Category: old blogging

There are some nights when it pays to go out. Tonight, I got home quite late from work in a completely blue mood, then poked about on the net, got the cricket score (guh) and cooked dinner. Then, feeling a bit morose and at a loose end, I headed for the bar. Absolutely nobody else out (only Joel and Rory behind the bar, plus sightings of Simone, Bek, Celine, Kristian, Hayley, Leah and Sal – which, since most of them are W2 staff, barely counts). But, thanks to the arrival of four foreign dentistry students, the evening improved radically. They provided top entertainment for the evening by knocking back quantities of tequila, quizzing Rory about his lovelife (top improvisation by the man!) and being generally pissed and funny. Then, suddenly I found myself talking with Emma, 28, Polish and very lovely (the pick of the bunch according to the other guys). We had a long chat about Chichester, politics and dentistry (no, really! – the advantages of dealing with old dears in Chichester as opposed to wife-beating victims in London, and the highly Conservative nature of Chichester), our photo was taken and I can still smell her perfume now. What an incredible shame that they are all going back to London tomorrow! But she did succeed in putting a big smile on my face, and promised she would be back in two years when she has finished her course, as she wants to get a post in Chichester (she hates London). Well, I told her where to find me (at the bar in W2 of course!), and hopefully she will look me up!

although the exams are done, I continue to be very busy, mainly with organising the Garden Event at West Dean which is nearly upon us. So sparse blogging for the next ten days or so, then normal service will be resumed.
On the subject of exams, in case you were wondering, I should get there results sometime around the third week of August.

Paul F had the entire grille removed from his car by these people. What on earth do you do with a collection of car badges? And a whole grille for that matter? Stash them under your bed? Why??

I’ve always suffered from a conflict of interest when it comes to things like this. You see, flowers and plants are my job, but I have been known to sneeze for Britain when given the right combination of mood, irritant and weather. However, it has to be said that carpet shops always make me sneeze more than plants, but I’m strange like that.

today in brief….
– exam this morning – the last one! wahey! not the worst, but not the easiest either. I think I gave possibly the most waffle-filled answers I have ever given, but I think (hope?) I have done enough to pass. I certainly do not want to have to do it again.
– lunch with Becky, Will, Chris and Gill from the course in the Hogs Head. Very pleasant.
– back to work, which was a bummer, followed by four hours driving around Sussex fly-posting in a highly illegal manner.
– then to W2 for beer with Paul F, Arron and Simone. A relaxing end to the day.

Beer and food at lunchtime with Paul F, Sarah and the long lost Chas in the Toad. Very pleasant. We were well pandered to, as Paul highlighted.

This morning’s exam was not too bad at all – pretty straightforward. Question 2 was particularly easy – “using an organisation of your choice, describe how they are using the internet and ICT in the marketing mix” – i.e. write about your job for 30 minutes. Still not looking forward to tomorrow’s though – back to the park and revision I think.

Bizarre Google search of the day.

Today would have been an utterly fantastic day if it had not been for the revision! I got up late (by my standards – still fairly early for most other people when taking a day off work), and, after breakfast, took my revision notes and books the short walk to Priory Park, sat on a bench on “The Mound” (site of a Norman bailey) and read my notes, enjoyed the sun (got burnt!), watched the groundsman going round and around the cricket pitch on his mower, and took in the view of the trees, Guildhall, cathedral and city skyline.
After three hours of reading, I took a break, and headed to St Martin’s Tearoom for the house speciality – welsh rarebit. St Martin’s is a fantastic tearoom, serving organic vegetarian food that is really good – the rarebit is to die for, especially when enjoyed in the garden in the dappled shade of a cherry tree, with a good cup of coffee and a book. An expensive luxury, admittedly, but I get lunch out so rarely, and I felt I deserved it after three hours of revising.
After lunch, I wandered off to the shops to buy a new calculator and pencil for tomorrow’s exam, as well as a phone voucher, sunblock (shutting the door after the horse has bolted) and some food. In my travels I bumped into Simone, Bek (sober this time) and Bora. There was, inevitably, chewing of the cud. I also got a call from Heather too, and we discussed tomorrow’s exam and the cud.
After all that and an ice cream, I headed back to the park for another three hours of revision, this time distracted by snogging teenagers, toddlers toddling and cricketers practising in the nets. Then home for tea and a rest.
If only every day could be spent in a beautiful sun-kissed park!

My horoscope for today:

You seem to have hit a dead end. Retracing your steps is the only option, painful as that may be. A truly special friendship is forged by extreme circumstances. While you probably won’t be celebrating a victory over the next few days, you can probably take comfort in the fact that some crisis has brought you much closer to someone you thought you hardly knew — or never considered becoming good friends with. The great thing about human problems is that they bring out compassion and humility.

Which is all kinda true.