the flat and got
several loads of washing done. The Star Wars Party on the Saturday turned into
an Ace event. Squeeky and Gitzy did a fabulous job of decorating the place and
people turned up in all sorts of costumes. We had everything from Tuskan
Raiders to Jawa’s to Luke Skywalker. With the films on and an expressly picked
Star Wars related soundtrack in the background, there was laughs, cocktails and
conversation until late in the evening. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
On the Sunday – we blessedly woke up clear headed and ready to take on
the day. We made a snap decision to head to Stoke-on-Trent to enjoy the weather
and get out of the house. It ended up being a gorgeous day, and we did the 3.5
mile River Avon walk as well as a good look at the classic cars and the market
stalls that had popped up on the day. After a full weekend, we were totally
shattered – but managed to have another full day on the Monday. We walked down
to Soho House for a celebration of James Watt. As well as Steam engines and
attractions – we finally got a chance to go around Matthew Boulton House (which
was well worth the £4 admission fee!). In the evening, we went for some cocktails with the aforementioned Squeeky to celebrate her birthday. Had a lovely time... but had a bit of a sore head in the morning...</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXpqnJP-tDT5w4RWpgZrobBzOCUZDF7ejYqxINxStvajL_OOLR0M2mx6pZlqibLBlEY2xo-EBdlaTMpsPGq69OmE0GeMBx_D-R91ufBVrTfss17Gv7q0VegWcwtWXE_hN8_H8CKlPSq_vf/s1600/IMG_20130507_155542.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXpqnJP-tDT5w4RWpgZrobBzOCUZDF7ejYqxINxStvajL_OOLR0M2mx6pZlqibLBlEY2xo-EBdlaTMpsPGq69OmE0GeMBx_D-R91ufBVrTfss17Gv7q0VegWcwtWXE_hN8_H8CKlPSq_vf/s1600/IMG_20130507_155542.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTuH84AyBlschAAAQmKMIYLKTRhm_khRXy_3rAHWlfR095lBjPr4crsU-FmTyCeBl8yC_S419zp9k7BEfyOp6A53Vo3zXrcgWEvRg1VKgB46sSTTauXBV-VM8IhPCo8wkhQdPHunCDUu4s/s1600/IMG_20130507_155830.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTuH84AyBlschAAAQmKMIYLKTRhm_khRXy_3rAHWlfR095lBjPr4crsU-FmTyCeBl8yC_S419zp9k7BEfyOp6A53Vo3zXrcgWEvRg1VKgB46sSTTauXBV-VM8IhPCo8wkhQdPHunCDUu4s/s1600/IMG_20130507_155830.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF73MkbGgP-y-1mw_8PKF1aNMm2Iaw-y3INCZnspP6Ajf9D3qqv2WDhH0FsYDMePnafNJporGkGa4ybxLJuX6ayZ9vcmvu63nz7Ncf7HsOlLNGGkBbq-9zcF65iqu4-2_slW8hzzdN05wz/s1600/IMG_20130507_155757.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF73MkbGgP-y-1mw_8PKF1aNMm2Iaw-y3INCZnspP6Ajf9D3qqv2WDhH0FsYDMePnafNJporGkGa4ybxLJuX6ayZ9vcmvu63nz7Ncf7HsOlLNGGkBbq-9zcF65iqu4-2_slW8hzzdN05wz/s1600/IMG_20130507_155757.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrughI70IValB9tmj9HwyiQum-CCLKsZSBsbgFlmRJX7SmbIPZX2OcUUWfa1btIBIqukH-nM9O-BRUywSQGY3JK3TVbQ4cbGhJxsdqiU34Rpqy0fTRCs9gw_LPGMb3X54WHxntdwL7aIsz/s1600/IMG_20130507_155717.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrughI70IValB9tmj9HwyiQum-CCLKsZSBsbgFlmRJX7SmbIPZX2OcUUWfa1btIBIqukH-nM9O-BRUywSQGY3JK3TVbQ4cbGhJxsdqiU34Rpqy0fTRCs9gw_LPGMb3X54WHxntdwL7aIsz/s1600/IMG_20130507_155717.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6TcBPidtnOLv36tQMb0f8cQBCyKXxpnq6t1psw7FsNxs7rv0POhdnQxracfqc606tNlN-RBAUwO4E08MpMvuRifKSnigdJwbY7uGa4x6y2dpKIiEYaM5-Q8Uqv7HkdVn_qbfyv4UVuAiA/s1600/IMG_20130507_155652.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6TcBPidtnOLv36tQMb0f8cQBCyKXxpnq6t1psw7FsNxs7rv0POhdnQxracfqc606tNlN-RBAUwO4E08MpMvuRifKSnigdJwbY7uGa4x6y2dpKIiEYaM5-Q8Uqv7HkdVn_qbfyv4UVuAiA/s1600/IMG_20130507_155652.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyLx95i4eQXpZzkJtf-6qqRVpMHN_YcKUzVuIOwSMms7fr6emqPD8VOcUNjxaOIkdE_RvXRzLhxlRtMD6yaHQkUP13sP-FB5tDw1bjGvwbQ7beMGwV9bzbJEIm17UUzz7s05Cho4Rp9NTx/s1600/IMG_20130507_155617.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyLx95i4eQXpZzkJtf-6qqRVpMHN_YcKUzVuIOwSMms7fr6emqPD8VOcUNjxaOIkdE_RvXRzLhxlRtMD6yaHQkUP13sP-FB5tDw1bjGvwbQ7beMGwV9bzbJEIm17UUzz7s05Cho4Rp9NTx/s1600/IMG_20130507_155617.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhesHoX7riro9AW0Ab8bX4FkC2djDzkpwRatv0omwvOK31ggeCozIIzvPgAUZpPDbWHSYPZ_UpK-fsbzzWmOdvAlq-8aI-n_MdlTgNcYda6W7EuFu7cskM_dQSKnDrb08Nh3F1jX3tnDHad/s1600/IMG_20130507_155906.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhesHoX7riro9AW0Ab8bX4FkC2djDzkpwRatv0omwvOK31ggeCozIIzvPgAUZpPDbWHSYPZ_UpK-fsbzzWmOdvAlq-8aI-n_MdlTgNcYda6W7EuFu7cskM_dQSKnDrb08Nh3F1jX3tnDHad/s1600/IMG_20130507_155906.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
On the Tuesday evening, I met up with Cate and Jo for a coffee and a natter. This quickly dissolved into wine and chats at the Lord Clifton (in it's glorious beer garden - excellent for soaking up the remaining summer sun) with Alex, Vicky, Tira, Jo, Cate (and briefly) Ollie. It was a classy evening (as the picture below shows!)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguX83_M26ZhSt3ctO7kpmjS2DcFBUETDLbyWm4b1vEm951zI_yXStdx866rNZVaHemTX7At2oK0bkI2ydILx58No0M2HSIXzFaYwGhO9eO_5ahXHHUDlZ_f1uz97zgGzTAnnXTJMs2l6lq/s1600/IMG_20130509_185906.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguX83_M26ZhSt3ctO7kpmjS2DcFBUETDLbyWm4b1vEm951zI_yXStdx866rNZVaHemTX7At2oK0bkI2ydILx58No0M2HSIXzFaYwGhO9eO_5ahXHHUDlZ_f1uz97zgGzTAnnXTJMs2l6lq/s1600/IMG_20130509_185906.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Had a lovely chilled out Wednesday evening with Emma and Jon... it's all about Jobs with my lot at the moment! Job Stress, Job interviews and new Jobs.. Good luck to them all! ^_^. On Thursday - it was all about the excitement.. Met up with Jo at New Street Station at 2:00pm to get the train to Landaaaan. After checking into our Travelodge room (best overheard complaint ever, "No, no... it's a lovely room. It's just there is someone else -in- it!"), we headed for Camden. After a quick wander round the markets, some delicious pie (venison and red wine - yum) and a few pints - it was time to head to the Roundhouse for The Knife!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFXRKlreHwfcDBfmWe186F1sehWkylg3B7_SFWauwhwdX2TcqPV5ODC64bF_qboQdDA2Z4j-Ie5PUxtVa7qofSnN-_uujnbili2OPL9uvYaELo-HKxGZxfcN58ff-gE0yCaiielOjMN3Vc/s1600/IMG_20130514_171533.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFXRKlreHwfcDBfmWe186F1sehWkylg3B7_SFWauwhwdX2TcqPV5ODC64bF_qboQdDA2Z4j-Ie5PUxtVa7qofSnN-_uujnbili2OPL9uvYaELo-HKxGZxfcN58ff-gE0yCaiielOjMN3Vc/s1600/IMG_20130514_171533.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
The venue was absolutely stunning, but unfortunately - woefully inadequate to deal with an audience of people ranging from 5 foot - 6'9. The gig started with an exceptionally bizarre warm up act...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWtgsTTZKYRlULz0WMb2zuEb88RtTtxaoKhbOyUAZSX2WJvDH1HgvICD8w9HQ66og06IJim5V2dFwhOeQPME2qdB5deU4oBQbeNMgkgslwBZEjHXOtvGbf9MumOYTqMpUhHzCi5QEhmTp8/s1600/IMG_20130514_171152.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWtgsTTZKYRlULz0WMb2zuEb88RtTtxaoKhbOyUAZSX2WJvDH1HgvICD8w9HQ66og06IJim5V2dFwhOeQPME2qdB5deU4oBQbeNMgkgslwBZEjHXOtvGbf9MumOYTqMpUhHzCi5QEhmTp8/s1600/IMG_20130514_171152.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
A young gent in a wig doing aerobics to electronica? This was apparently to "warm up the crowd" but he got an exceptionally lukewarm reception from most. As he was positioned by the side of the stage, hardly any of the standing audience could see him either. What were you thinking Knife?<br />
<br />
The gig itself was terribly frustrating for Jo. As one of the aforementioned short types, she couldn't see anything at all throughout the show. I ended up lifting her up for some of it (to give her a glimpse of the action), but both her and my physiology betrayed us in the end and she had to make do with just hearing. C'mon Gig venues?! Higher stages or a gradient in the floor makes perfect sense, doesn't it? Me and Dan caught about 70% of the show (thank god for big shoes). As it was largely a performance piece with only some of it being played live - it was all in the watching. I definitely enjoyed the experience, although the show wasn't as good as the first time I saw them in 2006. The limited view plus bad vocal mixing meant that no one really got the best experience.<br />
<br />
After a scary lost/found phone attack, we headed back to our Travelodge for a bit of a nights sleep. An early morning ensued and before I had a chance to properly wake up, we were headed to South Kensington. Me and Dan bound for the Science Museum and Jo bound for the Natural History. I have a few photos here for you...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6lrsJT66MeYQSxobw6G2JkvfJToy1fMLIb0KVDwzUXsvC-Y2HbPkVzFrgLRepilIEI3EluhiaX9w96JWkRuqu8eSKaBaD_mkM_7KtLYOdIn348-IldqweQHQWvENNiTtQq1dcbTlU6Czd/s1600/IMG_20130514_171637.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6lrsJT66MeYQSxobw6G2JkvfJToy1fMLIb0KVDwzUXsvC-Y2HbPkVzFrgLRepilIEI3EluhiaX9w96JWkRuqu8eSKaBaD_mkM_7KtLYOdIn348-IldqweQHQWvENNiTtQq1dcbTlU6Czd/s1600/IMG_20130514_171637.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ElKjWPVD1ROZ_NE5SfTgHDNGIUvqr_gn5O6GLElx9jGQUUZpfmmKhO5iTGoZHz_EZKHpEB9HNlAmW1hfFu4vx72weBOhZvYUsuFQgb-rCxCcHqNvkVoHGpePCgfZ1KNTPxOuSZN-ONTu/s1600/IMG_20130514_171431.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ElKjWPVD1ROZ_NE5SfTgHDNGIUvqr_gn5O6GLElx9jGQUUZpfmmKhO5iTGoZHz_EZKHpEB9HNlAmW1hfFu4vx72weBOhZvYUsuFQgb-rCxCcHqNvkVoHGpePCgfZ1KNTPxOuSZN-ONTu/s1600/IMG_20130514_171431.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl0XSSQcpOZ3gu2arVPz-CHcV4e3IpzUAi828mcyIN1lEvW4jU0DENDzK3hu2Ax2_wVANsNu5opY9UDBTGbO9EQCUP7SQgwhx3Cs9oLfweymMS0fFmo5j2vpg4qb3O1WCxUnDsI1nmF6gF/s1600/IMG_20130514_171400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl0XSSQcpOZ3gu2arVPz-CHcV4e3IpzUAi828mcyIN1lEvW4jU0DENDzK3hu2Ax2_wVANsNu5opY9UDBTGbO9EQCUP7SQgwhx3Cs9oLfweymMS0fFmo5j2vpg4qb3O1WCxUnDsI1nmF6gF/s1600/IMG_20130514_171400.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1f3FegImt12E3dV4LrplQE9AN6RtlxLE-Yr-K7ke9dvOMv6cLCg2nAU7vrAOxAlRMYKELIKk0COLl8Ze54cMkZCeahrL5dvMv9e0ttyUYwaMhBUfwIoYPP9zWvsDH2grUgMuMx7uZdVIR/s1600/IMG_20130514_171330.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1f3FegImt12E3dV4LrplQE9AN6RtlxLE-Yr-K7ke9dvOMv6cLCg2nAU7vrAOxAlRMYKELIKk0COLl8Ze54cMkZCeahrL5dvMv9e0ttyUYwaMhBUfwIoYPP9zWvsDH2grUgMuMx7uZdVIR/s1600/IMG_20130514_171330.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifiPaPz6ehf8huVJ7gFOI5qIkJJBLzFADDYpUmTV4_1gqW56tk_qhAd7baWMJjSP2-c7Jc5RPd7nUjDUt_wEVXYUD-dgwK6DsEMztd92EUC01V6ASL4n-FAAME3zd0PrSJq7DosckuJTOW/s1600/IMG_20130514_171300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifiPaPz6ehf8huVJ7gFOI5qIkJJBLzFADDYpUmTV4_1gqW56tk_qhAd7baWMJjSP2-c7Jc5RPd7nUjDUt_wEVXYUD-dgwK6DsEMztd92EUC01V6ASL4n-FAAME3zd0PrSJq7DosckuJTOW/s1600/IMG_20130514_171300.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
By far, my favourite exhibit was the Google Lab. See the sequence of photos below where you can see a robot (having taken a photo), come up with a sketch drawing of my face and then DRAW IT IN SAND!!<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGq1q6Wp12KycCCBuWHjYOLHnePtx292dgxQ5dcEdJS_PiyrPWEqSBwPYRL_eVroXIJs_ExkR76wdtwUhhx3zBV8SxjMUUxshTF4yxXzuYRz85hYZXcJ5bufJuUr8MbjwXIedT2QAeVT5F/s1600/IMG_20130514_171859.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGq1q6Wp12KycCCBuWHjYOLHnePtx292dgxQ5dcEdJS_PiyrPWEqSBwPYRL_eVroXIJs_ExkR76wdtwUhhx3zBV8SxjMUUxshTF4yxXzuYRz85hYZXcJ5bufJuUr8MbjwXIedT2QAeVT5F/s1600/IMG_20130514_171859.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvAH1_57lAniJQ4qJGbi7f876FfEoiR73-SrJU98LMJlD9O7O_WQf5nF7suyiYsTjSm3bDmvm0aETT4wbSBHgiANqw_X3W7vAWgtY7uFsOwP8rGckw6Vb8f90XhwoNElaM3YhQqMnhKwmq/s1600/IMG_20130514_171458.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvAH1_57lAniJQ4qJGbi7f876FfEoiR73-SrJU98LMJlD9O7O_WQf5nF7suyiYsTjSm3bDmvm0aETT4wbSBHgiANqw_X3W7vAWgtY7uFsOwP8rGckw6Vb8f90XhwoNElaM3YhQqMnhKwmq/s1600/IMG_20130514_171458.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDCuJmidDUUqxPsgegndx4sYZt3f4DegjTBW-c3ysu5b9e5eQZrsSlgip7_n65gvsMTZxiAQgT8yPClqBPyy96ZjoDrgp1TVf86fqMIJDPNugIqbXOgo_xpiL1E-An1rjW7bJkUPoJxuqi/s1600/IMG_20130514_171232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDCuJmidDUUqxPsgegndx4sYZt3f4DegjTBW-c3ysu5b9e5eQZrsSlgip7_n65gvsMTZxiAQgT8yPClqBPyy96ZjoDrgp1TVf86fqMIJDPNugIqbXOgo_xpiL1E-An1rjW7bJkUPoJxuqi/s1600/IMG_20130514_171232.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Welcome to the future! Also really enjoyed the space exhibit, the medical history section and the small (but informative) Alchemy and history of Electronics sections!<br />
<br />
By the time we got back to Birmingham (after just 4 hours in the Science Museum and a 2.5 hour train journey), we had to head straight to the pub for a colleagues leaving do. Just a couple of pints were consumed before we headed back home for some chips and an early night.<br />
<br />
Saturday - very exciting indeed - we went to see a potential site for our Wedding festival next year. Osgard 2014. I am very pleased to report (well, you can see why as below), that the Wedding is Now Booked! We're sleeping in the Hobbit House (as pictured). How good is that?!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjzvZK6QzFDm7tBhhwaIXvlPLT9k1C9Hs6-50iQd5HLT_mb73MBFu7HFQGs4bURZvLrN22S7sTFGXN_E_w6UwSKkYwGPGQf3xgd7BZLocrJV5EScbaniJ3H_UtBpZSWL34OYJwpjUPSXhr/s1600/IMG_20130514_174445.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjzvZK6QzFDm7tBhhwaIXvlPLT9k1C9Hs6-50iQd5HLT_mb73MBFu7HFQGs4bURZvLrN22S7sTFGXN_E_w6UwSKkYwGPGQf3xgd7BZLocrJV5EScbaniJ3H_UtBpZSWL34OYJwpjUPSXhr/s1600/IMG_20130514_174445.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFTx4ZOHZfeR2wvmyWFrVMp1cvEDqOyPWDQgEStNbD2gaRNqLFmKhgaVoDylbcIHnzV-Yk7DJX6GBO7FteiFD0XMy5tiSR6Yso7b4PZUPZrHr9-agH9ZTrTc1SFzDtf1a8hiWmPGqLToiz/s1600/IMG_20130514_174524.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFTx4ZOHZfeR2wvmyWFrVMp1cvEDqOyPWDQgEStNbD2gaRNqLFmKhgaVoDylbcIHnzV-Yk7DJX6GBO7FteiFD0XMy5tiSR6Yso7b4PZUPZrHr9-agH9ZTrTc1SFzDtf1a8hiWmPGqLToiz/s1600/IMG_20130514_174524.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiznFRuXOTEfmJb5GSs-6lm92P_85MPL-AgSsPuXdzrmLuiZJhL2FTVkqSwd9OU_674iIYgqO-uUa9j1mq9fIpe0h-J-48RadPNYZc8rbh7_U87gfY9gIU0v5154caCjPAh5-2ltUADia3l/s1600/IMG_20130514_174555.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiznFRuXOTEfmJb5GSs-6lm92P_85MPL-AgSsPuXdzrmLuiZJhL2FTVkqSwd9OU_674iIYgqO-uUa9j1mq9fIpe0h-J-48RadPNYZc8rbh7_U87gfY9gIU0v5154caCjPAh5-2ltUADia3l/s1600/IMG_20130514_174555.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOnSrMn9BJHi6Iu0x5qr4M6IlE-IKLTL-mGAdXcI7vecGEgdgRMTZeKeKje1rSP1WqkfQqWq1hQKw1u_bHPXBasXnARvdCl2IM8ajpP-L5Wxij0Nz5USDbTKpGitwqBp9vKfsBf9g4Ee7D/s1600/IMG_20130514_174620.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOnSrMn9BJHi6Iu0x5qr4M6IlE-IKLTL-mGAdXcI7vecGEgdgRMTZeKeKje1rSP1WqkfQqWq1hQKw1u_bHPXBasXnARvdCl2IM8ajpP-L5Wxij0Nz5USDbTKpGitwqBp9vKfsBf9g4Ee7D/s1600/IMG_20130514_174620.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg0gBF6t-ug8ydyP7DGW1n5tsBNKuyc-RJPMIRyONrUeiIkAmApmG1243aEUxY1hnKzMah7cckuVMy9OLJ5OLqhOOKSYUu4rRQ7Vg1xEYODhlJJheF9znhfpasFSTm_qN57n3oRwh-HDby/s1600/IMG_20130514_174645.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg0gBF6t-ug8ydyP7DGW1n5tsBNKuyc-RJPMIRyONrUeiIkAmApmG1243aEUxY1hnKzMah7cckuVMy9OLJ5OLqhOOKSYUu4rRQ7Vg1xEYODhlJJheF9znhfpasFSTm_qN57n3oRwh-HDby/s1600/IMG_20130514_174645.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Technically - the next photo is a cheat as it was taken in the Science Museum... but adequately sums up our Saturday night as we went to see the new Star Trek Movie. Loved it! Laughed, was on the edge of my seat and may (*may*) have had a little cry.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhka5W2ijkH1p5QksoDMCeX-8nmq8e4Dufa7wfkQk5zpoZTOzyLQCsq1hIzhG9fHCNEAAb7z7MUXOHMxOuoHw93B7DChRQu2cove4LMLHGYHscrXUZhkozdPIeN_RxOUt2zHV4t6Gsz0Kv4/s1600/IMG_20130514_171605.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhka5W2ijkH1p5QksoDMCeX-8nmq8e4Dufa7wfkQk5zpoZTOzyLQCsq1hIzhG9fHCNEAAb7z7MUXOHMxOuoHw93B7DChRQu2cove4LMLHGYHscrXUZhkozdPIeN_RxOUt2zHV4t6Gsz0Kv4/s1600/IMG_20130514_171605.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
On Sunday, we had a lie in. We followed this up with a visit to the pub to see Clare and then had a very pleasant afternoon being visited. Caroline and Jo popped over first - followed by Emelie in the evening. It's Tuesday today - and I'm still knackered... thought I would do this (as I had a *few* photos for you 0_o) and then we're getting ready to receive many guests. We also have some serious Eurovision Party planning to do and try to get some rest in before the weekend starts again...<br />
<br />
Best get on!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<!--[endif]--><br />
Vickyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05668490683430962033noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6274969422164535445.post-80949246840260708702013-05-01T10:14:00.003-07:002013-05-01T10:14:51.342-07:00A month in the life…<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">So I’ve been really lax again. Ever since the last bank
holiday, I’ve barely been at home – let alone in the office (where I normally
write the blog). Rather than doing a day-by-day account (which would take me a
day!), I’ll give you a “top of the pops” style most interesting activities over
the month of April…The best place to start would be the set list for our DJ set
on 5</span><sup style="font-family: Arial;">th</sup><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"> April… well…the whole of the evening I suppose…</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf4CKmSZyOYipVmehJMsxo4uBbDK757P6pVC-PxtzeqFvIZJ5y8nOJ7CG9OPiJyFZdTxQTMGi34AXtBKn2bNVUmACBnsA7FY_ozH4Oh5hIhwMqd6qFchk7MwsnETaMqFXFTXZujdfR6csv/s1600/IMG_20130416_075029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf4CKmSZyOYipVmehJMsxo4uBbDK757P6pVC-PxtzeqFvIZJ5y8nOJ7CG9OPiJyFZdTxQTMGi34AXtBKn2bNVUmACBnsA7FY_ozH4Oh5hIhwMqd6qFchk7MwsnETaMqFXFTXZujdfR6csv/s1600/IMG_20130416_075029.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Friday 5<sup>th</sup> April – WIP and Flux Vortex<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">So Friday was a manic rush. After a mad time at work (after
loads of leave in March), I dashed home, pampered myself (in a cold shallow
bath as there wasn’t any hot water!) and then it was time to run out again to
meet everyone for the fabulous Wrapped in Plastic at the Flapper and Firkin in
Birmingham. At least, that was the plan. What Actually happened was – got
there, caught up with lots of friends we hadn’t seen in an age, had a couple of
beers and then had to run to Eddies to Deejay (after some very manic phone
calls from our friend TK along the lines of “You ARE coming, aren’t you?!”).
