As my darling "little" sister announced to Sam the first time he came round and met my family, "mealtimes are ALWAYS an event" in our house! Well 16 months on and several "find the pea" games and "do you like seafood" moments later, and Sam and I certainly didn't have a boring little BBQ...
Confident that I'd learned to turn the BBQ on properly, we turned on the gas and sparked it... or so we thought...
Sam: "I can smell gas." So what did we do? Made another attempt at lighting it...
WHOOOOOOOOOOOOSH! Knocked back by a massive fireball only an inch from our faces and extremely grateful for our eyelashes, it seemed an achievement to literally survive our cooking! And only a couple of weeks after "Daddy Durham" nearly set the woods alight with a Chinese lantern... oopsie!
Sunday, 6 June 2010
Wednesday, 26 May 2010
First Trip to Blood Donors
This evening I finally did something I've been meaning to do since I turned seventeen nearly 2 years ago now, but have put off for various inconveniences and nervousness, but today I actually gave blood. It feels great to have done something so worthwhile, and although I can't give again until February (I have to wait 6 months after getting back from Asia), I will most definitely become a regular donor. For anyone who's thinking of doing it, just go ahead; it really doesn't hurt. You can't feel much, and I didn't even have a local anaesthetic but you can if you wish. Such a lovely atmosphere in a room filled with inspiring people. My dad introduced me to a woman who was giving her 68th pint of blood and is aiming for 75! Go ahead and do something completely selfless for someone who needs you; give a piece of yourself; you'll feel fantastic for it!
Monday, 24 May 2010
Alternative "Study Leave"
Clearly I've grown far too used to the idea that sunshine = exams! How else do I explain the need to do something useful and productive, not feeling quite right lazing in the sun reading FICTION instead of purges and Communism...? Hence began the epic clearout! Admittedly this did begin some months ago, gradually dragging the occasional black sack out of my room every few weeks, which now seems to have added up to 5 or 6 spewing sacks, including 2 of clothes alone! Bearing in mind I still daren't peek under my crammed under-the-bed space, WHERE THE HELL DID ALL THIS COME FROM?!
Still finding time to crackle and crisp in the sun though, I did eventually get through the wonderful piece of work that is Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones. I first tried to read this two years ago and was unable to get past the second chapter, given the circumstances at the time, but this time round I found that rare and incredible urge to turn the page, where you just can't put down the book, can't listen to anyone properly because you're so drawn into the pages, can't detach yourself from the characters between putting it down and picking it up again, and even after you close the cover on the last page. Heart tugging as it is, this is definitely the best book I have read in years.
The following night's power cut, however, did have me nervously picturing a creeping Mr Harvey as the blinds flapped in the darkness, the only light being the spooky flash of light that darted through our hallway with a loud "ding" when the power seemed to be making half hearted attempts to come back on. Maybe it's just my strange imagination, or attachment to fiction from finishing The Lovely Bones, but it felt like something out of Harry Potter, however immature that sounds, like a "Harry's scar" moment! I was quite relieved when my brother came through, having also heard and seen it!
Hmm, this really has been a ramble hasn't it...
47 days until our flight to SE Asia! =D
Still finding time to crackle and crisp in the sun though, I did eventually get through the wonderful piece of work that is Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones. I first tried to read this two years ago and was unable to get past the second chapter, given the circumstances at the time, but this time round I found that rare and incredible urge to turn the page, where you just can't put down the book, can't listen to anyone properly because you're so drawn into the pages, can't detach yourself from the characters between putting it down and picking it up again, and even after you close the cover on the last page. Heart tugging as it is, this is definitely the best book I have read in years.
The following night's power cut, however, did have me nervously picturing a creeping Mr Harvey as the blinds flapped in the darkness, the only light being the spooky flash of light that darted through our hallway with a loud "ding" when the power seemed to be making half hearted attempts to come back on. Maybe it's just my strange imagination, or attachment to fiction from finishing The Lovely Bones, but it felt like something out of Harry Potter, however immature that sounds, like a "Harry's scar" moment! I was quite relieved when my brother came through, having also heard and seen it!
Hmm, this really has been a ramble hasn't it...
