Spent the weekend here;

and thought as it was such a good time that I should write it up for you all to enjoy, I'll do it diary style;

 

Dear Diary,

Today was spent mostly in a car, I got up as usual for a friday at half six, released I didnt need to be up and went back to sleep for an hour, genious. I then made sure everything was packed for the weekend, didn't want to forget anything important like PJs. Then I went to tescos to buy the essentials, wine gums for the journey. Then Sange and Matt were actually on time to pick me up, I was soooooo shocked I nearly frgot what i was doing. We tried to change teh wiper blades on Sanges car but she had told me to pick the wrong type up for her, not my fault. Anyway journey up to  campsite went ok, I slept for most of it. Then when we got there I needed a nap and then went to bed at about 10. Excellent day. Oh yeah we had a french experience for dinner; crusty bread with cheeses, very nice, would recommend it to everyone.

 

Robin

x

 

Dear Diary,

Today was spent doing activities and on the whole was very physically draining.

Ghyll scrambling was lots of fun and exciting and new. It basically involved running and climbing the route of Sickle Ghyll. This meant that the first task was to climb up a waterfall! Very cool. The water was just the right side of cold so that in my shorts and t-shirt if I kept moving I kept warm.

I was in the first group to be going up the route and I stuck myself at the front, made it just abit more exciting that way for me. At one point I was given the choice of swimming the route or traversing aroung by using roots, branches and rocks. Being hardcore I choose to take the roots option and didnt even touch the water *smug face*. All in all we were doing this for about 2 hours and I bruised and knicked (cut) my knees, nothing serious.

Back to camp and time for an apple, Sange made me have it.

Then off to sailing, shared a minibus there with some cool peeps who played to my ego in the best possible way by saying i looked like i was from LOTRs *smug face again*. Rohan warrior, meh would have preffered Ranger but you know, beggers and all that jazz.

Once I got to sailing we were asked our experience levels, I have about 5 years of summer sailing behind me but that stopped in year 9 (long time ago) yet this seemed to say to the guys that I was ok to go out in a laser pico on my own. No problems there, thier nice little boats, 12ft long single sailed dinghys to be precise. They do in my opinion have one technical floor, days with no wind tend to find them taking on water as they dont go ffast enough for the valves that let water out to work. This was such a day.

We did some usual taking and stuff on the water and played a game where you had to pick up balls from the water. I would have done better at this if the guy in front hadn't of capsized when he over reached, thus needing me to tell him how to right the boat.

On the plus side the centre had decent showers:)

This whole malarky left my knees in a sorry state and I strained a muscle in my side, hence I retired to my sleeping bag at about 7 that night after dinner of pasta and sauce.

Good day:)

 

Robin

x

 

Dear Diary

Today we went to the town of Windermere. Its a nice little touristy place, plenty of shops and stuff. We went for a cruise on the lake a lot further down from where I was sailing yesterday. The tour was actually fairly decent, woman giving the usual information was nice enough. Me, Mr. Hew and Sange suffered a bit of wind burn from it but otherwise nice and pleasent.

We went into a pub for lunch, damnable tourist traps mean they charge you extorsionate amounts for simple stuff.

After lunch we went to the "new" Bettrix Potter centre, I say new as it wasnt the same one i went to when i was 6...

I got my parents some nice pictures from a decent little gallery in the town aswell.

We went back to camp happy enough after a little stroll through the town and I made a massive fire:) always good stuff. Some random welsh pharmacist was there as well:S

After a while went to the bar and met up with some guys from Potters bar who I had scrambled with yesterday, played some cards and listened to a half decent band play. Altogether very chilled and I liked it.

Thanks to those who were there, if I knew thier names I would be a better person

Went to bed after that.

 

Robin

x

 

Dear Diary

Got up and made breakfast, damn my egg sarnies are good:P:)

Packed up and left, hour and a half (napped in that time) stopped for lunch (45 mins) then took 5 hours to get back to Hemel, thanks to Mr. Hew and Sange for keeping me sane, I had packed my book like some kind of crazy man:P.

Got home to find resistors for the bomb box have arrived and I promptly set to soldering the circuit up. Its all done and theorettically all works. Each indivdual element works. The circuits all work. The box doesnt not. Not sure what has happened.... Will let you know when I do.

Had a shower wrote this.

 

Robin

x

 

 

 

In other news, decided to get on the scales today. I have been going to the gym twice a week for 3 and a half months now and I have been watching what I eat aswell. I have lost about three inches from my waist. How much weight have I lost...? none. Damn muscle.

Been playing squash too, Neil here's a hint;

:)

 

Peace out.

My life is going good, I have a fantastic girlfriend, active social life, work is a doddle (not just as I do a such a small amount) going to the gym is making me lose some weight (not enough) etc. etc.

 

None of this has anything to do with the culture i am talking about though. This has come from today's little adventure. Last night I went to a fancy dress party with some friends, there will be pictures and movies possibly later, this was down in Finchley in London at a freinds house. In case you are wandering I went as Robin Hood, so that if someone wanted to know my name I could just point. Well from this jaunty adventure yesterday stemmed today's, as I was in London I made plans to go and see a guy from work's band plan a gig today at lunch time. This guy is the electron tube devision expert for the UK from Japan, he's a really nice chap and likes his metal and so forth, its all good. His band Maco ( www.geocities.jp/London_maco )describe themselves as an experimental pop group from Japan.

This is where I have recieved a good dose of culture from today; they started the set with several acoustic numbers. Mainly  these were sung by a lady in a red dress, who I can't place what is wrong with her voice, it was slightly husky slightly deep, but at the same time seemed to be hollow to me, and I was not a fan on her tonal talents either, she could hold a note, but meh wasn't inspiring. The keyboard player backing her up was very good and very enthusiastic, altoegther excellent on the piano in the conrner.

The other songs were sung by anotehr lady who seemed much shier than her counterpart but made up for this with a more traditional Japanese vocal talent, it was slightly higher than western pop singers but has the same abilities to hold notes, stay on tune etc.

The songs they sung were nice, I personally would probably apprecieate them more if I had been able to understand more than the 0 words I did. Sawaya (the technician) needs to speed up his teaching.

They band also had a special guest, some tall bold bloke who seemed to be some kind of "freestyle" percusionist, thus I was expecting someone who could bang out a decent beat or two. How wrong I was, this bloke simply did what I did in primary school music, band a few beats and mess around with some extra materials (a chain??? seriously WTF?).

Anyway, after a few (8) acoustic songs they then moved onto the "normal" pop, there were two keyboards, Sawaya on bass, a good drummer and the two female vocalists. Again the songs were good and had more to them than the previous acoustic numbers, but again a lack of understanding of the lyrcis held me back from making a proper judgement of them. What I did appreciate from the whole set was the display behind the band, maybe because they are Japanese, maybe just because they are technically competitant, the display had the lyrics, or appropriate backing for the song that was playing, not that swish to some, but still has an air to it for me. During one song there was a line that caught my eye, and later in discussion with Neil his too, the line read;

"I am the hermaphrodite sexaul, Tokyo Queen"

There's no words for it except "eh?".

Altogether though an interesting adventure, one that I might take more people on with me next time... Watch out you have been warned.

 

Be good