Well Friday the 14th I went up to Somerset, spent a couple of days there at the windmill. Then on the 16th I went to Bristol station, met up with my cousin Megan (seeing as Hannah is now too old to go) and we journeyed to Queen Ethelburga's School (yes it is as posh as it sounds) just outside of York for the Quaker camp (that sounds boring and religious but it really isn't). It was great meeting people who I hadn't seen for over a year and also making loads of new friends. It was better than last year seeing as I knew people this time around, but the food was still damned awful. Our rooms were better than last year, loads bigger. I shared a room with Sophie and Olivia (a different Olivia from the one I usually talk about on here) but Megan (different Megan - not cousin Megan. Argh they all have similar confusing names.) couldn't fit in our room seeing as we were too late to get a 4 room so had to get a 3 room even though ALL the rooms had 4 beds (the 4th was folded up into the wall). I'm going into detail again. I could spend a week writing out every single detail. I will bullet point stuff (my blog has taken away the bullet point option! Nooo!).
- Fancy dress theme for last social this year was fairy tale creatures so I went as a pixie (last year it was up in the clouds and I was a fairy). - For activites this year I did cooking and we all made cookies and stuff to sell at the tuck shop so yeah it was fun. - I got an award on the last night! (each year the leavers give out one award each on the last night). Mine was for 'most beautiful smile' from Jenny. - On the leaving day I got hugged so many times it was insane but I love hugs so :D
You can trawl through the pictures: http://www.yfhs.org.uk/2009piccies/index.html
So I stayed there for a week, went on the 23rd (sad to leave!) back to Somerset, was bored for a week (we did go places like the swimming pool (it closed down about a day later) and some zoo which was then on the news since atheists didn't like it as it was a Christian zoo and it had stuff about animals being created or something... I did however buy some clothes: two new t-shirts (plain black and plain white - mainly to wear under my new lumberjack shirts), two new lumberjack shirts (blue & brown and orange, white & brown) and a pair of jeans. Then yesterday we went to Bath to visit my Granny and stayed overnight. Then my second cousin Gabriel and his wife and kid Jude (who is almost a year old) came to visit us there which was nice and Jude was sweet.
Well yesterday I finished re-reading LOTR and I have to say I forgot how much I loved the books. Moreso than the movies probably, (I haven't seen them in ages however) but I do love the movies, even if loads of stuff was cut out (the Tom Bombadil chapters and Scouring of the Shire are probably the two I miss the most) and the storyline deviated a bit (but hey, what movie adaptation ever did stay completely true to it's literary counterpart?). I could ramble on about LOTR but I'm sure you don't want to hear my ramblings.
In other news, I have been playing Top Trumps with my sister to pass the time. I introduced it to her yesterday and she loves it. The ones we own we got free with Weetabix - Predators, Dinosaurs and LOTR:TTT (yay. Except she doesn't want to play that one. Fair enough). I think we also have a Beano one somewhere.
I can't really write a blog now. For one thing it is the afternoon and I blog better when it is the evening, but I am going away for another two weeks so I thought I'd blog now. Another thing is that my head is all LOTR-y as you can plainly see (well it would happen if I read the whole thing in one week. Under one week). So bye for now.
Have some websites though: http://www.ludomancy.com/blog/downloads/ < nice games http://www.kimbawlion.com/rant2.htm < lion king is a rip off! http://omegle.com/ < sure you know of this one anyway but still, 'tis amusing (sometimes)
I am oh so tired. You know the feeling when you just want to close your eyes and curl up in a ball and sleeeeeeeeeeeeep? Yeah, that one. (If my blog is weird today blame it on the tiredness)
Anyway, lets see what Sophia has been up to in the past week. (I'll make a list, it's easier. and more fun)(damn, my bullet point button thing has disappeared. Well it will have to be a not so good list. Simply because of the lack of bullet points.)
