Last few days
Short version:
Pay rise, gig, rained on, drinks, bookshop, wedding, Harry Potter, country show, dinner & TV.
Learned on Thursday that my job's been "white lined" in the pay & regrading shake-up. Which is a good thing - it means it goes up to fit into the new scale rather than down.
Went to a gig in a library on Thursday evening. Saw Mr Hudson and the Library, playing one of their gigs in after-hours public libraries. They were good - they seemed a nice bunch of people and were obviously enjoying playing. Music was tight, with a heavy blue-eyed ska element, and while Ben Hudson's a cool front man the real heart, emotionally and musically, of the band is steel pans player and vocalist Joy Joseph. Dan at work had left us gifts, as it was his final day - we all got something to drink. Which came in handy at the gig - the library wasn't running a bar, but I happened to have three bottles of ale in my bag...
Westminster Reference Library were good sports hosting the gig, but the senior library staff floating around were somehow trying a bit too hard. They were reminiscent of parents trying to be "down with the kids" at their teenager's party.
On Friday I had the day off. Failed to get a lie in and woke up at normal weekday time. Went out to do some shopping and get some lunch, and fell foul of the monsoon. Was soon so drenched that it wqouldn't have made me wetter if I'd jumped in the swimming baths with all my clothes on. If you know the area, you'll know that it's on a pretty steep hill, but the rain was so heavy for 30 minutes or so that it was over the level of the kerb because it couldn't run off down the hill fast enough. I sloshed into the local caff, figuring I'd treat myself to a hot meal, only to discover that their kitchen was flooded.
Having sloshed back home, I dried myself off and changed my clothes before going back into town for Dan's leaving drinks. We had a good natter and a few beers to see him off. We'll miss him - he's a good bloke.
The trains were still messed up from the rains, so it was after midnight when I got back to Crystal Palace. Just in time for the Harry Potter midnight bookshop opening, then. I dutifully queued up, bought my HP7. Also bought The Road, by Cormac McCarthy, seeing as how it seemed a shame to waste a bookshop open at mmidnight on just the one book.
Woke up early on Saturday, as I had to be at Hatfield registry office at ten for my mate Andy's wedding. Turned out the trains were running fine, so I could have left it a little later, but better safe than sorry. Met Rob and copperbird, then turned up for the ceremony. It turned out to be a really nice event. It was good to see Andy's parents again, and his Sicilian uncle who I hadn't seen in some fifteen years. Great to meet up with WW after his cycling exploits, too, and congratulate him in person.
Very relaxed ceremony, yet serious about the occasion. Interesting how much shorter a secular wedding ceremony is than a church one. Interesting choice of reading. Andy explained very sweetly how he and Gabi met when she asked him what the idiom "hand in hand" meant in the poem, and...
"I said the best way to explain was to show her [he takes her hand in the registry office]...and I haven't let go of her since".
After the wedding, a bunch of us went for a drink, then we joined the main contingent for the reception. We were remarkably lucky, and had some nice weather, being safely under the marquee for our lunch when the heavens opened.
On Sunday, I finished the Harry Potter then went to the Lambeth Country Show in Brockwell Park. Mooched around the book stalls and library sale (they had a pick-your-own deal going - fill a carrier bag of books for £1), wandered about the events, enjoyed the relatively balmy afternoon. Then back home to make myself a spot of dinner and catch the last episode of Rome.
Pay rise, gig, rained on, drinks, bookshop, wedding, Harry Potter, country show, dinner & TV.
Learned on Thursday that my job's been "white lined" in the pay & regrading shake-up. Which is a good thing - it means it goes up to fit into the new scale rather than down.
Went to a gig in a library on Thursday evening. Saw Mr Hudson and the Library, playing one of their gigs in after-hours public libraries. They were good - they seemed a nice bunch of people and were obviously enjoying playing. Music was tight, with a heavy blue-eyed ska element, and while Ben Hudson's a cool front man the real heart, emotionally and musically, of the band is steel pans player and vocalist Joy Joseph. Dan at work had left us gifts, as it was his final day - we all got something to drink. Which came in handy at the gig - the library wasn't running a bar, but I happened to have three bottles of ale in my bag...
Westminster Reference Library were good sports hosting the gig, but the senior library staff floating around were somehow trying a bit too hard. They were reminiscent of parents trying to be "down with the kids" at their teenager's party.
On Friday I had the day off. Failed to get a lie in and woke up at normal weekday time. Went out to do some shopping and get some lunch, and fell foul of the monsoon. Was soon so drenched that it wqouldn't have made me wetter if I'd jumped in the swimming baths with all my clothes on. If you know the area, you'll know that it's on a pretty steep hill, but the rain was so heavy for 30 minutes or so that it was over the level of the kerb because it couldn't run off down the hill fast enough. I sloshed into the local caff, figuring I'd treat myself to a hot meal, only to discover that their kitchen was flooded.
Having sloshed back home, I dried myself off and changed my clothes before going back into town for Dan's leaving drinks. We had a good natter and a few beers to see him off. We'll miss him - he's a good bloke.
The trains were still messed up from the rains, so it was after midnight when I got back to Crystal Palace. Just in time for the Harry Potter midnight bookshop opening, then. I dutifully queued up, bought my HP7. Also bought The Road, by Cormac McCarthy, seeing as how it seemed a shame to waste a bookshop open at mmidnight on just the one book.
Woke up early on Saturday, as I had to be at Hatfield registry office at ten for my mate Andy's wedding. Turned out the trains were running fine, so I could have left it a little later, but better safe than sorry. Met Rob and copperbird, then turned up for the ceremony. It turned out to be a really nice event. It was good to see Andy's parents again, and his Sicilian uncle who I hadn't seen in some fifteen years. Great to meet up with WW after his cycling exploits, too, and congratulate him in person.
Very relaxed ceremony, yet serious about the occasion. Interesting how much shorter a secular wedding ceremony is than a church one. Interesting choice of reading. Andy explained very sweetly how he and Gabi met when she asked him what the idiom "hand in hand" meant in the poem, and...
"I said the best way to explain was to show her [he takes her hand in the registry office]...and I haven't let go of her since".
After the wedding, a bunch of us went for a drink, then we joined the main contingent for the reception. We were remarkably lucky, and had some nice weather, being safely under the marquee for our lunch when the heavens opened.
On Sunday, I finished the Harry Potter then went to the Lambeth Country Show in Brockwell Park. Mooched around the book stalls and library sale (they had a pick-your-own deal going - fill a carrier bag of books for £1), wandered about the events, enjoyed the relatively balmy afternoon. Then back home to make myself a spot of dinner and catch the last episode of Rome.