And there's more

Same ruins, different angle.

Ruins in the museum gardens at York

Another gargoyle. This time on the side of a lovely little church in York.

More

Gargoyle on the fountain in Albert Square, Manchester

Manchester Town Hall

Oooh

I rather like that one. Its one of the windows in York Minster btw. Taken on my trip with mum a couple of weeks ago.

Don't mind me...

... just futzing about with digital pics. There's a first time for everything I believe.

Mammoth task

I decided that today was the day I should tackle the large pile of ironing that had accumulated in the dining room on the back of a chair. I absolutely loathe and detest ironing. Its up there with cleaning the toilet in the 'worst jobs in the home' stakes. And its not only the pile I've tackled but various tops in my wardrobe that I haven't worn in ages because I can't be bothered ironing them. So, three shirts and one pair of trousers to go and I've lost the will to live. I've even got my DAB radio tuned into The Arrow rock station to help me along but now no amount of Rainbow, Fleetwood Mac or Toto can help me. Except that just as I was lying on my bed having a break they played 'I want to break free' which was so utterly appropriate it made me laugh lots. It almost made me want to get back to it but only while wearing a black leather miniskirt, black wig and thick moustache. And since I haven't got the miniskirt or the wig I thought I'd come on here instead.

Still, the sooner I get back to it the sooner I can finish and reward myself with a trip to the shop for copious amounts of chocolate.

*sigh*

New favourite game

Today at work we have been mostly inserting as many song titles as we can into everyday conversation. With hilarious consequences. To whit;

Two of our youngest recruits had been complaining about paying tax on their wages (a humble £6 - "You don't know you're born!" we older ones cried) this morning. This afternoon AM was saying that they'd spent half the day complaining about one thing or another. My reply, "I think what AM is trying to say is 'Shaddap you face' "

D'you see?

So what I'm trying to do is start a craze. I've already had a volunteer from an office in the Midlands that we deal with. Ah, I can see it now. Office workers the world over laughing their tits off at, "What did you do this weekend Neil?" "I lost my heart to a Starship Trooper." and the like. Honestly, its funnier than I've made it sound here.

I don't think emails should count though. It gives you too much time to google a suitable reply. Actual verbal conversation only and the person who gets most in wins.

You can also add a variation for anyone who's having trouble coming up with song titles. Think of a very silly title to use or something very obscure and challenge them to get it into a conversation. My boss J managed to ask one of the chaps, "Do you think I'm sexy?" which elicited lots of giggles from us.

Go on, have a go. You know you want to.

And don't forget, the winner takes it all.

Shock horror!

I've just been doing that egotistical past-time Googling your own name. A few links there to the two SF audios I did. No surprise there. Two links to local newspaper articles about plays I've been in. A quite funny but pleasant surprise there. A direct link to this blog.

Er, what?

Several links to my blog by friends who've linked it using my real name.

Ummmmm....

I've probably seen those links on mates blogs before but its only just occurred to me that someone from work or a member of my family or someone from my past up to nefarious purposes could actually find this blog quite easily.

And all my secrets will be revealed.

Ulp!

Lezbe friends

I was privelidged enough to be invited out for tea on Friday night with a couple of the women from work. They were meeting up with some woman they used to work with and my boss, J, asked me if I'd like to go too. Hurrah! So of course I said yes. Any excuse to be in her company...

A & I arrived first and being the shy & retiring types we are we spent it in a slightly awkward silence punctuated by giggling at the dubious clientele and the dodgy music. We were in a pub my aunty used to live next door to many moons ago and which had recently had a refit to transform it from an old mans pub to a bit of a gastro pub type thing. The result was somewhere between the two but it was still nice. The chattier ones arrived and soon we were tucking into our food which was actually quite good. Oh and wine. Lets not forget the wine. K is usually quite chatty in the office but she outdid herself especially when in the company of V. It was like they were having a competition to see who could be the most outrageous. Thank god the waiter had a sense of humour. We must have been a sight. K & V laughing like drains while myself, J and A sat with our heads in our hands in shame. Then the karaoke started up. More wine was consumed. Knowing that I'm involved in the theatre my chums persuaded me to sing. Not that it took much persuading at that point. So one 'Look at me I'm Sandra Dee' later they were all cooing over me saying what a good singer I was. More wine followed.

Now I'd just like to point out that the lady running the karaoke was, well, eccentric to say the least. Body of a fiftysomething who kept chiming in between songs with her own singing akin to that of a 20 year old. And then she got her tambourine out.

No that's not a euphemism.

The conversation turned to men and K asked me "So what type of boys do you like?" which made my boss choke on her drink. So me being of the carpet munching persuasion I fudged it a bit and said I didn't really have a type but that I used to like men with cheekbones like John Taylor from Duran Duran. That's not a lie btw. I did used to have a thing for Mr Taylor. 20 years ago. My boss's reaction made me think she'd twigged that I was a todger dodger.

They sang a song. K doing lead (she's a bit of a karaoke hog by all accounts) and J & V doing backing vocals. I don't remember which song. Then I did 'Perfect' by Fairground Attraction. More wine, more conversation. My boss commented that I had really pretty eyes & then ruined it by saying, "Not that I'm being lesbian or anything...". Protesting too much? I wish. A jokingly said, "She fancies you!". Again, I wish.

More wine, more singing with me doing my Bjork impression. 'Its oh so quiet'. Yeah, fat chance. K and A disappeared off for a crafty fag and J asked me if I had a boyfriend. No I didn't. Was I not interested? No I wasn't. "Ah yeah they're a waste of space sometimes aren't they?" And the award for completely missing the point goes to...

