When the weather is fine, it sure is a sign

[venta]

This journal writing business does seem to be something I am very poor at doing these days. I feel I should note stuff down for my own memories, but right now the prospect of going to sleep is so much more appealing. So, to save everyone some time, we have the bullet point format of the highlights of the last 10 days or so:

• I spent a weekend trundling up and down the Kennet and Avon canal in a narrowboat, as organised by a friend as a surprise 30th birthday party for his wife. Yes, I know you don't trundle a narrowboat, but since I don't think you sail it or drive it either, I'm at a loss. Anyone with a decent verb, please share. Ten people in a narrowboat (even a 78ft one) is cosy, and you spend your entire time trying to flatten yourself against walls to let someone past. It was, however, a lot of fun. And I got to operate enormous clunky bits of Victorian engineering every time we came to a lock. And drank champagne and ate scones with strawberry jam in the sunshine.


• I went to the Wednesday edition of the Wireless festival in Hyde Park. Fortunately, before buying tickets we discovered that the NME were flogging them off cheap. I missed Gogol Bordello (boo!) owing to the staggeringly poor organisation and huge tickets queues outside of the Park. Belle and Sebastian remain the most underrated band in the world, and obligingly finished in time for us to slink round to the other stage and catch Super Furry Animals closing with The Man Don't.... Nice video montages from SFA, though a band who can have a cutesy-wootsy animations to accompany Golden Retriever then launch into The Man Don't... complete with cleverly edited footage of Thatcher and Bush are clearly suffering some form of identity crisis. The Raconteurs and The Strokes were both... there. The Strokes seemed actually rather bland, and The Raconteurs a lot less interesting than hoped (though in fairness the wind did make the sound a bit peculiar).


• I went to a birthday party in Sketch, a club just off Regent Street. Sketch turns out to be everything I hoped, when little, that a nightclub would be - sophisticated, beautifully decorated with mismatched old furniture, low lights and lots of art. Not at all like the scummy joints I usually visit - plus it has outstanding toilets. Lots and lots of isolated, internally-lit egg-cubicles, looking for all the world like a scene out of Alien, only more hygienic.


• I went to a lovely, sunny birthday party in someone's garden, where I got to catch up with lots of friends and drink lots of champagne. It also featured a chocolate cake shaped like a giant pink handbag. And I met someone who looked incredibly like Mrs undyingking, but claimed to be no relation.


• I wandered to a free one-day festival-thing in a park, where I encountered some pleasant acoustic music and a tent which let me have a mini-facial. This was a surprisingly pleasant experience halfway between a face-and-neck-massage and having someone else wash your face for you.

Accordingly, I have decided I wish to become a lady of leisure who does nothing but hang about in beauty parlours, eat cake, drink champagne and float about on boats. With music. Please will someone inform ERNIE of my plans ?

Comments

[failmaster.livejournal.com]

"cruise", "potter" or "putter"

[diffrentcolours]

"Potter" was my first thought, but "pottering in a narrowboat" sounds like using it as some kind of over-full garden shed, complete with knick-knacks and thingamajigs.

"Putter" is much better.

[bateleur.livejournal.com]

"float"

[shrydar.livejournal.com]

Yay for clunky Victorian engineering :)

[kauket.livejournal.com]

I got a wireless ticket for free, but I gave it away. I was somewhat surprised that they were just giving them away though - it was an offer on the website for a few days.

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

It has been said* that we each have a doppelganger stalking the world looking for us. I shall caution T to beware large chocolatey pink handbags.

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* By me.