venta

Well, the default setting for most of the weekend was "in the pub". The Elsinore (self-styled "Home of the goths" in Whitby) serves as a general muster point, campaign base, shelter from inclement weather, and trading post. And it serves beer too. (Pintwatch: a reasonable pint of Strongarm, £1.86)

davefish and I arrived in Whitby, and went to the pub to collect

snow_leopard. Once all settled in accommodation, we fed ourselves curry, and went back to the pub. Thursday nights at Whitby are usually slightly confused affairs, as conversations drift around old friends and new arrivals. Nice, however, to fit some faces to some LJ tags (

wendles,

dennyd and

olethros, that I can remember).

Friday I more or less missed, as I spent it huddled in the flat being most undignifiedly ill. Finally shuffled out mid-evening, just in time to catch the last band at the Spa. Despite having costumes which even the Beatiful Deadly Chidlren might look a little askance at, the Scary Bitches were remarkable... They're one of those acts (like Weird Al) that I can't imagine ever bunging on the stereo at home, but whose songs are fantastic to hear once.

deeteeuk, you are requested to play Piss All Over Your Grave at Intrusion. SpikyNeil has bought the CD - for which I will almost forgive him for telling me I looked like a post box[*]

Saturday I bounded out of bed feeling incredibly hungry, and cooked a fairly large percentage of a pig for breakfast. Passed the day wandering round the Bazaar, wandering round some shops, and, inevitably, wandering into the pub.

davefish,

snow_leopard,

mrph and I tried out That New Place Wot Used To Be A Jewellers Next To The Elsinore (more snappily known as The Resolution, I believe). The food there isn't bad - and there's a vegetarian menu as distinct from a vegetarian option - and the portions are certainly hoofing. And they serve food all afternoon. Though they put tarragon in their fish pie. Bastards.

I was, to be honest, a little disappointed in the bands of Saturday night. They all (even Red Lorry Yellow Lorry) struck me as being a bit... nondescript. Bland, even. Not offensive, just nothing grabbed me at the time, and now I can't remember anything deperately distinctive about them. RLYL certainly struck me as being a more polished band than the others... maybe I'd have enjoyed them more if I'd been in full-on bouncing mode.

Not to be outdone,

mr_flay told me I looked like the Tardis[*]

Sunday was a bit lazy, really; I just about managed to be up, dressed and compos in time to meet my parents for lunch, before heading off for a bit of, er, sitting in the pub. Complete dipsomania has not yet quite claimed me, but one of my main reasons for venturing to Whitby is to catch up with people I see only a few times a year... and, despite the music in the Elsinore occasionally veering into the God-awful, it is at least quiet enough to talk over.

I can now state categorically that reports claiming Cadbury's Mini Eggs explode when dropped in cider are much exaggerated. They fizz a bit, at best. I can also report (and this bit wasn't my fault, honest) that flying saucers do not dissolve in Guinness, and sherbert doesn't fizz if dropped in bitter. However, it seems a fair few people agree with me that Kola Kubes are among the best sweets ever.

Home today, eventually, after a disastrous attempt to field most of the Oxgoths for lunch in Robin Hoods Bay. A good plan, but it foundered when everyone failed to answer their phones, then called

mr_flay and I, to tell us they were leaving, when we'd just bought drinks and found a

kate_r to talk to. The plan certainly wasn't improved when I had an attack of ineptitude and drove the wrong way along the A171, thus heading away from RHB for some miles. We arrived in time to find them leaving... I have now used the word "agley" in genuine conversation.

Oh, and the number-of-people-saying-hi-from-

narenek was down to a feeble 1. And it was

grahamb again. Could Do Better.

[*] If/when people get their photos on line, there may be pictorial clues to why this happened.

This week's Designated Hero is

ericklendl who, to the best of my knowledge, I've never met. He solved my evil Windows popup problem :)