Man of Constant Sorrow

I thought it'd be good to post but i'm tired and feeling highly unorganised about things. This does not bode well for what I wish to blog about, namely the fantastic weekend that has just passed.

So... bear with me folks as I leave you with a short wee entry.

The weekend was fantastic and such a great time of fellowship as me and Danny took some of the Agape team north to the wet and....erm... wet, Lake District. Grand day for so many reasons. And thankyou so much for the card guys. Much appreciated. It was no problem taking you guys there and we both really enjoyed it.

Right now I am exhausted and thats even with an extensive sleep earlier this evening. I am tired physically and mentally and I think thats beginning to show. So I should go to bed really.... Its in the pipeline. Trust me..

Hopefully tomorrow i'll get back to my work and sort out simple things like washing clothes, buying in food and cleaning the house. Sounds pretty dull but I'm looking forward to getting back into some form of a routine, God willing.

So there you go... a wee post for ye all.

Oh and if your wondering about the title i'm listening to the Oh Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack and its class...

Zzzzz....

Good morning!!! The three exclamaition marks there (probably a record for this very understated blogger) suggest a level of excitement and energy that is definately misleading. This is because i'm writing at 6:55 am, and I've been up since 3:30 am, having gotten to bed at about 12:45am. Ok so theres a lot of am's in there, but seriously I feel a little tired. Ha.

But I want to blog. I haven't updated for a week now which is something of a record for me. So what should I blog about? Well... Right. Well first of all there is my situation. I'm up at this crazy hour as i've just dropped my parents off at the airport. They are flying to Germany to stay with some family friends and its brilliant that they are doing this. They haven't left Britain for 22 years so it is a good thing. But my parents being my parents don't half worry about things, and right up until they walked through security it felt like I was the one over fifty and they were the ones still in their early twenties, as i tell them not to worry and they ask me a hundred and one questions about check in and bag packing. Still I don't mind - its the least I can do for them and, to be honest, all of their worrying etc is quite amusing and endearing.

The airport was interesting. Very 'airportesque' you could say. Even at 5 am its still full of noisy kids, confused looking internationals, even more confused Brits, businessmen who have a smug no-it-all 'i do this every week' look, and, unervingly for a Brit who's quite proud and adjusted to the Police being unarmed, a Policeman equipped with a machine gun. Yikes!

It takes 25-30 mins to get to Manchester airport from here and I really enjoyed the drive. Ok, so it was mundane motorway driving but it really does give you time to think and to chill out. Especially to music. And to that I must make a recommendation. I was listening to a cd of songs by Angie King, agape worker extraordinaire, and a talented singer/songwriter. Good stuff.

And right now I'm sat in my lounge in St Helens with 'Whats The Story Morning Glory?' by Oasis cranked right up on my dad's stereo. I'm feeling nostalgic, and it is marvellous. Especially when I have a big house to myself. Just me, the music, and a cup of coffee which I need to go and make actually. Hmm... Ok... Well as I do that I shall bid my farewell and hope that the craic is good with ye.

(P.S. This is my house. In the photo... Up at the top. You know what I mean. Ha.)

Conkers on me 'ead

So today I ventured down to the park to try and get some photos of the autumn colours. Some of the trees look outstanding at the moment. Little pockets of colour surrounded by green and grey. Sadly this photo doesen't really reflect that - the light wasn't particularly good. Well thats my excuse anyway..

I actually really enjoyed my little walk today though. First of all I got up a little bit earlier which was grand. Secondly, on the way to the park I was walking under a chestnut tree just as four conkers dropped to the ground. Except that they didn't hit the ground. Rather they hit me on the head. Ouch! Funny though. I thought things like that only happened in cartoons.

In the park I was taking pictures when a guy walking his dog came up to me and said, 'Ah. I bet your an Art student?' To which I replied 'No. I'm a History student actually.' On hearing this his face dropped and he looked immensly disappointed. I mean I have never, ever seem someone seem so devastated to hear that I studied history. Amused me somewhat.