47 days until our flight to SE Asia! =D
Friday, 7 May 2010
Voting Chaos
Whilst I was lucky enough to cast my vote at approximately 8:20am in a horrendously long queue of, um, 3 people, unfortunately the same could not be said as I waited with Sam to vote in Ranmoor, Sheffield. We took a detour to the polling station to walk by Nick Clegg's office, making sure to take Belly the travelling, photogenic devil with us (fortunate enough to have met Jimmy Carr). All we found were three men eating outside, so we headed to the polling station and joined the painfully long queue at 6:30pm, only to discover that we'd missed Nick Clegg by minutes! Oh how close we were to pressing Belly upon him and demanding a photo!
Now it was pretty clear that this was a longer than average polling queue, however we did NOT expect to still be there 2.5 hours later, unsure as to whether Sam would even get to cast his vote. It was a good thing we joined the queue when we did really, as another half an hour would have buggered that up! Inside was absolute chaos, and without just going ahead and taking your card to someone, regardless of who was in front of who, you could have spent another 40 odd minutes in there! No wonder there was such chaos come 10pm!
It was pretty damn frustrating watching them allow "residents" to form a shorter queue; I watched a short interview this morning with a man who had been the last person allowed to vote at Ranmoor, and he'd only waited 40 mins, whilst students who queued for 3 hours were unable to vote! How the hell is that fair?! One very kind woman dished out biscuits and juice along the line, bless her. I didn't notice any of these passed on to the resident line, mind... By the time we'd got inside though, the lines just merged into one giant mush, and once in the room with a measley 3 voting booths (even little old Wingerworth had at least 4!) it just turned into a big push for ballot paper. This was the point I decided to step aside, since I was not voting here, and overheard several complaints, including requests to speak to someone on the phone to get more help in; the returning officer claimed to have phoned as early as 4pm and had been refused help.
After eventually pushing our way out of the building to a giant camera flash and into the pouring rain, through a hopeless queue at least another hour and a half long at ten past nine, I'm sure you can imagine our disgust as we splashed our way past Broomhill Methodist Church, only a couple of minutes down the road and the same distance from the student village, to see its eight voting booths standing empty! Why the whole of Ranmoor Student Village was registered to vote in one polling station I really do not understand, and why they were so blatantly understaffed! The returning officer kept claiming that the polling station could only cope with so much capacity, yet they KNEW how many people were registered to vote there! And all this crap about students not having their polling cards... I didn't see a single person in that line without a card! Surely it was more to do with the disgusting organisation and THREE people organising paperwork!
As we sat dripping in the Chinese, the news signalled 10pm and the closing of polling stations, and I genuinely thought voters would still be going through the doors at Ranmoor until around midnight. I can't believe people were actuallly turned away! It's not like they'd rolled up at quarter to nine; a lot of people must have been there since half seven and wouldn't have been able to vote! Students, that is... Residents could have rolled up an hour later and still stood a chance. The whole thing was just an absolutely chaotic disgrace!
So now we wait to find out what's actually going to happen...
Now it was pretty clear that this was a longer than average polling queue, however we did NOT expect to still be there 2.5 hours later, unsure as to whether Sam would even get to cast his vote. It was a good thing we joined the queue when we did really, as another half an hour would have buggered that up! Inside was absolute chaos, and without just going ahead and taking your card to someone, regardless of who was in front of who, you could have spent another 40 odd minutes in there! No wonder there was such chaos come 10pm!
It was pretty damn frustrating watching them allow "residents" to form a shorter queue; I watched a short interview this morning with a man who had been the last person allowed to vote at Ranmoor, and he'd only waited 40 mins, whilst students who queued for 3 hours were unable to vote! How the hell is that fair?! One very kind woman dished out biscuits and juice along the line, bless her. I didn't notice any of these passed on to the resident line, mind... By the time we'd got inside though, the lines just merged into one giant mush, and once in the room with a measley 3 voting booths (even little old Wingerworth had at least 4!) it just turned into a big push for ballot paper. This was the point I decided to step aside, since I was not voting here, and overheard several complaints, including requests to speak to someone on the phone to get more help in; the returning officer claimed to have phoned as early as 4pm and had been refused help.