- On Sunday I went to a pub and had hoisin duck salad. - Our new Clio arrived on Tuesday (remember how the old one went up in flames). It is a very yummy shade of green. Every time I go past it I wonder what it would taste like (if it were edible). - Read three more Discworld novels (Equal Rites, Wyrd Sisters and Moving Pictures). I have now decided to have a break from them (just so I can re-read Lord of the Rings. I have read about three pages so far. But still, I started it today (after finishing Moving Pictures) and I've been out most the day). But I do like Discworld (for some reason there I wanted to refer to myself as "we". I do that sometimes). - Yesterday Lily (who now has a 14mm flesh tunnel and can put her little finger through her ear) and I went out with our sisters (it was my Mum's plan!) and we went bowling and to the cinema. So I finally saw Harry Potter 6 yesterday. Wasn't as shit as I thought it would be. I actually thought it was alright, not the best but still decent. They did cut out loads though (which pissed me off) and they destroyed the Burrow (wtf. That doesn't happen in the book). But yeah, amusing romance scenes. - Went out clothes shopping today (gyarhhhh. I hate it.) because I'm going to the York place again like I did last year and I basically need a "posh" outfit for one of the nights. But it's not so posh I can't wear it normally. But I do vaguely look like a girl for once(!). It's a black and grey chequered top/dress thing that I'll wear with leggings. Oh and whilst shopping they played some stupid r'n'b song that had completely butchered Bowie's "Let's Dance" which made me sad (okay apparently it's by Craig David. nyargh). But now I'm listening to the original and I'm happy. - Now listening to "Hurry On Sundown" by Hawkwind. 'Cos it's awesome. - What more should I write? Once I start writing a blog I want to write and write and write but beforehand I just don't want to write a blog post at all. Oh well.
So I have returned from France. I had a rather nice time. I am now also convinced that all French men are called Jean.
We rented out a small villa that had a swimming pool and it was really nice.
I kept a sort of diary. Here it is in compressed form:
~First Week~
Sunday: Went to Southampton Airport which was very small. Got on a small plane. Arrived at Avignon airport which was TINY. Arrived and met the owners of the house who live forty minutes away - showed us the house. I was tired. We ate pasta with tomato sauce. I got the green room but actually wanted the blue room (because it was blue).
Monday: We had a lazy day, just swimming in the swimming pool and stuff.
Tuesday: This is the day I actually started keeping the diary, since I had no paper beforehand. It is creepy French paper which is gridded with extra lines in. They don't have lined paper over there. Visited a small French town today. Took some pictures there, visited some churches. On the way there took photos of awesome rock cliff things - local legend says that they are monks that got turned to stone after falling in love with some Moorish women.
(they're all looming and ominous!)
Wednesday: Visited a small French town named Lurs in the mountains, visited some churches and stuff. Mainly went there for the tourist office, but it was shut on Wednesdays.
Thursday: There was a big lazy cricket in my room. Otherwise a lazy day today.
Friday: Visited Gorges Du Verdon - very scenic. Then went swimming in a nearby lake. Nice and cool. There was an area of the lake we (well me and my sister) that was bright green. Reminded me of the poisonous liquids in Spyro that you died if you stepped in. Afterwards visited a mountain village.
Saturday: Lazy day. For some reason the main entry for today is about me slicing my thumb open on a bread knife. and there was blood everywhere! :D
but it was only a small cut.
~Second Week~
Sunday: Went to the infamous Lavender fields there.
Monday: Went to Sisteron and visited a citadel with good views over the rest of the town. It has some history to do with Napoleon but I can't remember what. Really hot though and it was really nice in some cellar place we found which was all dark and smelt of that lovely underground smell that you get in caves (but it smells nicer and more natural in proper caves (sadly we didn't visit any caves (they were too far away))).
Tuesday: Went to a market, didn't buy anything but there was a dead body there. Covered by a white sheet and everything. Police and firemen (yes France uses the firemen instead of the ambulance in cases like this) wandering around. It turns out he died of a heart attack (not some inventive murder like I imagined) but still, RIP market man.
Wednesday: Dad, Virginia and I went to the observatory and I didn't understand a thing because they spoke French too quickly. But it was nice inside the observatory. All sci-fi-y. They had thirteen telescopes in all. Also they were having a sci-fi film night on the day we left for England; playing Wall-E (would like to see), Star Trek (already seen), Hancock (don't want to see) and Jurassic Park 3 (don't want to see). Not the greatest line up for a sci fi film night IMHO.
Thursday: Went to another town and market, purchased two pairs of earrings. One is black with some blue and green in, um, an explosion shape and the other are blue dreamcatcher type things. My sister bought a necklace and mum bought some soap and kitchen items. Afterwards went to a lake and went swimming. Not as good as previous lake though because there was no beach. There were rocks that you had to step off to get into the lake.