After the walk I had a wee chat with Evans and then went to see my friends Beko and Juliet, which was cool. Not seen them for a while so it was good to chat.

And now i'm blogging and then maybe working. I was watching a film with Danny and Evans but it already had my blood boiling after 3 mins by having American soldiers fighting the Nazi's in Scotland in 1944. What!?!?! A warning to anyone who watches a historically inaccurate film with me... Ha.

Oh to have a name like mine ;-)

Hello all potential readers out there!! How are you? Good? Well I hope so. Ready to digest another post?

Now bare with me for a wee second. My name is a very popular name. By that I don't mean that everyone hears my name and goes 'Oh what a wonderful name!', sadly ;-), rather that lots of people have it. A Google search will produce 45, 100, 000 results. Thats a lot of namesakes. The result of this is that i've grown used to having to create unique user names for things like e-mail or passwords, as, by-and-large, someone has already taken it.

It was too my great surprise and delight therefore that when I started my postgraduate degree I was able to use my name as my e-mail. No extra intials, or dates, or owt. Splendid.

However, I have since found that there is a catch to having such an authentic e-mail. Over the course of the last year I have recieved (and still do recieve) a growing number of e-mails that are for similar named people. For example I was contacted by a large Government reseach commitee who wanted me to present a paper to a world leading conference about Ocean studies. As flattering as I found this, my knowledge of the worlds oceans is limited, so i figured there must be another similar named person out there. And sure enough Liverpool Uni has a Professor Ric Williams, who as it turns out is a dude in all things Oceanic and is now leading a big expedition in the Atlantic. Nice.

And it goes on. Last week, I recieved an e-mail which stated simply 'Is this you?'. I did want to reply sarcastically 'Well it depends. It could be me. I am me. But am I the me you want?' but decided that was a tad harsh and didn't. That probably would've been a good idea though, as a week later I got a series of e-mails, apparently intended for a Ruth Williams, asking if I fancied meeting up for drinks, and estate agent talk. I did point out immediately that I am not Ruth Williams, but even still I was invited along for drinks. Turned them down though... It would have been a bit odd me thinks, plus estate agent talk doesen't sound all that good to be honest. Ha.

And then today I recieved two e-mails forwarding on important, nay essential, PBL (this is medical jargon for self-supported study) material related to respiratory illness. All very well and good but not really what i'm looking for with an Irish History degree. Ha.

Still I enjoy getting all these random e-mails. Makes life a little bit more interesting. On that i'm off to do some Irish history.

Hurrah...

The Blog War...

Well... I've just been informed that I am in a blog war. Ha... Amusing. I'd like to say that in such a case this blog will become like the UN or something. A peacekeeper amongst blogs. Ha.

Anyway, I'm currently feeling very tired, even though i only got up at 10:30 today. I think this is a good thing though. I really, really need to get to grips with my sleeping pattern and ensure that I have done some productive things before 12pm, and feeling tired will help me in getting to bed earlier.

Thats been something that I've found really frustrating about today, and the last few months - getting up really late. I have a lot of work to be getting on with, I'm so keen on establishing a constant relationship with the Lord, and University is just such a blessing in terms of what can be accomplished here and the people around you. And yet, I'm still in bed after 10 am. Bummer!! So annoying sometimes..

The Lord is good though, and inspite of my laziness today has been great. Me and Danny actually managed to out together a good meal - Shephard's Pie - for Movement Prayer which was good.

Our house looked as though it was heading for meltdown a few hours ago and now things appear to be good which is marvellous.

And... AND I'm so thankful as ever for the fellowship I have with the Agape team. You are all brilliant. Thankyou so much for letting me hang out with y'all.

Artbybryn

Only a short blog tonight. I just wanted to bring attention to a website that Steph showed me yesterday. Its this one www.artbybryn.com . And I think its really cool. Check it out.

So thats it. Keep reading the post below...