After eventually pushing our way out of the building to a giant camera flash and into the pouring rain, through a hopeless queue at least another hour and a half long at ten past nine, I'm sure you can imagine our disgust as we splashed our way past Broomhill Methodist Church, only a couple of minutes down the road and the same distance from the student village, to see its eight voting booths standing empty! Why the whole of Ranmoor Student Village was registered to vote in one polling station I really do not understand, and why they were so blatantly understaffed! The returning officer kept claiming that the polling station could only cope with so much capacity, yet they KNEW how many people were registered to vote there! And all this crap about students not having their polling cards... I didn't see a single person in that line without a card! Surely it was more to do with the disgusting organisation and THREE people organising paperwork!
As we sat dripping in the Chinese, the news signalled 10pm and the closing of polling stations, and I genuinely thought voters would still be going through the doors at Ranmoor until around midnight. I can't believe people were actuallly turned away! It's not like they'd rolled up at quarter to nine; a lot of people must have been there since half seven and wouldn't have been able to vote! Students, that is... Residents could have rolled up an hour later and still stood a chance. The whole thing was just an absolutely chaotic disgrace!
So now we wait to find out what's actually going to happen...
Back to School
After a full weekend appreciating the wonderful outdoors and all its glorious soggyness, it was pretty strange having a snotty, snivelly pyjama day on the sofa. This horrible bunged up state didn't exactly help my attempts to belt out those top As in my return to Tupton Hall's spring concert, but at least I didn't squeak this time. The first rehearsal I went to a couple of weeks ago did sound scarily similar to Alvin and the Chipmunks, should they ever decide to sing "Rule the World"! I swear whenever I hear that song I'm going to hear "All the stars are coming out tonight" an octave higher in my head, and probably embarrass myself by attempting to sing along at that pitch. I can already picture an embarrassing kitchen singalong moment... oh dear... pot washing in the Durham household is never boring!
The performances and compositions were brilliant though, and although I never saw myself playing an "orchestral" version of Katy Perry's Hot 'n' Cold, it was great to back in that good ol' music department that feels so much like home. Gotta love that yellow brick road, sunshiney corridor!
Although by the end of the night I has decided that I was in an unfit state for work in the morning, at least my snot day did come to some good as we MAY have a holiday solution! I know I was looking forward to six glorious weeks in Thailand and Cambodia, but less than four weeks in Vietnam and Cambodia is a hell of a lot cheaper and carries a significantly higher probability of returning home! Fingers and toes crossed that we will actually be jetting off to SOMEWHERE in SE Asia in about 2 months!
The performances and compositions were brilliant though, and although I never saw myself playing an "orchestral" version of Katy Perry's Hot 'n' Cold, it was great to back in that good ol' music department that feels so much like home. Gotta love that yellow brick road, sunshiney corridor!
Although by the end of the night I has decided that I was in an unfit state for work in the morning, at least my snot day did come to some good as we MAY have a holiday solution! I know I was looking forward to six glorious weeks in Thailand and Cambodia, but less than four weeks in Vietnam and Cambodia is a hell of a lot cheaper and carries a significantly higher probability of returning home! Fingers and toes crossed that we will actually be jetting off to SOMEWHERE in SE Asia in about 2 months!
Monday, 3 May 2010
General Rules of Cycling
1. Lift bum off seat at regular intervals to minimise aches, especially if more cycling is intended.
2. Try to stick with the group; be sure you are indeed following the right people when you reach a junction. Failure to do so may result in a lonely extra mile and being swiftly followed by a yellow jacket.
3. Lock your bikes together with some form of electrocuting wire to avoid triple bike theft; that'll give the lock cutting buggers something to laugh about.
4. When tandem cycling, understand that sharp steering is not a sensible option; neither is off-roading.
5. As the tandem "co-pilot", do take advantage of the opportunity to cycle hands free, eyes closed; you won't see a great deal less anyway.
6. Do be prepared for wind passing when sitting behind an immature "pilot".
7. Keep mouth closed when freewheeling down hills at speed; those poor flies can't move fast enough.
2. Try to stick with the group; be sure you are indeed following the right people when you reach a junction. Failure to do so may result in a lonely extra mile and being swiftly followed by a yellow jacket.
3. Lock your bikes together with some form of electrocuting wire to avoid triple bike theft; that'll give the lock cutting buggers something to laugh about.
4. When tandem cycling, understand that sharp steering is not a sensible option; neither is off-roading.
5. As the tandem "co-pilot", do take advantage of the opportunity to cycle hands free, eyes closed; you won't see a great deal less anyway.
