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08/31/2007

Home

Home again. And exhausted.

 

Monday night: Sleep at 1am
Tuesday morning up at 6:30 and swim
Tuesday night: Sleep at 2am
Wednesdat morning up at 7:30
Wednesday night: Sleep at 2am
Thursday morning up at 8:45
Thursday evening: Sleep at 3 am
Friday morning up at 6:45 and swim... very fun this morning. Strong tides and a lot of effort to stay level let along make headway.

  

 Worked solidly most of the week which is scary, though a lot of time not on my work but on others/thoughts still on another project. So today didn't do much, well watched films with wagner and avoided having my work read through. (He even confiscated the head phones every time I started to type something! How rude.) Then realised I still needed to actually do my introduction, so worked solidly the last 2 hours or so. Project is almost done :) and will not be touched until Monday.

 

Now I will finish my film, listen to some music, try calling again and then go to sleep. Tomorrow can be taken as it comes, but a busy weekend methinks!

 

 NEARLY THERE NOW!

 

xXx 

 

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Biology, Thursday - nearly there

“Like emptiness and harmony, I need someone to comfort me”
                                Simon and Garfunkle

No I remember the reason why I try not to dream. ☹

It was only 3 nights ago that I started dreaming again, and it started well. A combination of restful sleep and waking up to a feeling of wellbeing and memories of places I long for and people I love. So I didn’t really complain. Then this morning however was a little different. I can’t remember much, particularly from the beginning, just that an acquaintance of mine died suddenly. Then followed a painfully slow movement through the subsequent emotions: loss, confusion, anger etc… then the person who died was suddenly not merely an acquaintance (for whom I was devastated) but someone I loved dearly and all the emotions heightened.

Woke up, took 5  minutes to work out it wasn’t true… and then spent the rest of the morning trying to control the emotions which wouldn’t lead me along. Not good.

Worked all day – not amazingly productive but hopefully enough, formatting takes ages when you are a perfectionist! And the fact that I also have everyone else’s projects in my head isn’t helping. Taking a break now = Bob Dylan, Blue, French Folk and Airstar :D very loud through some veeery nice headphones.

Oh and watching films Mr F cringe at films of various members of the ground turn front flips in mid air off sand dunes :P lmao. And photos of the head of dept from the Botswana trip. Anyway WORK WORK WORK WORK  :’(

Wish me luck with dreams tonight

xXx

EDIT: THERE IS A CHOCOLATE BAR CALLED THREESOME! :P

People now worship me… I just wrote a very simple excel program to calculate running mean… but with a data set of 90 it saved a lot of time :D lol. Now I do my work.

20:19… everyone is already high on pro-plus… and the teachers need vallium. This is fun… that might just be because I’m dancing around to No ID! :P

“There’s someone in my head but its not me”

                -Pink Floyd

Probably the caffeine talking. And the bonding walk myself and 3 others went for along the beach in the dark… in our pyjamas!! LMAO. Was good ☺ Although the boys kept fighting to be in the middle because they were scared, and then pranked each other… amusing at least. Came back giggling soooo much. Then had to work

I have receive th “S’hell of a girl” award for becoming an honoury member of the biology dpt. And doing all the stats :P lol.

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Wednesday Part Two

Have just confiscated Lukas’s crisps for being stupid. Lol.. they are very nice. I’m sorry, I should not have to explain 4 times to an A level bioloy and chemistry student why pH effects enzymes and plant growth.

Happier now… sugar and caffeine kick in again. And Ashan has won the bellend award for the day, which I am SO going to tell Max (who will use it a fuel for his passions for at least a week. – to those of you not at the Leys, the reality is as disturbing as that sentence sounds.)

Mr F is now referring the class to me for biology as well…  :S How come I don’t get paid?