The set went down amazingly. We normally DJ Dystopia, which is a more
alternatively twinged evening (covering all genres along the darker lines), but
Flux is more about dance, electro and trance music. We also did our first ever
back-to-back set (meaning my track, Dan’s track etc.) which meant we could both
take breaks for drinks and the loo. If you’re interested – set list below:-<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">FLUX VORTEX 05/04/2013<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">Vitalic - Under Your Sun</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">The Young Punx - Ready For The Fight (Phonat's Punkstep remix)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">The Presets - My People</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">Hard Disc Cunt - Swan (Original Mix)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">Dyro - Daftastic (Original Mix)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">Cyberpunkers - Fuck The System (Designer Drugs Remix)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">La Roux - In For The Kill (Le Castle Vania Remix)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">Dada Life - Happy Violence</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">Teki Latex - Les Matins De Paris</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">Designer Drugs - Face Melter</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">Knife Party - Destroy Them With Fucken Lazers (OMG & Shockwave Bootleg Remix)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">Make The Girl Dance - Kill Me (The Toxic Avenger Remix)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">Vitalic - La Mort Sur Le Dancefloor</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">Power Francers vs Cyberpunkers - Pompo Nelle Cabale (12 Inch Plastic Toys Edit)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">Yeah Yeah Yeahs vs A-Trak - Heads Will Roll (Electric Soulside ft Odissi Mix)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">IAMX - Spit It Out (Designer Drugs Remix) (Radio Edit)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">The Bloody Beetroots - Warp 1.9 (feat. Steve Aoki)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">The Toxic Avengers - Superheroes (Chewy Chocolate Cookies Remix)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">Designer Drugs - The Terror</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">Felguk - Bassive (Original Mix)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">Black Tiger Sex Machine - Midnight Violence (Original Mix)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">Belzebass - Du Auch</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">Tommy Vore - Kontrast</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">Dem Slackers - Schlingel (Original Mix)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">12 Inch Plastic Toys - Toys (Gain On Top Remix)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">Haezer - Anarchy! (F.O.O.L. Remix)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">Defeat - Dance</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">Yesterday's Pupil - You'll Poly Die (Haezer Remix)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">Designer Drugs - Crazy For You (feat. Annie)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Saturday 6<sup>th</sup> April – Never Bored with a good
Board game<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Woke up feeling very tired, but not hung-over! WIN! This set
us up for our early Saturday morning market pilgrimage before heading round to
the aforementioned Squeeky and Gitzy (WIP’s) flat for some thoroughly good
geeky board game fun. We played a game called “Arkham Horror,” based on the
works of Lovecraft. Although the first game only lasted about an hour and a
half (we were all eaten by the hideous hell beast), we persevered and the
second game lasted around 8 hours (with pizza and booze breaks, obviously). My
first “non-hasbro” style board game (that is to say, my first almost role
playing game with lots of cards, tokens, character related plot etc). We
managed to banish “Hastor” back to Hell though, so it was all good!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU2ZoMYfDqjY1Dmw3bDY1L65VRApKssRKgLOYXYgSPma3ogPwCEAX5TQYLc_G8uaG02a6283ReNeiKpE-GL_UkBNJwCfNH70a3Y-2p-5feWgkm0quZiWfvrmG6J-9huCZwfdZRE8tzLmow/s1600/IMG_20130501_175119.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU2ZoMYfDqjY1Dmw3bDY1L65VRApKssRKgLOYXYgSPma3ogPwCEAX5TQYLc_G8uaG02a6283ReNeiKpE-GL_UkBNJwCfNH70a3Y-2p-5feWgkm0quZiWfvrmG6J-9huCZwfdZRE8tzLmow/s1600/IMG_20130501_175119.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">7<sup>th</sup> April – A Star is knackered!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">On 7<sup>th</sup> April me, Dan, my colleague Jo and her
family and our lovely friend Tira became film stars. We were extra’s in an
upcoming Sci-Fi British movie called Kaleidoscope Man. We turned up to Victoria
Square at 6pm and ran around until we could run no more (literally in Dan’s
case as he was laid up for a week after doing his knee in). We ran through the
square and down closed off streets from imaginary aliens whilst screaming our
heads off. It was great fun, but my goodness, did we sleep well afterwards! If
you’re interested in reading about the project or becoming a “backer” – head to
here for details <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kaleidoscopeman/kaleidoscope-man-phase-2-funding">http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kaleidoscopeman/kaleidoscope-man-phase-2-funding</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH6zMBmB8x0oV6qVObL6HQCilyQkac_FyfwfLafUAnscRknafI2ztcJFd35Q9gCHEqNOQg2WKNeaO9R3JDnBPPhwVSBjb_W2N7DI9KkRZQ6NTvVSWjx6NqImzqNFx3bgBaypRDQOa5DDWw/s1600/IMG_20130501_175010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH6zMBmB8x0oV6qVObL6HQCilyQkac_FyfwfLafUAnscRknafI2ztcJFd35Q9gCHEqNOQg2WKNeaO9R3JDnBPPhwVSBjb_W2N7DI9KkRZQ6NTvVSWjx6NqImzqNFx3bgBaypRDQOa5DDWw/s1600/IMG_20130501_175010.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY3TjlmD1Xagt6MM84Yh5a1gf3xHYiUpeBnugHDZFWii6mF9PdV99-7-2dTuSyIJR-5lavVmU8rZZUfl5fHs01BLRIsRVb9uUmjnXaOzJE_k57Ri5yHonELaPO0ozN44_Ac36Qhhn3wzYF/s1600/IMG_20130501_174900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY3TjlmD1Xagt6MM84Yh5a1gf3xHYiUpeBnugHDZFWii6mF9PdV99-7-2dTuSyIJR-5lavVmU8rZZUfl5fHs01BLRIsRVb9uUmjnXaOzJE_k57Ri5yHonELaPO0ozN44_Ac36Qhhn3wzYF/s1600/IMG_20130501_174900.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">9<sup>th</sup> – 11<sup>th</sup> April – Learning is for
Life, not just for Children<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> So on the 9<sup>th</sup>,
I embarked on the second leg of the LEAN course I started in March. This
involved having 2 nights away in Leamington Spa. The hotel was once again
lovely and the course was great. Apart from one utter pillock (who tried to
belittle me at every opportunity), the people were totally fabulous and a great
group to work with. On the first night me, my colleague Stephen and our new
friends Julia and Sunita (from our Scottish contracts) went for food at a cute
Thai restaurant in town. After the first courses, all of our faces ached from
laughing so much! Sometimes I may despair at my job, but my colleagues are
fantastic (from all areas of the business). The second night, Stephen (now my
partner in crime) had arranged to meet an old friend based in Leamington for
the evening, so I struck out with the girls and we went to a lovely little
Italian restaurant. A couple of Birra Morretti’s were consumed and a great
night was had by us all. By the time I was on the train home, I was totally
shattered. Physical exhaustion is one thing – but mental exhaustion is harder
to get over! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp_197wC6FS364qtuW_aoJagJNaG9nTx57FX5Qz5Y2V9rsBa8dPDJ1lve4aImVHIKkkPX4BfmYMuMsy0RGmdWYgfiHp5pBlzIxFInM6hZU2_wu8UfjcFZvbCo9cHmqpodQHmH9Zdr4LsVJ/s1600/IMG_20130501_174819.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp_197wC6FS364qtuW_aoJagJNaG9nTx57FX5Qz5Y2V9rsBa8dPDJ1lve4aImVHIKkkPX4BfmYMuMsy0RGmdWYgfiHp5pBlzIxFInM6hZU2_wu8UfjcFZvbCo9cHmqpodQHmH9Zdr4LsVJ/s1600/IMG_20130501_174819.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">12<sup>th</sup> April – Parent Trap!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">On the 12<sup>th</sup>, Dan’s parents came to stay for the
night. The sub-title I chose for this is a bit wrong really, as I always look
forward to a visit from either set of parents. On this particular eve, we had a
very enjoyable evening. We started by meeting them at their hotel and taking a
walk down to town for a pre-meal drink. As lovers of good buildings, we took
them to “The Old Joint Stock” in the heart of town. It’s a lovely old pub which
has a theatrical quality and a good selection of barrel ales. For the meal, we went
to “Bodega” in town. I love this little restaurant as it does a damn fine
burrito served up with killer cocktails – all for a very reasonable price! A
great dinner was consumed and after a brief post meal conversation, a large
amount of booze was purchased to have back at our little flat. We called it a
night (after a rousing game of monopoly) at around 1am – by which time we were
all falling asleep. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPCKHBk6MwJhVOjXpaChFQtDXHlELk_90IHC5kbenIxtNSboumZPo_f9ARvuhvYmsVNgBZOLEmnqGPmDKR7i1LO8IXCyw3oT8-V34mSr3IDc7NxTbF8wLKD8MOEySf2qqhkxXPoxlMXuoF/s1600/IMG_20130501_174005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPCKHBk6MwJhVOjXpaChFQtDXHlELk_90IHC5kbenIxtNSboumZPo_f9ARvuhvYmsVNgBZOLEmnqGPmDKR7i1LO8IXCyw3oT8-V34mSr3IDc7NxTbF8wLKD8MOEySf2qqhkxXPoxlMXuoF/s1600/IMG_20130501_174005.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">13<sup>th</sup> April – Social Butterdrunks<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Despite the late-ish, heavy night on the Friday, we got up
Saturday morning to hit the market once again. We took Dan’s parents with us –
who ended up being very impressed with the prices, variety and atmosphere of
Birmingham Markets. We went for a late breakfast/early lunch at “Lost and
Found,” (very good, as always) before seeing them off and sorting some bits out
in town. After we had sorted some stuff out, I just wanted to sleep – but
didn’t get a chance as we had to do some chores before getting ready to meet my
old Uni friend Steve “shakashaka” Shakeshaft at the “Island Bar” in town. It
was a very pleasant evening, as Kayte, Tyrone and a couple of other people I
hadn’t seen for a while popped up – so it was a good chance for a chinwag and
to see how everyone was getting on. We had to leave the festivities at a
reasonable hour though, as we had promised Clare to meet her at “The Rose
Villa” in the JQ. It’s at this point I realise that we definitely had a
“Bitters and Twisted” bars weekend – as all of the places except the Joint
Stock are owned by them. Eep! I should be sponsored for this or something…
anyway, I digress. We met Clare and her friend who was down from London for the
night. We had a lovely chat and a couple of beers before they had to dash off
to catch their train. A bit of a saving grace in the end, as we had, had a very
boozy weekend indeed!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7gN7BrZXsH02pxr8-9ibxOak5sSXp46UnlduLZpWKC3Io1hShhxYB9iRO4U3hmXBaC3HMwj8QXmcKzIRBbILAMxKGhXB3bzNFQtLrkmvojk1j9v7i84FzGQ5iuqHkGdUJ3ibJSuvN8oYL/s1600/IMG_20130501_174723.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7gN7BrZXsH02pxr8-9ibxOak5sSXp46UnlduLZpWKC3Io1hShhxYB9iRO4U3hmXBaC3HMwj8QXmcKzIRBbILAMxKGhXB3bzNFQtLrkmvojk1j9v7i84FzGQ5iuqHkGdUJ3ibJSuvN8oYL/s1600/IMG_20130501_174723.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">14<sup>th</sup>/15<sup>th </sup>April - Bits and Birthdays<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">On the Sunday of the weekend (that was all stuffed into a
Friday and Saturday), I did a mini “LEAN” workshop for Jon. It was partially to
show him what it was all about and partially for my revision as I had an exam
to do at the end of the course. Despite Dan thinking he wouldn’t be interested
– I managed to bring them both into it and we did some “hardcore” process
mapping and 5’sing! On the Monday (after a very tiring day at work), we went to
see our friend Hannah. It was her birthday over the bank holiday (Resistanz)
weekend, so we took over a belated present and had (another) beer. It was a
strange one, as we thought we would only stay an hour, but only managed to get
to bed after 11pm!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6VoT-4EUiNAUREdgeSqstrnaLR6V8QYAwubHf4GJzVTrUuZUACMz44Q7t8FIDxXzd2cSqw57EvhC3FjPHub_E75duaJP8ac7EmkWwjpkrSjayd1ddADjdfB5Fv5cVUJe87MJY4uxhG6vn/s1600/IMG_20130501_175412.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6VoT-4EUiNAUREdgeSqstrnaLR6V8QYAwubHf4GJzVTrUuZUACMz44Q7t8FIDxXzd2cSqw57EvhC3FjPHub_E75duaJP8ac7EmkWwjpkrSjayd1ddADjdfB5Fv5cVUJe87MJY4uxhG6vn/s1600/IMG_20130501_175412.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">16<sup>th</sup> April – Beer swilling Brewdogs!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">One of the birthday presents Dan had gotten me was a “Beer
Tasting” with Brewdog. It was a bit of a rush, as we had to be there by 6:30.
It meant (after another difficult day at work), dashing home and getting changed
in record time before bombing it down to the Brewdog (on John Bright Street in
the City Centre). It was really interesting and as well as sampling a few
delicious (and strong) ales, we had a lovely meat and cheese platter – yum! We
ended on a rather tasty little 10% beer called Cocoa Psyco – a very dark and
heavy coffee and chocolate beer. Delicious!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWazzniGqxhqOERN34U-hC_sviMZHNUHuKMnN-591-4IiynVi_SmVu-6Ow-Pz-XmluR3bnuam48fYwEsvjoJAbVbrbJxHiq69tuNiHms0XdHePEKf3D6kR4h_FYgdHuNBa8i7ZnFAXikP0/s1600/IMG_20130501_174036.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWazzniGqxhqOERN34U-hC_sviMZHNUHuKMnN-591-4IiynVi_SmVu-6Ow-Pz-XmluR3bnuam48fYwEsvjoJAbVbrbJxHiq69tuNiHms0XdHePEKf3D6kR4h_FYgdHuNBa8i7ZnFAXikP0/s1600/IMG_20130501_174036.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">20<sup>th</sup> – 21<sup>st</sup> April - May the 4<sup>th</sup>
be planned!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">It’s that time again for an epic house party at WIP’s
place…so this calls for some serious planning! Out came the checklists and the
laptops whilst Playlists and plans were crafted ready for a big Star Wars
themed celebrations. I’m going to leave that as that for now… but there will be
a post party update – so you can see how the scheming went! On the Sunday, me
and Dan had a trip out to the cinema to catch the new Evil Dead film. It was
gorey as all hell, but highly entertaining. Unfortunately, it made me feel a
bit ill and consequently I wasn’t as hungry as I should have been seeing as we
were checking out the “Fleet Street Kitchen” on Summer Row. We had a lovely
glass of wine, burger and Knickerbocker Glory in a lovely, light,
well-presented restaurant with great company (in the shape of our friend
Caroline). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRvsx8PQBSv11OfFvDYYHJgQCpzFmjpIK42Zkep2YP19Y791YI7dy1k2f9vo_EglUF9X1cOeW9KdgLZN48nUiWT8pV8bS95Br-KiQ6Gad688xQok6bY5g01q7QmL9rBa5GrCM1C00mvpdd/s1600/IMG_20130501_174455.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRvsx8PQBSv11OfFvDYYHJgQCpzFmjpIK42Zkep2YP19Y791YI7dy1k2f9vo_EglUF9X1cOeW9KdgLZN48nUiWT8pV8bS95Br-KiQ6Gad688xQok6bY5g01q7QmL9rBa5GrCM1C00mvpdd/s1600/IMG_20130501_174455.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">22<sup>nd</sup> April – Drop the Forge<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">This evening was a nice surprise… after not feeling very
well (which went on into Thursday) I managed to get my ass out of the house to
meet the lovely ladies, Jo and Cate following a job interview at the Big Peg in
the JQ. We went to the Drop Forge in the JQ. A really gorgeous bar/restaurant
with a giant skylight and loads of the original beams and steel work as
features. We ended up having a surprise guest in the form of Mike (and later
Millie) who provided some great company and entertainment for the evening.