6. Do be prepared for wind passing when sitting behind an immature "pilot".
7. Keep mouth closed when freewheeling down hills at speed; those poor flies can't move fast enough.
Wednesday, 28 April 2010
The Adventure So Far
A devil, suicide jump, and a giant hamster ball: Just a few occurrences of my gap year so far. Ten months into the adventure and I’m finally around to blogging it. Well there’s plenty of time; as I’ve discovered, “gappers” have an awful lot of free time! At first I took advantage of this, chilling after months of exam preparation and constant all nighters, but yesterday I reached an ultimatum: If I’m reluctant to leave the TV because I’m so intrigued to hang on and find out the result of Jeremy Kyle’s lie detector test, then I NEED SOMETHING TO DO! So I’ve decided to start a blog, as a kind of “project”, to give me something to work on when I’m home from work and can’t face another evening at the gym, or can’t be bothered to do any much needed piano practice!
I sound like I must be bored all the time! That’s really not true, and it’s not a bad thing to be slobby and lazy some days, or put your pyjamas on when you get home from an exhausting day at work at, um, half past twelve in the afternoon… Despite some of the kids driving me crazy some days with their insistence on turning their flutes into every weapon imaginable, inability to understand that you have to blow across the mouthpiece – “yes that’s this end with the hole in… no you can’t blow down that end…” – I am extremely lucky in having landed a job that I absolutely love. True, I’d never actually played a trumpet, clarinet, flute or baritone before, and I’m actually still yet to attempt a trombone, but I’m so glad I didn’t end up in some job that I dread every morning, that feels like a waste besides the money, or where I’d actually have to work full time in order to fund my travels. Yeah, thinking about it I really can’t complain working what, 25 hours a week, can I? And little things just make my day: “Miss, I think you should be a professional singer” - bit far ha ha, but made me smile nonetheless.
And to think that this enjoyable “job” (it’s hard to call it work sometimes when I have such fun!) has enabled me to visit Berlin, New Zealand, and hopefully Thailand and Cambodia within a year! Mind you, we are already looking at alternatives to Thailand now, what with all the rioting and protests. We’ve actually narrowed it down to India, China and Vietnam this evening, so that I can hopefully still go to Cambodia as planned; I’ll be absolutely GUTTED if I can’t go to Angkor Wat this summer as I’m so, so excited about it and have been for ages before I even took my gap year, and now that it’s within reach of a few months I hate to think of it being snatched away!
So here I am, 2 months away from flying to Bangkok – or most probably not – one week away from the school concert (yes I am indeed going back to play!), 2 days away from a weekend in the caravan, and 10 glorious months into my gap year… which I reckon calls for a quick “round up” of the year so far...
Anticipated Leeds rejection and exam cock ups.
Jet off to Berlin with Hannah to explore the delights of Nazi Germany, meeting many weird and wonderful people along the way.
Returned to a lovely family holiday in Cornwall, where I received news that I’d actually got a job!
Said goodbye to Hannah before her flight as I nervously awaited Results Day.
Returned home to surprisingly favourable A level results and personally thanked the God of Stalinist Russia Essays before enjoying Cornerstones’ cheesecake with “Pic” and wishing Hannah a safe flight to the land of Kiwi. Eventually celebrated in the land of Chez Vegas, experienced as I may be of such alcoholism… whatever…
Went to Scarborough and “won” an ugly little devil, who soon became the well loved “Belly”, passport owning travel companion to me and Sam.
Pic and I chased by little girls throwing crabs; TERRIFIED!
Worked for a good few months and finally booked MY flight to said land of Kiwi!
WENT to land of Kiwi! Lived in a furniture-less house with my “second family”, dogs and all, for a wonderful month.
SAW a kiwi!
New Year’s Eve: Made a suicide pact with Hannah… A.K.A. skydiving! Pact failed. (Skydiving amazing and on reflection glad pact failed.)
Rolled down hill in giant hamster ball (A.K.A. zorb); only people to scream.
Returned home to sledging and snowmen, work and… um, I mean SNOW DAYS!
Talked about nothing but land of Kiwi.
Decided to go to Thailand and Cambodia!
Talked about nothing but Thailand and Cambodia.