WOW that took ages… I have eaten too much, but gum is now stopping me being hungry. Tonight is a night for friendly texts ☺ and this one did make me smile so thank you ☺

Ok, I am ashamed… Lukas just corrected my English. Dictionary would accept “statstics” surprisingly enough, but I couldn’t see it. I suppose it is pay back for a load of us burying his arm in sand earlier. Ok. Gunning digs a hole… and claims it is now too long for his arm to reach. I come along and take out another 2 handfuls… Lukas comes along and does likewise… so we push the sand back down the hole. He flailed like some drowned fish. Teehee.

xXx

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Wednesday Part One

8:30pm on Wednesday

I am low… I don’t know if there much to say, I am merely procrastinating now. I am tired, spent a day gathering data and running around dunes on the beach (amusing at times though I will have to tell those stories when I am happier). But at the moment I just hate the farce of A Level coursework. You would NEVER do anything like this in real research, everything is vague, everything is jumping through hoops, everything is pointless beurocracy and nothing to do with biology, ecology or even science. It is pointless. And necessary. :’( If you even consider doing a decent, well managed project it is impossible because it doesn’t fit the exact requirements for the (inaccurate and inappropriate statistics test you are meant to run to show you can follow a set of mathematical instructions.

I have often said that people with sunburn look like tomatoes without really meaning it – the joys of exaggeration and simile. Claire on the other hand… has shoulders the exact colour of a strawberry – the unfortunate result of an albino out in the sun all day. It is really quite scary!

Oh yes. I am also trying to contact a friend I am excessively worried about. And I can’t. And I want to get some sleep. But I wont. And I need to do my work. But my head is spinning round. And EVERYONE is still asking me questions. “Ruth” “Ruth” “Ruth” “Ruth” “Ruth” “Ruth” “Ruth” “Ruth” “Ruth” “Ruth” “Ruth” “Ruth”…

I wish I had bought headphones… really want to lie and listen to some good music. I’m in the mood for something French… or classical. Something with good memories and a pretty tune. 

Just received a lovely text which would normally = ☺, but instead almost made me cry. ☹ Strange how mood has such a powerful effect.

Anyway, my 1st (I held out) cup of tea of the evening has arrived… I have changed to pyjamas and a jumper (this is what boyfriends are for – providing excessively comfortable jumpers! Mine aren’t nearly good enough)… I had avoided work for almost and hour… and my deadline is 5 minutes time.

Maybe I should do something

xXx

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Biology Trip Monday

I have no internet for 4 days, which ordinarily would not be a problem. Unfortunately along with this, there are several people I would very much love to talk to, and I am also being forced to endure a biology coursework trip which looks set to be incredibly boring. We are being taught sadistics very slowly and inaccurately, with much confusion and many mistakes.

The most amusing thing so far is Lukas who has been in Germany all summer and whose English is now utterly shocking! (And I thought I had it bad when my handwriting deteriorates!!) So in return for correcting his grammar, I get to borrow a load of his music ☺. I think that that is a fair exchange. (Next I intend to borrow his headphones so I can listen to music whilst I work).

The other amusing thing about this is that we are both still in the same sleep deprived state we spent all of last year in! And so I was greeted, not with “Hello, how are you” but the standard “I am soooo tired”. Well I wonder why!! If you go to sleep at 2 and catch the plane at 6 :P

Other than that, it has been lovely to see people again and slip back into normal life again. :D I missed it so much. Just gossip and idle chatter and catching up again.

Quote: “And then he’s like.. I love you… you look like a post, but I love you!”

Going swimming early tomorrow morning ☺ except I am still tired, Did do a lot of work this evening but that was just because I was so bored in the Stats lesson. Anyway, the conversation is turning to me and I am about to receive the Spanish Inquisition from everyone (I blame Lucy and Peter-Paul between them, thank you soooo much).

Oh well, I don’t mind that much,


Although how I ha ended up “dating gollumn”  (Chinese whispers is a great game, although I don’t think I can live this down).

Anyway… I really must concentrate on this or I will say something I don’t want to

xXx

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Biology Trip Tuesday

Day two biology trip, and far too much time spent doing absolutely nothing useful at all. Well the entire morning and much of the afternoon. Why we have to do a “pretend project” and then spend 2.5 hours (!) going through a mark scheme we have now used for 4 years I do not know.

Didn’t sleep until 1am. In the end the Spanish inquisition wasn’t so bad, which was nice – just the standard: who, where, how, why… You know the drill, and if you don’t you wouldn’t understand anyway. It is strange how so many girls require the approval of their friends before they will even consider liking someone. I have to say I am not one of these ☺ but the assumptions are still there – and its always nice to be approved of.

