Vetrarnótt

OK, it's the day before we hang dead horses in the trees in celebration of the sun coming back full circle and providing us with the bounties of Earth again. Hail Wotan! I thought I'd do a short update on what I've been up to since getting back. I'll try to keep these short as Danny was complaining last night about how long winded they are. 'They're for me, it's an online diary.' I said 'Don't read it if you don't like it.' That told him.

I was out on Saturday night for Dave's 'Work do'. Which consisted of myself, Linzi and Dave getting into an awful state in Rotherham, deciding it would be a good idea to go to Sheffield and ending up in Club Shush at 4.30 falling asleep in the Chill Out room. So most of Sunday was wiped out until I called in on Mark in the evening for a game of draughts and then some more beer in the pub. Festivus is being very appeased this year!

I called in at Meadowhell on Monday morning to pick up a last present, I thought it should be relatively quiet, being that people are probably still at work. Boy was I wrong, it was like a nuclear war had been declared and everyone was panic buying tins of beans and other non-degradable foodstuffs. The place was rammed and it was quite frustrating seeing the lack of sense people have. I walked past a couple who were seriously eyeing up some pre-cooked roast parsnips. Now, call me dumb, but I thought that roasting parsnips was probably one of the easiest thing you could ever do. Peel them, put some stuff on them (olive oil and herbs or anything you have to hand...), put them in the oven, take them out when they are done and eat them. But then I guess some people have the ability to burn water, so need all the help they can get when it comes to doing the simplest jobs on the planet. God help them if there IS a nuclear war. Picture it; a time when shambolic groups of people are trading with different coloured pebbles and fighting over water. There would be another group of people slowly starving to death trying to find food that is pre-prepared in tinfoil trays with instructions to pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees. Unable to recognise food in it's natural state, i.e. with the skin on and not in a tray, they would be a dying breed. I weep for these times.

I called in to see Lauren at work, she showed me her body. Sorry, I mean bodies. Hundreds of them, in boxes. Rooms stacked full of skeletons. Some were rather interesting, especially the Anchoress. Then we both went and had lunch and then met Clare, which made for three hours of circular arguments. I still miss her though. I also bumped into Colin and managed to wrestle the last remaining Osprey books that he owes me out of his hands.

In the evening I called up to Dave's gaff and we celebrated Festivus yet again, this time whilst watching 'Get Thrashed' the documentary on Thrash Metal from the eighties. Pretty cool stuff. I was hoping Nathan would call over but he was obviously hopped up on copious amounts of cheap Dextromethorphan or something similar he'd bought in India.

Tuesday passed without much interest, I was listening to music and trying to find my Curb Your Enthusiasm DVDs, to no avail. I called over the Danny's, picked him and we called up to the Hind to meet up with Aimee and Juliette, whom I'd not seen for twelve years (she said thirteen, what's a year between friends?) (and that's Juliette, I'd not seen for 12/13 years, not Aimee, who I saw about six months ago.). The quiz was on and we did spectacularly bad. I did the first four answers on my own while they were all out having a fag and I scored 75% correct. It was only when I was joined by the other numbskulls that the brain drain began. Also Aimee and Juliette were both in trouble from their other halves for going out and having fun. Sometimes it pays to be single. all four of us piled up to Dave's for after hours drinks, even with Danny whining 'I have to be up at four'. I think he was a little taken aback at how drunk we were, but he was the kindly host as ever. Festivus was once again truly served!