The last crusade…
Okay…
So, where do I start?
Last last weekend I went down to my old uni city once more, and to the guys’ house for what was probably going to be the last time in a long time. Before they all moved out, went their own separate ways - you know the deal. Some might call it the end of an era, and it probably was.
I was at work all day but went down in the night, found Liz was already there and I caught up with everyone in the front room with a load of chatting. Tom eventually shows with Sarah after being out to the pub, and I find out that we were going to have not one, but twooo barbecues…
I got to crash, though was going to arse around on my laptop, though the net wasn’t working downstairs, so I gave up and decided to crash. Next day I head up to Brum and meet up with Wince, where we gossiped and whinged about stupid haired boys and ate some dim sum lunch at a place above a lap dancing club.
Wince ordered wayy too much for the both of us (I couldn’t order because I couldn’t read the menus as usual haha) so she takes what’s left with her. We meet oli at new street and then set about just doing some random shopping.
I needed to buy a festival bikini top and had the liberty of dragging Oli round H+M in the girly clothes section, before releasing him by saying - ermm you can go look at guys stuff you know ha. I managed to pick and buy a few things there including required bikini, and as I was paying I said to Wince ‘it passes the “jump test”‘ in which Oli replied that he’s not going to ask what the “jump test” was… haha.
So onwards from there, we hit Forbidden planet, and ended up standing opposite the ‘erotica’ section upstairs - Oli gets traumatised by the book covers of almost naked men, and then ended up in Tempest where the both of them spents ageess looking at the cds etc, I didn’t mind and just passed the time playing about with my camera.
Wince ends up buying loads, in fact she ends up buying a stupid amount of stuff that shopping trip ha - On music, cds and comics (bet you thought I was going to say clothes, make up and jewellery weren’t you?).
We head to Coffee Republic for a sit down and drink, before more random shopping in music and comic shops, including a place with a hugeee batman returns poster, was pretty cool. Wince buys more stuff, and we talk about manga and how really messed up it was - Wince tells us about this series that is essentially about incest between two sisters. Nice. We also nip into HMV and had a go on Rock Band, with Oli on guitar, me on drums and Wince on mic - playing Creep haha, was pretty fun. I think it’s only fun when you get someone singing though.
It was pretty late so I leave them at new street and head back to the house, not before stopping at Asda for some barbecue supplies, where I caught up with Tom and Sarah and helped them carry their stuff back.
Back at the house I find that Tom and Sarah had already put up the gazebo I’d brought with me hehe, and I finally get to check out the back garden. It looked pretty sweett. Tom has been working on it for the past week to clear it out ready for this weekend.
Now I thought we were all ready with the barbecuing action, though turns out the barbecue still needed to be assembled. He gets it out and starts to put it together, though I had envision something of a worthy kettle barbecue size - this barbecue was a little..erm..on a small side…
It became apparent that this solemn £8 barbecue from Wilkos started to resemble something that was a feeble excuse of a barbecue..me and Sarah couldn’t help but laugh at Tom struggled to put it together and that it in fact only came up to the height of his knees.
Playmobile’s - My first barbecue?
We couldn’t help but rip the piss haha, though Tom discovered that it was in fact perfect to barbecue on once he was sat down hehe. Anyway, got that going with the coals, took a little while for the heat to be right - then he whacked on a round of sausages. That were bloody tasty, eventually when we finally could eat at about 10pm heh.
Was pretty chilled in the back garden, we all sat out round the barbecue and had a bit of music and all was well. Tom decides to get wee bit stoned, and continues to cook the food - though it was rather entertaining as he had to deal with excess flames going on ha. Nick finally turns up at late o’clock after a long week of work and a long drive, though he gets handed a sausage and a beer and all tis well.
Eventually the barbecue dies out, and we head back inside for a while before everyone slowly heads off for their beds. I hang out with Nick for a bit longer before we both crash as well.
Morning. Okay. Saturday. Me, Liz, Phil and Nick head into town for some breakfast/lunch. We go to the Varsity where I had lasagne and tea that came with a twirl which was awesome. Then we set about doing odd shopping things, though in the meantime we discover that Yates had to cancel because the traffic was too bad to come up (gayy), and we had to go meet Josie.
Liz then decides she wants to wear a skirt tonight, so it was decided to send the boys to buy coal (how typical of us girls) and the girls went to new look to seek Liz a skirt. She brought a little denim number that looked cool and Josie brought some ickle socks and we met up with the guys at the pub before heading to asda and then the house.
Some phafting about and Tom gets the barbecue going again, he declares he wasn’t going to be cooking this time so Liz steps in. This time I’d brought some barbecue utensils (god bless smart price) which I named accordingly as Stabby, Grabby and Flippy…
Pretty laid back, some music, eating and chatting. I cooked my steakkk and good lord that was some fucking good steak! Seriously, best steak I’d eaten in a while - lots of flavour and tasty and all I did was season with salt and pepper - mmmmm.
Rafe returns from work bringing his sister Jenny (though I didn’t know it was his sister at the time and I did that thing where you accept their presence and you hoped you would find out who they were later through some random means). Rafe also had this old pipe that he tried to convert for usage though instead every time he took a toke he just choked haha.