Friday: Lazy day
Saturday: went home.
^ Oh that was awfully written. I do apologise. See for some reason I only kept the diary for one week and then gave up so the second week I did from memory.
Anyway other things about France:
BNs!!! I had some!! Photo proof of them (and, um, a packet of Pringles):
(look at them being all happy!)
Magical French food! (well not magical). They have all this awesome stuff over there that we don't have (but then that's true for pretty much all countries). Crazy cereals - I quite liked the Lion cereal - caramel and chocolate flakes. BNs of course. Other awesome cereals including flavours of Special K we don't get over here. I tried snails. Can't say I was mega impressed. But they were all garlic buttery. Chocolate spready stuff. Rillettes du Mans!! I had that on my sandwiches every day. (just looked it up on Google images. It looks disgusting there. It really isn't). Tried a little bit of Lavendar ice cream. Weird.
Wearing my blue dreamcatcher earrings now. My first pair of dangly earrings and they feel weird. My head's all "there's something dangling from my ears!".
Trying to extend my sister's vocabulary I gave her a new word each day to learn, although near the end of the holidays I usually forgot to give her one. and she usually forgot what they meant.
Books! I brought seven: Frankenstein (which I had read a third of), a half read Lolita, The Colour of Magic, Mort, Sourcerey, Animal Farm and Northanger Abbey. I liked them all. I also managed to pace myself fairly well so I finished my last book on the second Friday but then had no book for the aeroplane journey. (for those that know me that read this blog if you have any Discworld novels then pleasewouldyoumindlendingthemtome? :D (oh I have just been to the library (the other library, not my usual one) they have a fairly large collection of Discworld novels. I got three out. Which ones I can't remember.)
Speaking of aeroplane journeys it was weird going to France in an aeroplane because before I went on the ferry or the Eurostar/Shuttle. I may have been on an aeroplane to France before mais je ne sais pas.
By the end of the holiday our house was full of insects. Moths, crickets, flies, wasps, weird beetle things, mosquitoes, spindly legged house spiders (I don't mind these ones), fat house spiders (I abhor these ones. Only when they're moving though); you name it, it was in our house.
Pool was full of insects every evening when we switched the light on. Usually moths or fly-things. One time in the morning I found two dead big house spiders at the bottom. My sister would insist that I save as many insects as possible with the net.
One day Virginia came to show me two flies; one was on top of the other, it was obvious what they were doing. Then she goes and says "I wonder what they're doing". She's thirteen dammit, she should know.
Our villa:
I would put more pictures in but it is the most annoying thing on blogger because you have to drag them down all the way since they appear at the top. I may make a Photobucket album so you can see them there. OK I have now made an album but it doesn't show up. Screw that. I'll work on it.
Argh that was a horribly horribly written blog post. It has also taken me a day to write it. Started yesterday and added little bits at intervals throughout today.
Well this is the last blog post for a while as tomorrow I am off to France (Provence) and have to get up at 5 AM to get some early flight at 9 or something. Which just sucks. But I think this is probably the sixth time I have been to France. It is my most visited country. I am actually looking forward to it though since we haven't been abroad for a summer holiday for three years now (we did nothing last year and went to Devon the year before) although we did go to Tunisia in October last year and I went to America in the Easter holidays on the school ski trip which I did blog about. But anyway I have this mental image of me in France watching Fort Boyard whilst eating BN biscuits. Oh yes, they have BNBNs there. Haha all of you who miss them. And Fort Boyard I only saw a couple of times when I was younger but it is amusing watching adults do silly and sometimes icky games. I also plan to take a lot of reading material (including some Terry Pratchett, as I have never read any of his stuff and so feel wrong. Also need to finish off Lolita which I found in my Dad's cupboard whilst looking for HP7 and have been meaning to read for a while but never knew we owned a copy of it) as a lot of the time we just laze around. But the place we are renting out has a swimming pool which is cool (no pun intended). Um I don't really have much else to say, I just wanted to warn you of lack of blog posts over the next two weeks because I doubt there'll be a computer where we are staying. But you never know...