Mother of Pearl

Mother of Pearl!!! This post has been a long time in coming. A post all about Ms Brittney Michelle Lenhoff no-less. The Queen Blog herself.

This sassy, classy and gassy American lady has inspired a thousand blogs, as opposed to a thousand ships – though I’m sure you could do that too Brit.

But anyway, cheesy Iliad references aside then this is my perspective of the one known as the Brittster.

Where to begin? Well I guess there was my first introduction to Brit. I had been told all about the American girl named Brittney by the great Peter ‘Pedro’ Roberts, along with the succession of ‘Hit Me Baby One More Time’ jokes that he had already used. However this could not prepare me for the moment of actually meeting Ms Lenhoff. For the 25 minutes it took to ride the bus home I was introduced to BML’s unique language form (think Valley style), and the ‘guns’ concept that I will leave well alone here, but led to some unfortunate and interesting months afterwards

And from then on in its been a riotous, fun filled time of discovery and adventure in getting to know the one Mr Daniel Temlett refers to as B-Rit.

She is the lass forever to be identified with phrases such as ‘Mother of Pearl’, ‘Redonculous’, ‘You’re darn skippy!’, ‘Booya’, and most recently ‘Knacked’. Her unique limberness will be hard to forget too – all those who have seen the famous Brittney ‘rock’ will testify to such wonders. This girl is also a person now synonymous with Winston the Dog, her beloved companion and the central figure of a rather splendid story.

Brit is also the one who introduced many to Guster (well lets say she was part of a trio including the equally legendary Toth and Treece),the one with a mean punch, and the one who has brightened the day of many a Brit and American, as well as the citizens of many other nations of this globe.

Not too mention her dancing nor in fact her grand hand gestures that almost inevitably result in anyone within 5 yards of the Britmeister being hit by a flailing appendage.

On a more serious note she is Brittney the missionary, the team member, the housemate, the sister, the daughter, the supporter, the encourager, the listener and the friend. All in all a sound, quality, marvellous lass who means a great deal to me and to so many others.

So ladies and gentlemen – Ms Brittney Michelle Lenhoff.

Tis the season to be blogging...

I'm sat in the living room of the Agape girls house amusing myself no end by writing a blog whilst sat on the couch using Angie's computer. Tis amusing. I have no idea why but it is.

So today was great. I headed down to the Maritime Museum in the morning with some of the Agape team and it was cool. I've been to the Maritime Museum many times but it was fantastic to be down there with the team. I'm sure I was annoying but I really enjoyed just talking about ships and history and things. I don't know why but I really enjoy sharing my knowledge with people - a sign that I am indeed cut out for lecturing? I don't know but maybe.

Afterwards I enjoyed a splendid time of fellowship with Brittney. We made a wee trip to Tesco's, took in the Richmond Tavern and then I was honoured to eat some delicious Brittney Lenhoff soup. So, so good. I really appreciated just talking and chilling out with ye Brit. Thankyou.

And now i'm sat with Danny and Stephanie just talking with a cup of tea and some music. Marvellous.

Oh and thanks for the computer usage Angie. Just checked out your song too. Nice. Really, really good. Angie King ladies and gents.

Brendan Benson and Ok Go

So tonight I actually ventured out of Allerton to the city centre. Wow!! For those who don't know me too well I am not a going out type person. I am a drinking coffee with good friends round a kitchen table or in a lounge type person. Thus, for me to make a trip into town in an evening is a rareity.

But tonight it was very much worth the trip. I went to a gig at the Uni on the recommendation of my mate Woody. And it was great . Fantastic. Marvellous. Brilliant. In other words it was good.

There were actually three acts playing but we missed the first, so the first band we saw was Ok Go. If you live in the UK and like indie music you'll probably have heard a track of theirs called Get Over It. To be honest, I was expecting that song to sound good (I like it) and then the rest to be poor immitations of that song. However, I am very pleased to be able to say that they are a great little band (all the way from Chicago) who have a very creative and cool set.