Anyway… up at 6:30 and went swimming for about 30 – 45 minutes. AMAZING fun with big waves and some quite impressive long shore drift – as Lizzie found out when she travelled 150m just by wave jumping! (I did laps in one place, which was quite a challenge at times. Fun though. – scared Mr F by swimming underwater so he looked up and he couldn’t see me. Lol)

The result of this was a combination of tea and power naps throughout the morning. Then after dinner, a trip to Tesco… Results in the mass purchasing of ProPlus, Energy tablets (sugar and E Numbers), Coke (of all varieties), biscuits, coffee, chewing gum, RedBull, Kick and… not much else.  Even the teachers who currently look more tired and confused than us!

Quote: in response to someone picking up his kick (caffeine drink) and reading out the ingredient… Mr F: YES! (gleefully) It’s full of Sh$$! – lmao.

By the end of the evening everyone looked stoned, giggling and making jokes or head in hands in dispair!

Anyway… everyone is chatting now as caffeine kicks in and I should do some of the work I meant to do. (Still employed as Lukas’ English / Biology / Stats teacher, now in return for cups of tea. And Mr F has now made me the first port of call for anyone’s statistics difficulties, so I spent quite a long time explaining Spearman’s Rank CC to all and sudry! THANKS!)

Ok, really going now. Wish me luck with the bad stomach and caffeine poisoning tomorrow.

xXx

 

EDIT: EVERYONE IS HIGH!
EDIT 2 : I am also high!
 

19:15 Posted in Complete Random Junk! | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this

08/26/2007

Of Organ and Middle Class England

I played my first service at Harlton today. For those of you who did not know, I am now the Organ Scholar there and therefore required to put in a friendly appearance from time to time. :) It actually went quite well, which was good, and all in all I found the visit entirely amusing. ((By the way, this is being written as an occupation whilst I print out some pictures for Steve... so it might end rather abruptly)).

There is nothing better than a long cycle ride, along (fast country) roads, that you have never cycled along, to a place you have never visited (or even heard of until 6 weeks ago), early in the morning.... when you have had a sum total of3 hours of sleep. Of course, the scenario was jsut improved by the fact that I was going to be playing, my eyes hurt (pollen) and I had done no exercise for 4 days so my leg muscles started to hurt about a mile through Granchester. Oh yes, did I mention I went the long way around!   

Anyway, let mecease complaining, and detail the conversation I had with the church warden when I arrive.

 *****

Ruth enters church slowly with considerable apprehension. Jean is dressed formally and attending to some hymn books on one of the pews. Jean looks up unnerved and both smile awkwardly until recognition dawns on Jeans face.

JEAN: Hello?  

RUTH: Hello

JEAN: You're Ruth, Pleased to meet you She hurries forward extending her hand and a firm handshake is exchanged.

RUTH: And you.

JEAN: So you are here to play for us, that is lovely. 

RUTH: Yes, well Leon is playing some of it just to make it easier while I familiarise... [ad lib]

JEAN: Are you an American lady?

Ruth: purplexed No... Pure English

JEAN: Oh, you have a lovely accent.

 *****

Someone please explain that to me.

Anyway, I went, practise, and was interupted no less than 6 times to shake hands with various local dignitaries - all smiling and wearing their Sunday best. Bells start tolling and more people stare at me as I start to play a Waltz tune in F (first hymn) - I was glad I decided to dress smartly for this :). I then get bored... and start playing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" in 3/4 time which promts more stares and raised eyebrows from Leon, who is now sitting behind me.

The service goes well, although I can't register the pieces as I would like due to unfamiliarity with the (Electirc) organ - my practise time having been somewhat disturbed. The vicar preaches for anarchy. During Communion I Play a very pretty (if I do say so myself) improvisation of "Dear Lord and Father of Mankind") which gets me many compliments and makes me smile. A lot of notices and then Bach's Prelude and Fugue in F Maj from the 8 Short Preludes and Fugues to finish.

