Ireland

I have just spent 10 days in Ireland on holiday with my parents. Unfortunately the weather wasn't great but we still had a good time.

Strangest positioning of a monument: One for the first Atlantic plane crossing, the monument was placed 1 mile away from a kern placed 500 meters away from where Alcott and Brown landed.

Most making me feel old moment: Being asked by a kid at the hotel whether I was Molly's mum.

Most painful day: The day after I went horse riding - sitting was especially bad

Wettest moment: On Clare Island waiting for the ferry back - my trousers were see through

Stangest place names: A village called Kill, and a cemetry called Killamora Cemetry, Crump Island

Times the boatman complained about having not divided the bikes among the 4 boats going to the same place making them too heavy for the shallow bits: 17 (my Dad couted not me)

New things eaten / drunk: lobster (not a whole one, but bits with pasta), guiness (only one sip) I say its better than beer but still gross. Also saw the guiness factory: quiz for you how many pints of guiness are made everyday?

Most annoying thing: the bumpiness of the roads - it was actually painful on some journeys

Times gone through barbed wire fence: 4 - once to get mum's golf ball back from a field (it hit a tree) and once to see a castle

Anyway I think that's the highlights covered am now spending the week as Captain yo-ho at holiday club Argh me Hearties

Swimming

Actually made it to the pool this week. Here's a summary of my trip:

• Time taken to get there: 20mins - there are roadworks in the way grr!
• Price: £2 - cheaper than expected hurrah
• Lockers 20p - have to go back to reception to get 20 pence piece
• Make sure take out goggles and towel from bag before putting everything in locker
• Lock the non-refundable locker
• Turn round to pick up goggles and realise have put them back into the locker grr!
• Decide don't want to go back to reception for another 20p so go in without goggles
• Find pool is fairly empty and has 4 lanes available
• Water is colder than expected
• Realise water is 6ft deep all the way along but find ledges at the ends to stand on
• Swim 12 lengths (600 meters) less than normal but can't swim properly because of lack of goggles
• Get out of pool and head back to changing room down scary slippery stair case
• Have shower without shampoo which is still in the locker, shower is also very strong so a bit painful
• Find that there are individual chaging cubicles so decide to go in one - much better than the group ones we had to go in when we came with school
• Find cubicle door doesn't actually shut but it does stay kinda closed so get changed in there anyway
• Drive back home via roadworks

So I give my trip a 5/10 next time I will take 20p with me and make sure to not lock my googles in and also take out my shampoo.

Perfect Blend

Met up with some of my fellow ex-greenies yesterday (that's old school friends for those of you that didn't have to endure the trauma of our uniform). It's always great to catch up with everybody, though I was left feeling quite old as our conversation at one point did revolve around hoovers! Although neither of these are actually Hoovers oh well!

Congratulations to Safina for her iminent wedding (next Sunday) hope all goes well, am gutted I can't make it - I'm expecting lots of photos from those that can! ;)

P.S Perfect Blend is the coffe shop/bar we met up in - a great place to go if you are ever in Streatham

Lambeth Country Show

This is an annual event held in Brockwell Park(don't go there on your own normally) with a fayre ground, food stalls, crafts, charity stalls etc. and arenas where there are displays and things. It used to be a proper country show where farmers etc would come with their livestock but now it's more of a general thing.
So today I went there with my Dad we saw a motorbike display team where the youngest was just 7 and the oldest 19, they were quite good they even jumped over 3 cars parked long ways! We also saw a birds of prey thing and an army parachute team. Their display was cut short by London Air traffic control though so there was no warning that they were coming but they all landed safely.
We also managed to get about 15 free cartons of a new drink thing (it was meant to be one per person but as I said I went with my Dad so...). Also won a book on a tombola in aid of the Scouts and a can of drink because Dad scored a goal against an ice hockey goalie. So all in all quite a good afternoon out really.

"Someday, Somehow, Somewhere"

So I joined the gym well more correctly the National Sports Center! Though it really isn't the greatest sports center ever so how it got that title I don't know. So now I have a fitness programme to stick to when I go hmmm I wonder how long that will last? I am planning on going swimming tomorrow and I did do a 20 minute workout after my induction today so its all good so far. Unfortuately it takes 20 mins in the car to get there as its 3 miles away, so not quite as convenient as park place or as cheap as its still going to cost £3.60 every time I go. Why can't doing exercise be cheaper, I know you can jog for free but that gets boring! I reckon the goverment should subsidise gym membership somehow, afterall they are keen for the country to be healthy. Eeek have started blogging about politics how did that happen? - I blame being back home with my Dad who watches programmes like This Week and Question time which I end up watching too as there's usually nothing better to do.

Also went to see West Side Story performed by year 6 at my Dad's school, it was quite good but I think they were a bit self conscious about the romance in it. The songs were good but I have now had America in my head for the whole evening grr!

Graduation

Yesterday was my graduation ceremony at 4:30pm, I have to say I thought I'd be a lot more excited about it but really it was just a formality to go through. Although getting a badge was a highlight! ;) But you can just buy them in the shop for £1.95 which is a lot cheaper than hiring a gown to get one for free at the ceremony. Hmmm maybe I'll consider that if I get my Masters next year, though the hoods for those are a lot nicer...
Also have to add that I HATE MY SHOES, they were so painful! My heals have holes in now grrr! Dad had to go and collect the car as I couldn't walk all th way back home in them plus I had tights on so couldn't really walk bare foot without ruining them. Anyway here's a picture of me graduating



I have just watched some of the biosci ceremony too and saw Helen, Becci, Becky and Liz - well done guys. You were all a bit blury though! Was it just me or was Dan called Geofrey?

Results

My results came today!
Drum Roll.... I got a 1st yay! But I think only just as my average this year was below 70 eek. Also got tickets for graduation on Monday - I hope I don't fall over or anything similarly embarassing (bound to happen though).

Highs and lows

I'm not reall sure what this post is about, there's been quite a few things happening recently (hmm had strange mind block on how to spell that then - hate when that happens) so I'll just tell you some of the highlights amd lowlights (yes there have been some of those too).

Highlights:

Going to see my cousin's pottery in an exhibition for new designers - though felt very out of place surrounded by arty people

Going to the Oval to see twenty 20 cricket again in the sunshine - though Surrey lost both games we went to, Helen came to one which was cool - her first ever live sport experience

Concert in aid of the charity I worked for in my gap year - though Mr Penton ex music teacher was playing in it eek had to hide behind the programme

Discovering that Laura has known my mum for 7 years as Sago as they both worked for camps for girls

Some of the Malawi team coming to my church to tell people about our trip - though we didn't go to bed till 1:30am so was a little tired
Related to above point - discovered that Ian sometimes sings in his sleep - made us laugh anyway

Fixed computer so that it is a lot quicker and the internet works properly

Re-reading Harry Potter 5 and 6

Lowlights:

In course of fixing computer lost lots of files - eek hope I don't need them

Sob England lost sob! - plus had to watch match with Helen - she actually screamed at one point

Murray out of Wimbledon - though am not liking any sport at the moment cos of the distress of the football so not really caring too much

Having nothing to do - the weekend was ultra busy and fun then Monday and Tues were really boring - how will I cope with the whole summer

Driving round Hide park Corner - usually when I'm a passenger I shut my eyes as its so scary but this time I had to keep them open eek

Well that's been my life since my last post - hmm