But, as good as their music is, it was an added extra that really put them into my musical good books. As they ended their set, they informed the crowd that they had time for one more song (always a good thing) but rather than tweak and tune their instruments they put them down and all four of them preceded to stand in line on the edge of the stage. Then a recording of their song came on and we the audience stood in awe and then fits of laughter as four indie band guys started to perform a dance routine (a very well exectuted dance routine) more akin to a boy band. And it was HILARIOUS. So, so funny. What made it even more amusing was that while three of the band are tall, lanky American guys, the bassist is a shorter, more rotund chap, who also happens to be balding with huge chunky glasses and amusing facial hair. The result was even more comedy. It was so good infact that most of the audience went and bought their cd, and to be honest its worth it, plus they were sound, sound guys who took the time to chat to whomever after the gig. Ok Go ladies and gents. Splendid.

After Ok Go came the main attraction, one Brendan Benson. Now I'll admit that I hadn't even heard of this chap until two days ago, but he was good. Very, very, very good. To describe his musical style I'd have to go with Damien Rice/Jack Johnson/indie rock - a fusion of all three. It was great and so well executed by Brendan and his band, which included a very insane looking drummer... Hmm...

So a grand night out. There where some other things that made the evening though. One was effectively being asked to select a beer that will be sold in the Richmond Tavern next week. I went with one called Nelson's Victory so it'll be interesting to see if they actually take up my choice.

I've also just been privvy to some delicious brownies courtesy of KC Clark. So good. Thankyou KC. Not forgetting the ever joyous company of the entire Agape team and Andy Moll and Danny too. Proper grand.

I do have one gripe though. At the concert we had two couples standing in front of us for most of the evening and I have to say - snogging (kissing) in public - not good. Especially when 500 people are having to look past you to see the gig. Anyway. Good night folks.

To Blog Or Not To Blog

To blog or not to blog. That is the question.

So another blog in quick succession proving either that blogging is a great thing to do with your time, or more likely, that I have very poor time management. I'll let you decide that one...

Anyway. As I said briefly in the last post i've found things to be quite stressful of late. And I wish I could go into why here but I can't really. On the one hand its a general feeling of not really belonging (at least as a student) where I do combined with other pressures and stresses that taken individually amount to very little, but collectively take on a much greater significance. Then on the other hand there are things particular to this week which have added to my general state to make me feel as if I've reached rock bottom.

However the Lord is good and when I finally spent some time with Him in prayer and reading the Bible life looked significantly less bleak. And also some fantastic friends have helped me feel less under the weather. In particular I'd like to thank Brittney for letting me 'emotionally vomit on her' (to borrow her own phrase), the guys in my house and also my mate Joe who without knowing cheered me up no end with a perfectly timed e-mail. And thanks to Steph and Woody who kindly asked how I was doing but I didn't explain. Cheers guys. Appreciated.

Moving on to other things then I headed down to Sefton Park the other day to find loads of kids from my high school milling about the place. Kind of odd to be honest - but an interesting suprise nonetheless.

I've also been learning some new phrases such as Cool Beans (or Kewl Beans), Yes Siirie Bob etc. All courtesy of Stephanie. Cheers Steph. Ha...

Reech's Laundrette...

Ok well this is a post in a hurry. I have a pizza in the oven which will be ready in about 8 mins and then i'm off to CU. So not much time to write and be creative...

But even still i wanted to post....

Life has been tricky the last few days. I don't want to bore you with the details but i've felt increasingly pressured, lost and confused in the last week. So much so that i was feeling pretty miserable on Monday. But things are better - thanks to finally spending some time with the Lord and some quality friends who listened to me moan. Thanks guys... Really, really appreciated.

Otherwise a week of normality - Tesco's shopping, and today washing. How difficult is it to wash and dry clothes in the UK? Even on a sunny day like today my clothes are still wringing having been out on the line. Hence my room looks like a laundrette at the mo.. Nice.