Then more hand shaking, smiling and listening attentively to the Treasurer tell me about the old Organ here and how lovely it is to see a new face.... you get the picture. We dutifully file out of the church and Leon, myself and another go to his house where his wife serves us coffee in the garden and sits very quitely whilst we discuss organs and music. Key features of this conversation are: name dropping, the mine is bigger game and "Yes..." - guess which applies to whome. I am now to play the Trio Sonata on Oct 13th for a celebration concert of the New organ - in whatever state it has reached by then.

It will be a lovely instrument, but I shall detail its many virtues when it is finished.

So all in all it was a pleasent morning, I played more than tolerably well (for once). The people as all very kind and friendly and so "Small, rural, affluent, pituresque village in East Anglia"!!!! It's brilliant.

 

Oh and yes, for those who were wondering... the vicar did preach calling for anarchy and a disregard for rules in favour of what God say in your heart. (!) I had to bite my lip to stop myself from giggling aloud all the way through. I mean, that sort of sermon does no harm in such a village, it might persuade people to forgo moviing their front lawn one Saturday so they can visit a friend... But even so, country Rector preaching *for* ANARCHY!

 

I love it

 

On another note: Stupid things I have done today:

• Forgot my keys -  but I did get the chance to visit our next door neighbours who (on account of their holiday, my boarding and then our holiday) I have not seen for 6 months or so! :(
• Put salt in my desert.... though it was sugar/vanilla sprinkles!
• Started shaking before the evening service which didn't help the whole playing thing - I DETEST evensong.
• Had a conversation I probably should have avoided (for sanities sake) but can't change that... and it was inevitable
• Not packed...
• Not finished printing these photos...
• Not finished sorting my room

Oh well.

Best get on

xXx 

 

 

 

21:14 Posted in Complete Random Junk! , Funny , Music , News | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this

Beauty need only be a whisper

02:09 Posted in Music | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this

Who inivited the plebeans?

Ok. I have lived on this estate for 17 years... As have you. Some of you longer. Surely by now there must be something else you can ridiculeas well as myself? Or is you mental capacity so limited that you can still derive limitless amusement from the same insults you hurled a decade ago? Also I would like to add that there are things I'd rather listen to in the evening as opposed to people threatening to kill each other, so can you keep your voices down. We all know that none of you have the guts to actually do anything, so how about you all go and play somewhere out of ear shot so I can listen to my music?

Other than that I love living where I do. But as the title suggests, a well structed chav-hunt is in order... nukes also considered.

 

Counting down the days until I'm back at The Leys. Which is remarkably sad and I really shouldn't admit to it, but hey, c'est la vie. Still need to finish sorting my room and pack for next weeks biology trip, which will also be good. But at the moment I am slightly too wound up to do that, or sleep. 

 

Harlton tomorrow, first *semi-service* as I don't have to play all of it, just learn how the order of service goes and what will be required of me. Should be interesting. I might go back to the doctors about the sleep thing, it is getting a little irksome now.

 

On a happier note had a lovely day with Carrie today. :D Went and sat on the floor in Boarders and looked at all the cookery books, wondered around town, lunch in the coffee shop (church) and then back to cookery books. :D I've now hired her to make my wedding cake :P. lol. - that was the other topic of conversation as *everyone* seems to be getting married at the moment, which is lovely for them, but does really run it in for all the lonely single girls out there. We didn't mope that much promise. Just looked at some photos of amazing sugar icing to console ourselves and realised that is probably entirely our own faults anyway so we shouldn't complain. Silly really how worked up people can get over things like that, even if they are not looking for anything, let alone something with so much commitment. Oh well... ~Guys are rubbish. We still love them, care for them, run our lives around them... but they are so rubbish!

 

I will not include cooking in my hobbies...  I will not include cooking in my hobbies... I will not include cooking in my hobbies... I will not include cooking in my hobbies... I will not include cooking in my hobbies... I will not include cooking in my hobbies... I will not include cooking in my hobbies... I will not include cooking in my hobbies... I will not include cooking in my hobbies... I will not include cooking in my hobbies... I will not include cooking in my hobbies... I will not include cooking in my hobbies... I will not include cooking in my hobbies... I will not include cooking in my hobbies... I will not include cooking in my hobbies... I will not include cooking in my hobbies... I will not include cooking in my hobbies... I will not include cooking in my hobbies...

 

I don't have the time nor money :( Pity...