Another night planned to be early and ending up, not so. We did blag an
invitation though… see below.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirUpFSNk7dEIOZ1qX2dKewpzeUNLX5sDPNybdOKz_jjGJCaWrwpS9OV8FmaTjDo1DJlTaTOoNOp7loUasgWJzpZKStpUg7JcbU0RFKxfw44ghgRgDnI18LRMBEYjIkT1ke9RCqOFzOlU9C/s1600/IMG_20130501_174538.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirUpFSNk7dEIOZ1qX2dKewpzeUNLX5sDPNybdOKz_jjGJCaWrwpS9OV8FmaTjDo1DJlTaTOoNOp7loUasgWJzpZKStpUg7JcbU0RFKxfw44ghgRgDnI18LRMBEYjIkT1ke9RCqOFzOlU9C/s1600/IMG_20130501_174538.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">25<sup>th</sup> April – A Gala Palaver<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">So…the invitation was to the opening of the new “findings”
exhibition based in Colmore Busienss District and the Jewellery Quarter. After
another mad dash home from work and back into town to head to 45 Church Street.
After a brief look at the photographs (before the rain started), we headed in
to be greeted with a String Quartett, canapés on silver platters and trays of
wine and apple martini’s. To say I felt out of place would be an
understatement, but it was a great event filled with interesting people and
(hopefully) some new friends! After the event had finished (about 8pmish), we
went to the “Rectory” (where we were joined by Emma, Jack and some other
JQNF’ers) for a more sedate pint and a chance to really talk to people. A fab
night – but my goodness, was I hungry when I got home!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkvSpAUtPzPNNo_w5wGFC-6X-DK-v7VnVQ34qWrzjwtpnTGC9etM4YwJ3fLAUVpx_8-aW09rGx9D0121O6xobm4IwLzKy6fMXpPFk-jnNEmvcctkmvbuzj8BsVnmGUp7iwLpqSwc2M3DS5/s1600/IMG_20130501_174306.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkvSpAUtPzPNNo_w5wGFC-6X-DK-v7VnVQ34qWrzjwtpnTGC9etM4YwJ3fLAUVpx_8-aW09rGx9D0121O6xobm4IwLzKy6fMXpPFk-jnNEmvcctkmvbuzj8BsVnmGUp7iwLpqSwc2M3DS5/s1600/IMG_20130501_174306.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeO-13GxmUld8Ux10yjQz-fwviv7N6vb1s9GhMgwFfGw1UXkea4w2dxdV3fWN7P79YnSp8xdORQE5-w2rYVEakNKp5SztZNh3RR2sLwsYpyDmsHQM559KmnxK8w0iJ5mjJ5OLsh1xMxk0t/s1600/IMG_20130501_174416.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeO-13GxmUld8Ux10yjQz-fwviv7N6vb1s9GhMgwFfGw1UXkea4w2dxdV3fWN7P79YnSp8xdORQE5-w2rYVEakNKp5SztZNh3RR2sLwsYpyDmsHQM559KmnxK8w0iJ5mjJ5OLsh1xMxk0t/s1600/IMG_20130501_174416.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">26<sup>th</sup> April – A Mouse in the house!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">So our friend Mouse turned up in Birmingham on Friday. We
headed to Squeeky and Gitzy’s flat for 7ish for some more crafting and a bit of
a kickback and chill. I was more or less recovered from my cold (although very
tired) but Dan seemed to be coming down with something. Luckily, the original
plan to head out was abandoned in favour of doing some much needed pre-party
tasks (making decorations) and catching up with an old friend. After a good
amount of crafting, we had a couple of drinks and watched some cartoons before
calling it a night in preparation for Saturday.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPqEexPsGVL4K20MufHe3YHYc0TfWt9iX5SprL0MpsjpSErCcIG8tvBbUN5VXjJxoWqbi2xhhtl6Q_uQMZxm2uh0xsGtZgqffyxEW97lQxR4lpDr9gBRTStHK0vPEK7whaD1-MnbQ6J8G3/s1600/IMG_20130501_174625.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPqEexPsGVL4K20MufHe3YHYc0TfWt9iX5SprL0MpsjpSErCcIG8tvBbUN5VXjJxoWqbi2xhhtl6Q_uQMZxm2uh0xsGtZgqffyxEW97lQxR4lpDr9gBRTStHK0vPEK7whaD1-MnbQ6J8G3/s1600/IMG_20130501_174625.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">27<sup>th</sup> – 28<sup>th</sup> Hell hath no fury like a
woman loved<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">So Saturday was the day of another friend’s party and a tour of the Newman brothers coffin works. This
meant doing the normal daytime chores in the morning, with a mad dash to the disused factory for 12:30. The tour was excellent - our gothic tour guide was the best! After the tour we went back into town to meet up at the “Lost and Found” again for a couple of
afternoon beers. A plot to get to Moseley was hatched (cramming 9 idiots in
fancy dress into cabs) before heading home and getting outfitted up for the
evening’s festivities. We met round Jon’s humble abode at 7ish before grabbing
a cab just after 8pm (much to the amusement of the cabbies). We had a variety
of outfits donned for our friends Hell themed party (as they had been together
6 years, 6 months and 6 days). Another great evening was had… it was a fairly
chilled affair with an attempt at a drinking game – but in reality there were
too many of us to make it work. It was a shame, as it seemed like a really well
thought out game with dares, changing rules and a journey through Dante’s
circles… Sunday was another chilled affair. Me and Dan went to the Midlands Art
Centre to have a mooch around the food fair before going for a walk around the
park. We managed to fit in the rest of our chores before crashing out in the
evening (as Dan was beginning to feel really drained and unwell).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5jS8tO1YnXPmk5PNLurdoSK-iqDgEr5LEbw1aeJNvm5Bmy-ekGKfdE4Zd37FvQuc9-op_zI3e26yApBcLSiV4brbQDcHAgSburFdiiAWGG6Pnu3W37UoF8RLlGJAML7NqF-Hqxe-xBGRF/s1600/IMG_20130427_140312.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5jS8tO1YnXPmk5PNLurdoSK-iqDgEr5LEbw1aeJNvm5Bmy-ekGKfdE4Zd37FvQuc9-op_zI3e26yApBcLSiV4brbQDcHAgSburFdiiAWGG6Pnu3W37UoF8RLlGJAML7NqF-Hqxe-xBGRF/s1600/IMG_20130427_140312.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2C1_oPMD4Jw1kHrOb9Wqea0FgnvI9AD3T_Pj56r9vXSvor8yGiFCJAlhO8VrqQcn3VsgRE5K_b2_tOnpkdv4XZuZhRrx9lqBdOB-fSxyf1gX281-wmcb0ZivrhT2q_dhq9zTtL5GGdu-4/s1600/IMG_20130427_140356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2C1_oPMD4Jw1kHrOb9Wqea0FgnvI9AD3T_Pj56r9vXSvor8yGiFCJAlhO8VrqQcn3VsgRE5K_b2_tOnpkdv4XZuZhRrx9lqBdOB-fSxyf1gX281-wmcb0ZivrhT2q_dhq9zTtL5GGdu-4/s1600/IMG_20130427_140356.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIBpTdcGOmntlkMaPx2v3F_ShkpIHHmkOLJPQA1Dj4S56NQy6pAYjlyIIhr9SC-wjKtOFD7YbKda77pV8Pp3AlVdniZ_GD1Y_Q_jNNmrwmFMqvq-wjiku0r4XiH3p-kV3baFTww9ViOLNf/s1600/IMG_20130427_141106.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIBpTdcGOmntlkMaPx2v3F_ShkpIHHmkOLJPQA1Dj4S56NQy6pAYjlyIIhr9SC-wjKtOFD7YbKda77pV8Pp3AlVdniZ_GD1Y_Q_jNNmrwmFMqvq-wjiku0r4XiH3p-kV3baFTww9ViOLNf/s1600/IMG_20130427_141106.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">30<sup>th</sup> April – Giant Scream!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The last update for April… we went to see Ironman last
night. We splashed out on tickets to the Giant Screen and really enjoyed the
new Ironman film. We laughed pretty much all the way through and just enjoyed
the experience of being with our friends, consuming a piece of modern cinema
that was to all of our tastes. An early night was more-or-less achieved… which
meant we both feel slightly dead today (although Dan is still recovering). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">So that was April. I’ve skimmed over loads of other things
we have done in the month, but quite frankly – there was too much to put in!
I’ve kept it to some of the more significant events and still managed 4 pages
in size 10 font (I’m writing this out on word).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggD3-n7ufhapikiKHktFsUur9jtF1PxKiRkqBFeogBUy3AWJWPQIXkgP4Qb10W0Ns4aEyIgx19W8pm2CRsOFDDjK701q_xKCujQUKMDA5tEG68RecovCrphZf5Z5oMPl4WncqpdbewBH1Y/s1600/IMG_20130501_174228.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggD3-n7ufhapikiKHktFsUur9jtF1PxKiRkqBFeogBUy3AWJWPQIXkgP4Qb10W0Ns4aEyIgx19W8pm2CRsOFDDjK701q_xKCujQUKMDA5tEG68RecovCrphZf5Z5oMPl4WncqpdbewBH1Y/s1600/IMG_20130501_174228.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">I hope I haven’t bored you too much. I’ve included a
smattering of photos to best illustrate the month… but in reality I have taken
over 100! Even though I have been really bad with updating – I have been
keeping notes on the activities I have been up to. Again, I’ll try to be
better… but I can’t make any promises.
Well done if you have gotten this far! ;) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Vickyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05668490683430962033noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6274969422164535445.post-65131944750649903362013-04-07T09:26:00.003-07:002013-04-07T09:26:28.454-07:00Bank holiday weekend (and a bit!)<br />
So… Bank Holiday weekend and Resistanz in Sheffield..<br />
<br />
It’s at this point that I have to admit that I didn’t take many photos over the weekend. I have attached the ones I did take below… later on, I have got a couple which were stolen from various friends. To step back a little bit, here is a roundup of what has been going on in the World of Vicky..<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7O1_zwY3klOBxgk7Tjbk9-2UzUunCp94ngEzmsCro208WYNRFjAfJ8oXql0y2d_StXgTwTA1WI_s-bX4f4Qq3spsfHGD8u8kEwqxWS47dCp7E6jD5X43sNP8rbtYlq-9vFCwqaPXMdz5M/s1600/IMG_20130407_163754.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7O1_zwY3klOBxgk7Tjbk9-2UzUunCp94ngEzmsCro208WYNRFjAfJ8oXql0y2d_StXgTwTA1WI_s-bX4f4Qq3spsfHGD8u8kEwqxWS47dCp7E6jD5X43sNP8rbtYlq-9vFCwqaPXMdz5M/s320/IMG_20130407_163754.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhebq1RQMuxj7-iEGPk1woLImVDl1QCUXOjPhAeD6WE9W8s6Q1GWBBllRNUjKVWpgJixUCdjuAWN9HAviD6NL_l4zqZy-L_MAJBeKXzc2HUMRd4bgxsTzeOghA1Zo2ujyrp8Wt5yzeraS7n/s1600/IMG_20130407_163713.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhebq1RQMuxj7-iEGPk1woLImVDl1QCUXOjPhAeD6WE9W8s6Q1GWBBllRNUjKVWpgJixUCdjuAWN9HAviD6NL_l4zqZy-L_MAJBeKXzc2HUMRd4bgxsTzeOghA1Zo2ujyrp8Wt5yzeraS7n/s320/IMG_20130407_163713.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjia0iW3iE1R9yt1MDzu22_qvHZw9H2szzBk_gbJzo4zGwWtkiHY36UL_WjUp-2wU8xzO2SkeB0WMrMTFFuNier_p1toNPb_RmK_riipuCe395TZ-d_nOyN0luUq9tNu3QmCNpU_ijEMfVx/s1600/IMG_20130407_163813.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjia0iW3iE1R9yt1MDzu22_qvHZw9H2szzBk_gbJzo4zGwWtkiHY36UL_WjUp-2wU8xzO2SkeB0WMrMTFFuNier_p1toNPb_RmK_riipuCe395TZ-d_nOyN0luUq9tNu3QmCNpU_ijEMfVx/s320/IMG_20130407_163813.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNzzuGgSwj7Na2yYfSphcpotF-SnbfSfyWg6n2BV60xX0UuwXAdB5Vw8lYMYmVumCiPF5jRCj2dBc9LLegLiN44_hyphenhyphenFrMzohJqbSmtQHbv3N_g7266a0qXM_D6NOdiX0-lpxj0fTKqPP9G/s1600/IMG_20130407_163735.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNzzuGgSwj7Na2yYfSphcpotF-SnbfSfyWg6n2BV60xX0UuwXAdB5Vw8lYMYmVumCiPF5jRCj2dBc9LLegLiN44_hyphenhyphenFrMzohJqbSmtQHbv3N_g7266a0qXM_D6NOdiX0-lpxj0fTKqPP9G/s320/IMG_20130407_163735.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Thursday 28 th<br />
<br />
A full day at work. This was a bit of a novelty – as between training, leave and general gadding about – I hadn’t been in very much in March. I made some headway on my project and booked my training course in Cardiff. I’m quite looking forward to it, but a bit nervous as it’s only me going this time! I did some of the monthly reporting and went out with the lads from Performance after work. We went to a favourite pub of mine, the Wellington, which is a real old man’s pub in Central Birmingham. The boys needed a bit of a vent, as they are having rather a hard time at work at the moment – so I gave them one of my patented pep talks and generally tried to cheer them up… what I SHOULD have been doing was packing for the festival – but, c’est la vie! I didn’t get home late, but did get home too tired to bother doing any of the tasks I was meant too – so me and Dan watched some stuff on TV and had a reasonably early night in preparation.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY3fRE27zMZZhx-4GGA2lNjN-8oxS2qEzMMfOdVum_yvF6oqWBTTK9VQoNQSbCVS2rGSPfTN7X-KOmbhyphenhyphenDJYH7do2GsWlxH6M2aDSM9tBdogU5Q1PZlc-ejJgYuZ8DaKnyb_CU-f5E0yJy/s1600/IMG_20130407_163641+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY3fRE27zMZZhx-4GGA2lNjN-8oxS2qEzMMfOdVum_yvF6oqWBTTK9VQoNQSbCVS2rGSPfTN7X-KOmbhyphenhyphenDJYH7do2GsWlxH6M2aDSM9tBdogU5Q1PZlc-ejJgYuZ8DaKnyb_CU-f5E0yJy/s320/IMG_20130407_163641+(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Good Friday<br />
<br />
This was an Early start for a day off… I got up at 7:30 and had a pamper bath (which is certainly less about pampering than it is about sorting myself out for the weekend). I used a lovely Lush bath bomb which changed colour in the water and smelled zingy – so that perked me up in readiness! Next stop was the hairdressers to get my mop top sorted out. I LOVE my hairdressers! I’ve been going to the same place for 10 years now, and they have never failed to make me feel great. If you want to have a nose, head to http://www.indigoblue4hair.com/ -honestly, fantastic! Got my hair cut off into a patented black bob before having a mooch around One Stop. When we got back (with not a minute to spare), we did the last of the washing and some chores before FINALLY packing for Resistanz. Jon turned up on time, so we were on the road for 1:00ish (as planned) and got to Sheffield in good time (with plenty of car raving, of course!).<br />
<br />
We were staying in the Copthorne this time, which is a departure from our usual weekends in the Premier inn. The prem seemed to have cottoned on to the fact that there is an event held over Easter Sunday, and as a result have massively inflated their prices – but it wasn’t a problem, as the ‘Thorne was lovely. We pulled into the carpark and saw our good friend Nick – which was a good omen for a weekend filled with friends. After a brief whirlwind of unpacking and getting dressed in “Goth casual,” it was time to head to the Devonshire Cat for drinks and catch-up times!<br />
<br />
The Friday played out fairly similarly to Saturday and Sunday, without us being able to go 3 paces without bumping into old friends and people we only get to see once or twice a year. After some delicious food and some different craft beers (honestly, the selection is fantastic – go and have a nose - http://www.devonshirecat.co.uk/), we had a good quarter of the pub filled with an interchangeable group of friends. Dan had left his goth boots in Brum (d’oh) and as he has a bad knee (and the floor of the venue – The Corporation is sold concrete) he made the decision to go back to collect them Saturday morning, so we had a pretty early one. We were in bed by the Rock’n’roll time of 11pm.<br />
<br />
Saturday<br />
<br />
Dan woke up at 7:15 and jumped in the car to shufty back to Birmingham. I was undecided whether to get up and have a luxurious bath in the hotel or lie there… I ended up snoozing for so long, that I didn’t get up till 8:00. I got a surprise text from my friend Jon inviting me for coffee at the lovely Winter Gardens – so we took a walk into Sheffield at about 9:00am.. the winter gardens really is a fabulous place in Sheffield. We went to a cute little coffee shop (that was playing a good mix of chilled out Dub and reggae inspired music), before going to meet Squeeky, Nate and John Baker at Wetherspoons for some breakfast.<br />
<br />
It was lovely to shoot the breeze and have some brekkie to set us up for another big day… after a mooch around the shops, we headed back (with a couple of young’uns who were a bit lost in Sheffield) to quickly get our “swag” on (a term loved by my mate Dave) to prepare for the first band of the day. On Saturday, we hugely enjoyed Ivardensphere and Cease2xist. We swanned around the venue, catching bits and pieces of bands and generally catching up with people. It was a good day, but something was a little strange about the atmosphere (despite people hugely enjoying themselves, on the whole). We didn’t have a late one, as by 1:00am – we were totally shattered! Normally, we are blind drunk at this point (kids, please drink responsibly) but in actual fact we were just really tired and emotionally worn out!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmJcJ6QqsvTPmvu3A7ZX48ae_t28VKvzJd4W1rgDTVhquQpV9-QSiddFB84hNSxhyphenhyphennl_BYXxx9PROrI0Hd4aasbb1UrSzdfTS7eZ-boHgqJe1FgMkGHmWf_5B9Ir1l1_n8iUHt0wj_Wx8I/s1600/IMG_20130407_164547.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmJcJ6QqsvTPmvu3A7ZX48ae_t28VKvzJd4W1rgDTVhquQpV9-QSiddFB84hNSxhyphenhyphennl_BYXxx9PROrI0Hd4aasbb1UrSzdfTS7eZ-boHgqJe1FgMkGHmWf_5B9Ir1l1_n8iUHt0wj_Wx8I/s320/IMG_20130407_164547.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Easter Sunday<br />
<br />
Sunday was a really nice day, but mainly due to the events we took part in outside of the venue. We woke up and managed to get to the “Big Resistanz Breakfast” at All Bar One in Sheffield. We weren’t too hungry, so just got a nice coffee and waited for the rabble to arrive. Honestly, I don’t know what the up market pub must have thought, because by the time we left – there were about 20 strange looking goths groaning and generally being hungover in their bar… quite a humorous sight!<br />
<br />
We were also booked to go to a friend’s birthday meal at Bungalows and Bears for lunch – so we left All Bar One at about 12:15 to scooch and meet another set of rabble. We bumped into an old friend on the way, so had a nice time having a chat to him and a casual drink whilst waiting for food. By the time everyone else turned up (looking pretty worse for wear after an epic party in a hotel), we were already tucking into our lunch and mentally preparing ourselves for another day of music.<br />
<br />
The standout bands of Sunday were definitely Voster and Celldweller for me. The latter was a big surprise, as he kind of sounds like Linkin Park mixed with Pendulum (and I really didn’t think this would appeal to my musical sensibilities). Sunday panned out pretty similarly to Saturday, with a large amount of flitting around chatting to people catching the occasional track. We had a really nice interlude where we went to meet our friends Liz, Liz and Row at the pub (for a bit of a comfy warm break) to have a good catch up and mothers meeting.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjee_c0U8tB8svw7UiaSVpR0aNpkkk553E7fAHvMLY68kVsLaQkAOj2mfZhoFRteEgQq-mn3YPujEfBPTCJK1LaRONgy03PLJ0OU1SZetWEY08-lPSV6phMU04p0tNu_-hWzguOvlrWrWXm/s1600/IMG_20130407_164613.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjee_c0U8tB8svw7UiaSVpR0aNpkkk553E7fAHvMLY68kVsLaQkAOj2mfZhoFRteEgQq-mn3YPujEfBPTCJK1LaRONgy03PLJ0OU1SZetWEY08-lPSV6phMU04p0tNu_-hWzguOvlrWrWXm/s320/IMG_20130407_164613.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFSpJfMHJXKu38OK6tgANjfhvN36dAUjAFAiQ6YfR5XVuPJzEaByf_-A8Ms54mJaWwSEpbiVDnh5uJdAQpo6t3jVuy-TybnU2jttS3JqOstmdkMl7bZJ5GXztlErsrsLfmoSJtDDXd3C5v/s1600/IMG_20130407_164448.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFSpJfMHJXKu38OK6tgANjfhvN36dAUjAFAiQ6YfR5XVuPJzEaByf_-A8Ms54mJaWwSEpbiVDnh5uJdAQpo6t3jVuy-TybnU2jttS3JqOstmdkMl7bZJ5GXztlErsrsLfmoSJtDDXd3C5v/s320/IMG_20130407_164448.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgbViZSJSCB4t3CISnGeHGQ-5dhfHp87vjoQ7m36jo0OlSZFgUIzHhkC2-IpAJw626uxMoPOTkhxD7CyWqxl8Il7nHsmUHS_jxNcdD3JL6g7FEAQHm7rIp2auXQTqz4t7qSNonZr4dtduM/s1600/IMG_20130407_164521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgbViZSJSCB4t3CISnGeHGQ-5dhfHp87vjoQ7m36jo0OlSZFgUIzHhkC2-IpAJw626uxMoPOTkhxD7CyWqxl8Il7nHsmUHS_jxNcdD3JL6g7FEAQHm7rIp2auXQTqz4t7qSNonZr4dtduM/s320/IMG_20130407_164521.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