Ok Pizza time...

Oh to be a Williams...

I like this photo. Its yet another pic that I took in Conwy.

Anyway. You learn something new everyday. According to the US census of 2000 the surname Williams is the 3rd most popular in the country with c 1,747,000 people having the name. Cool.

Ok. So i've been thinking about my surname recently and the fact that so many people have it. For example I ran a Yahoo search on 'Williams' and it came up with 230,000,000 hits! Madness.

According to this website (which may or may not be reliable) - http://allthingswilliam.com/willynilly/name-origin.html - this is the origin of the name Williams.

William is derived from an Old French given name with Germanic elements: wil = desire, will; and helm = helmet, protection. Some say the Old German name Wilhelm derives from Wel-helm (the shield or defense of many), Weil-helm (protector of rest, defender of tranquility), Vil-helm (strong protector), or from the Belgic Guild-helm (harnessed with a gilded helmet).
The name was introduced to Britain by the Normans. When the Normans conquered Britain in 1066 they brought with them a stock of new names and different ideas about names. They were beginning to use the first name and last name system, which allowed the same first names to be borne by many different people at the same time. William - "will" and "helmet" - was an outstanding favorite Norman name and became, in short order, one of the most popular given names in England. In the first century, after the Conquest, it was the commonest male name of all, and not only among the Normans. It has belonged to several rulers of England, Prussia, and Germany, including William the Conqueror, the first Norman king of England

I may try and find a better account of the origin of the name Williams. Anyway my trip to Wales the other day also got me thinking about my own particular family origins. Sadly I don't know a great deal other than that my Grandad came from Flintshire and I have relatives right along the North Wales coast. But, I do know that we have a semi-famous relative, who you can read about more here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/northeast/guides/halloffame/arts/emlyn_williams.shtml

Ok. Sorry if thats quite dull. I've never been one for family history but going to Wales got me thinking the other day.

How many Americans can you fit in a telephone box?

That is just one of the many questions this blog aims to answer, and today a scientific experiment was undertaken to find out the answer. And as this photographic evidence proves the answer is 5.

So today I joined 6 members of the Agape team on a Welsh adventure. We ventured out to the medieval town of Conwy and took in the castle, which was completed in 1287 at the behest of Kind Edward I. Why? Well, King Ed (or Eddy to his mates) needed an iron ring of castles to control those riotous Welsh, so he set about building quite a few of them. Random bit of history for you there.

Anyway a good c700 years later these mighty weapons of war serve as a ideal distraction to students and full time ministry workers, and a rather splendid earner for the Welsh tourist board. I very much recommend that you check them out some time. Its good fun.

But back to today. We checked out the castle, had a wander around Britain's smallest house, checked out some random swings, ate in the finest fish and chip restaurant in all the land, pottered around the town walls, and even found time for magnum ice creams and kebabs.

All in all a great day. Almost neverending fun and fellowship - i'm extremely thankful for that. I'm a wee bit tired now, but twas grand. Thanks for inviting me guys. Nice.

The End of the Beard is Nigh

I'm beginning to realise that I love posting on here. I'm not sure why but... its addictive.

Well the first thing to note is that I have just looked in the mirror and seen my face, sans hair, for the first time in about 4 weeks. Why you may ask? Well this is because I have removed the strange musketeer type beard that has adorned my ugly mug for so long. And I have to say its nice. Sure I'm going to miss the reactions on peoples faces when they see me, and, i'm going to look 12 from now on in. But i'm loving not having that itchy feeling, not too mention it was all getting a bit too long and out of control. So ladies and gents I have removed the beard. Ahh...

Secondly then I've just been to CU which was ok. Met a few freshers and got to catch up with some people - most notably a guy called Ola, who is a dude - which was ace. I was actually really touched, and surprised, by Ola's reaction to seeing me. I was really honoured by it and I hope I'll be able to hang out with him more this year. Also got to spend some quality time with the Agape guys which was great. I love (see - a Brit showing emotion. Wow!) you guys. So much fun - even if I do look like the uncomfortable Brit sat in the corner. Nice...

