I do not know who mentioned it now. It was so long ago...

The North was so dull...it was true what they say...it's grim up North.

Well, it was.

I was eighteen and bored of life.

Bored of the North.

We bought a Transit van for eighty quid, advertised as taxed and tested.

It was the end of June 1991. Solstice. Four lads, a dog, a cat a bed settee and myself piled into the van and set off.

That's where it all began...

 

 

I could smell the wood smoke through the open window. I leaned a little closer, vying for position with the dog. There were alot of vehicles, unlike any I had seen before, horses, dogs, people...beautiful, facinating, new sights and sounds.

I think that is when I caught the bug.

 

I am sitting here now, 16 years on, trying to remember these times. The memories are faded, but I can't remember them ever being any clearer. I am upset that I don't remember order as well as I should, as well as I remember feelings and smells. I know how things ended that weekend and I know how they started. I will never forget some of the people I met.

A mixture of feelings now. Excitement remembered and new, confusion and sadness at forgetting.

 

My boyfriend-at-the-time lit a fire using petrol from the jerry can...

I now laugh at how naive we were.

He burnt his hand badly. The next day, we took the van into town, to the hospital. Some others came along from the site, wanting to shop. I already felt like I belonged, that these new friends were family. They had been there for my whole life...comfort.

Past the gate, past the police that had appeared overnight.

 

I feel, now, the feelings from then, mixed with feelings gained later on my journey and with what I feel now.

Three ages.

This age was innocence.

 

 

The wound was wrapped in a bag, like some macabre microwave meal for cannibals.

As we hit the outskirts of the festival, the traffic became slower and the number of mutant, intriguing vehicles increased.

We stopped.

Roadblock.

Police were checking vehicles. We were an easy target. The young, fresh quarry.

It was said that the tax disc in the van was from another vehicle. To this day, I do not know if that was true. We returned to site, without the van and the driver.

 

I don't recall where we stayed that night or how we got to Andover in the morning. I remember kind people and the police station.

I remember the broken prop shaft and the search for a new one.

 

The police had searched the van and analysed the contents of our protection charm (much good that did us), the milk powder and the incense. Originally, they had been marijuana, cocaine and mushrooms. Maybe, back then, the police were as naive as we were.

All charges were dropped, the van was released from the pound and we were allocated twenty-four hours to repair the vehicle on a verge opposite the police station before we were, again, impounded.

 

I can see the concrete bridge now. Imprinted on my memory, the view from the windscreen, stared at with worry and helplessness for hours, waiting for the new piece of van. I think, while I stared, I must have made a vow to never be stranded again...to be aware of my vehicle and know every nut and bolt.

I never forgot the double universally jointed prop shaft...a transitional year for the Transit.

 

That night, my boyfriend, the cat, the dog and I slept in the van while the lads slept under the bridge. We awoke in the morning to the desk sergeant with a tray of coffee and pet food.

Once the new part was fitted we headed back up North.

The North.

It was never to be home again. I spent time there, but I knew where my heart belonged.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We’ve had a puppy!!!

Of the virtual kind that is…

 

My daughter has received her belated birthday present this week. One of those Nintendo DS thingies…with a pet labrador puppy game.  And, boy is it cute!!!!

The bloody thing has got us all cooing at the screen and the house is full of shouts of ‘sit…sit…sit, lucky, sit!!!’ etc.

She has to do everything that you have to do with a real puppy…it just doesn’t cause the same mess and I’m sure in the long run it will work out cheaper than a real one

The puss pats are a bit worried though and have started asking for more attention….jealous of a video game….bless!

I’m sure they think it’s a real puppy too. Sushi even had a tentative sniff the other day, before he ran away in disgust.

 

Talking of the cats, I was practising my Irish whistle in readiness for Christmas on Friday and the cats started singing!!!! Or maybe they were trying to tell me to shut up!!! Not quite got my head round catese yet.

Maybe I should take them busking with me….’Lilmisslostit and her wondrous singing felines’ should bring a few shekels in!

 

Right, I’m off to stroke the puppy and blow it some bubbles!!!

Hehe!!!...

You can tell when I’m well…because I make the effort!!!

 

Life took a turn  when I woke on Thursday morning…even though I was at work…went to bed feeling like crap and woke up…after not much sleep at all and expecting to feel the same…full of the beans that fill my soul with happiness and life!!!

WHO KNOWS WHAT OCCURRED?

 

What I do know is that…It was sunny; I didn’t feel at all tired; and my shoulders felt empty of the worries and stress that I had felt for a long while. I even managed to get through the whole of Thursday at work without wanting to rip my hair out or break down in tears…or fall asleep!!!