So that was that, on the whole. We had a frantic call on Monday morning from one of our friends (Tom Collins – great name) advising that a close mate of ours had been in hospital overnight – so asked if we could take him home, but that wasn’t a problem for us. Not to worry – he’s ok – just suffers with some long term conditions, but it was definitely best to get him back home where he could rest up and recuperate. Said goodbye to a few lovely people who we bumped into at the hotel, before it was back down the motorway to get home to Brum.<br />
<br />
We had a very exciting bank holiday Monday *insert sarcasm here* filled with washing, unpacking, food shopping and general lazing around. We both felt like we had been hit by trucks, so we just sat on the sofa for the majority of the day… Tuesday was pretty similar – as after a 12-14 hour sleep, we spent the day eating (we both had an insatiable hunger) and catching up with our TV shows. Summary – Doctor Who, Walking Dead, The Following, Revenge and some cartoons..<br />
<br />
Wednesday was a tough day at work. Loads to do and no idea where to start! Still, got through it (had a few meetings to go to, which broke the day up) and enjoyed the walk to and from work… it was strange going back to normality – but surprisingly welcome to wander through my beautiful city and enjoy the sights of the Jewellery Quarter once again. The mornings are lighter now the clocks have changed, so a bit of chilly morning sun woke me up and put me in a good mood to deal with the difficulties of the day. It was lovely to see the Wednesday Gang in the evening. Me and Jon had a chat about what we had done in the times we hadn’t seen eachother over the weekend and briefed Jo and Caroline on the gossip (not that there was much).<br />
<br />
Yesterday was another tough day at work. Sometimes I wish I could split into two people… one to do the daily stuff my job entails and one to organise the charity events, my LEAN project, book the hotels and travel for the training courses I have coming up and generally spend time building relationships with my colleagues. Unfortunately, I am not yet an X-Man (Note the YET), so I have to just do what I can to make sure I don’t let anyone down. After work, I popped to Squeeky’s and Gitzy’s to pick up a ticket for their gig tonight (it should be a good one!), before getting home and having some food. Once I was sated and not dying of hunger and exhaustion, me and Dan got comfy on the sofa to prepare for the business of Deejaying tonight. Rather than taking it in turns, we have put together a set which I hope reflects both of our tastes. I really enjoy deejaying, but it’s always a bit scary as you have to pitch it right for the crowd. We have a large amount of New York and French electro in the set this time, so I hope people will hear something new that they can really sink their teeth into.<br />
<span id="goog_2060511612"></span><span id="goog_2060511613"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWvaiADeYcoZa8bJt2-1vM2C4Zm6EMObdLOsDWCerL1bS8FLYtqWy1T4UuMaX6ZLtJpSvpWufJi4-I7P4_P0tOp_LnWQqfFyCERZA2p6HNLZfdhFYdZshU5eX0_VmOCTPxWP7O_p7gO7Il/s1600/IMG_20130407_163548.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWvaiADeYcoZa8bJt2-1vM2C4Zm6EMObdLOsDWCerL1bS8FLYtqWy1T4UuMaX6ZLtJpSvpWufJi4-I7P4_P0tOp_LnWQqfFyCERZA2p6HNLZfdhFYdZshU5eX0_VmOCTPxWP7O_p7gO7Il/s320/IMG_20130407_163548.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Right – enough chatter. I have tried to gather some photos to reflect my activities over the last week, but you can be the judge of that!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Vickyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05668490683430962033noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6274969422164535445.post-25248187403570077632013-03-27T12:38:00.001-07:002013-03-27T12:38:25.380-07:0027th - A chance to catch my breath!So, you're all updated up until Sunday now.<br />
<br />
Monday was the bake off at work. I made a Chocolate Peanutbuttery affair of a cake. It didn't win any prizes, but we did raise a whopping £145 for Charity! We're still in partnership with the Children's Hospital - striving for our £25,000 target. It looks like we've hit the £8,000 mark, so I'm really pleased!!<br />
<br />
I have attached various photos I have taken over the last few days. The snow has just started clearing now - so it's less treacherous - but it was an ice rink round St Paul's Monday night. We went to Vicar Mary's film night - watched "In Darkness." A pretty sad film, but it was an important story. Recommended!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ZEi0xD3IcJ3zyxUDrKhQKqWGY5MgmnpjrLGOOxxR_Epm6CTEDkyqibWuYVNRzzGzoE9WwWG0hTU_Ht-CoaEirLY_sIodGijn3OEqqJsP70N-hjV59A5nj8EG79wvshWgDej2qK1KFn6d/s1600/JQ+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ZEi0xD3IcJ3zyxUDrKhQKqWGY5MgmnpjrLGOOxxR_Epm6CTEDkyqibWuYVNRzzGzoE9WwWG0hTU_Ht-CoaEirLY_sIodGijn3OEqqJsP70N-hjV59A5nj8EG79wvshWgDej2qK1KFn6d/s1600/JQ+1.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_2ViuByQDH6e-yRbSkrrBGsBqPkH7cn5nB1d0_HYDnchyphenhyphenoKky3b4IrFJ2P4BxpH8EakcmPDVzbhxx4EV6AJQy_PymYLU3ISJXZA869-ULOJfR_3fV34ppgMn1A1MgBfboqRve2z0v9kUL/s1600/JQ+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_2ViuByQDH6e-yRbSkrrBGsBqPkH7cn5nB1d0_HYDnchyphenhyphenoKky3b4IrFJ2P4BxpH8EakcmPDVzbhxx4EV6AJQy_PymYLU3ISJXZA869-ULOJfR_3fV34ppgMn1A1MgBfboqRve2z0v9kUL/s1600/JQ+2.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv2au8uDfKLt100_cJ-oFpWOHej9WekPrDyL4225zqtGSql5m2RpxqOkq9azRZfpRutElyHr9fHrHv_RBWKCTdrje_-2H_M3rVP_kJwgotEZFAMZPNMo0ejKaIXvxlyVkbLK3X1a43N7cp/s1600/JQ+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv2au8uDfKLt100_cJ-oFpWOHej9WekPrDyL4225zqtGSql5m2RpxqOkq9azRZfpRutElyHr9fHrHv_RBWKCTdrje_-2H_M3rVP_kJwgotEZFAMZPNMo0ejKaIXvxlyVkbLK3X1a43N7cp/s1600/JQ+3.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
After a lovely night Monday, work was good on Tuesday. I haven't been in a lot this month due to ALL OF THE FUN - so have had a lot to catch up on! Made some headway on the HUGE backlog though, and everyone is really pleased to have me back in the office (which is always nice ^_^). Last night, Tuesday, I had to go to bed when I got in... my glands are up and I've been pretty run down (probably due to running around like a blue arsed fly) so we had a night catching up on TV (Walking dead, Once Upon a Time, In the Flesh and Adventuretime) before an early one.<br />
<br />
Today I have had a training sandwich! I got into work for 7:30 (normal time) and did an hours work on my Lean Sigma project. I am really excited about it! I then had a First Aid course between 9:00 - 3:30, before doing a bit more work on my project (whilst listening to Neil Gaimans - Neverwhere BBC 4 adaptation). I am now officially a trained Fire Warden, First Aider and on the way to being a Lean Sigma Greenbelt and (hopefully) BSI Auditor later this year.<br />
<br />
Today's photo is a bit of a cheat - but I didn't want to use JUST JQ in the snow. I took this photo of the new library on Sunday. I am really excited about it opening in September! Keep an eye out - as I am sure they will do lots of amazing opening events (hopefully using their lovely amphitheater).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivXLJNHUhPltTUiLbtcDcOpXTsNQDFkcVsEhKxqAGo5QbBbaZ8lOLL1MOzuNIINNBXRllbVKOjNPvt-CnVfy02B2RDzWmqNEu8tut1grgj3g-mee1D6G89_nVZhrKpqjbFvc9gPKRrWDel/s1600/Library.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivXLJNHUhPltTUiLbtcDcOpXTsNQDFkcVsEhKxqAGo5QbBbaZ8lOLL1MOzuNIINNBXRllbVKOjNPvt-CnVfy02B2RDzWmqNEu8tut1grgj3g-mee1D6G89_nVZhrKpqjbFvc9gPKRrWDel/s1600/Library.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Thanks for staying patient with me - I have been away a lot recently, but I am still taking photos as much as I can (this weekend is a music festival - photo gold).Vickyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05668490683430962033noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6274969422164535445.post-51554498488361782392013-03-27T12:25:00.001-07:002013-03-27T12:25:46.195-07:00First in a fortnight!<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
Hi Y’all!<u></u><u></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
Well, life has been mental (as you can probably guess from the delay). The holiday was lovely. I have attached some photos below of where we stayed in Eqypt. The whole experience was stress free and brilliant! We got to the airport on the 11<sup>th</sup> and got a bit worried at the airport as the luggage was 2.5kg over – but the kind lady at check in just let it on without any hassle. After we had gotten a coffee and I had done a quick Blog update – the gate was announced and it was time to board! Hardly even caught my breath!<u></u><u></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb-k4pGdIPjbYg0LwRGgsckIr6bfdCSI8KUwTgpQ5NEngOaTneMgJ6-7U86IrQtZ2GVYAb98ukEdXKFZOsfNnTahnyV1RQ_E3iJdIeK3tenfWlmv05D3HXBuri79-_16P9tI4_vn3iVng6/s1600/Beach+view.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb-k4pGdIPjbYg0LwRGgsckIr6bfdCSI8KUwTgpQ5NEngOaTneMgJ6-7U86IrQtZ2GVYAb98ukEdXKFZOsfNnTahnyV1RQ_E3iJdIeK3tenfWlmv05D3HXBuri79-_16P9tI4_vn3iVng6/s1600/Beach+view.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1VNyUmKOyJwbJgMMG4ejkMIHzr-getwchFs8Ksv8IobYyM_cJKl-Rq9hsE1v7_pFwPFFfCTCpMMz1TS88Caoq3ATaX0RTpdjxumHKDvFuFD4NuP6uy89CMh6SCbrqeHHGcIkVy8ePYKxK/s1600/Beach+Gardens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1VNyUmKOyJwbJgMMG4ejkMIHzr-getwchFs8Ksv8IobYyM_cJKl-Rq9hsE1v7_pFwPFFfCTCpMMz1TS88Caoq3ATaX0RTpdjxumHKDvFuFD4NuP6uy89CMh6SCbrqeHHGcIkVy8ePYKxK/s1600/Beach+Gardens.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiikXKRfODsy84_TAvb06kK2apyXi22d71FCWUu7gfK-EgaNdGbaezLziQB8bEPB8SsFoR0cO7WmlEqQnA8DaAjhZXPvBZen_n85Wl7D2-WD5Xkj9hIPslQhy0Lcp1zjEfrtak6ne9qvuYM/s1600/Beach+Jetty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiikXKRfODsy84_TAvb06kK2apyXi22d71FCWUu7gfK-EgaNdGbaezLziQB8bEPB8SsFoR0cO7WmlEqQnA8DaAjhZXPvBZen_n85Wl7D2-WD5Xkj9hIPslQhy0Lcp1zjEfrtak6ne9qvuYM/s1600/Beach+Jetty.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4YLwlFtG3Q3OIoJa2O2OtU2ELF7hSZTQ1jLRTyZOB-ZwQfr8mIap5CYF27CS1nu3n2ajs7_TMpkny9kZgVBstmExB6LhnMOFnWJpnPzFLvRe4L2feLtpcpxZPWikheiYxbZNK5HlCdXai/s1600/Birthday+arrangement.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4YLwlFtG3Q3OIoJa2O2OtU2ELF7hSZTQ1jLRTyZOB-ZwQfr8mIap5CYF27CS1nu3n2ajs7_TMpkny9kZgVBstmExB6LhnMOFnWJpnPzFLvRe4L2feLtpcpxZPWikheiYxbZNK5HlCdXai/s1600/Birthday+arrangement.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIAhYGtKR3fjsCs3G42vl6by5M_dhCncwLXah1PFTEL7qrdLuMG75g0FFLyE6LE19zeJn9EHiTlsqZov18jiogN5yFLGJ921RIwq3U-KQi7flsv9u9IdM3g4xHjQwCd70aN0wkCNSsFdPt/s1600/Birthday+cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIAhYGtKR3fjsCs3G42vl6by5M_dhCncwLXah1PFTEL7qrdLuMG75g0FFLyE6LE19zeJn9EHiTlsqZov18jiogN5yFLGJ921RIwq3U-KQi7flsv9u9IdM3g4xHjQwCd70aN0wkCNSsFdPt/s1600/Birthday+cake.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
The flight ended up taking off early – meaning we landed in Egypt 20 minutes before the scheduled time. I don’t know if you have ever flown into Sharm airport – but it feels like a cattle market. The Egyptians clearly have no concept of how to organise a queue and as such we bustled this way and that, eventually getting through passport control and luggage collection to be picked up by our transfer. Once we had gotten to the hotel, we dumped stuff in the room – got changed and grabbed some dinner. The “entertainment” was a fire show, which in principal – is a great idea. In practise, it was terrible with one of the staff members wandering off in a huff halfway through and shouting at everyone. It was pretty hilarious.<u></u><u></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
I woke up on my birthday to sunshine and warmth. The view from our room (as you can see below) was lovely. The sparkling red sea and the gardens of the hotel. I had pancakes and an omelette in the warmth for my breakfast before having a lovely nap in the sun (we were up at Egypt time 6:30am – which translates to our time – 04:30am) and followed it up with a lovely lunch by the pool. Table service and good food! In the evening, we had an “a la carte” meal by the pool (which was beautiful) and the staff bought me out a cake and sang happy birthday. I would have sung too – but they firstly sang in Arabic, followed by English, followed by Italian and then back to Arabic. When we got back to the room – the cleaners had made a lovely display on the bed and written happy birthday in petals – a great day!<u></u><u></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
The rest of the holiday was wonderful too. We snorkelled, swam, met lovely people, ate our body weight in delicious food and enjoyed beer and cocktails all week. The temperature got up to nearly 40 degrees, so it was warm and relaxing.<u></u><u></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
We got back on Monday 18<sup>th</sup> to 1.5 degrees. A bit of a drop! It didn’t matter though, as we had done all the relaxing we could handle and were ready to get back to our own beds.<u></u><u></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
On the Tuesday, we had a day off (to catch up on chores) and I finally opened my birthday presents. I had some wonderful cards and presents and a really nice day with Dan. Caught up with Jo in the evening and realised how much I had missed my friends being away.<u></u><u></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
On the Wednesday and Thursday (20<sup>th</sup> – 21<sup>st</sup>) I started my Lean Practitioner course in Leamington Spa. Met people from all areas of my company and learned a lot! I’ve got to take on a huge project now – which is a bit scary – but I’m looking forward to the challenge. The venue was gorgeous (an old Georgian manor house) which is opposite a huge park. I have taken some pictures (below) of the folly and the rest of the park. I thoroughly recommend a walk around the park if you’re ever in the area!<u></u><u></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitKsRq9Kc4yVjhIomeh5iWD_OUrqf_nEhtcPuInPOn9mq0SSQciJl989DIycx0nbmIjTUD3htJUk1x0Ux-KGTKjIKAaCSAx3hSqqNA-ZomNP0VD0qwIdFU1aoYwP5PJmzA-4_Q-KOCxJAw/s1600/Leamington+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitKsRq9Kc4yVjhIomeh5iWD_OUrqf_nEhtcPuInPOn9mq0SSQciJl989DIycx0nbmIjTUD3htJUk1x0Ux-KGTKjIKAaCSAx3hSqqNA-ZomNP0VD0qwIdFU1aoYwP5PJmzA-4_Q-KOCxJAw/s1600/Leamington+1.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihALpGAzsuunXZagwsJS3RJpjSpHs4hkS8vBRQc8IKYOkReu7ruVDtiRPBY5M1sYGItROyYboPXO_yQDNe7RFVlcSlH-LBe_l-WNolqKTvuGSmJPmm0WJgKchtLa19A0Of2mK76ruDPizn/s1600/Leamington+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihALpGAzsuunXZagwsJS3RJpjSpHs4hkS8vBRQc8IKYOkReu7ruVDtiRPBY5M1sYGItROyYboPXO_yQDNe7RFVlcSlH-LBe_l-WNolqKTvuGSmJPmm0WJgKchtLa19A0Of2mK76ruDPizn/s1600/Leamington+2.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzXz-TO_mGCfFbYbI9Kf5JomTqesIZO1Y3JP9vk7r247JNovK4SHpZZhYUb8eIjY6l8ZG_aQ4R73pKfsZB6Ao8avl304iSCBmx9XNGS6pcOk1uOStXTCiecql0boSVyqUyTarB1pIfIq4r/s1600/Leamington+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzXz-TO_mGCfFbYbI9Kf5JomTqesIZO1Y3JP9vk7r247JNovK4SHpZZhYUb8eIjY6l8ZG_aQ4R73pKfsZB6Ao8avl304iSCBmx9XNGS6pcOk1uOStXTCiecql0boSVyqUyTarB1pIfIq4r/s1600/Leamington+3.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2cPDX6JhFFEdvUHqb3R1Pb9pwWLYH_LPpwjNAq2Ru4lEhucDvgmpaaAQWk90MGPlV-oehhpYG1RA73Pyczi1H16bzaWGGXt2auwSf_JBtVea1AvIwCicA5X70HCFJeBATYptuFW7eIdcT/s1600/Leamington+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2cPDX6JhFFEdvUHqb3R1Pb9pwWLYH_LPpwjNAq2Ru4lEhucDvgmpaaAQWk90MGPlV-oehhpYG1RA73Pyczi1H16bzaWGGXt2auwSf_JBtVea1AvIwCicA5X70HCFJeBATYptuFW7eIdcT/s1600/Leamington+4.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
On the Thursday (when I had gotten home), there was barely a chance to stop as I had time to shovel some stew down my neck and get changed before heading to a Flatpack Festival launch event. They had set up Great Western Arcade (a stunning old style shopping arcade in Birmingham - <a href="http://www.greatwesternarcade.co.uk/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://www.greatwesternarcade.<wbr></wbr>co.uk/</a>) as a cinema. On entrance, you were greeted with an array of delicious chocolates from a bespoke chocolatier and some sparkling wine (or orange juice/tea/coffee if you preferred). After taking a seat (and arranging the popcorn and postcards which were a gift to each person), blankets were handed out as the arcade is open to the elements and the snow had started. Flatpack and the Arcade had dug out some arcade footage of the arcade from the 70’s (on Super8!) and we had a good giggle at that before the main feature – Harold Lloyds “Safety last!” The live piano was stunning – it’s so funny that after a few minutes, you simply didn’t notice it was silent or in black and white and got into the spirit of the event.<u></u><u></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK2PkFj9U4mwmuYYyjx8HV1EOEX5-YgjTVu2NASL612DfnaYmxlp2AbcEV7WP6ZNb3NepUR1VFzQCajXJ-zrwMmc9d1gIAqeY_15WHqD8u3DyFRw5F12uTMyx6hOivUxwyUq0tsNllNSYk/s1600/Flatpack+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK2PkFj9U4mwmuYYyjx8HV1EOEX5-YgjTVu2NASL612DfnaYmxlp2AbcEV7WP6ZNb3NepUR1VFzQCajXJ-zrwMmc9d1gIAqeY_15WHqD8u3DyFRw5F12uTMyx6hOivUxwyUq0tsNllNSYk/s1600/Flatpack+1.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs0q6Ea4uv_8EGN303v-xIGXVV37egjf8wEHC6yo7UWGvNNE1gKcYSg2I5NIQ45XAC67Eg63cJJEyroppag0gn7cp1VvGl7VblYfwENcSm2I5ejcRl7F-iQY1h0qC7Grr61ZfTDs2TetWc/s1600/Flatpack+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs0q6Ea4uv_8EGN303v-xIGXVV37egjf8wEHC6yo7UWGvNNE1gKcYSg2I5NIQ45XAC67Eg63cJJEyroppag0gn7cp1VvGl7VblYfwENcSm2I5ejcRl7F-iQY1h0qC7Grr61ZfTDs2TetWc/s1600/Flatpack+3.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijDhNUTmkWXi02vU_4Mx8loO1F8CxVPPnPcUZMQcZsbFLxDkxYNukH_3-kD6TpwczzBMk6TLOfbOEr0h50lQ_H9lAFx3adoaX4DAnNEoen7Er2s_4qhwoyBPa8mZ5IySq5KXNq-yiX9pzv/s1600/Flatpack+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijDhNUTmkWXi02vU_4Mx8loO1F8CxVPPnPcUZMQcZsbFLxDkxYNukH_3-kD6TpwczzBMk6TLOfbOEr0h50lQ_H9lAFx3adoaX4DAnNEoen7Er2s_4qhwoyBPa8mZ5IySq5KXNq-yiX9pzv/s1600/Flatpack+2.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
