Holiday..! Celebrate..!

What a weekend. It started off quite mental and then took me the rest of the weekend to recover. Met up with Sarah and went to see the Divine Comedy at St James's Church in Piccadilly on Friday night. It was absolutely bloody brilliant. We got there relatively early but there were already hundreds of people queuing cos it was unreserved seats. The man told us we were best off upstairs but because the church architect had overlooked the fact that in 320 years time someone would see fit to rent out the space for gigs, it was quite hard to get a good vantage point. There was no support and they came onstage just after 8.30pm... I mentioned to Sarah that it was a shame we couldn't sit in front of the front pews with our legs crossed so we could see but we didn't just in case. But a few songs in and Neil Hannon told the people standing at the back of the church to come and sit down the middle aisle and get cosy so Sarah and I looked at one another and a second later had grabbed our belongings and were bombing it down the stairs. By the time we got downstairs half of the aisle filled up so I offroaded to the right hand aisle, ran down the side and we ended up right at the front just off right - what a result!! So from then on in we had an amazing view, sat cross-legged and got a glance from Mr Hannon every now and then. It was like school assembley and he'd tell us when to get up and dance and then when to sit back down. For the last song of the main section, Something For The Weekend, he got everyone to gather round the barely raised stage and jump around. We did as he asked and while we were doing it, eyed up a couple of set lists which were later to become ours. They came back on for two last songs and were just incredible. They did "Party Fears Two" by the Associates which is one of my favourite songs ever and as a result I spent the rest of the weekend with it on repeat. Neil Hannon is a musical and comedy genius... he's just such a brilliant, brilliant man and just so talented. After the gig we went back to our stuff, which had thankfully not been nicked cos we did abandon it in a rather cavalier way to jump around at the front and bumped into the lovely Steve Furst so said a brief hello and then wandered off with Charlie and Carl for a few pints which snowballed into Charlie, Sarah and I going to the metro club and being amongst the last to leave. Four buses later and I got home - thankfully Sarah and I live in the same direction so it was handy for getting home. I got home at 5.45am and the NTL men arrived at 7.45am as predicted to install my broadband. I could have cried but managed to style it out in my bright pink dressing gown... urgh. Spent most of the rest of the day in bed either asleep or dozing and of course listening to the Associates. Had to miss Nalini's unofficial birthday drinks cos there was just no way on earth I was going to be able to safely leave the confines of my bedroom without disasterous consequences.

On Sunday I woke up feeling much brighter despite the gloomy weather. I drove into Bromley to do some final holiday shopping and managed to spend £62 in Primark - yes, that's right, I now own the whole shop. Pretty much. I did get a hell of a lot of gear for that though including some ace knee length shorts which I intend to get a lot of wear out of and possibly wear for the Race For Life, even though they're not very sporty. They cost ten whole pounds, which by Primark's standards is very bloody expensive. I also got 3 bikinis, a kaftan type thing which shall never be worn in the UK, a belt, some bright blue beads, loads of vest tops and a sarong. Result. Then I went to boots and used the millions of points on my card to buy £70 worth of stuff including some new speakers for my ipod so Michelle and I can dance around a bit before we go out in Cuba. Did I mention I am going to Cuba?! Actually no, it would seem that I haven't!!

Last Tuesday, Michelle came and met me at the office after work and we booked our holiday. All the bargain prices on Teletext were very misleading and once transfers/tax/fuel etc were added the prices were about £100 more per person. We found three identical holidays on three different websites so I set about callling them up to try and bring them down a bit as lovely Martin Lewis suggests. To cut a long story short, I got £90 off the total price and we are going to Cuba for a week, all inclusive 3* for £350. Which is another result. I couldn't sleep that night from the excitement of going to Cuba and also the thrill of doing such an ace deal! Think it's a bit rainy out there at the moment but I am told that it rains for 1/2 hours at the end of the day and then clears away - it's still almost 30 degrees so woohooo!!! I have my factor 50 and am raring to go.

Nipped out at lunchtime today too to buy myself a £20 mp3 player that I can take on the beach. There's no way I am taking y lovely £220 ipod on the beach in case it gets nicked or, going by past form, it gets dropped in the sea... I can live with having a crappy £20 mp3 player nicked but I can't deal with having no music if we're going to be lying down not doing anything for a week, even if I'm reading a book I need music. So I am going to have to pick 80 or so songs that I really can't live without! Rock on! It really doesn't feel like we're going tomorrow... how mental.

Also in other good news, the date for my surgical procedure has come through and its at the end of July. It's not an operation or anything so nothing to worry about but I can't wait just to get it done and hope it sorts things out almost once and for all. The new doctor I am seeing is fantastic - she knows exactly what she's doing and didn't even blink before telling me what she wanted to do. I am thrilled at last something seems to be being done... Not bad, it's taken the NHS practically half of my life but they have got there in the end - at least I am getting the most out of my NI contributions!