And finally then today has been another day of feeling like a student who shouldn't be a student any more. If that makes sense? Ha. Well if it doesent I can try and explain it a bit better in person.Anyway...

Eric Clapton is great...

Eric Clapton is great. Well some of his songs are good anyway. I'm listening to his MTV: Unplugged album. Amazing guitar playing. Oh and I like this picture - I took it out of the boy Danny's window this morning.

I've been thining about what to write here for a wee while, but, even with considerable amounts of thinking time invested, i've decided to stump for a simple 'what have I been up to' account. So... What have I been up to?

Well, to be honest, this week has been a time of getting back to reality - at least in terms of university. On Monday, for example, I paid my tuition fees which was an experience in itself. In order to pay the Uni, you are required to stand in line for upwards of an hour with what is quite easily one of the most diverse, and most international, groups of people you will come across anywhere. It really is something to behold, though I must add here that I like this particular part of paying tuition fees. Its fun to know that you are surrounded by people from almost every continent on the planet.

However, there are of course less enthralling aspects - one of them being the massive uncertainty that goes with working out what que you should be standing in (there are 3, each for a different method of payment - though it should be noted you aren't really informed which line is which), knowing full well that if you get to the desk in the wrong line you will be consigned to the back of the correct que for another hour. Needless to say I was in the wrong que, but the delightful, nay wonderful lady on the desk recognised my inner depression and let me pay. For this i am extremely thankful.

Today I went into Uni again, this time to meet with my supervisor who has returned to Liverpool after a year on sabbatical in Belfast. And I was a little nervous beforehand. I hadn't met up with her for about 4-5months and I'm a little behind in my scheduled work. But it was actually a very good meeting. I am apparently doing well, working steadily enough and am thinking along the right lines re the completion of my thesis. I have also been told that I may be able to teach a seminar group next semester. Ha!

Otherwise the last few days have been an amazing time of fellowship and friendship for which I am as ever grateful.

Trees...

Ok so where does this look like to you? Personally it reminds me of France (even though i've not really been to France, save for a good ten hours on a coach to Germany). But no... This is Liverpool. Queens Drive to be specific - just before it runs into Sefton Park. This is one of my favourite parts of Liverpool. I took this pic yesterday when I was out with Brit (though she has a much better one on her camera) and I like it.

Right. Time to be bit more productive somewhere else. But please read the post below. This is more a picture post than anything else. Ok adios.

A storm brewing...

I love this picture. I took it about this time last year up in Yorkshire, and it just captures all the power and menace you get with a storm. Ok so its only a meagre British storm but still. Look at that weather front heading in.

I could ramble on for a while but I love the contrast where the two parts of the storm meet. Dark and gloomy on all sides and then a few tiny breaches allowing the sunlight and blue sky to shine through. Quality.

But enough about the picture. So how are you? Good I hope. I've had a pretty grand week since I last posted. I spent Thursday giving our German family friend a tour of Liverpool which was cool. Its bizzare but even though I've lived here for over four years, and, having been coming to Liverpool since I was a tiny baby, there are still parts of this city I don't really know at all or forget about in my day to day business. As part of the tour we spent a good bit of time looking around Sefton Park and then went up the Anglican Cathedral Tower. And up there it is breathtaking. You have views right over the city, the Wirral, the Mersey, and even over to Wales and the Pennines. Tis marvellous. We also checked out the Museum of Liverpool Life down by the docks which was actually pretty cool - well its not everyday you'll find yourself looking at Roman artefacts in Merseyside. So a good day.

Since then well I had the chance to spend some quality time with a good mate of mine on Friday. Its amazing how a few hours spent discussing matters (preferably with a focus on the Lord) can really help give you and others a focus on a situation. Good stuff.