Friday was my first day back in the office. After arranging the 181 emails – blugh- I sorted out some charity event emails out to my co-workers and organised my day. It flew by – and by 3:00pm, it was time to go home. Again – not much time to chill – as we were in the car and down to the Slade Rooms (at Wolverhampton’s Little Civic venue) to watch Richard Herring’s “Talking Cock” show. So, so funny! We had a brilliant time.<u></u><u></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2CP43gTSdLb-rUiELEduMUj2zxcWmC20cJMyA0uXyiAQU-03s8RNlzvtu_vy75s2YMiHID-LegJeJmVKfdj-FoBfkF3CtqrvSC08pPcOsHvBY8RfrtVlHfl6exuCj6IuhysIPTkePwIt6/s1600/R.Herring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2CP43gTSdLb-rUiELEduMUj2zxcWmC20cJMyA0uXyiAQU-03s8RNlzvtu_vy75s2YMiHID-LegJeJmVKfdj-FoBfkF3CtqrvSC08pPcOsHvBY8RfrtVlHfl6exuCj6IuhysIPTkePwIt6/s1600/R.Herring.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
Had an early night following the show as Saturday was another big day. Got up reasonably early and had to do the weekly shop and a clean, before heading out to meet our friend Clare for lunch. We were meant to be going to the Coffin works for a tour, but due to the snow and bad weather – it was cancelled. We had a lovely lunch at “The Rose Villa Tavern” before going to meet my aunt and my friend Carolyn. We went to collect them from their hotel and walked them back to ours.<u></u><u></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
We were going to go out, but due to the weather – decided to whack on the heating and stay in for the evening. It was a good choice, as we got out to the board games and had a rousing game of cranium, a few drinks and a good natter (over a lovely Thai Green curry) with Caroline, Jo, Jon, Tom, Sue and Carolyn.<u></u><u></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
Sunday was an early Start (due to the weather, the girls wanted to head off at a reasonable time), and we met the rabble at their hotel before heading out for some breakfast. After a lovely “round up” chat, we said our goodbyes and trundled off to the Cinema to watch “Jack the giant slayer.” It’s a good little British family film with plenty of action, humour, SFX and suspense. A quick trip to Tesco followed (to grab the stuff we hadn’t got on Saturday) and then it was time to clean up from Saturday and start on some dinner. Roast duck accompanied by two weeks of TV shows we had missed (Community, Walking Dead, New Girl and Archer). After we were mostly caught up, I baked a cake for today’s charity event at work (an Easter themed “bake off”) before settling down with a glass of red wine and a good film. Was tucked up in bed for 11pm – totally tuckered out.<u></u><u></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
So that’s been my fortnight. Hopefully you can forgive me for the lack of updates – but as you can see – I haven’t been resting on my laurels!<u></u><u></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
Hope you’ve stayed warm, happy and healthy while I’ve been away and enjoy the photos.<u></u><u></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
Vicky</div>
Vickyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05668490683430962033noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6274969422164535445.post-81176996200151198572013-03-11T01:22:00.001-07:002013-03-11T01:27:11.942-07:00The day before my birthday..<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYDefvvTK4dQq3yMJvwHRkIklDXpcbBs6cLclHwtUCEJ7i7DKAyOBFCKIwSrzE4VvDNLxKdud7JhIqnzIoTyIqjiFr05iNtGKRZdXIv2VAQwaZ7rToOjEKfLzMMzdBwITFapw3IBTBgAxj/s1600/IMG_20130306_165610.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYDefvvTK4dQq3yMJvwHRkIklDXpcbBs6cLclHwtUCEJ7i7DKAyOBFCKIwSrzE4VvDNLxKdud7JhIqnzIoTyIqjiFr05iNtGKRZdXIv2VAQwaZ7rToOjEKfLzMMzdBwITFapw3IBTBgAxj/s320/IMG_20130306_165610.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEFfct4n_JV86GfNxo3UvEZY0_Y57kjk3tkUSbexsECvdaJf7XDNgCMZMjzwyBcSiPhgNk5UQueD7C2EfynGKBsBKkUnijn3XQVTlvr08jf4yMWIe3P5cRou9ybRRvP3o8bYVodZrehKAd/s1600/IMG_20130309_185822.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEFfct4n_JV86GfNxo3UvEZY0_Y57kjk3tkUSbexsECvdaJf7XDNgCMZMjzwyBcSiPhgNk5UQueD7C2EfynGKBsBKkUnijn3XQVTlvr08jf4yMWIe3P5cRou9ybRRvP3o8bYVodZrehKAd/s320/IMG_20130309_185822.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-j4WErfyUVDW5hxzwRlt5TSn-45qCkn1xP6t7KbU-cYDbPxvFovEdQf9DXGI9Wm__XMSu66ODnNS3m1IjOgTGs7PVCzVp4MkWY2oiOJdAJj8IY6yOWwmx2d4oFu_eyoF5uf1F9gUKfqbD/s1600/IMG_20130309_115102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-j4WErfyUVDW5hxzwRlt5TSn-45qCkn1xP6t7KbU-cYDbPxvFovEdQf9DXGI9Wm__XMSu66ODnNS3m1IjOgTGs7PVCzVp4MkWY2oiOJdAJj8IY6yOWwmx2d4oFu_eyoF5uf1F9gUKfqbD/s320/IMG_20130309_115102.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi63zQ7O1JcZ4_CwXtucby8s6HURdddR7LenSca61XZ8WsAcGy8CPPhkYpvpEWFWde9M8RBCVAQUW5xdDhGzQvnmWMmL4LhLatFpcZvbkHB40Ro-nJdu3M1DUhWoitDbnw0RrJcbUjuJoI/s1600/IMG_20130311_080012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi63zQ7O1JcZ4_CwXtucby8s6HURdddR7LenSca61XZ8WsAcGy8CPPhkYpvpEWFWde9M8RBCVAQUW5xdDhGzQvnmWMmL4LhLatFpcZvbkHB40Ro-nJdu3M1DUhWoitDbnw0RrJcbUjuJoI/s320/IMG_20130311_080012.jpg" width="319" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Will have to do a full post next week - but haven't got access to internet from now until 19th - so these photos are a short summary of last week until next time... adios!</div>
<br />Vickyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05668490683430962033noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6274969422164535445.post-32535064093995871182013-03-05T10:30:00.001-08:002013-03-05T10:30:54.069-08:00Tuesday 5th (the day after the weekend that was)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYgwygxWBmq2yNl0EZHgvFfay5u6jXLAW91B6wHwxFNRcdQTtiZg9DeALuneMfJvf4xgIO_Tf88SzcjqMZpkrMCJ2U3hZYYXYDBDLQcOKI-nBkGYszNnC-uFw08YQCsYEHUlYC2aloskxn/s1600/Tuesday+05.03.2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYgwygxWBmq2yNl0EZHgvFfay5u6jXLAW91B6wHwxFNRcdQTtiZg9DeALuneMfJvf4xgIO_Tf88SzcjqMZpkrMCJ2U3hZYYXYDBDLQcOKI-nBkGYszNnC-uFw08YQCsYEHUlYC2aloskxn/s1600/Tuesday+05.03.2013.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brrrr! Early start (as normal) this morning. A
lovely 1°C in Birmingham on the walk to work, but it’s nice to be back
in the city. Definitely brighter in the mornings now so its feeling more
like Springtime! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Just a brief
note today as I am shattered! I’m going to be 28 next week, and as my
Dad has often said – I feel like I need to slow down! I probably fit
more into my time than I ever have done. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Today I have been confirming our trip to the two towers brewery (<a href="http://twotowersbrewery.co.uk/" target="_blank">http://twotowersbrewery.co.<wbr></wbr>uk/</a>) on Friday with my parents and 16 of our nearest and dearest friends, confirming our trip to the underground Limestone canals (<a href="http://www.dudleycanaltrust.org.uk/tr-index.htm" target="_blank">http://www.dudleycanaltrust.<wbr></wbr>org.uk/tr-index.htm</a>)
on Saturday and trying to arrange birthday drinks for the weekend.
Phew! Today I have also booked tickets to one of Flatpack Festivals
opening events. It’s going to be a silent movie with piano accompaniment
in the Great Western Arcade. It looks to be a blast and a one of a kind
event. You can check it out here - <a href="http://www.flatpackfestival.org.uk/" target="_blank">http://www.flatpackfestival.<wbr></wbr>org.uk/</a>. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As
well as all that, we’re getting all of documents ready for our holiday
(which we definitely need after all of the activity at the moment). This
week at work is a bit nuts as I have to fit 2 weeks of work into 1
week. It’s all good to have things planned – but it really does take its
toll on my mental capacity to work! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Anyway,
back to work for me! Should be able to do at least a couple of posts
this week. Will try my best to stay on top of it – especially as I have
so much good stuff planned that I would like to share with you all. Vickyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05668490683430962033noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6274969422164535445.post-25393382518237061662013-03-05T10:27:00.000-08:002013-03-05T10:27:24.478-08:00Catchup blog! Wednesday 27th - Monday 4th<div class="MsoNormal">
Well, that WAS an eventful Wednesday to Monday!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My first photos (below) are from Wednesday 27<sup>th</sup>
Feb. The morning was a bit grotty and depressing, so I waited until the
afternoon. It ended up being a good call as the sun started shining in
the afternoon which made the world a bit brighter. Unfortunately, I
cannot do a full picture of the church due to its size – so I have got the spire. Normal Wednesday evening practise was out of the window as it
was time for a meeting of the JQNF! We discussed security in the
quarter, events we want to put on and a possible urban
“garden”/allotment scheme we would like to do. It’s always nice to see
the group as it’s such a meeting of different specialities and
interests. There are qualified planners (and those who are incredibly
informed on the subject), marketing people, theatre folk, Councillors
and the rest of us who have different jobs and interests. I think we
complement each other well, as we really do cover all of the bases when
it comes to social groups who live in the quarter. I look forward to our
meetings (but have managed to squeeze out of taking away too many
actions so far – just too darned busy!). </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieBgjiidKzf2Kbh8t4THuxEki66ijfyw_tsr9j1ooKU2gYw0kUhUqZoVhNUItuIIGaVf5eTWhxiBIPtT7cNLHhWon6umnB_za4li1ZluLP7g-ZpmeWAKZMZCCX0NYQOq45MutvD4ekAWth/s1600/spire+27.02.2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieBgjiidKzf2Kbh8t4THuxEki66ijfyw_tsr9j1ooKU2gYw0kUhUqZoVhNUItuIIGaVf5eTWhxiBIPtT7cNLHhWon6umnB_za4li1ZluLP7g-ZpmeWAKZMZCCX0NYQOq45MutvD4ekAWth/s1600/spire+27.02.2013.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Thursday was the day of Sci-fi Weekender. Had a
lovely lie in (no normal 6:15 get up for us!) and then had to rush
around to get the last minute bits done before lift-off (11:30). Of
course, lift off ended up being later than envisaged – but we didn’t
mind as we weren’t in any major hurry. Once the car was packed and
everyone was in situ – we were off! It was a pretty long trip (over 3
hours), but we didn’t hit any major traffic. The roads through Snowdonia
National Park ended up making the journey a bit more interesting for
Dan and the countryside we passed through was breath-taking. We got to
Hafan-Y-Mor Holiday Park in plenty of time to check in and get our stuff
unpacked and organised before the evening events kicked off. I have
added a bunch of photos below. They aren’t in any particular order, just
a few of my favourites from the weekend.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0OKrEqA4W5Cnjl0auz3q431Tfp3roIYPQmwXwSUHdBPpAWQbOeCms1WlVAOzZ8U2D6MFncIVBKPw4qC5D5EoJ7TspQPAVEIIE8wivF-K4op7bk6k9eDi4Quskkl86mfwqnkNvkAMb6qmH/s1600/DSCN1751.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0OKrEqA4W5Cnjl0auz3q431Tfp3roIYPQmwXwSUHdBPpAWQbOeCms1WlVAOzZ8U2D6MFncIVBKPw4qC5D5EoJ7TspQPAVEIIE8wivF-K4op7bk6k9eDi4Quskkl86mfwqnkNvkAMb6qmH/s1600/DSCN1751.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGEyYsHx35LBQYzbg-cc_3KNT5UjsLmRrpg9BoZHvyd5elnERheyQt4axTzPaW6a_JTH15dBcKSDQOcKwlrghTKqQcElLghQeayG04RA3bsYYF8CI2sytcosVHPXRDujlPUgZSWT8I03Ox/s1600/DSCN1755.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGEyYsHx35LBQYzbg-cc_3KNT5UjsLmRrpg9BoZHvyd5elnERheyQt4axTzPaW6a_JTH15dBcKSDQOcKwlrghTKqQcElLghQeayG04RA3bsYYF8CI2sytcosVHPXRDujlPUgZSWT8I03Ox/s1600/DSCN1755.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjFsDDFUQN_-F8IQ1tnm_oeZL2Cpxoj8ioSzsLkKi_23myXoWzVFXW1LKNkijxWl0HY9RcTGJh0V2mT0spzcHS_hstxdyRxh4qYXdMY1k2lODkPp-xwbsPKEGftVUQwRZCyGkz2esCoiND/s1600/DSCN1758.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjFsDDFUQN_-F8IQ1tnm_oeZL2Cpxoj8ioSzsLkKi_23myXoWzVFXW1LKNkijxWl0HY9RcTGJh0V2mT0spzcHS_hstxdyRxh4qYXdMY1k2lODkPp-xwbsPKEGftVUQwRZCyGkz2esCoiND/s1600/DSCN1758.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUPXcggx1og7MrR4z3lsKCfvYOwlxrrQrNkvAY95IOsi6uwn2SR6DDqZNSfSyo4ZRQQeDNc4bb5eOayVE-HHOQgWR8LUCF1Rxq1lmHZNkx2BNsCRDtZSKH4PxdnY7sY4lXGVnjbvEz_9OR/s1600/DSCN1759.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUPXcggx1og7MrR4z3lsKCfvYOwlxrrQrNkvAY95IOsi6uwn2SR6DDqZNSfSyo4ZRQQeDNc4bb5eOayVE-HHOQgWR8LUCF1Rxq1lmHZNkx2BNsCRDtZSKH4PxdnY7sY4lXGVnjbvEz_9OR/s1600/DSCN1759.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6XPapW9JI4bPdYpnYrXChIbuOd8vjpXeva2O9hv1sQvpFhBvUO74shPjJsrwbL3yNoGUMs5kvnhyphenhyphenZEOaGRhBAhvXnnn9jTfGPyfznnP19SOZS6BQdEwrYFcMzKqeKqXDM-hKJBdflyASO/s1600/DSCN1769.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6XPapW9JI4bPdYpnYrXChIbuOd8vjpXeva2O9hv1sQvpFhBvUO74shPjJsrwbL3yNoGUMs5kvnhyphenhyphenZEOaGRhBAhvXnnn9jTfGPyfznnP19SOZS6BQdEwrYFcMzKqeKqXDM-hKJBdflyASO/s1600/DSCN1769.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyzAGO1CrHiuFDxGY7i5y7wQHZYeBNMvNRVMMADeGpLDEZRYTcyssJ4TMpUc1QDg9SmUmdWUqGoGWb5JmwKzA8DXtUgRpaD8H2g5kmjK_1XqJSwSqzXR4odDB3fKwAGj8WnIOZ-PSxdiaw/s1600/DSCN1785.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyzAGO1CrHiuFDxGY7i5y7wQHZYeBNMvNRVMMADeGpLDEZRYTcyssJ4TMpUc1QDg9SmUmdWUqGoGWb5JmwKzA8DXtUgRpaD8H2g5kmjK_1XqJSwSqzXR4odDB3fKwAGj8WnIOZ-PSxdiaw/s1600/DSCN1785.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYO73CMS0w4PEYGLpPydCpg0PtsJDj-t7rRuzyKlQI5xLoB59ZerZ7D4qf3FyJWQAZ3syPB8fk9fccIxby45SNkspJPFzSqud3nrZcMvUpGY03ouxHJotlMdVjtbwmUs-sC14t_av-uRRQ/s1600/DSCN1768.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYO73CMS0w4PEYGLpPydCpg0PtsJDj-t7rRuzyKlQI5xLoB59ZerZ7D4qf3FyJWQAZ3syPB8fk9fccIxby45SNkspJPFzSqud3nrZcMvUpGY03ouxHJotlMdVjtbwmUs-sC14t_av-uRRQ/s1600/DSCN1768.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEucZ-lja54XFlYahkc9wCMkTsBZiPLbZqdt0rkZSxvW5fnwD1efz0K7prZcDhxaPpj86fSOSkusfMZO0huz7zc21MqGMDAnKzr_Mxv-cLiAszdt0mUju8GRK3xm58peYgYZ9yCgOc-0jX/s1600/DSCN1763.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEucZ-lja54XFlYahkc9wCMkTsBZiPLbZqdt0rkZSxvW5fnwD1efz0K7prZcDhxaPpj86fSOSkusfMZO0huz7zc21MqGMDAnKzr_Mxv-cLiAszdt0mUju8GRK3xm58peYgYZ9yCgOc-0jX/s1600/DSCN1763.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiv8Lv_WXk8tOxt1YvYRLdTwSGDdFSflateyvnilHuRAFyYp3iWTDcHybBdzA9ZhBwBNoUNf6BEsfSuK353VpoRCgN2_opmru11bILtTpjE7lwnpECXgjSEYo-qkIFsPCUFJNQudcTRhaN/s1600/DSCN1762.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiv8Lv_WXk8tOxt1YvYRLdTwSGDdFSflateyvnilHuRAFyYp3iWTDcHybBdzA9ZhBwBNoUNf6BEsfSuK353VpoRCgN2_opmru11bILtTpjE7lwnpECXgjSEYo-qkIFsPCUFJNQudcTRhaN/s1600/DSCN1762.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHPT3M78owStZvT311CpE4snvWNYCe8223-zIWeKyqDkveHnpgNZoGTdvowCtRIrvDkVD9zKh4JRhLB2LmSjCwNoEUJx7Nmp5xjptPeCkzjskMqshUL1ngGddsxnnp5dXtU9Lmm8p1P_FL/s1600/DSCN1760.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHPT3M78owStZvT311CpE4snvWNYCe8223-zIWeKyqDkveHnpgNZoGTdvowCtRIrvDkVD9zKh4JRhLB2LmSjCwNoEUJx7Nmp5xjptPeCkzjskMqshUL1ngGddsxnnp5dXtU9Lmm8p1P_FL/s1600/DSCN1760.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There
was so much going on from Thursday night to Sunday that it would take
me forever to blog about them all. Instead, here’s a quick rundown of
the “Best bits”:-</div>
<span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span>·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Brian Blessed being interviewed by Robert Rankin<br />
<span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span>·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Meeting Peter V Brett<br />
<span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span>·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Getting attacked by Pan, Daleks and Darth Vader at various points over the weekend<br />
<span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span>·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Dancing to Craig Charles’s amazing DJ set <br />
<span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span>·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Getting hammered with one of my favourite Comic artists ever<br />
<span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span>·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Listening to a panel on “the apocalypse; how is it going to happen?” and our fascination (as readers) with the end of the world<br />
<span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span>·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Professor Elemental (there IS always time for tea!)<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I could go on… but I’m not going to. If you ever catch me – ask me about Glen Fabry and “the ducks,” still chuckling now! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Heading
back to Birmingham on Sunday. The roads that were so much fun on
Thursday when awake, excited and sober weren’t quite so appealing when
hung-over, tired and suffering. Still, got back without too much drama
and did our usual “last push” to get the shopping in, the washing on and
the stuff unpacked. It’s always difficult to do – but so worth it when
you wake up the next day and everything is in its correct place and no
faffing to get everything done.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Monday
(yesterday) was a lazy day. We definitely needed it! Had a good long
lie in, plenty to eat and lots of fluids to hydrate our bodies as much
as humanly possible. I didn’t think the weekend would be so wild – but
it ended up being as bad (if not worse) than some of the music festivals
we go to in terms of late nights and partying. Still, can’t complain.