Christ, what a weekend. Took the afternoon off and went down to Brighton to see the lovely Joe for the night. Ended up on the beach at 4am and I was trying to skim a stone, didn't let go properly, lost my footing and fell backwards, legs akimbo. Like a twat. Then my friend decided to get in to make me feel less of a twat, then we started showing off in front of two cowardly Italian men who wouldn't get in the water and decided to go in up to our waists and then we both started swimming. Fully clothed. As a result I am covered in cuts and bruises from the pebbles. Then had to squelch through reception at the hotel. And my phone is fucked. And my camera is fucked. And all the numbers are gone so I am emailing everyone to email me/text me. So I've had a little influx of texts from people telling me who they are and telling me I'm an idiot. I was drunk. Obviously. It was quite funny though. Still, I've gone pretty much 8 years of mobile phone usage without losing or destroying one so it was bound to happen. I did transfer my numbers from my previous phone onto the one I ruined using my computer but I can't seem to find the numbers on there anymore... which is a bugger.
Then on the Saturday, Zena and I just laid about Brighton - on the beach, in the park, on the beach again, basking in the sunshine which then turned into a bit of a gale. Zena headed home after tea time and I went to meet Helen & Chris who had come over for the big fireworks display to check out their rivals... met up with Joe's friend Mike as Joe was up in London, and then tried my best to stand up for 40 minutes to watch the amazing fireworks. Ended up missing the train so went back to Hel & Chris's and sleeping on the sofa with their rabbit Chester. Finally made it home on the Sunday with a very damp return ticket from Brighton which thankfully no-one checked. So now I have a spare return trip from Brighton to London - which I am thinking of sending to Joe so he has no excuse not to come and visit.
Feeling a bit more normal today - can't wait to book our holiday tomorrow - Michelle is coming over to me so we can blitz it... at the moment I am hoping we'll end up in the Carribean, whether that happens or not is another matter. I just need a good rest, a break from work and hopefully I'll come back refreshed and raring to go - which may be an argument against a really long flight and potentially jet lag... hmm.
Anyway, I am meeting young Kerry tonight which is good, haven't seen her properly in a very long time. That is all for now.

I am eating a cadburys vanilla ice cream covered in chocolate lolly. There is no joke on the stick. What's this country coming to?

Thursday 4th May

I walked from Waterloo to Vauxhall again this morning and again it took me 30 minutes. This time I had bandages on my feet to protect yesterday's mammoth blisters and trainers on to prevent getting any more. My feet didn't hurt me at all except for a tiny blister on the back of my ankle but that's nothing to a plaster won't fix. So I am planning on walking to work every morning so long as the weather is ok for it. Its such a lovely walk down by the river and away from the cars. Its quite knackering but actually makes me feel quite awake by the time I get to the office. So well done me. I keep saying I'll walk more when it gets sunny and usually I just let summer pass without bothering but then I have always worked in the centre of town and its neither easy or all that nice to wander through tourist hotspots trying to work up a sweat!

I've been eating fairly healthily too and tonight I am going on a mystery shopper trip to Itsu with Helena so I can't wait. I don't think it's like Yo! in that you can get endless Miso soup, which is a shame cos I drank gallons of the stuff when Suz and I went last Friday. Ooh, nice and healthy. I have fruit in the fridge for when I get peckish... its very hard not just getting a packet of crisps. I weakened and had my lunch at noon today and now it's 1pm I feel like it should be about 3pm. Still, I have loads to do so I had better get on with it. My boss pulled me aside yesterday afternoon and I presumed he was going to shout at me but he actually told me that he was really pleased with how well I am working and that I am back to my usual cheery self. Also he wants to speak to me on Monday about getting me more involved in comedy again so fingers crossed, that might relieve some of my boredom, especially as we have a trainee who could potentially take on some of the more boring/mundane aspects of my job.

It's half 3 now and I've just popped out for ice cream and am feeling much cooler, though the office is roasting hot. This doesn't bode well for the coming summer months - think we might need to invest in some air conditioning at last. I have decided to try to walk to Kensington tonight from Vauxhall. It's about 5k, which is the distance of the race for life, and I reckon it should take me about 45/50 minutes to walk it. I will be well impressed if I manage it. I must say I put my black cords on this morning before I heard about the heatwave. Still, I have a tshirt to walk in and I can get changed when we get there. Also have my sunglasses too which is handy cos it's *so* bright and sunny outside. It's making Michelle and I even more ridiculously excited about going somewhere hot on holiday.

Despite being knackered and a bit ill i walked from Waterloo to Vauxhall this morning on my way to work. It was 3k and it took me 30 mins which was quicker than I thought. And I still got to work 10 mins early. My soles were absolutely killing me though from my boots, shalln't be walking in them again.. I had two mammoth blisters, one on each foot, and the internet advised me to pop them and drain them (nice) which I have done - and put nice comfy dressings on them. Which I have and I can actually walk now which is a result. All this because Zena and I went out last night and I had a rude awakening. The race for life isn't on 11th July, it's on 11th June so I have even less time to get even a tiny bit fit. We have scheduled some runs every week and Michelle and I plan to run on the beach wherever we end up on holiday. I feel a bit coldy/fluey today as well which is nice. I am hoping it'll be like when I felt even worse in Oslo and just went to bed shivering and then woke up right as rain the next day. The Apprentice is on tonight too so I don't want to miss that. Will watch it in bed, tucked up with a nice hot steaming mug of Lemsip - or a Boots knock off version.

Had a really nice weekend in Southampton with James and Lucy. On the Saturday James and I got pizza and a few DVDs and played with the cats and when Lucy was back on sunday we went out for a meal with Jen and then home at a very decent hour. Monday we went into town to look at the massive cruise liner and then went for lunch and then I drove straight to the Pleasance to a benefit gig where I met up with young Charlie and the bitches. It was a nice night but I didn't get home til nearly 1am which was a bit stupid. This weekend Michelle and I have loads planned - including another pizza express visit - and next weekend Barrie and I are heading down to Brighton for a number of reasons, the main one being fairly obvious. Barrie and I are going to Blackpool next month and Bury in Tony so we can pick up a load of her old stuff from her mum's which has been sitting there for 10 years. I've never been to Blackpool so Zena is taking me as a treat for driving up. I am well excited but slightly expecting Blackpool to be a bit of a disappointment. I'd like to know what all the northerners harp on about so it'll be an interesting experience and I might even love it!! Hopefully it should be warm when we go.