It's all been going on lately

After two weeks without Ben I was really starting to miss him, I was also missing running round cooking and telling him to remember stuff. I missed giving him a morning kiss before I headed out everyday, and missed seeing his computer screen permanently on the Red Cafe website as I walked past his laptop. So it was really nice to have him back on Friday, nice new haircut and all.

I am not a material person and don't expect presents all the time, but I have made a point on several occasions that no one has ever bought me flowers before. So it was a really lovely suprise when Ben comes back and on greeting him at the door, hands me a gorgeous bunch of pink red and white roses. They got put into the water filled sink with good intention of finding a home for them at a later point. With hindsight they should have just stayed there. Several hours later as I was sorting them into a glass on the shelf above the sink, the glass fell and smashed a hole in the sink!! well chipped a hole in the sink and somehow has put a hole in the bottom of it. Major UH OH! I feel so bad especially as it is Ben's room, as they were my flowers I am going to pay whatever the uni decide to charge for the repair/new sink. Im just living in dread of how much that is going to be, what with the 'uni' costs being considerably higher than any other cost of repair. I'll probably end up prostituting myself around west park in order to pay for it (joking).
Meanwhile the sink is only half out of use, becuase the water is still running from one side without leaking out of the bottom. So until we have the courage to tell residential services, it is staying like that. Anyone know any good sink fixing tips that you want to share, then I'm all ears.

Apart from the sink drama the day had been lovely, the sun was shining and I was so so happy.Until I got a phone call off my mum about my great grandad Harry - although he isn't really called Harry, he's called Henry not that it makes a blind bit of difference.
He has suffered from another major stroke on Friday morning. Now in my eyes this man is amazing, a giant, one of those people you never see as being weak, although he suffered a first stroke 11 years ago he was still going strong and we all realised we were lucky to have him. Although his speech wasn't great and he couldnt move much, we could tell what he wanted from the gestures he made or the way in which he tried to change the tone of his voice especially when the football was on and someone tresspassed past the vision of the t.v.

I remember once at a family birthday meal, we were all eating and grandad started choking on a roast potato. Unable to move himself, all the family raced around him trying to lift him out of his wheelchair and whacking his back, scared he was choking to death. After the potato dislodged he just sat there chuckling whislt continuing to eat. Not bothered about the trauma he had just put us all through. As my uncle Brian said, 'Bloody hell Harry thought I was guna be able to get my fitted kitchen then'....may I just add he was joking!

I loved the way his eyes used to light up when he saw any of us grandchildren and he would grab our hands and go 'ahh'. Disabled or not he was still our grandad, he still expressed the same emotions to us all, just in a different way.
So to hear he has suffered another stroke is devastating, the family have told that he is going to die, and that it is just a matter of time. Apparently he was read his last rites on Friday evening, but now on monday evening he is still with us and not giving in, im pleased the family are with him and he is not on his own. Mum has called and said his breathing is getting worse so will just be a matter of time. I think we are all prepared for him to finally go now and be at peace, there is no need for him to fight anymore although he doesn't seem to be giving in. Almost like an iron man. Everytime I hear he is still with us, it is happy news although it gives me hope that he is going to stay alive even though I know deep down that is not going to happen. When the time does come it will be a very very sad day not just for the family but everyone who knew him.

To add to this my ex very very very very uncooperative housemate is refusing to pay any of the final bills we have recieved since the termination of our house contract. She doesn't read this but I shall not name names, I'll just call her selfish.
The bills we have recieved go from April until end of June. Selfish moved out on the 19th may or some date around then, so tell me if im wrong but I think it is fair that she pays part of the bill atleast. But it would appear that she is not going to pay any! the rotten cow. And because she escaped putting her name on any of the bills, unlike me and my other housemates. I don't think there is anything I can do to get her to pay her part. (If anyone knows of anything I can do to get the money off her let me know) So short of getting her in a headlock and battering her to get the money out of her, me and my far to patient housemates will have to pay her part of the bills, which means £120 each instead of £87. . . . god I hate selfish so much. What a cow. I am a patient person, but she has continued to push my buttons so much so that now they are jammed stuck and are never going to be released.

Well I believe in what goes around comes around, so I can't wait for something bad to come and whack her in the mush.

Apart from grandad and selfish oh and sink everything else is ok. It is mine and Ben's 6 month anniversary together today, so we are off to the cinema to watch erm....not to sure yet. But ill let you know what we decide on and whether it was any good or not.

Cheerio.

A couple of photos from Glastonbury

Glastonbury!!

Well what can I say apart from OH MY GOD!!!

AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING (apart from the gag inducing state of the toilets from about friday onwards.)

I rocked up to the coach station in Birmingham on the wednesday a lovely little glastonbury virgin, not knowing the state of the usual 'glasto traffic' I thought it would only take three and a half hours like stated. WRONG! We left Digbeth on the ironically named happy days coach at 3pm on wednesday afternoon. Arriving at Glastonbury at 12.04am Thursday. It wasn't a happy day, 9 hours on that bloody coach.

It wasn't enough to dampen my spirits though, after stretching my legs to prevent a possible case of DVT, I dragged myself and my ridiculously heavy bags through the turnstile, only getting myself stuck once compared to other peoples 3 times. I can't even describe in words what it is like, ok then if i had to - like an adventure playground were people of all ages can play an basically do whatever.

It didn't hit me that Ihad walked 40 minutes to a field to pitch the tent, until I took my bag off and what felt like my shoulder with it. Emma and myself pitched the tent in record time, which I was suprised at due to the several large glasses of pimms we had drank on the caoch and the pitch black surroundings. Well I say pitch black, really thats a fabrication of the truth. It would have been pitch black, if it wasn't for the Glaswegians tent next door. I'm not kidding it was like a house!! two stoves, a gazeebo, a shower, 5 chairs 4 sleeping compartments. And a camp fire which resembled a bonfire which lit up half the field. I half my time praying that the sparks from their fire would not catch fire to our tent.