Got a lot of the calendar to look forward too (including my birthday –
Yipppeee!). 2013 is shaping up to be extraordinary.Vickyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05668490683430962033noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6274969422164535445.post-81188065589147499232013-02-26T10:15:00.000-08:002013-02-26T10:15:13.734-08:00Tuesday <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVJPRta4l9nAdlXHzVqqqgdtRdslRZttJj2Mcrl1ncDqEyO7RtjQUPsq40EWHe5pVZIckZ5ECLbohlEIzhfWf7GwLuUT56BJuPe_Qsn8FQVkgdAe24weAfDSIuT1iO-KbkBwznOmL_SWQF/s1600/IMG_20130226_175718.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVJPRta4l9nAdlXHzVqqqgdtRdslRZttJj2Mcrl1ncDqEyO7RtjQUPsq40EWHe5pVZIckZ5ECLbohlEIzhfWf7GwLuUT56BJuPe_Qsn8FQVkgdAe24weAfDSIuT1iO-KbkBwznOmL_SWQF/s320/IMG_20130226_175718.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
So, today is pretty miserable! Not cloudy and not as cold as it has been – but definitely miserable. I’m totally shattered at work and supposed to be firing on all cylinders to help put together a bit for a training investment. I am so grateful to be asked (I’ve been crying out for an opportunity like this), but I just wish it hadn’t come when I’ve been so busy!<br />
<br />
Still, had a very productive meeting and put some initial thoughts together, so that’s all anyone can hope for at this stage. Got to get home tonight and pack! Was meant to do it last night – but couldn’t find the energy after the weekend of manicness. Still, did a load of washing in preparation for packing. It will be all systems go come Thursday :) just got to do the last (arguably, most important) thing – the booze run.<br />
<br />
I have had a lovely surprise today. Me and the other half generally share things we think are good with likeminded people. I have been lending a colleague “The Walking Dead,” as I figured he would appreciate it (being a zombie fan – but also a father of two young children so not a lot of time for researching what’s good in popular culture), and not only has he loved it – but he has bought us a present today. “The Zombie Survival Guide; Complete Protection from the Walking Dead.” I hadn’t read it yet, so bonus, but also how sweet that he bothered. I think we often take for granted the nice things that other people do for us and forget to say “Thank you” when someone has gone above and beyond. It’s inspired me to try and notice the things that other people do for me all the time, not because they have to, but because they want to.<br />
<br />
I hope you take that as your thought for today as well. Lets spread a bit of positivity – god knows that when it’s still THIS cold and THIS miserable in February, we all need some.<br />
Vickyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05668490683430962033noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6274969422164535445.post-58514342541031448672013-02-26T09:59:00.000-08:002013-02-26T09:59:03.721-08:00Monday Magica<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJfi_sXqgDE0oxWnSDofHboJiz7BEh9NCe6D-VptJaMoczwouKv_VBraguMV9yi8BWDOWADFrL4QaVLdJrTYqg4SzXaIYT64kIOYCIHk-VBTNwLW_2zh-DQUsTtWqys41P_ZeLZboNScpp/s1600/IMG_20130225_170507.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJfi_sXqgDE0oxWnSDofHboJiz7BEh9NCe6D-VptJaMoczwouKv_VBraguMV9yi8BWDOWADFrL4QaVLdJrTYqg4SzXaIYT64kIOYCIHk-VBTNwLW_2zh-DQUsTtWqys41P_ZeLZboNScpp/s320/IMG_20130225_170507.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEcmah0tIw6dkemqpejnRk_Q4o2abcaCgeWVp5C08QDoSByOXKYzqWQ26NqZPoMjO6g16EgYRQP0txbSZUIV4drMlcMZcXx9VAkN5NN5qIEWuh5nZDx-mtWPCS6qFqJjHFccyxlqlHexah/s1600/IMG_20130225_170413.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEcmah0tIw6dkemqpejnRk_Q4o2abcaCgeWVp5C08QDoSByOXKYzqWQ26NqZPoMjO6g16EgYRQP0txbSZUIV4drMlcMZcXx9VAkN5NN5qIEWuh5nZDx-mtWPCS6qFqJjHFccyxlqlHexah/s320/IMG_20130225_170413.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
So.. Monday…<br />
<br />
Well, what can you say really? Mondays are nobody’s favourite day of the week – especially after a weekend having a wonderful time attending great events and hanging out with good friends. We had a pretty chilled day Sunday, just did the remaining chores and went to brunch with Jon, Dan and Martin (Pancakes make me happy), but still woke up shattered. A pretty miserable day weather-wise – so I took todays photos on my way home from work. More of the fantastic eggs which have sprung up around the city!<br />
<br />
Work was productive for personal stuff, but hitting more walls with actual work. You can only do so much until someone else needs to take over and carry out their “bit.” If they don’t do it – you just have to step back (no matter how frustrated you are). Still, sorted train tickets for The Knife, some supplies for Scifi Weekender, some booking for Birthday activities and some bits sorted for our holiday.<br />
<br />
Picked up my new glasses on the way home. Got a lovely black and white plastic pair (Karen Millen) and a rather crazy Osiris pair (in a 50’s wing style and leopard print design). I fell in love with the crazy pair, but was rather worried that they would look too ridiculous. The consensus is that they look “off the wall,” but I look pretty off the wall most of the time –so I can get away with it.<br />
<br />
Did a few bits and pieces in town before heading back and putting in all of the washing we need for Thursday and doing a bit of tidying. Caught up with the “Walking Dead” (I swear, that show just gets better and better) and watched some more “Madoka Magica.” What a strange and brilliant series! If you’re into your anime – check it out (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puella_Magi_Madoka_Magica). Definitely worth a watch!<br />
<br />
Anyway – time to chip off. I’ve just accepted that, try as I might, I will not be posting every day! Life gets in the way!<br />
Vickyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05668490683430962033noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6274969422164535445.post-27074185001649192472013-02-26T09:56:00.000-08:002013-02-26T09:56:08.280-08:00A Saturday well spent...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoYhuz1Ub_3YDrxM0Be_Vk_JY9cFCq1-vHfiXHAjkjNnVcgCSiBW5NaQx5uY3Jx3-Jyy-FG7-uhscVFYh_qsZlt8oIS3tMW3JFN5rbwKdTlXAFeClI799HC2NUwepid5b-bMM-BF-eHaIY/s1600/IMG_20130225_173642.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoYhuz1Ub_3YDrxM0Be_Vk_JY9cFCq1-vHfiXHAjkjNnVcgCSiBW5NaQx5uY3Jx3-Jyy-FG7-uhscVFYh_qsZlt8oIS3tMW3JFN5rbwKdTlXAFeClI799HC2NUwepid5b-bMM-BF-eHaIY/s320/IMG_20130225_173642.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYKrH8JxjYe1MMrEvYoSUWRRVCcqqzmmqTJejbzQMlbHtO4PtA84qPvxKddIb8ZvKA1s92-r92zu4_AyNE1WZStgQUdiZJXcBe2KCV1lncNbnL7rd7etcZdYOoUidOgJNmkf9ZsQNUp3RA/s1600/IMG_20130225_173558.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYKrH8JxjYe1MMrEvYoSUWRRVCcqqzmmqTJejbzQMlbHtO4PtA84qPvxKddIb8ZvKA1s92-r92zu4_AyNE1WZStgQUdiZJXcBe2KCV1lncNbnL7rd7etcZdYOoUidOgJNmkf9ZsQNUp3RA/s320/IMG_20130225_173558.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyAtpAvdB6W9nUpyS1zaVrnt_u8zsF0ePEfSDvJ2onZ5qNVOv2IiMZW6X4JGA6QJduZZIzXf7MQMiXly6L6vLgdzEtzn0MDHaGYuKlgG9T8XK_Fycm-PQhj5ZOHBjedMj04G0zr5jRTz0p/s1600/IMG_20130225_173539.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyAtpAvdB6W9nUpyS1zaVrnt_u8zsF0ePEfSDvJ2onZ5qNVOv2IiMZW6X4JGA6QJduZZIzXf7MQMiXly6L6vLgdzEtzn0MDHaGYuKlgG9T8XK_Fycm-PQhj5ZOHBjedMj04G0zr5jRTz0p/s320/IMG_20130225_173539.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Just a brief note on my weekend!<br />
<br />
We were lucky enough to get tickets for +backtothetheatre event at the Custard factory on Saturday! This meant we had to wake up nice and early (normal Saturday practise for us) to get to Birmingham Markets to sort out our food for the week. I really do Love the Birmingham markets, but not so much when I’m hung over -_-.<br />
<br />
Treated it as a smash and grab and armed with our shopping list, got into town, got the things we needed and dashed home in time to shove some food in our mouth and head back out. Met our lovely friends squeaky and Gitzy and mooched down to Digbeth in time to collect tickets, posters and be seated. Firstly, the venue was amazing. A lovely little movie theatre in the middle of the Custard Factory. Small, but comfortable and in good order. There were first rate movie props from Re-animator on the stage (the half woman talking corpse from ROTLD and “THE” Head from Reanimator) as well as a trioxin barrel, Tarman head and gravestones strewn about. On each seat was a plastic goody bag which contained a copy of Shock Horror magazine, some flyers and a freebie. I got the fabulous badge you can see above. I am donning THAT at Scifi Weekender!<br />
<br />
The first event of the day was a Q&A with Graham Humphries. What a lovely guy! Talked about his experiences of creating the iconic posters and covers for Nightmare on Elm Street, Evil Dead, Dusk till Dawn and all sorts! We fired questions from the crowd and he answered honestly and truthfully about his long career and working with the greats. Next was the signing. As we were one of the first 50 to book, we got a ltd edition poster which Graham gratefully scribbled on for us. He took the time to pose for photos with everyone who asked and was just genuinely nice.<br />
<br />
Then came the reanimator screening. Great quality audio and video and totally wonderful to watch a film with a likeminded audience. We laughed and cheered together during the film and had a whale of a time. You could take in your own food and drink, so people were cracking open beers and sharing packets of sweets – a great atmosphere.<br />
<br />
After the break (and the beer run), came the Q&A with Don Calfa. He is not a young man, but exuded positivity and excitement. Even though he was deaf as a post, he answered questions animatedly and candidly throughout the session – offering little titbits and gems of stories from the whole of his career.<br />
<br />
Following this came a short talk from Steve “Mitzy” May and Gary Smart (author of “The Complete History of the Return of the Living Dead” – shortly to be reissued). Fascinating stuff – especially for a total novice when it comes to cult Zombie movies. A history of the trials and tribulations behind the titles and the “difficult” franchise (varying quality from the Sublime to the Ridiculous). This made the following screening even more engaging and I think even hardened ROTLD fans learned something and took something new away from the film.<br />
<br />
The final part of the day (after I had bagged a free DVD of “Dragon Wasps”) was the Don Calfa Signing. Again, a wonderful guy who had time for everyone and didn’t rush anyone. Some people had taken 4 or 5 items for signing, but no complaints or ego were felt and everyone just seemed to be happy and excited. There was a quiet drink with Don afterwards, but after a long exciting day – I just needed to go to bed.<br />
<br />
On that note, I urge to check out #backtothetheatre events. We heard a whisper of the theme of the next one – and quite frankly – it’s already on the calender!<br />
Vickyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05668490683430962033noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6274969422164535445.post-35722817585482905062013-02-25T10:05:00.000-08:002013-02-25T10:05:26.788-08:00Thursday and Friday (and the ills - again!)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0mPC1jo730LawVB7EdP7GnGGM1X3RXSuCMfzc0OkM2i2ou3TsnUeAFpfvsCadBUgjPKCP6sLoAR1pP4pSIgjagK32kwTrhW2lPmMG8DWHg63jxAZVYq9AxPsOjx3QecptbXUZeLTI_WEE/s1600/IMG_20130225_174241.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0mPC1jo730LawVB7EdP7GnGGM1X3RXSuCMfzc0OkM2i2ou3TsnUeAFpfvsCadBUgjPKCP6sLoAR1pP4pSIgjagK32kwTrhW2lPmMG8DWHg63jxAZVYq9AxPsOjx3QecptbXUZeLTI_WEE/s320/IMG_20130225_174241.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuCE5CaJF5cf_oPhonD1iNXU2ei7bco4SyizPxpTq1-zUjw50c-mlAHgQ-LeVvZbFIQ9sSLrQVwxFYAWYRlANGLOz69BDumL7n60dcfx6grpK9Gf1tbzCN1SEq_nkcjhCAiOJNkXLIFKoo/s1600/IMG_20130225_174341.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuCE5CaJF5cf_oPhonD1iNXU2ei7bco4SyizPxpTq1-zUjw50c-mlAHgQ-LeVvZbFIQ9sSLrQVwxFYAWYRlANGLOz69BDumL7n60dcfx6grpK9Gf1tbzCN1SEq_nkcjhCAiOJNkXLIFKoo/s320/IMG_20130225_174341.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
This is Thursday and Friday respectively. I don't know for the life of me what that thing is in the sky! It wasn't on the lens!<br />
<br />
I was really poorly Thursday and crazy busy Friday - so didn't get a chance to post! The weather was pretty miserable last week and not helped by not feeling great, so felt stressed and down in the dumps. Had a nice Wednesday night with the gang - but felt like utter pants Thursday (which wasn't helped by people being ridiculous at work), so passed out when I got in. Also had the wonderful news that the charity event I had struggled to organise had to be cancelled as our lovely dance teacher had all the ills, so not a good one!<br />
<br />
Friday was better, but was still shattered! Ended up having a lovely evening with our wonderful friends, but suffered for it Saturday (see next post!).<br />
<br />
All in all, a bad week was made great by friends :) but more about that in the next post (which will hopefully go up after dinner!)<br />
Vickyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05668490683430962033noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6274969422164535445.post-77884405401903279652013-02-20T10:50:00.000-08:002013-02-20T10:50:23.176-08:00woeful Wednesday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg8RtPCUktIgjc9Pjdy2i6dV0QO7V13p5BAdYvdObCmEnh4hz7C90Yzy9dwzyMoBGiNdhNHQXsYuBofyzb098ERNqW6yeZWlDFGZ_nhjuPvQCNyR_mJ5EP3jMEGghEtEAG6bSSHaiLSL4o/s1600/IMG_20130220_181905.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg8RtPCUktIgjc9Pjdy2i6dV0QO7V13p5BAdYvdObCmEnh4hz7C90Yzy9dwzyMoBGiNdhNHQXsYuBofyzb098ERNqW6yeZWlDFGZ_nhjuPvQCNyR_mJ5EP3jMEGghEtEAG6bSSHaiLSL4o/s320/IMG_20130220_181905.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Just a quick one today! Last night's trip to the Electric was excellent! Prosecco and Cookies bought to our sofa and the fabulous Denzel Washington acting like he was in a Victorian melodrama! All topped off with a pint in Brewdog and wonderful company in the shape of my friend Emma.<br />
<br />
Today, my cold is back :(! I am so unlucky with being ill, whatever is going around - I will catch! Had a nice early night last night, which was definitely required. I had an exciting day of dentist, optician and a tonne of work to do - a brilliant combination. Still, the photo today is nice and cheerful!<br />
<br />
These fabulous eggs have popped up all over Birmingham. This smiley face was spotted outside the Cathedral. If you're about town, go and have an explore!<br />
<br />
Anyway, must dash! Got to book my place on the conservation trust's coffin factory tour. I suggest you book if you can - have a look here:<br />
www.birminghamconservationtrust.orgVickyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05668490683430962033noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6274969422164535445.post-7966397406860768452013-02-20T10:29:00.002-08:002013-02-20T10:29:43.569-08:00Tuesday 19th Feb <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpUI-2sbAvYh6MGygvOj04HzooTaMqD8kzyqtDYej-yOmianmUYNYBOuhLWa0dFcn18HrcGa4Jut-ipgImMLgDctycx1J_DAFzteAtzDlZJuU8rzzKsDfMXzAWkljtISK4tLDknZ3ecymY/s1600/IMG_20130220_181800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpUI-2sbAvYh6MGygvOj04HzooTaMqD8kzyqtDYej-yOmianmUYNYBOuhLWa0dFcn18HrcGa4Jut-ipgImMLgDctycx1J_DAFzteAtzDlZJuU8rzzKsDfMXzAWkljtISK4tLDknZ3ecymY/s320/IMG_20130220_181800.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Well, a good day to you all!<br />
<br />
Today’s post isn’t as exciting as yesterdays as there are no animal pictures! I was so pleased with how some of them came out! I invested in a new phone end of last year, and it’s really made a difference to how many photos I take and how I consider things around me. My phone previously was technically a smart phone, but the processor was so slow – it was a nightmare to do anything with it. The quality of the pictures were simply AWFUL too!<br />
<br />
Today is nice and bright, but pretty cold. My poor fingers were frozen as I was taking the picture – so I only took the one and shufted off pretty quickly. I’m writing this in the morning, but hope to get a nice picture later as I’m heading to the Electric Cinema (which is a lovely place) to see Flight.<br />
<br />