I think that next time we go out I need to wear one of those subtly witty t-shirts you can get that says 'Hello, I'm a big lez!'. Maybe she'd get it then.

We eventually staggered drunkenly out, a couple of the patrons congratulating me on my singing. Even the DJ lady name checked me at the end. Feeling like a rock star or what? K's other half picked us up and on dropping off J first I got a goodnight kiss. Only on the cheek unfortunately.

That's the cheek on my face.

Yesterday I was ill. More ill than I have been in ages. I could feel it creeping up on me as I slept rather fitfully. About 7.30am I got up & threw up. At lunchtime I managed a piece of toast and a cuppa and at 8pm I managed a McDogs. I was supposed to be meeting up with some OG peeps in Manchester but had to decline. I was so gutted I couldn't go but hurrah hurrah they've arranged another one for November. And next time if my boss asks me if I wan't to go out the night before I'm saying NO.

Not unless she promises a proper goodnight snog anyway.

Potted itinery...itinerery....list of stuff I did

So much to put down that I'm just going to list it in one big brain bleed. Here goes... mind the doors.

Work night out, eating pub food talking about drugs, shocked by Tony's 'I remember the 60's' admissions of law breaking frolicks, bowling with a skip in our step, me bowling very badly, losing spectacularly, blister on thumb, tried pool instead, won one game, flirted with boss, played arcade game, rifle shooting, kicked everyone's arse at that, 'helped' boss with her aim, lame excuse to brush up against her, lift home with her in the car, laughing at an S&M couple on radio talk show, no goodnight snog, sadly.

York with mum, huge queues for train tix, hot & stuffy train, cater waiter who couldn't speak English, eventually got our TWO bottles of water & ice, pleasant walk to the Minster, no cafe, walked round the back to St Williams College restaurant, gooooorgeous steak sandwich & home made chips, more Minster, lots of pics, distracted by new digi camera, student band rehearsing, goooooorgeous soloist, voice of an angel (not liver of a wino we hope), hard to drag ourselves away, two places of interest both closed, trawl round shops looking for a Next, mum shows off with Turkish chap on street, buy gorgeous ring, find lovely little church, take more pics, buy tacky gifts of Viking snow globes for work mates, mum wants a sundae, walk round and round looking for somewhere, eventually go back to St Williams for scones, walk back to train station via museum gardens, full of chavs throwing litter, scrotes, back home on bloody hot train.

Weekend, shopping, buying shirts for work, lots of shirts, fuck all else exciting.

Work, ok for first couple of days, gets stressful later, bloody thick bitch in Chorley, can't tell the diff between their vans & ours, ignoring emails, couple of lazy sods in office, new girl needs watching, thank god I'm off for two days.

Tea out at Pizza Express on Friday, got order wrong, bring what looks like a bowl of pot pourri as compensation, have best dessert in the world ever, ice cream, choc fudge cake pieces, choc sauce, wafers & extra shot of Tia Maria, mouthgasm.

BBQ at mates in Liverpool, train to Whiston, bloody fantastic taxi firm takes me to hotel, yep a hotel, no room for sleepover, cheap taxi fare, Leffe beer, catching up with chums, hostess tolerable, seems strange having kids there, game of try to get the daughter to eat fruit, turns into game of tip fruit all over self & use cup as a hat, Morrisons beef chilli & coriander burgers yummy, more beer & a bottle of white wine, kids playing with water pistols, and the rain comes down - who needs water pistols? Discussing last episode of ER & other randomness with hostess's ex work mate, rain stops, sit on loungers, bring out the fire pit, try to adjust lounger - end up flat on back, can't get up for laughing, had too much wine so move on to lemonade & then make myself a cup of tea, back to hotel & crash, hungover in morning but manage breakfast, feel rough, back home to Bolton to die quietly.

Lakes with mum & bro, absolutely fucking pissing down, nice lunch at Lakeland Plastics, pootle round Booths, still fucking bucketing, get open top bus to Bowness, might as well have sat on the top deck as all the rain comes in, clears up in time for cruise round lake, standing at prow of boat enjoying the view alone (mum getting extremely annoying), potter round shops, back to Windermere, back to Lakeland Plastics for cuppa, home, never going anywhere with annoying mother bitch again.

Lunch in Manch with Ingrid today, surly staff in White Lion at Castlefield, pop for a quickie in the Ox - very trendy, very long, very leisurely lunch at Dimitris , huge amounts of tapas, never had dolmades before, yum, whitebait, yum, bottle of wine, bit squiffy, keftedes, yum, auberginey thing, yum, shouldn't have bothered with pitta bread - too much, just about manage some ice cream for dessert, yum, very saucy conversation, tell her about the game of soggy biscuit & what a dirty sanchez is, decide to play 'Ive Never...' game but without the drink, very very naughty conversation, degenerates into listing everything sexual we've either never done or have done, her bus arrives, resolve to play again but somewhere less public & with more alcohol.

And in addition;

Muse, liking very much, Absolution v good, black holes & revelations ok, watching repeats of Buck Rogers, very cheesy but still engaging, Annette Badland in Bad Girls, missed last Thursday but recorded Monday's repeat, keep missing bits of Sugar Rush but enjoying what I've seen, bought Century Falls & Dark Season on DVD, free 80s covers CD on Q magazine, outstanding cover of 'Different for Girls' by Boy Kill Boy, bought Life on Mars DVD set, I'm 'avin 'oops, keep forgetting Uni Challenge is on.

End of heamorrage.