 

ooooh someone please remind me I have to print out some holiday photos for Steve ..... :S

 

This is getting silly, I need to sleep. I have work to do, and a life to run, lying in bed staring at the ceiling is not doing anyone any favours. I also need to sort out my eating pattern but I might leave that for the moment. - one baby step at a time. I don't even have anything specific on my mind. Well, strictly that isn't true... but I *shouldn't* have anything on my mind. Nothing will change, nothing will happen, life will go on as it always has done with or without any intervention from me or anyone else.

 

9 days left until structure and simplicty returns...

 

xXx

 

 

02:06 Posted in Complete Random Junk! | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this

08/22/2007

Oh yes...

Oh yes.... and thank you to all those who sent hugs, they were invaluable I can assure you.

 

 Also, I probably owe you another small apology. :( Tension doesn't help as well you know, but I'm not going to make excuses for myself any more. That is just how things go. and I am sorry

 

xXx 

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A result of acute insomnia :(

Ok. So maybe I did sleep in until 11:30 today. And maybe I then didn't do much at all for the rest of the day. And maybe I shouldn't have eaten/drunk caffeine so late. And maybe...

 

Actually, scrap that last paragraph, there is *no* reason on earth why I should be so completely unable to lie down and rest/sleep, particularly considering the fact that I am still exhausted, yawning and have a headache. :( And yet, every time I head back to bed I am too hot (despite removing covers, changing nightwear and opening a window). The more I lie down, the more restless I become, the faster my heart beats and the more effort it takes just to liew still. This goes on for 15, 20, 45 minutes until I can not bear the pounding of my heart and the ache in my muscles, then I get up and find a cup of tea (comfort), water (practical) and wish for something stronger just to take all the effort out of it.

 

Maybe this is the way some people have become alcoholics, it certainally makes sense to me.

 

Anyway, it is strange, and remarkably inconvenient to feel this wound up. I sure I must have felt the sensation more than once in the past decade, but it reminds me strongly of a car journey when I was about 6, travelling to The Feast, unable to sit still on my booster seat because of the anticipation. That is all well and good, but WHAT THE HELL AM I ANTICIPATING! Whatever is putting me in this sleepless position might as well let me have the joys of daydreaming about the future as well.

 

... please

 

Tonight's difficulties I shall blame on Chris, who rang me just as I was settling down initially and invited me to a party tomorrow (Phil's infact, Chris has a habbit of inviting people to other people's parties, but I am assured I am more than welcome at this one. Apparently I have to protect him. :S). 

 

Tomorrow will be interesting without sleep.

• Early start to buy new oboe reeds 
• Oboe practise
• Organ Practise
• Tidy Room
• Oboe playing in Ely - CANT WAIT! :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D
• Organ (not done any for 2 days and got 2 services on Sunday including the first at Harlton :S)
• Ceroc (dancing) again... also CANT WAIT
• Party (probably finishes around 4am if at all, I hope I shall be tired enough to come back before then)

I give up, I need neurofen and SLEEP. :'( Not an excess of adrenolin and fleeting images of things I can't quite make out playing infront of my eye-lids. Something tells me it migh have been better not to make that phone call. Something also tells me that nothing was going to stop me making that phone call. Maybe this will teach me a lesson? 

 

Doubt it somehow.

 

ugh... well looks like tomorrow will come equipped with coffee which is good. And busy enough to make me sleepy by the end of it.  I shall now return to my book and stop plaguing you all (who deign to read this) with my whining. Goodnight to you all.

 

The smile on your face
Lets me know that you need me
There's a truth in your eyes
Saying you'll never leave me
The touch of your hand
Says you'll catch me where ever I fall

        --Alison Krauss

xXx

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08/20/2007

Ruth is....

Ruth is very scared she is being very stupid.

 

Ruth is scared that she wont be able to dig herself out of this one.

 

Ruth is scared a number of people are going to get hurt because she is being stupid.

 

Ruth wishes life was always games games games...

 

Ruth wishes things were easier.

 

Ruth feels like a silly little girl again.            she doesn't like it.

 

Ruth can't sleep either.

 

Ruth wants a hug.