Got a tonne of stuff to do today and the weight of the world on my shoulders. I’ve got so much to sort out. It’s not even a relief to cross one thing off the list as the list seems to be never bloody ending! Roll on next Thursday. I’m off to Sci-fi Weekender in Wales, so get a bit of time off work to chill with my friends and have a giggle. Today, I’m taking solace in the fact I can listen to the radio at work and just tune in to the task at hand.<br />
<br />
Right – as I say, best get on with it. these 50 Method Statements aren’t going to write themselves… no really… 50. All at least 5 pages long. Great fun!<br />
<br />
Vickyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05668490683430962033noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6274969422164535445.post-80380132840848804642013-02-18T09:24:00.003-08:002013-02-18T09:31:51.632-08:00Anniversary weekend and (unfortunately) Monday<br />
So, what a weekend… had a nice chilled out Friday. Watched Antiviral (brilliant) and got a decent night’s sleep. Was woken up by the alarm at 9:30 on Saturday morning and had a relaxing bath (with the last of my Christmas gift posh stuff). Out the door by 10:30 and on the road to mystery date.<br />
<br />
As soon as I started to see the road signs, I knew we were going to Dudley Zoo. It might seem a bit silly to you lot, but it was one of our first dates – so meant the world to me. It was the first place Dan truly saw my rather “colourful” side, as I chatted to ALL of the animals on the way round. I have attached some photos from the day.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOiGxdFl0M6BFoVUuG5eM-v6Qi3DBpB1ipr6hOLlA3sXwx96ZnQRjvO8ieUQYsnTCwbhxXV2yzkJOVI2deyjD5tGL6uNtFFi7Oa_so3mfHyHEtNILVEznMUjSQpjsWBV3D9gTdzyhcNlzB/s1600/IMG_20130218_165846.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOiGxdFl0M6BFoVUuG5eM-v6Qi3DBpB1ipr6hOLlA3sXwx96ZnQRjvO8ieUQYsnTCwbhxXV2yzkJOVI2deyjD5tGL6uNtFFi7Oa_so3mfHyHEtNILVEznMUjSQpjsWBV3D9gTdzyhcNlzB/s320/IMG_20130218_165846.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx7fAR7d26mGr2lUsWAN_jAxdmSWBqT-5ENbk7du9Pwthd6aXQa32DgJMWFGBWuHZsuVwdqe73SG1QcWvi6eHwPAcseRJBEz17LwEkDEqVUVt8FlRbNpK2-wydjWCCw6N2jKWBT8tjXR33/s1600/IMG_20130218_165810.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx7fAR7d26mGr2lUsWAN_jAxdmSWBqT-5ENbk7du9Pwthd6aXQa32DgJMWFGBWuHZsuVwdqe73SG1QcWvi6eHwPAcseRJBEz17LwEkDEqVUVt8FlRbNpK2-wydjWCCw6N2jKWBT8tjXR33/s320/IMG_20130218_165810.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxYA34-BRbBllmM9BX_d4mdNPnK6V7eMsSX_2W7j-3Fk3oo8CW2wGZKO-nC5CDU6Tqld7jY5bzVi0h3zyDPPZmP9aBFAeEm8AaY2x7aFzsErgdt88-8I-FCCVUouQ-wEtxlCPs_I9JTznk/s1600/IMG_20130218_165657.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxYA34-BRbBllmM9BX_d4mdNPnK6V7eMsSX_2W7j-3Fk3oo8CW2wGZKO-nC5CDU6Tqld7jY5bzVi0h3zyDPPZmP9aBFAeEm8AaY2x7aFzsErgdt88-8I-FCCVUouQ-wEtxlCPs_I9JTznk/s320/IMG_20130218_165657.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYBVmEpyyMYz-mWGzdHPo6c7_Iqb6J9aim5F4PepHys4b4QVEL9QFBOwPLJ419JkvjOnkriKudPrlBSgkQqMwkpvqtE_QLD0iB_fn7Ori3kc93_N2USIQYQsaAybEEmgsC0-EwNBU5TnkS/s1600/IMG_20130218_165608.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYBVmEpyyMYz-mWGzdHPo6c7_Iqb6J9aim5F4PepHys4b4QVEL9QFBOwPLJ419JkvjOnkriKudPrlBSgkQqMwkpvqtE_QLD0iB_fn7Ori3kc93_N2USIQYQsaAybEEmgsC0-EwNBU5TnkS/s320/IMG_20130218_165608.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwDfTv_T1wrZPckl-yr0VnH3lSq_TU6FQ6oPdnitf6UaAaD0eAIsV0pfA-aIw3_tBoAIx5C_tvgIo6lgdF3M_oQd2DxZ0w-g9uyZu8zQCh0NDxOmA629tYvZN5pI3D4i1-X_DeTX1g3Rmy/s1600/IMG_20130218_165537.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwDfTv_T1wrZPckl-yr0VnH3lSq_TU6FQ6oPdnitf6UaAaD0eAIsV0pfA-aIw3_tBoAIx5C_tvgIo6lgdF3M_oQd2DxZ0w-g9uyZu8zQCh0NDxOmA629tYvZN5pI3D4i1-X_DeTX1g3Rmy/s320/IMG_20130218_165537.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5C_ZUEugcVuVGs2zc_zFHhO7GTUwAAd2y4kYPpBeC9hUUihMX5uppcRgCteyw6rmy5ZzE7thZVVGkVQKkXhwYLEFqWjOjGErsfdWyBuuSCBW2ZgniW_BAp2wv6okWg7CVDgHRJQQxWWB2/s1600/IMG_20130218_165511.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5C_ZUEugcVuVGs2zc_zFHhO7GTUwAAd2y4kYPpBeC9hUUihMX5uppcRgCteyw6rmy5ZzE7thZVVGkVQKkXhwYLEFqWjOjGErsfdWyBuuSCBW2ZgniW_BAp2wv6okWg7CVDgHRJQQxWWB2/s320/IMG_20130218_165511.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDRSpjYzMI4PN5VNX7HGFGJqS5T3zgVy1_DrSYzesUh90IfEG-gXC0TLSakL91GnXgwABmf04WlRA14bCl-YE8OJ9o-eGXHGSebk-edOK4NQiIsKCtTk1D7yvEKYXQvh2-up8-xNurOagO/s1600/IMG_20130218_165434.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDRSpjYzMI4PN5VNX7HGFGJqS5T3zgVy1_DrSYzesUh90IfEG-gXC0TLSakL91GnXgwABmf04WlRA14bCl-YE8OJ9o-eGXHGSebk-edOK4NQiIsKCtTk1D7yvEKYXQvh2-up8-xNurOagO/s320/IMG_20130218_165434.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinoQpC8OAw1c_jqob30X-DIac1CvDmpqf2ly4RZYNBLNMVd6etUP8WfXWWosyPAVnfZjNoqKPQMzyZd7pvM6Kg9wH6rSbbmuoHUjJz81h3iQrXiIU39zMM0_OqjujtEZrO3h_ZZoc7cNx3/s1600/IMG_20130218_165334.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinoQpC8OAw1c_jqob30X-DIac1CvDmpqf2ly4RZYNBLNMVd6etUP8WfXWWosyPAVnfZjNoqKPQMzyZd7pvM6Kg9wH6rSbbmuoHUjJz81h3iQrXiIU39zMM0_OqjujtEZrO3h_ZZoc7cNx3/s320/IMG_20130218_165334.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga4K5-gqdKFOAhi37fKpQ8Fxt0XD4lkeim6WETU-w5V4x29SFS6qfx5fm49p1SnP34P0ScSISFwKpYg8e0spm1MoY9gErYfPSSNZyob0oUfpaTkk_bQu6MewmZ7yKXmKGcero16MvnWS-7/s1600/IMG_20130218_165255.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga4K5-gqdKFOAhi37fKpQ8Fxt0XD4lkeim6WETU-w5V4x29SFS6qfx5fm49p1SnP34P0ScSISFwKpYg8e0spm1MoY9gErYfPSSNZyob0oUfpaTkk_bQu6MewmZ7yKXmKGcero16MvnWS-7/s320/IMG_20130218_165255.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvPaLxKkN0K8VAglW-W9wqM8nLJZsOXB2kJCdG2gJtuYWbqbor-2-TlURW0zy_KkMslho5uLL2SEdhrC9ubhsCcUn2drv47c32_3_J8NVANcga8-Js-vNvv_INgMn_TnJX7fZ2mFmc1Oj8/s1600/IMG_20130218_165214.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvPaLxKkN0K8VAglW-W9wqM8nLJZsOXB2kJCdG2gJtuYWbqbor-2-TlURW0zy_KkMslho5uLL2SEdhrC9ubhsCcUn2drv47c32_3_J8NVANcga8-Js-vNvv_INgMn_TnJX7fZ2mFmc1Oj8/s320/IMG_20130218_165214.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDsW1tvu07yf6NIvZ9Osv86vK8I90F1uXSCcNw8WKLfg5ov4KSbSuv04Rz-J5SrwHbA-lK1tEg40Z2ZsfD0Z8CM2BrZfPayblqgDBZ8YXtqM-h0tV22jrW2R8tKWWYCUsszVf4d9dJ0LtV/s1600/IMG_20130218_165124.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDsW1tvu07yf6NIvZ9Osv86vK8I90F1uXSCcNw8WKLfg5ov4KSbSuv04Rz-J5SrwHbA-lK1tEg40Z2ZsfD0Z8CM2BrZfPayblqgDBZ8YXtqM-h0tV22jrW2R8tKWWYCUsszVf4d9dJ0LtV/s320/IMG_20130218_165124.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3YdY988K1fqm-AwFT6ktevWCkiP_rQX1MOeO15W0TXTOob2sth2Ko2GgsXqOwk7jhQVbOGZVWBgbaw5fC3RWiS4joR8zKpecZQzfsnO7589G786Ee_7Ttu3RmH9KJbHbahpYBkID2dfMq/s1600/IMG_20130218_165049.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3YdY988K1fqm-AwFT6ktevWCkiP_rQX1MOeO15W0TXTOob2sth2Ko2GgsXqOwk7jhQVbOGZVWBgbaw5fC3RWiS4joR8zKpecZQzfsnO7589G786Ee_7Ttu3RmH9KJbHbahpYBkID2dfMq/s320/IMG_20130218_165049.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I LOVE Lynx’s, Red Panda’s and Snow Leopards – so it was a fabulous day. Nearly all of the animals came out and were running around and I was especially impressed with the Panda’s (as they are notoriously shy creatures).<br />
<br />
After a knackering walk round several circuits of the zoo (which has been GREATLY improved in 5 years), I got a quick rest before it was time to head to Bodega for some tasty eats. Great food and great cocktails were had. We followed that up with a cheap pint in the Briar Rose, before heading to Eddie’s Rock club for a bit of live metal (courtesy of Valous). It was Great fun… loud and riotous with lots of frontman poser action. Bumped into some old friends I hadn’t seen in quite a while – which was a lovely surprise.<br />
<br />
After we had, had our fill of dancing around like loons – it was back to the JQ to meet my friend Clare and her mate (who was down from London). They had never been out in in the JQ before and were blown over by a lovely meal at pasta di piazza (www.pastadipiazza.com) and a pint at the wonderful Rose Villa (www.therosevillatavern.co.uk) before settling in for the long haul at the Actress and Bishop (www.theactressandbishop.com). All my recommendations – all totally loved!<br />
<br />
The whole day was wonderful (Sunday morning, however, was NOT!). Sunday was a bit of a nothingness as me and Dan really weren’t well. Self-inflicted – so I’m not asking for any sympathy!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFVNZo66FObGZPkI037mLrTecxyDOfxR5qiqMlwWXPe2vJZXyIfNnWVLG4iSjg-3OYd9snS5UUvu6umvfYmtCRXDEPPvkF5px7KmqycXEJZKPNR0-QL0tTunM8Dl8Eurh3IRDQ2gRQwDYR/s1600/IMG_20130218_164928.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFVNZo66FObGZPkI037mLrTecxyDOfxR5qiqMlwWXPe2vJZXyIfNnWVLG4iSjg-3OYd9snS5UUvu6umvfYmtCRXDEPPvkF5px7KmqycXEJZKPNR0-QL0tTunM8Dl8Eurh3IRDQ2gRQwDYR/s320/IMG_20130218_164928.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Today (Monday) started off Gray. It really wasn’t very inspiring at all (especially as I didn’t sleep very well last night). Hence I have taken a photo on my way home from work instead. It’s bit quite sunny in Birmingham this afternoon, and makes you feel a bit more alive. I have survived Monday (thank goodness) and am looking forward to some liver cleansing tomato juice and an early night. Another busy week this week, but I’ll try my best to be reliable with my posts this week!<br />
<br />
Still, I have got you a thought for the day. With the sun coming out this afternoon, it has bought to mind this quote (courtesy of Steve Martin). “A day without sunshine is like, you know, night."Vickyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05668490683430962033noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6274969422164535445.post-62605361756550104462013-02-15T12:57:00.001-08:002013-02-15T12:58:55.854-08:00Valentines day and Friday 15th<br />
I’ve been so busy this week! 0_o as you can tell from the relative radio silence…<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4lFZGbkATEiKCkzbnDQ4HrSRgEIMrRoqVZH_RPEMhROElh3AnNt8rfIGCRszSG4MFcrOJX67IvhFJGBylrl0EKCZB73lalTplOnlQ6eIcTSkU_WNtSmqaRxGkgx4s6AVll_oarrBunc-e/s1600/IMG_20130214_071144.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4lFZGbkATEiKCkzbnDQ4HrSRgEIMrRoqVZH_RPEMhROElh3AnNt8rfIGCRszSG4MFcrOJX67IvhFJGBylrl0EKCZB73lalTplOnlQ6eIcTSkU_WNtSmqaRxGkgx4s6AVll_oarrBunc-e/s320/IMG_20130214_071144.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgokFH_1PSRtOnE_Gcs2PfVB7YDpsz1h3ZAu_mxGiXQ_Kqw1Uk4SF7dVCCft3hlRK077XuG8tnfwLzwAJn0NRc7XVlGI7hAEoC5fQ0FKd3A9hEUgcMiRjaAJMUDWxNFV1MturevG5M4g6Pj/s1600/IMG_20130215_160224.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgokFH_1PSRtOnE_Gcs2PfVB7YDpsz1h3ZAu_mxGiXQ_Kqw1Uk4SF7dVCCft3hlRK077XuG8tnfwLzwAJn0NRc7XVlGI7hAEoC5fQ0FKd3A9hEUgcMiRjaAJMUDWxNFV1MturevG5M4g6Pj/s320/IMG_20130215_160224.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
I’ve been so busy this week! 0_o as you can tell from the relative radio silence…<br />
<br />
The first 3 pics are from Valentine’s day. The first one was taken on my normal route to work. I had to get in early Thursday morning as I was out on site with some of our arboriculturalists to watch them do their thing and discuss safety. It was an early start and was a bit of a shock to the system as it was pretty chilly. I’ve taken a view of the church this morning as it was a bit gloomy and mysterious with the spire looking blue in the half-light.<br />
<br />
The second pictures are the wonderful flowers my other half got delivered to my work. This is a BIG DEAL for me, as it’s the first time it’s ever happened to me. We don’t really “do” valentine’s day… not because I have any moral objection (commercialisation blah blah blah) but because it’s our anniversary on the 16 th February, which is a far bigger deal for us. I’m not very girly, but I went a bit high pitched and giggly – completely out of character for me! The second bouquet in the background are the “backup” flowers (gorgeous bright red tulips), just in case the first bunch didn’t turn up on time. What a sweety<br />
<br />
Valentines ended up being a fabulous day, despite being in a car accident. The car accident was just a “bump,” but we were shunted quite a way. As I was in the back of the car, I bore the brunt of the force – but just ended up feeling a little jarred and quite sick from shock. The irony was, the accident occurred on the way to a safety inspection! When all were accounted for and the whole thing was resolved, we visited two sites to watch some of my colleagues plant some new trees. It’s fascinating (it is, honest!) to see all the processes they have to follow just to plant a small sapling in the path.<br />
<br />
After that – I had Valentines card fun at work! The total (after each card being sold at a cost of 50p) was £110!!! What a whopping amount to come out of donations and card sales, eh? There were more than a few smiles and looks of surprise from the people on the 3 rd floor. A brilliant success and I look forward to an even bigger event next year!<br />
<br />
Post-flower delivery, Dan picked me up and we quickly sorted our stuff out before heading out for a romantic valentines meal… to Wetherspoons. More for irony value than anything romantic – but actually had a pleasing and cheap meal before topping off my day with a trip to Cineworld to see Die Hard. Enjoyed the film, but didn’t think it was on a par with the first 3 or even 4.0. When we got home, I desperately needed to go to sleep…. YAY FOR ROMANCE!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh96hiXrntryAsE9j0CH00bPJDOwYzVbtTbg6fzU3dv12QExBujCphyphenhyphenHmC6Ejf7prDlnfmt0fR4nO1Ww7Wi1CTRP0GesL3-wuk_75VlvfISyanNkhDF3heQ4Ty5XDDGTLL1XvYwp6-UB2gt/s1600/IMG_20130215_071843.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh96hiXrntryAsE9j0CH00bPJDOwYzVbtTbg6fzU3dv12QExBujCphyphenhyphenHmC6Ejf7prDlnfmt0fR4nO1Ww7Wi1CTRP0GesL3-wuk_75VlvfISyanNkhDF3heQ4Ty5XDDGTLL1XvYwp6-UB2gt/s320/IMG_20130215_071843.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Today, I have chosen a shot from closer to the top of Caroline Street than normal. It was lovely and light this morning (which you can see in the photo) and the sun came out for the majority of the morning. I am very proud of myself as I have made the first proper steps in arranging the wedding for next year and contacting our potential venue (a farm) to see if they are interested. I have also sent out the emails to people in regards to our charity Zumba session for the Children’s hospital. I am hoping this will be a big success and help us raise £25,000 for the hospital by the end of 2013.<br />
<br />
Right – in a bit of a rush, so best get on! It’s all going on in my world at the moment!<br />
<br />
<br />Vickyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05668490683430962033noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6274969422164535445.post-72315502363480994722013-02-13T10:19:00.002-08:002013-02-13T10:19:55.169-08:00Shrove Tuesday and Wintery Wednesday <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwMtc1f4ZSb85aJgPwtTaOHeydTdu7FUZM6Y8eR07l9uWj1VLhI-yttqvR1kL5d1xrSsf5b-QFHtynj-zy5pfNzSFaJFSJDXCii46Ez0WNCaxx7Zh-qI2KA9wQfd9PzyWEBUyPuR4jj4MM/s1600/blog+12.02.2013+%282%29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwMtc1f4ZSb85aJgPwtTaOHeydTdu7FUZM6Y8eR07l9uWj1VLhI-yttqvR1kL5d1xrSsf5b-QFHtynj-zy5pfNzSFaJFSJDXCii46Ez0WNCaxx7Zh-qI2KA9wQfd9PzyWEBUyPuR4jj4MM/s1600/blog+12.02.2013+(2).jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDvh9YH3gwSnxwUtnEBQ59sVlmhaVYHQ1-bkPCn7xQORbzKrE93-drIlVj7a2TgbKW-JhIoLVf3MmLUchIB2ZuUF4cDoZz1BWNH6ydwJw12oQKeDlPwtDsDj4A2aZMQqckM3_WJCG-v6El/s1600/blog+12.02.2013+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDvh9YH3gwSnxwUtnEBQ59sVlmhaVYHQ1-bkPCn7xQORbzKrE93-drIlVj7a2TgbKW-JhIoLVf3MmLUchIB2ZuUF4cDoZz1BWNH6ydwJw12oQKeDlPwtDsDj4A2aZMQqckM3_WJCG-v6El/s1600/blog+12.02.2013+%25281%2529.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156">
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><img src="//img2.blogblog.com/img/video_object.png" style="background-color: #b2b2b2; " class="BLOGGER-object-element tr_noresize tr_placeholder" id="ieooui" data-original-id="ieooui" />
<style>
st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) }
</style>
<![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0cm;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ansi-language:#0400;
mso-fareast-language:#0400;
mso-bidi-language:#0400;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Again, apologies in being so rubbish in writing and posting
the blog. I never seem to get much time to myself either at work or home at the
moment, so being given a spare 10 minutes this Wednesday evening seems a bit of
a luxury…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Monday night was a bit of a later night than originally expected.
