Five go sad in Cardiff

Meep! Its ten past ten & I have to get up early to get to work tomorrow so I'd better make this quick. Funny isn't it that my new job is nearer home but I have to get up earlier to get there? That's the joy of travelling on the bus with schoolchildren and getting caught in traffic. Oh I so love schoolkids in the morning. Screaming down my fecking ear & blowing cig smoke in my face. The little darlings.

Sooooo, Cardiff then eh? I have to point out that getting up at 5.15am should be illegal. Even if you're going somewhere exciting rather than work. I always thought I was a morning person but maybe that's shifted over the years 'cause I pretty much hate mornings these days. I'm a 'pull the duvet over my head & pretend its not happening' kind of girl now. Meh. I tried to get some sleep on the train but in the style of those kids on the Disney ad, "But mummy, we're too exciiiiited!".

Chums took the piss out of me constantly on both journeys as I insisted on paying 20p to go to the loo instead of having a free one on the train. Lets just clear this up once and for all. I'd rather pay the 20p to go to a nice clean toilet than the skanky ones that stink on the train ok? I'd also rather wee when I'm not struggling to keep my seat and my balance on a moving object.

We kept ourselves amused with idle conversation about various Gods, constructing a Big Brother scenario in which Zeus was in the diary room having a good bitch about Osiris. All while chewing on the foulest sweets I've ever tasted. Steve had brought bags of the stuff from Holland & they all tasted of licourice or menthol apart from the advocaat ones. Ewwww. Good job I had stashed some Drumstick chews in my bag.

The delightful Rob met us at the station and started us off on our tour of Dr Who locations including the slopey back alley from 'Empty Child', the department store from 'Rose' and 'The Christmas Invasion', the balcony from 'Boomtown' & 'Empty Child', the interior location of Platform 5 from 'End of the World' etc etc. We then broke for lunch at an American diner before grabbing a taxi down to the exhibition at the bay which was awash with children. Now its really lovely that Dr Who has attracted a whole new audience but did they all have to choose the same day to visit the exhibit? Hmmmph. More walking to the prom type bit & locations for 'Boomtown' before trekking all the way to Grangetown to look at suburban houses used in 'Rose' and 'Empty Child' and last but not least, the playground and church from 'Fathers Day'. By this time every muscle from my pelvis downwards was aching, particularly the muscle running up from my left ankle to my shin which I think I'd strained. We ended up limping to Boots (well, I was the one limping) for some Ibuprofen gel then spending the evening in the Wetherspoons next door. I'm such a wuss. I must start getting more excercise so I can keep up with all these athletic people who can do walking & everyfink.

I manged to get some sleep on the train back despite Steve's snoring, being generally uncomfortable, the cold carriage I tried to sleep in and on the final leg, some nutter a few seats down who kept shouting out to his imaginary friend called Chris. Which reminds me of me & my brother's mantra...

"Must learn to drive!"

Needless to say I was totally shagged out the next day. Thank god I'd booked it off to have lunch with my bessie mate. I'm not the chattiest of people anyway but that day I was a fecking zombie. Fortunately my best mate is chatty enough for the both of us. We had lunch and a bottle of wine at The Boathouse in Astley sat near some kids who were out with their dad (divorced from their mother we gathered). We were a bit miffed that there were potentially rowdy children near us but they were actually better behaved than their father!! They sat there talking quietly and politely while their dad did some bizarre impression of a kids tv presenter. We soon moved on to another pub up the road which had lovely leather, winged armchairs we could slouch in. The pot of coffee just brought me round enough to hold up my end of the conversation so I was less zombiefied and more mellow. It turned out to be one of the most idyllic, cosy winter afternoons I've had in a long while. I didn't want to leave. But eventually we did and the spell was broken. Back to the harsh cold rainy reality of February and the prospect of being back at work the next day. Work being quite the shittiest its ever been. My last day of slogging my guts out for 4 years and all I got was a fucking card. Very very poor. Even a bottle of cheap wine would've done. Practically every person when they leave gets a bit of a pressie and a presentation by their manager. My manager didn't even bother to turn up. Vague goodbyes were said but that was it. As soon as I left the building I tore the card up in disgust and threw it in the nearest bin. So much for fucking loyalty.