My period of morbidity has passed…I even can’t bring myself to feel bitter about the boss…in fact, I feel rather concerned for him as he isn’t well and won’t give himself rest time.

SEE…WHAT HAS HAPPENED???

 

Not that I’m saying I WANT to be miserable…but I am wondering where it all went…

Answers on a postcard please!!!

My theory is that I dreamt of something on Wednesday night that made sense of my turmoil and allowed my confuzzled brain to rearrange, reassess and store all my thoughts and feelings. Sort of like a defrag. I can’t for the life of me remember what I dreamt about, but wish I could…maybe it was the meaning of life, or cuddles off my loved ones…or even just pretty places and people. Whatever it was….it worked and I’m back to my sparky self.

 

To celebrate my refound me-ness, we went and did the monthly club thang on a smuggled half bottle of vodka and one of gin...though it is as cheap to buy a pint of beer as it is coke!!! We refound an old friend, met some new ones and enjoyed everyone…and I swung my pants a fair bit…it’s good for the soul, but the night is never long enough!!!

Saturday night’s debauchery in the rock club was followed by a serene and proper Sunday carvery out in the country. And very nice it was too. Once home, we had the obligatory afternoon nap…then more napping….then bed!!!

 

It is now Tuesday, I sit at work bright as a button, looking forward to what tomorrow brings. Then, tomorrow, I will look forward to going home again!!!

One last thought. A cocktail recipe to try if you dare…

BLOODY NOSE

Some ice

Some bananas

Some tequila

Some black vodka (must be black)

Some triple sec

Some grenadine

Straws

 

Place ice, bananas, tequila and triple sec in a liquidiser and VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV for a long while until it is smooth, frothy and yellow.

Add black vodka in small amounts and mix until drink is snot green.

Pour snot into tall glasses

Add grenadine down side and allow to settle to bottom…

Hence bloody nose…lol

Drink through straw to get bloody benefit

ENJOY!!!!

Well, here I am at work, after having the day off yesterday due to viral type symptoms (although I think it may be SAD) when I should still be at home!!! It's peeing it down outside and its 1p.m. and I'm knackered!!!! It's just not like me...fatigue, sleeplessness, stuffy head and general dismay...I DON'T GET ILL!!!! Being the trooper that I am, I will fight through. Well...look...I'm at work even though I feel shit, after thinking that my work load will only be double next week if I don't go in!!! Self preservation...

 

On to the weekend...

Ever played Pass Out??? A board game centred round drinking lots, making others drink lots and toungue twisters. That was my weekend; combined with cocktails!!!! I don't think we ever got to finish the game...it just fizzled out into drunk ramblings and an attempt at making sense of Silent Hill, the movie...Didn't work, we're still none the wiser, though having played the game, it made slightly more sense to us than it did our friend.

 

On cat watch this week...

Hoki decided to get locked in a garage, much to his, Sushis and my distress. After asking total strangers about the ownership of the garage...and not getting very far and Sushi and I holding a four hour vigil at the said garage, my partner rushed back from work at 2am to help free him. In the end, it didn't take much...just a lift of the corner of the door and my scruff pat was free, stinking of oil and feeling very greasy. While he was in there, he must have tried to get out from the gap at the bottom of the door as he has a bald and scabby eye, which I washed for him. He now holds his 'war wound' with pride...and for sympathy...with much success!!!

I, myself, feel sorry for the owner of the garage...who ever they maybe, as they will find a nice little Hoki package the next time they open up!!!

 

 

 

 

 

I forgot to mention friday in my last blog...

On the way to dropping of my partner at work I decided to pick up a bottle of cider (see a pattern yet?) from our local co-op. I had not made a special effort with my appearence that day, although, the weekend before I had bought a new concealer and some new mascara...the telescopic one (boy, is it hard work to apply, but it looks gooood!!!) I reached the counter and the lady that usually serves me and she turns round and asks me for ID!!!! ???? !!!!

Now, I do pride myself on my youthful looks (thanks to my mums genes) and would say that I can get away with being in my late 20's...if I was prone to lying about my age that is!

But this woman was asking if I was under 21!!!!

I looked at her quizzically and said...I am actually 34 you know!!!

To which she replied, well you don't look it and I don't know that 'til you show me your ID!

Fair enough, I would agree with her on the 'I don't look it' but....under 21...she's either blind or 21 year olds are looking older these days!!!

 

Lmao...after finding something resembling ID (my euro health insurance card) I did thank her for the compliment.

Gobsmacked...I left the shop and spent the rest of the day giggling to myself.