Anyway stuff I got up to -

walked a million miles (wish i had my pedometer)

enjoyed a couple of lemon ciders (don't know where you can actually buy them)

sat in fields

Got sunburnt

Got a crick in my neck trying to see bands. When I knew I wasnt guna be able to see anything.

Jumped about like a wild uncontrollbale child

Sat in one of the best thunder and lightening storms ever and got DRENCHED.

Cooked on the camp stove

Helped but a tent up for the first time

I went in every field apart from 2 or three of them which is good going.

Laughed at drunken people

Put a tent up fpr the first time

Trippes over million tent pegs

Gagged at the state of the loo's

Got washed under a cold tap

Sat in small world cafe feeling really chilled out

Went stone circle to watch the sunrise on monday morning , surrounded by a lot of people out of their face on drugs. I didn't take any though, the view was enough for me (see photo above somewhere, its the one with the tree in the pic although it doesnt do it justice)

Bands I went to see

Blur

The macabees

Crosby stills and nash

Kasabian

Rokia traore (who I didn't mean to see, but were utterly fantastic)

Yeah yeah yeahs

Rakes

Friendly fires

Jack penate

N.e.r.d

Fleet foxes

Bruce springsteen

Will young

Singers in the hari krishna tent

Some pagan band in the green fields

Glasvegas

And some random dj's in the dance village.

I just love the whole atmosphere of it and don't think it can be explained until you have experienced it.

Poundland

Poundland, full of mostly useless crap. But today I spent £20 in there. I never thought it was possible but I managed it.

With Glastonbury looming only a few days away I thought I better go and see what useless camping stuff they had.

I ended up coming out with three bags full, they contained.

• Torch
• batteries x3
• A throw away camera (even though i have a very nice digital one)
• paper plates
• plastic cups
• plastic tumblers (very similar to the cups)
• Glowsticks x2
• whistles on a pink ribbon
• Shot glasses that are attached to a neacklace of beads
• a bag of lollipops
• Plastic knives and forks
• Dry roasted peanuts
• A neck cushion
• A mini fan
• Some more batteries for the mini fan
• Some binbags
• Pack of 6 polo mints.

WONDERFUL!! A whole heap of junk.

Anyway aslong as I have my wellies and my very fetching blue plastic poncho, everything is just going to be fine and dandy. Although I'm sure the 50 minute/hour walk from the coach drop off to the camping field is going to kill me, as I cannot pack lightly and I know with all the junk ive got my bags are going to weigh a tonne. ohwell. fun fun fun.

Finally got there, a year later than planned.

It did not matter to me, that this morning I had to wake up at quarter to seven to get ready for work. Or did the fact that it was absolutely chucking it down and I had to walk for twenty minutes to get there with an unruly umbrella that did not wish to co-operate with me. Normally that would annoy me. I still wasn't annoyed by the fact that my socks got so wet walking in the rain I had to wring them out in the sink when I got to work, and then walk around all day sockless in a pair of soaking wet shoes.

You know why that didn't bother me? If you aren't that bothered well tough, stop reading because I am going to continue anyway.

Yes I have done it, on my second bloody attempt I have passed my first year studying English. GET IN!! In my assignments I got an E, 5 C's and a B. Much better than my pityful grades last year! Although I will literally kick myself for the rest of my life, because if I put the concentration in last year I would have passed first time. Still, atleast i've done it now.

I'm reeeallly looking forward to studying new modules next year and I am up for a challenge. I am still in a pickle over what modules to take though. hhmm.

Anyway, I watched this really good programme about T.S Elliot on iplayer last night. Robert Webb was the presenter. I have a slight crush on him, o.k maybe slight to medium.

Change of subject here, but if you like really tasty puddings, the G.U range have cooked up a wonderful chocolate, mouse, banana. caramel thing served in little glass pots. They are rather delicious.

silly billy

Ben seems to think my blog is silly, it isn't silly. Ok it may not be about political events and current affairs. But I don't want it to be about anything like that. I am intelligent enough and do watch/read the news everyday, I just don't feel the need to write about it. I do this blog for myself more than anything, I find it a great relief to just type away what has happened to me during the day no matter how spectacular or tedious ( the latter is often the case) and if people happen to read it then fair enough.

Oh dear!

Oh dear! I am sunburnt, my shoulder is actually as red as a lobster. I am a silly arse at times, in asda the other day I saw this Ambre soliel sun cream stuff on offer, so I just bunged it in the basket thinking it was suncream. When I got to the park on Sunday however I realised it was bronzing moisture milk. (whatever that is) Infact it didn't actually contain any spf. Which is not a wise move when you have pale skin like me.

Now I (probably) have self inflicted third degree burns to my shoulder. A valuable lesson has been learnt though so that's ok. Ben suffered the good old British t- shirt tan, well I say tan he is burnt to.

It also doesn't help when I had to wear an all black uniform to work today, I felt like an overworked beach donkey sweltering in the heat. I was dying to just jump into the ice cream freezer. We will all be moaning on Friday though because the weather is supposed to be going dull and cloudy. WHOOOOO!!
I'm in a really good mood today, everything just smells of summer, all the BBQ'S and the smell of suncream make me giddy. The smell of creosote also reminds me of summer, a memory from when I was 6 years old playing in the front garden, my grandad was creosoting the fence whilst my nan was slaving away in the kitchen making tea.

I'm off to cook a nice summery tea for Ben and myself. Salmon, new potatoes, vegetable rice and asparagus pan fried in chilli. Yum.