Attended several crazed Iceland reunions involving costumes, crashes, naps, alcohol, beards and a bull…
Attended slightly more “sane” reunions involving pizza, alcohol, hysterics, alcohol, and general overexcitement…
Achieved desired cello result.
Scraped piano grade 8 with one mark to spare!
Booked holiday and flights!
Got completely overexcited about said adventure and “lovely Charlie”, call centre saviour of the day!
Decided against said incredible adventure of a lifetime thanks to travel insurance refusing to insure against bullets and grenades.
Got out world map and started again!
I sound like I must be bored all the time! That’s really not true, and it’s not a bad thing to be slobby and lazy some days, or put your pyjamas on when you get home from an exhausting day at work at, um, half past twelve in the afternoon… Despite some of the kids driving me crazy some days with their insistence on turning their flutes into every weapon imaginable, inability to understand that you have to blow across the mouthpiece – “yes that’s this end with the hole in… no you can’t blow down that end…” – I am extremely lucky in having landed a job that I absolutely love. True, I’d never actually played a trumpet, clarinet, flute or baritone before, and I’m actually still yet to attempt a trombone, but I’m so glad I didn’t end up in some job that I dread every morning, that feels like a waste besides the money, or where I’d actually have to work full time in order to fund my travels. Yeah, thinking about it I really can’t complain working what, 25 hours a week, can I? And little things just make my day: “Miss, I think you should be a professional singer” - bit far ha ha, but made me smile nonetheless.
And to think that this enjoyable “job” (it’s hard to call it work sometimes when I have such fun!) has enabled me to visit Berlin, New Zealand, and hopefully Thailand and Cambodia within a year! Mind you, we are already looking at alternatives to Thailand now, what with all the rioting and protests. We’ve actually narrowed it down to India, China and Vietnam this evening, so that I can hopefully still go to Cambodia as planned; I’ll be absolutely GUTTED if I can’t go to Angkor Wat this summer as I’m so, so excited about it and have been for ages before I even took my gap year, and now that it’s within reach of a few months I hate to think of it being snatched away!
So here I am, 2 months away from flying to Bangkok – or most probably not – one week away from the school concert (yes I am indeed going back to play!), 2 days away from a weekend in the caravan, and 10 glorious months into my gap year… which I reckon calls for a quick “round up” of the year so far...
Anticipated Leeds rejection and exam cock ups.
Jet off to Berlin with Hannah to explore the delights of Nazi Germany, meeting many weird and wonderful people along the way.
Returned to a lovely family holiday in Cornwall, where I received news that I’d actually got a job!
Said goodbye to Hannah before her flight as I nervously awaited Results Day.
Returned home to surprisingly favourable A level results and personally thanked the God of Stalinist Russia Essays before enjoying Cornerstones’ cheesecake with “Pic” and wishing Hannah a safe flight to the land of Kiwi. Eventually celebrated in the land of Chez Vegas, experienced as I may be of such alcoholism… whatever…
Went to Scarborough and “won” an ugly little devil, who soon became the well loved “Belly”, passport owning travel companion to me and Sam.
Pic and I chased by little girls throwing crabs; TERRIFIED!
Worked for a good few months and finally booked MY flight to said land of Kiwi!
WENT to land of Kiwi! Lived in a furniture-less house with my “second family”, dogs and all, for a wonderful month.
SAW a kiwi!
New Year’s Eve: Made a suicide pact with Hannah… A.K.A. skydiving! Pact failed. (Skydiving amazing and on reflection glad pact failed.)
Rolled down hill in giant hamster ball (A.K.A. zorb); only people to scream.
Returned home to sledging and snowmen, work and… um, I mean SNOW DAYS!
Talked about nothing but land of Kiwi.
Decided to go to Thailand and Cambodia!
Talked about nothing but Thailand and Cambodia.
Attended several crazed Iceland reunions involving costumes, crashes, naps, alcohol, beards and a bull…
Attended slightly more “sane” reunions involving pizza, alcohol, hysterics, alcohol, and general overexcitement…
Achieved desired cello result.
Scraped piano grade 8 with one mark to spare!
Booked holiday and flights!
Got completely overexcited about said adventure and “lovely Charlie”, call centre saviour of the day!
Decided against said incredible adventure of a lifetime thanks to travel insurance refusing to insure against bullets and grenades.
Got out world map and started again!
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