We met up with our friend Emma to commemorate a rather sad anniversary for her,
so that meant we had chats with cocktails until 7pm. It doesn’t sound late –
but I went out straight from work so had one of those days where I left the
house at 7:10am and didn’t get in till nearly 8pm. When we got back, we had a
bit of fun experimenting with Bloody Mary’s (one of our favourite drinks). We
had been given some “Sputnik” Horse Raddish Vodka and some “Blood Shot” (a
Vodka based liquor which is aged in Port and has a spicy aftertaste). Only one
each, so not a heavy night – but I was knackered Tuesday morning. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Tuesday was a snowy start, but wasn’t too slippery. Thank goodness!
I’ve chosen two pics to illustrate Tuesday. The first one is the “imposing tree”
I chose a while ago. He looks a lot less scary with snow on top, doesn’t he? The
snow really does make everything look clean and fresh. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The second photo was a vibrant flower that’s growing in the
planters around the church. It really warms the heart to see the lovely strong
colours. A nice reminder that the cold (should) soon be a distant memory and
the sun will be with us soon.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As you can tell from the fact I didn’t write a blog Tuesday,
it was a bit manic. The valentine’s card scheme for charity really kicked off a
notch, so between loads and loads of work, I was running round trying to
discreetly take money and distribute cards to my colleagues. Add that to trying
to organise a bunch of senior managers who are totally clueless of what it
takes to write and formalise procedures, and you have one heck of a day! For
the record, I really like all the managers I work with, I just wish they could
manage themselves better!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Tuesday evening was a total joy. We’ve made a new friend
recently. A lovely lass has just moved to the JQ from the US, and doesn’t really
know very much about the area or the people in Brum – so we’ve promised her
that we’ll do what we can to help her get out and do stuff in her new home. As she
had never experienced Pancake day in the UK,
we thought, we’ll have her over and make her a few American style pancakes (a
little taste of America in
the UK).
Well, that turned into our friends Squeeks, Gitzy and Emma also coming over and
a Flippin’ Frenzy. My other half made BEAUTIFUL nutmeg and cinnamon thick
pancakes and we had all sorts of toppings (everything from Jam and nutella to
Dutch cheese!). I thought it would be a nice early night, but we didn’t end up
kicking everyone out until about midnight. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ZKD0y2gJuUEV0AwpgMUBhHC_MbML4J5jdnOmCpQf12b1rzHp0XZjbs1Mz7CZY_dYD4p9lOfXVxYHNkRzBAb95QRZmH1jMH2QdyPK3O8L3fb0sfThUYs7r9CrfX3M56Q1uCZmvBwgITw5/s1600/blog+13.02.2013+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ZKD0y2gJuUEV0AwpgMUBhHC_MbML4J5jdnOmCpQf12b1rzHp0XZjbs1Mz7CZY_dYD4p9lOfXVxYHNkRzBAb95QRZmH1jMH2QdyPK3O8L3fb0sfThUYs7r9CrfX3M56Q1uCZmvBwgITw5/s1600/blog+13.02.2013+%25281%2529.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That has lead to another tired day today. This morning, the
world took on a lovely pink hue, which I tried to catch (pretty unsuccessfully)
in the above pic of the clock tower. This is really the motif of the quarter
and is a real thing of beauty.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Had an early breakfast meeting (with a sausage sandwich –
thank goodness!) and then proceeded to spend the rest of the day selling
valentines cards and trying to make movement on the actions I managed to obtain
in the meeting. It didn’t feel very productive, but I’ve made some movement on
some niggling points that have been outstanding for yonks.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As today is Wednesday, I’m looking forward to my normal
posse of friends coming over in a bit. Tonights line up is Jon, Jazz, Jo, Emma
and Caroline. Hopefully it’ll be as much of a giggle as last night (but less
late)!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Must dash – no time for quote research – as I’ve got to eat
my dinner and spruce up the flat! Ta ta!</div>
Vickyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05668490683430962033noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6274969422164535445.post-22833714540579248402013-02-11T12:15:00.002-08:002013-02-11T12:15:53.460-08:00A Blizzardy Beginning to the week...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO8KgUPlHFNsJutRG1zt8GUxkd58XyqA8lrBIN1deZOJLQZBTn1wh6XU6sAdZrP3IgWdVM1muxvomE3PKclg-xXGK-L0VQ6dF2ZrPVoIlQ6WM5q7FPfpLpjnZs9EQFb4PI_sS7ItEQmHSL/s1600/blog+11.02.2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO8KgUPlHFNsJutRG1zt8GUxkd58XyqA8lrBIN1deZOJLQZBTn1wh6XU6sAdZrP3IgWdVM1muxvomE3PKclg-xXGK-L0VQ6dF2ZrPVoIlQ6WM5q7FPfpLpjnZs9EQFb4PI_sS7ItEQmHSL/s1600/blog+11.02.2013.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Well, this morning’s photo is a bit prettier due to
the snowy gale I had to walk in to this morning. It came as a real
surprise yesterday as it just belted it down all day, so I thought the
snow wouldn’t settle – but as you can see, a fair amount has!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Well,
what a busy weekend! Friday ended up being EXCELLENT. After work, I got
time to go home and have a disco nap before having a bath and getting
ready for Birthday Drinks number 1 (my friend Mo). This was with some of
my colleagues at Wetherspoons. I only stayed for about an hour, but it
was nice to see them and catch up outside of work. After that it was
Birthday number 2 (my friend Cate). After a disappointing start (Cate
had booked for 11 – only 4 turned up), we had a beautiful meal and
drinks in the Boardroom of “Lost and Found” on Bennetts Hill. We then
had time for another quick drink in their ultra-exclusive cocktail bar
“Shhh!,” before I had to dash off to Eddies. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A
new guy to Dystopia, Jay, did the first awkward set. He hadn’t deejayed
in 10 years – but did a great job! Definitely a goth theme, but he
played some great tracks that I normally wouldn’t hear out – so got
people on the dancefloor before 11pm (which is practically unheard of!).
I started my set at 10:45. I started off with some Tiga and something a
bit more alternative and dancey, before getting harder and louder
throughout the set. I was super pleased as had people dancing the whole
way through and even had people cursing me because they needed a break –
but I kept it all pacey so didn’t want to leave the floor!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have included the full tracklist below for you to have a listen/look/comment:-</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoPCFdR-idF28Ri5ZgD9Fo-Fl85P3Znz1bi8UU8mpH7B9uA3OjyHotV_yetSsO2-cHQn19-S2PlI2youi5CRFoILG6VLMG53ezwno-K9ii4sbAKfmcwxQxd6aqiEI3mOoetbIRX0GViKAJ/s1600/blog+tracklist+11.02.2013.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoPCFdR-idF28Ri5ZgD9Fo-Fl85P3Znz1bi8UU8mpH7B9uA3OjyHotV_yetSsO2-cHQn19-S2PlI2youi5CRFoILG6VLMG53ezwno-K9ii4sbAKfmcwxQxd6aqiEI3mOoetbIRX0GViKAJ/s1600/blog+tracklist+11.02.2013.bmp" height="468" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Note: Track 1 - Tiga - Who's That?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Track 2 - Ashbury Heights - Smile (Remixed by Marsheaux)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Saturday
was nice, but I was knackered. After a late and busy night on Friday,
we had a bit of a lay in (about 10 I think) before heading to Market to
do the normal weekly shop. Had a little mooch around the town as well
and grabbed a well-deserved coffee and cake at one of my favourite
coffee shops ever – the 6/8 Kafe (<a href="http://www.sixeightkafe.co.uk/" target="_blank">http://www.sixeightkafe.co.<wbr></wbr>uk/</a>).
Totally delicious cake and faultless coffee. Had a quiet afternoon
(worked in a nap) before heading to a low-key housewarming down the
road. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sunday
was another nice day – was still tired but got my behind out of bed to
get to the cinema and watch Wreck it ralph. It surpassed my massive
expectations. Was truly fantastic. A bit of an anti-climax after that as
had to do the rest of the weekly shop and cleaning. Enjoyed watching a
bit of anime and vegging on the sofa though.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This
morning has been all about hotels. Booking hotels for music
festivals(fun!) and training courses (work – so HAVE to be nice). Have
been on all sorts of comparisons sites to find the lowdown and get the
best prices. Have found a good deal for Resistanz festival, so I’m
pleased about that. It makes it more “real” once tickets and hotels are
confirmed. We always keep a close eye on hotels, unfortunately, so do the hotels. Once they notice the trend im bookings, it's never cheap... hence today's quote... <span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">“Necessity never made a good bargain."</span></div>
Vickyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05668490683430962033noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6274969422164535445.post-41590297533103037862013-02-10T09:41:00.001-08:002013-02-10T09:41:45.318-08:00Friday Frenzy (written Friday morning) <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPugGL4YDb7bLcVWwQmiqkqfByk8h3g6zKbqZX9rxNHlN0aunKkJODEPrcuxcRlouXOEEh5XoeUhkruiWwSQu_-0fuXLUwAxX6ZX9qNLgicnTxyvlCt7yNg9vlc0_YAyfSJ8kMp6dRXmc7/s1600/IMG_20130208_072859.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPugGL4YDb7bLcVWwQmiqkqfByk8h3g6zKbqZX9rxNHlN0aunKkJODEPrcuxcRlouXOEEh5XoeUhkruiWwSQu_-0fuXLUwAxX6ZX9qNLgicnTxyvlCt7yNg9vlc0_YAyfSJ8kMp6dRXmc7/s320/IMG_20130208_072859.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Not a very awe inspiring shot this morning – but the weather isn’t very conducive to be honest!<br />
<br />
I had an earlyish night last night which hasn’t really had the intended effect. I had hoped to wake up feeling refreshing and zingy, but have in fact woken up still feeling like my brain is in hibernation. I did get the set finished last night, which means that tonight I can do all of the birthday events I had planned and still get to Dystopia with time to set up and have a drink before I’m on. I feel like I’ll need it tonight for the flack I’m expecting… it’s a funny old game this Deejaying malarkey. When I first started doing Radio shows (from about 2001), it was very clear cut as I did Goth and Rock shows. My taste hasn’t completely changed, but has evolved – especially when I’m doing a set for the dance floor and not the radio.<br />
<br />
My love of Electro and Synthesisers has overtaken my love of Goth, Rock and Metal music. It means that my taste in venue hasn’t changed (as I love the rock clubs I frequent – full of friends and not too expensive), but the music in the club has changed dramatically. Whereas my staples used to be Rob Zombie, NIN and Type O Negative – I now heavily rely on Miss Kitten, Boys Noize and Girlpop (Freezepop, Hyperbubble etc.).<br />
<br />
Some people’s tastes have evolved and now love the music I play in my sets – but I still regularly get complaints (mainly, “IT’S NOT GOTH ENOUGH!”). It’s always a thin line we walk as deejays… playing music you love and making a set “you” (so as not to sound like everyone else), and keeping all the parties in the room happy. The most annoying thing with deejaying a predominantly Goth/Rock club is that when you *finally* play that track have been requested 5 or 6 times, no one dances. People stand at the bar and sway. When you’ve spent your allotted time trying to build an atmosphere and encourage a busy dance floor – it’s incredibly frustrating.<br />
<br />
Still. I really enjoy doing it. Even after all this time – I get a wonderful Buzz when just one person comes up to the booth to ask what a track was. I’m known for giving away the CD’s I create for my sets, just to get people to listen to something new and change their perspective on music. I found this quote from the Legend Miles Davies today, I found it fitting. “Don't play what's there, play what's not there.”<br />
<br />
<br />
Vickyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05668490683430962033noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6274969422164535445.post-66327668631872537372013-02-07T09:57:00.003-08:002013-02-07T09:57:42.410-08:00Orbspired<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs56-1tfblz2rp7AJBAQA-pe5q1DsbCrs-e8fRR9wwxiSIUoIAdHyJE6S988Lj3j6R79o0vVbP3YcrnSXHyIvfiOWr4GPC9eabbOWtsggmlf2Bwcal2rwUBCMyUCyLI_Gd3EtoKdqL-sn7/s1600/IMG_20130207_072456+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs56-1tfblz2rp7AJBAQA-pe5q1DsbCrs-e8fRR9wwxiSIUoIAdHyJE6S988Lj3j6R79o0vVbP3YcrnSXHyIvfiOWr4GPC9eabbOWtsggmlf2Bwcal2rwUBCMyUCyLI_Gd3EtoKdqL-sn7/s320/IMG_20130207_072456+(1).jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span id="goog_86943935"></span><span id="goog_86943936"></span><br />
Wow. Just Wow.<br />
<br />
The sky this morning is gorgeous. There was only one song on my mind this morning…<br />
<br />
“And the skies always had little fluffy clouds, And they moved down, they were long and clear. And there were lots of stars at night. And when it would rain it would all turn it, they were beautiful. The most beautiful skies as a matter of fact. The sunsets were purple and red and yellow and on fire. And the clouds would catch the colors everywhere. That's neat, 'cause I used to look at them all the time when I was little. You don't see that…you might still see them in the desert”<br />
<br />
I wonder how many people actually looked up to admire the gorgeous view this morning. So many people seem to look at their feet and don’t appreciate the beauty in the buildings and landscape around them. The JQ looked amazing this morning as everything took on a pink and orange hue with the clouds being reflected in the windows of the shops and cars on my walk to work.<br />
<br />
It has put a big smile on my face this morning. Even though I’m shattered and still have the sniffly cold, I feel full of life. Me and the other half have planned Valentine’s Day (A Good Day to Die Hard and Wetherspoons – ROCK AND ROLL!) and booked tickets to go and see Wreck-it Ralph on Sunday. I have also received some confirmations re: Sci Fi Weekender and accommodation for Infest Festival in August is booked.<br />
<br />
My key phrase for today (I have honestly used it 8 times already) is “It’s So Exciting!” I am such a child. A happy, smiley adult-lescent.<br />
<br />
As I have given you a full whammy of Lyrics… no quote as such today. I will give you a little nugget from my own thoughts this morning though. It doesn’t matter if you’ve got money in your bank account – if your plans are full of promise and your life is blessed with friends, then you are rich beyond all measure.<br />
Vickyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05668490683430962033noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6274969422164535445.post-50149040827333092042013-02-06T10:19:00.001-08:002013-02-06T10:19:43.959-08:00Evening Irrelevance<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW0uvDJVNL1x4A7rzfuiYi_M5bWrvw2V9uGx9zi5Xpzm9bT5A9ZNn2Ll6n51OeqCc4UxjwzU0atLZhImBII8hICg0MLAvCGTHpt_BhXeS7GCrRuFJ313X9UUZrDlWY3nleiwx4LEikDQ_w/s1600/blog+06.02.2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW0uvDJVNL1x4A7rzfuiYi_M5bWrvw2V9uGx9zi5Xpzm9bT5A9ZNn2Ll6n51OeqCc4UxjwzU0atLZhImBII8hICg0MLAvCGTHpt_BhXeS7GCrRuFJ313X9UUZrDlWY3nleiwx4LEikDQ_w/s1600/blog+06.02.2013.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156">
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0cm;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ansi-language:#0400;
mso-fareast-language:#0400;
mso-bidi-language:#0400;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In a change from normal blogging practise, I am writing this
in the early evening. Normally I do it when I get into work and everything is
still fresh in my head, but today has been totally off plan – for reasons that
will become apparent. Today's photo was also taken in the evening. The moody looking sky was captured at about 5'0'Clock on Livery Street (just on the edge of the JQ).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Firstly, I am feeling naff today. I felt ok last night
whilst listening to music for my set filled with beats and drops; this morning,
however, was a totally different story. I woke up and my eyes felt like they hadn’t
seen moisture in a good long time, my throat felt sandpapery and my head was
all fluffy. This wasn’t helped by the utter panic that set in when I fully
opened my eyes and realised how light it was… yep…the alarm hadn’t gone off
meaning I woke up a full hour and a quarter late. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now, this isn’t a massive deal (I woke up at 7:30 rather
than 6:15), but it really was the last thing I needed this week. I am lucky
enough to work Flexi-hours, which means as long as I work my 40 hours (and don’t
take the piss), I can work those hours however I choose too. I normally start
at 7:30 and work through till 4:15 Monday to Thursday… this means I can leave
blissfully early on Fridays. As a creature of habit and routine, this holds me
through the week. Now I’ve got to make the time up on Friday – totally throwing
out my schedule (which involves Birthday drinks, a different friends Birthday
meal AND the deejaying). </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I managed to get into work just in time to turn on the
computer, log into my phone and get my arse to a meeting (which I HAD to
attend). Normally, I’m pretty verbal in meetings – but today I was sitting
there in a daze. That’s pretty much how the whole day has been. My reaction
time to anything has been rubbish and I’ve not been very productive at all!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Still – today won’t be a total loss, because at least I get
to partake in normal Wednesday activities (involving friends, gossip and
booze). I also managed to sell more cards for our charity push at work (which
is going brilliantly) and fill in a piece of paperwork I was sent weeks ago. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
All in all, not a bad day... just a bit maddening, silly and
unproductive. Now I just want some snuggles, sympathy and junk food. Today I found
this, which is pretty apt. “If you treat a sick child like an adult and a sick
adult like a child, everything usually works out pretty well”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Vickyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05668490683430962033noreply@blogger.com0