.....just been too flippin' busy!

pics in no particular order but all of equal significance...... been busy.... work (which i'm not going to bleat on about you'll be pleased to hear) and playing (which i'm about to tell you about.....

we had christine's birthday which was a lot of fun. some how we ended up at blyth which seems odd as it's not a place renowned for being conducive to a sunday afternoon drive out but it was absolutely bloody lovely wandering along the beach and the prom and having chips from the little cafe..... there's going to be a slideshow on you tube soon.....

then vessels at the end in newcastle. it was great to see the boys play again and buy a large (yeah right) t-shirt! gonna have to slim into it or... as alex suggested... just hang it on the wall as i'm never gonna be any slimmer than i am.... we shall see... but fair point probably!! and as for vessels well.... if i'm been honest i thought it was a fairly subdued set the high point being when they launched into altered beast which brought the whole thing alive. i don't think it was anything lacking in the performance i just think the set list was composed of their more quieter tunes... and hey that's fine. (or maybe it isn't or i wouldn't have mentioned it)... still it was great! (like the pic of pete above cos the way the light has fallen makes it look like he's robin! ...robin who??!!?? ....batman and robin.... it looks like a mask... you can't see it? oh well just me then!!)

this was followed by the big trip to manchester for me 'n' al to spend 3 nights wathcing oceansize play their 3 albums, one per night.... top idea.... and it was fabulous.... pictures are a bit poor but mike looks cool in them all as ever! it was a very relaxing couple of days with a bit of shopping, meeting friends, walking by the canal and stumbling across the atlas bar where jimmy two times played at "in the city" probably about 6 years ago... had a tear in my eye! 'frames' was absolutely awesome, and of the other two nights 'everyone into position' was definitely the finer. was really tired the first night after a day at wok and the drive down which didn't help my enjoyment of 'effloresce' but it was still good. oh! and i got in from work on the thursday with only 10 minutes to turn myself around to pick al up to head off to manchester to find 40 cows in my garden... sadly no pictures.... and i will save the full story as it's probably funnier to hear it 'live' as is the story of the overheard conversation in the toilets at the last night of the oceansize gigs... ask me about it when you next see me! (...well we need to have something to talk about!)

......and i'm teaching jonathan to play texas hold 'em poker and luke to play blackjack... start 'em young!

.....and i'm about to get back into the runing so had myself an evening run through finchale abbey and it was beautiful..... running 10 miles at ripley in a weeks time and am probably about 8 pounds heavier than pre vegas.... oh bugger i promised myself not to obsess over my weight in the blog and now i've gone and bloody done it haven't i!!!!

listening to sigur ros - meo suo i eyrum vio spilum endalaust
still reading blind faith by ben elton (nearly finished)
and watching (right now) "failure to launch" with christine (very chick flick)