 

:(

 

xXx 

 

Ruth is going to go do science until things make sense again 

00:35 Posted in Complete Random Junk! | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this

08/19/2007

Girlyness :D

I don't generally like baths... but let me give you a wonderful recipe

 

Ingredients

• Candles
• CD (Oboe :) all pieces I can play now, and havn't played for long enough that I can pretend I might someday be able to play that well.)
• Chocolate (or the best dark variety in the form of my last Easter Egg - unstearted until tonight! :S)
• Tea (Chai without milk...)
• Smelly stuffs :) (LUSH - French Kiss: Lavender and Rosmary "bubble bar slice" - don't ask, it was a present and it smelt nice!)
• Hot water
• Towels
• Body Butter
• Good Book
  
• Time

Process

Mix ingredients in time, (and in a bathroom is recomended). Ensure the water is not to hot. Enjoy. Enjoy some more. Enjoy a little bit more. Wash hair. Dry and apply nice smelling body butter. Sit around in a fluffy dressing gown looking luxurious for as long as you wish. Put on an old T-shirt (school games shirt will surfice) and comfortable trousers... and do very little for the rest of the evening.

 

:D

 

Guess what I've just done?!!

 

xXx 

20:57 Posted in Complete Random Junk! | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this

Ponders...

I've been trying to decide why I love dancing so much. Well actually, I've been watching Billy Eliot after a friend mentioned it and I realised 2 key facts: 1. I have not seen this film and 2. we posses this film and it was sitting on the shelf downstairs. Then deciding that this problem needed to be rectified I preceeded to spend the next hour and 45 minutes curled up out living room floor in front of the TV. It was a very good film. Hence the thoughts about dancing...

 

Anyway back to dancing. Some of my most vivd childhood memories are dressing up with my sister(s), putting on a Strict Tempo CD and dancing for hours, magical stories about princesses and dragons and balls and battlefields... everything a young girl with a (overly) vivid imagination can dream up whe presented with countless scarves and shawls and skirts and belts. We went to Arabia many times, and Sherwood, we danced with King Arthur and sometimes we were the beautiful ladies who danced on the front cover of the CD case...

 

At that time (and for years after - I remember still being teased in Year 8 at secondary school) I did ballet and for a long time I loved it. Well I started off loving it when it was easy and I was reasonably good, and then the dance started to require work and time I simply didn't have and ballet became a chore instead of a pleasure. It is only now, 5 or 6 years later, that I regret loosing the dance and miss the movement and the music that held it all together.

 

So what is it that makes dance so appealling? Except that it is truly beautiful? 

 

I don't think there is anything else. They say that girls always like beautiful things and I am no exception. I would also add that I do not believe men do not like beauty, they are simply less honest or open about it on some occasions. True, there is enough that is ugly in this world, enough that we would all rather forget or ignore...  

 

There is something about dance, whether it is the charming tublings of a young child or the exact precision and meticulous performance of a competion couple... It is all beautiful. Music. Movement. Strength. Subtlety. Grace. Power. The capacity of the human body for art is limitless.

 

The same principles apply to sailing (dancing on water), swimming (dancing in water), music (dancing for the ears), gardening (dancing with plants (slow does not mean ugly)) ... Different items move together to create something greater than themselves. And it is captivating.

 

So maybe it is not that I love dance, so much that I love beauty.

 

And when you start to look beauty is surprisingly easy to find. 

 

xXx

20:47 Posted in Thoughts | Permalink | Comments (1) | Email this

08/18/2007

To do....

This is me getting my head around things... So In no particular order

• Reheel shoes
• Handwashing
• Dry Cleaning
• Ironing
• Tidy Room
• Brian Gordons..
• Organ
• Oboe
• Pick up stuff I left at work
• Cleaning
  
• UCAS
• Gap Year
• Email Jessop, RSM and someone else :S
• Ring Auntie Jean re results (Whih were good enough :D)
• Ceilidh tonight ??
  
• Cook bread
• Chemistry/Biology notes (FIND)
• Rest of Washing
  

BOLD indicates : to do today

Italics indicates might do today

Normal indicates... should do sometime 

 

Wish me luck

xXx 

14:12 Posted in Complete Random Junk! | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this

08/17/2007

These boots were infact made for dancing ...