I have just got back from Hannah's party. But I will tell you all about my day from the beginning. My last day of work experience and I was sad to go (manager is now in hospital after repeatedly passing out and "seeing blue" yesterday evening). I got to print off my car brochure thing which I may upload here (that means I never will) and also got to leave early. Since I had no reason to go back to my own house I headed off to Hannah's which was near my work experience and was therefore rather early. Hannah was making cake and I got to eat some of the cake mix. Hannah's present was series 2 and 3 of Peep Show (I couldn't get series 1 because it was an 18), which I have never seen before *shockhorror*. Hannah put Series 3 on and I saw about 3 episodes of that, during which people began to arrive. I met Hannah's friend Scarlett which was nice. We then put on Extras because Scarlett was bored of Peep Show (I preferred Peep Show). Also the theme tune for Peep Show is Flagpole Sitta by Harvey Danger which I used to hear quite a bit in my XFM days but now... well never. But it's cool. We went to Hannah's room and chatted, then went downstairs and chatted some more, mainly about the new Harry Potter movie which only Hannah and Scarlett had seen. I will be seeing it after I return from France, as my Dad will take me because he really wants to see it. Then we cooked food and ate it, whilst playing "most likely to". We like this game. Hannah's cake had marzipan bees on it and was a very rich chocolate cake. Then it was time for Eun Young, Amy and me to leave. So we left, and then Divya ran to catch up with us. Once on the train we chatted, and I learnt that Amy shares a birthday with my sister and that her mum shares her birthday with my Dad. and now I am here blogging.
News: my new first cousin-once-removed has been named "India". I don't really like it as a name, but then that's my taste.
Yeah me too. Hence why I am writing this blog during WEx hours. It is my second week at the same company and the manager is not here so I don't know what to do, and the other person who was helping me has gone on holiday to the Benicassim festival. There is hardly anyone in the office (more people arrive later) and I have finished my car brochure thingy. The reason why the manager isn't here is a long story (everyone just says to visiting people that he is "ill"). Basically he went on a bender over the weekend, but was found in the bins on Friday night. Monday he had to be locked in his flat, but smashed the window, escaped, got money off people and bought more alcohol, then went missing. Tuesday he was in bed being looked after by someone, and now he is just "ill". (It's so weird typing this because on a Mac the " and @ have swapped around so I keep typing @s instead of "s). And another person tore his muscle trying to lift something. It is all very interesting and dramatic here. I think it should be turned into a television series... a sitcom perhaps. Well I only have two more days here, and tomorrow is Hannah's birthday party so I am going to buy her present after WEx today.
Still reading HP 6, as per usual I have forgotten most of what happened. But what annoys me is the fact that we have lost the seventh book, and I really cannot remember what happened in that book, apart from a load of people die. I've looked in all the usual book places (our books are scattered around the house in bookshelves everywhere) and it's not there. We keep all the books in Dad's room but nyah, not there!
Also I don't know if I will actually get my ears pierced again, I get all confused thinking about it. I think I may wait a year and then see if I still want it done.
I have had a few odd dreams past couple of nights. Including:
I was returning from WEx and walking to my house from the train station when a little girl appeared (about 9/10 years) and wanted me to be her friend. But she wouldn't tell me her name or what school she went to. By the end of the walk she had sort of turned into my sister, and had really chocolatey hands, then hugged me getting my green checked shirt (which I had been wearing that day. It's a new one, from H&M and it's really nice. I want more shirts now) all chocolatey. As usual I thought my dreams were real life and got really stressed out.
I was going to the river with my friends (cannot recall which ones, they may have been made up ones) and one of them had got a pile of fish, which I felt sorry for (even though they seemed dead) so I got my wand out (been reading too much HP you see) and with a flick returned them to the river. The one who had got the pile of fish was really angry and said she would starve. I then had to help get more fish, using my wand and some elaborate arm movements. and then some people fell in the river. But we had a laugh about it.
I did have other dreams but all I can remember is random fragments. I think the one I just described (the fish one) may have had flying in it, but I was the only one that wanted to. I love flying in my dreams, except usually I cannot fly properly, as I usually descend after taking off, so usually have to find a high point in my dreams and take off from there.
I like having dreams, especially as my ones are crazy. I wonder what my dreams mean.
The people in my office have said "fucking hell" about 10 times in a row now.
Argh what to do!? People haven't blogged in a while, well Jess has after ages but still.
