I should be banned from leaving the office. Seriously, I should. Yesterday I went out for 'dinner' and yes, while I did have a large portion of curry and chips, I also came back with four CDs: 'Infinity Land', 'Blackened Sky' and 'The Vertigo of Bliss' by Biffy Clyro and 'The Very Best of Frank Zappa' (no guesses as to who was responsible for that ( Read more... )

I've taken to keeping a to-do list at work on the little clippy board thing on my desk at work. It's a list of every article I've been given to work on.

So this morning I came in to work and the first thing I did was 'refresh' my list - write out a new one, keeping all the items I was still working on, adding new jobs, leaving off the ones I've ( Read more... )

I've decided to start compiling a memoir about my three months with The Prince's Trust team programme. I was toying with the idea months back - hell, even before the course was finished - but yesterday, in a moment of otherwise idleness, I started scribbling down, in no particular order, stuff that I remember happening throughout the course. What ( Read more... )

Just a few more articles of mine that have made it into the paper...

Kirkfield Keith and the Mystery Medals and the 'Off the Bench' course premiere.

I had tremendous fun doing these! That's three good bylines this week - I must say I'm feeling pretty good about myself! Let's hope I can get a few good ones in next week as well - though I'll have ( Read more... )

I've really got to stop neglecting this journal. I'd hate to look back in a few years and find it full of gaps where awesome or important things have happened but not been recorded.

Let me see - what's gone on over the past week? My novels and art remain at a standstill. I went to the pub with Sian and Emma last Saturday, then invited them to the ( Read more... )

THE last thing you expect to find in your local is a slice of history dating back almost a hundred years. Imagine Keith Slater’s surprise, then, when he uncovered a treasure trove from years gone by!

( Read more... )

Yesterday was awesome. Towards the end of the day I found myself suddenly quite busy so the hours rushed by. I found myself tasked with yet another interesting story about a bunch of medals, old photos and badges discovered in the shed behind the Kirkfield Hotel in Newton; this morning I went down there before work to have a look at them and get an ( Read more... )

There's nothing much going on right now so I thought I'd write a journal entry to kill time.

I was a bit late for work this morning because I had to make an emergency call to Student Finance England. I don't know if I've written about this before but there was a massive cock-up with my application: I'm starting university during the academic year ( Read more... )

THIS year’s St Helens Adult Learner’s Week Event saw one of the town’s very own golden oldies honoured for a staggering track record of voluntary work spanning more than 35 years.

When Eddie McConville, once a worker at the Gloster Glass Company, attended the event on Saturday May 14 he knew he’d be awarded something - but he had no idea that it ( Read more... )

The camping trip never happened. Public transport to Helsby would have cost us a fortune, and the only time we could hitch a lift was Friday morning - since I had work on Friday, and Jason had a college then hospital appointment, it just wasn't doable.

Unfortunately, all this came to light after I'd bought a tent, double sleeping bag and some ( Read more... )