The first thing I must say, is that much as I enjoy travelling by train (freedom to move and stretch etc...) the pleasure is more than somewhat marred by two somewhat unnerved family members, one of whome is highly aggitated. It was after such a journey that I arrive in Sidmouth and have to carry a rather heavy backpack up the hill to the campsite telling my younger sister fairae stories until she is scared and asks me to stop. (Yes, maybe my patience had worn a little thin, but it was only a standard seelie/unseelie adapted folk tale!). Pitching camp in the dark heralds two rather arduous days of not doing much until the festival kicks in properly. And here comes the real news...

 

First on the list is the Anchor Garden's Celidh. And the first dance is a variation of a Circassian Circle and here I met Peter-Paul and Manon (although I don't think my failure to spin out correctly after year without dancing impressed them :P). I also renewed friendship with Bob and Steve (Towersey folkies) and generally found my feet (both left ones on occasion). A note for anyone attending next year, bring outdoor dancable shoes... gravel is painful in bare feet and I will pay anyone large sums of money if they manage to dance the willow tree sucessfully in flipflops!! 

 

Chadwicks. and Jen arrive making the total in our camp 11 and the total number of people at the first concert 13 (Fiona and Joy)... Fiona proved a highly useful addition to the party, for along with all her natural charms and the delight of her company, her disabled status allowed us some truly spectacular seats for both Show of Hands and the Spooky Men's Chorale. If you have not heard either of these groups, do so. They have the remarkable capability of making me wish I were male simply so I could be part of

1. the gritty and powerful sound of Show of Hands - female voices can do a lot, but that variety of sound and gravel is beyond even th strongest female singer
2. t testosterone drenched genial bufoonary - (I hope I quote correctly) - of The Spooky Men, who had me laughing so much I couldn't speak later on!

The week went on and more people turned up... old partners and a few new partners formed a nice group of "people I can bump into and say hello to..." Ran into Peter-Paul and Manon again at an LNE... was not recognised much to my amusement and apparently his embarassment... until Emma turned up and introduced me properly {yes w*are*sisters). Also met Brendan (dragged up to dance with me by one of the Hammersmith Morris Men who I had been chatting to but had hurt his leg). And of course there is Tom, who never ceased to make me laugh, and whome I first saw at the lunchtime Mawkin concert although I doubt he will remember that. (I have a strange memory sometimes). 

 

In general my days consisted of dancing a collection of English, Contra and Ceilidh (no scottish :( )... and anyone with any idea how I ended up in the display sets for Enlish dancing, please enlighten me! :S It was very scary being surround by lots of disparaging hawks who seemed certain I was incompetant... When they realised I wasn't they tended to assume I was professional which was a little entertaining. The week started well with my presence being noted at both the 9:30 workshops and the 1am Late Night Extras and I never wanted for partners. I believe my record to be 5 dance partners lined up which was very confusing when I had to remember who I'd agreed to dance with next.

 

The breakfast workshop was started midweek at Steve's tent... and put an end to all early morning activity for me - replacing exercise with good conversation, bacon, tomatoes and very fine coffee. I have to confess I became a regular, and intend to remain one. 

 

Time passes, and feet become steadily sorer... Tom leaves us for the petie world of work (poor man) and a delightful afternoon is spent shopping for drinks and a black tie for Steve to wear to the BlackTie Ceilidh - there is always one, and in this case I feel my sister beat him with her rather interesting combination:

• halter-neck black dress
• black bow tie
• fancy shoes
• black and white stripy socks
• blue cumberbund
  

The French dance was a source of great amusement as I struggled (and in the end managed to a degree) to learn French dancing off the hoof so to speak. Apologies to Edward, Peter-Paul and Jen for all the times I stood on your feet. :( I promise I will practise before the next dance! I will have to add here that I have a new love for French dance... it is beautiful. :D Especially when we end up dancing around the Ham concert marquee to Le Bébert Orchestra. :D

 And if anyone can dance and wants to come as a partner to the next dance in Norwich I would be more than enternally grateful! 