I think I went for a bath at this point, because I was sick of smelling of smoke after being smoked out from cooking my steak, and I needed some non-social chill out time. I emerge to find Rafe’s Sarah was now there, and more food was on the go.
Apparently it was Eurovision tonight, and eventually the girls went back in to try and tune up the TV to BBC 1 so we could watch. Haha typical, we’re there for a house party and we end up watching Eurovision - were we getting old or what?!
Sarah is getting annoyed that they just couldn’t find Ch1 on the reception until she manages it and we whinge as one of the guys try to improve the signal but FAIL. But yeah…we watch Eurovision, enjoy Wogan’s oh so wonderful sarcasm and claim countries.
Eventually it finishes, and we just listen to music and chat etc, at some point (emo haired) Dave turns up! Along with Lianne and Grum - was nice to see them again. People get drunk, photos are taken - you know that kind of thing. I end up chatting to Sarah about her face painting stuff and I found it pretty cool how she’d learnt from her mum and all. I think it’s nice when you get something like that.
Josie goes for a nap, and asks to be woken up for the club, but instead she crashes on the spare bed and refuses to get back up heh.
So yes, we head out to the club eventually, I still debate drinking but in the end I don’t - it was because the music was a bit mergh and shite, but then at last I find something I can rock out to. I guess this is the time I should mention how I just had this constant need to punch something - but it had to be a person, I just felt like punching people. I have no idea why, and I still do. I’m hoping I can punch a few people at Download to get the vibe out.
Anyhow, rocked out, got fecking too warm, Rafe and Sarah leave early, but not without Rafe saying he felt like we were twins haha. Welll we kinda are, cept we don’t have the same mother or father and we didn’t come from the same egg cell thingy…
The rest of us leave soon after and grabbed some food before getting back to the house and finding Tom and Rafe in the front room chilling out. We chat with them a bit, before everyone heads to bed, well cept me Nick, Lianne and Grum who had to find our own beds somewhere.
Now since Josie had taken over the spare bed what options were left was blowing up an air bed (much effort involved), or either a three seater or two seater sofa. Now considering last time Grum and Lianne had taken the two seater last time, it was only fair they had the three seater, leaving the two seater for me and Nick. Well there was talk of moving Josie etc, but I thought feck that, I’ll just go sleep on the two seater. Nick however decides he wants to sleep there too - and god knows how but we somehow managed to share this sodding two seater sofa to sleep on.
I think the answer is that, you don’t actually get ANY sleep, and you in fact drift into a state you think is sleep but isn’t. Come morning and Josie sneaks about gathering her stuff, turns out she had to leave early and on that note we fecked off to a REAL BED. Ahhh bed…mmm sleep…
Next morning me Liz and Phil head to the carvery, as always perfect post night out cure, good food. Just what I needed after the NIGHT OF NO SLEEP. Liz heads off after taking some of Phil’s stuff with her, including the Darth Vadar cardboard cut out me and Chris brought him and Rafe as a house warming present. Amusingly Liz wanted to lose it hehe.
Phil goes for a nap or something, and me and Nick watch some Lost before Rafe appears with games to play. And basically we spend the evening watching him and then Phil too, playing these games. Chilled out, cool, cups of tea aplenty were involved. Me and Nick nip out for some food though before watching some 4ODed Derren Brown and Peep show (alas I would call it the belated Derren Brown/Peep Show power hour).
Then eventually we all crash, at some point.
Finally the last day of my super long weekend…after I’d got up Rafe suggested we all headed out for lunch somewhere in town. Which I thought was a cool idea so I round every one up and we on out. We debated where to go for food and ended up at the Varsity again though it seems that we couldn’t actually have ANYTHING on the menu for whatever reason, and I couldn’t get a cup of tea :( So after one drink and on my insistance we go to Nandos teehee.
It turned out a good idea despite me and Phil being the only two into the spicy food action, I got me some quarter medium chicken (No Bob I’m not a spice wuss for not going extra hot :P) with chips and corn. Rafe and Phil shared a bottle of red between them (which I pointed out just how romantic that was - and Rafe replied he was expecting Phil to out out tonight ha), which said on the bottle that it should be drank with peri peri chicken ha.
After overloading on MEATT we head back to the house and me and Nick set about packing up our things, I had to take down the gazebo which was now looking like this…
Note to self: wind, garden tables and gazebos do not mix well…
(PS. I now have a broken gazebo STILL in my car with no idea what to do with it :/)
Phil and Nick helped me take it down and stuff it in my car, before we headed up to Rafe’s place with the intention of watching Indiana Jones but instead we ended up just watching Aladdin (haha) on a giant HD tv in non-HD quality - urghhh giant blocks! Was fun though, we took the piss and it was cool to watch it again, despite it slowly getting later and later, and me and Nick both going - we should go…we should go.. - and not going heh.
Eventually after the film we do drag ourselves out and head off, and I bid farewell to the guys for…I don’t know for how long actually…I’m hoping not too long.
Tags: Friends blogs, uni