 

I can think of little to note for the rest of the week except for exciting cream tea workshops, envigorating swims, enjoyable dinners (with amusing waitress service) and enthralling conversations as well as copious quantities of dance. Morris Men with Fire... scary and very pretty :D My sister made friends with the Spooky Man... stole his hat and in return he stole my Bacon bap :(. Most parties went on till 4 or 5 am so there wasn't really a dull moment for the entire week. And thanks to Justin and Joe for their continuous supply of lemonade and good conversation - Renaissance music, science and computers, good food, good drink....

 

And needless to say I managed to sleep in the car on the way home.

 

Although I did end up in London the next day to meet up once again with Peter-Paul, Manon and Edward... the wisdom of this can be discussed seperately and at a later date.

 

Here endeth the Sidmouth post. And leaves me just to say, "It was a great holiday, thanks to you all and I hope you all feel the same, I shall see some of you at IVFDF, the rest of you next summer and hopefully, some of you before then... Take care, look after your feet and remember, it isn't a Celidh until someone has shouted "NO! THE OTHER LEFT!" "

 

Love to you all

 

xXx 

 

 

 

 

 

 

21:20 Posted in Complete Random Junk! , FOLK , Fun , News | Permalink | Comments (2) | Email this

08/15/2007

On repeat...

It's only forever
Not long at all
Lost and lonely
No one can blame you
For walking away
Too much rejection
No love injection
Life can be easy
It's not always swell
Don't tell me truth hurts, little girl
'Cause it hurts like hell (echo hurts like hell)
But down in the underground
You'll find someone true
Down in the underground
A land serene
A crystal moon, ah ,ah
It's only forever
It's not long at all
Lost and lonely
That's underground
Underground

         -- David Bowie 

xXx 

17:21 Posted in Poetry | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this

news of the Ruth...

Life is getting hectic again, I think I am scarying my lovely organ teacher with the amount of things I am doing at the moment. But hey! It's the holidays and I have to get through somehow. (I will not appriciate any smart-asses pointing out that I do the same in term time!) Actaully for me I am doing very little at the moment, mostly on account of being ill and not sleeping well. So as an examply my day today runs:

 

7:15 wake... half an hour till paper round so go back to sleep

8:30 wake... Swear. Run out to paper round (That isn't even mine but Em has hurt her back)

8:50 home and breakfast and blog for no real reason

10:00 Meet Phil somewhere in Fitzroy street that isn't evolution (Just to be different).. Must also buy Phil red nail varnish. :)

..... Day continues with Phil. No idea what we are doing, but it's raining so we might go back and let me loose spectacularly at all forms of video games!!

3:00 Go to the gym to find Terry and apologise for missing so much Kayaking

3:10 go for a run if I have too much energy

4:00 Organ

6:00 finish organ

7:00 maybe kayaking if I can find a lift... (open inquiry there!)

9:30 home

9:45 SLEEP... Peter-Paul, if I am online tonight, you one job is to say hello and then tell me to go to sleep, Thank you. 

 

Oh and I *must* do oboe at some point, and pop into WW&R and look in Brian Jorda's for some Rounds for Edward. And ring helen, and Ruth, and the Driving Liscense people...

 

heh... Ok, even I might admit that that looks a little busy, but it really isn't. And I can be delusional if I want to! What can I say? Life is too short. Anyway, I must now go shower and find some clothes... and some red nail varnish :S

 

So for all those who have not seen and *MUST* - The Brian Jordan Song

 

xXx

 

PS. Tom I will write a Sidmouth post... keep nagging me 

08:22 Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this

08/13/2007

back from... well wherever it was I went :S

Well I have decided that I now have enough time on my hands to write here... and If I don't (which is quite probably), I intend to do so anyway!

 

I will leave you anticipating a long, verbose, articulate, intrinsically amusing and equally informative Sidmouth post.... :P until I feel up to writing one and for the moment simpy say that I have just been away on a very good holiday :D.

 

Other than that I now have 2 weeks to fill... with

• Norfolk
• Sailing
• Kayaking
• Organ
• Oboe
• Physics
• Cooking
• Gardening
• WOW
• ....

Plus a few other things...  At the moment I have done very little of that list, so best get going.

 

Were we the last band of Heros?
Or simply partners in crime?
Never thought I'd feel this way
At closing time.

 

xXx 

09:47 Posted in Fun , News | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this