After that I headed over to a rather spiffing party with the Agape guys, and it was great. I really do love hanging out with you guys. You are all great. I guess I can be annoying and frustrating with all my mick taking but I really do appreciate the fellowship I have with y'all. Thankyou.

And on Saturday it was cool too. Ok, so this time it was a little different in that me and Danny headed over to see what the craic was having heard of a toilet disaster at the girls house. But after the torrents of water had ceased flowing from the bathroom into the dining room it was a great day. You Americanos are class, splendid, spiffing, marvellous people and I feel honoured to know you.

Back at home

Well hello there. How are you? Good you say? Well that’s grand. Thanks for taking the time to read this blog at this moment in time. Tis appreciated.

So to begin. I’m at home again. Back in the land of sunny St. Helens. And its fun. I’m enjoying seeing my parents, taking in the less hectic life of Liverpool and having my car. Plus we have a family friend from Germany staying over for a few weeks so its been fun to catch up and see them while they are over. Splendid.

But. Now you knew that was coming right? Anyway I digress.. But. I’m missing that hectic life in Liverpool. I love being here at home. I love being with my parents, seeing old friends etc. But my heart is in Liverpool. Sure there maybe times when I want to get away from the stresses and strains of living with seven people, or just let out a loud and prolonged yell in frustration about, well a host of things. Yet even then, even under pressure, my heart lies (At least for the moment) in Liverpool.

I don’t expect that to always be the case, and, as a friend of mine reminded me last year, a wise person is someone who realises that nothing - nothing - in life is wasted. However, tonight, as I sat in the cinema, I was struck by the fact that I really did want to be hanging out with peep’s in Liverpool. Interesting.

On a lighter note I just went to watch Pride and Prejudice and… and… it was good. As in very good. For a bloke that can sometimes be a hard thing to admit, but hey. P and P is a great story – very cleverly written, and some fantastic characters. The film was set in Derbyshire so the scenery was great, and… well Kiera Knightley is a very nice lass. Ha…

Ok well that’s it folks. I need to go and have a time with the Lord methinks, so I will catch you later.

Changing the guard....

If you where to head to Buckingham Palace sometime the chances are you would find yourself, along with many other touristy types, watching the changing of the palace guard. Now you may be wondering where it is that i'm going with this but hang-fire for a sec.

Today has been a metaphorical changing of the guard day here in the world of Liverpool studentdom. To begin with I went for a walk this afternoon and my route happened to take me past two of the big Liverpool University halls of residence. These are the places of legend to all those who count themselves as Liverpool alumni, be they past or present. Anyway, my walk coincided with the the first day of Freshers Week, the day infact when both of these halls fill to the rafters with 18 year olds... And... I felt OLD. Just walking past all those confused and often terrified kids... I am grateful that I am way, way passed it all.

When I got back to my house I came across the second changing of the guard. Yaqi, our temporary Chinese housemate left today to enter his new digs after having been with us for over three months. And it was kind of sad. He's become part of the house and its a shame to see him go... But still time moves on a pace.

The last and final part of the changing of the guard for today came from me heading to CU for a Prayer and Praise meeting. And here I found the guys who were freshers when i was entering the last year of my Undergraduate degree leading the meeting. And again I felt OLD. I'm intrigued to see how God will lead my in CU type things as I feel like I should still go to the main meetings, but when I'm there I don't feel as if I have a readily obvious role. That said I had some fanatastic talks with people tonight - swapping testimonies etc, and I felt that God was showing me ways in which I can serve him.

Marvellous

Colin the Conker

Well as i'm writing, yet another week has come to a close. Where does all the time go? I mean - really - where does time go? Just the other week I was thinking that the entire University summer (so thats June, July and August folks) has just blurred into one big blurry thing. Not the best use of language there, but still. Where does time go?

Anyway I really just want to try and sum up the week in this little post. To be honest its been a good one, if not a little odd.

On the good side then I got to spend some quality time with Brit, and also the new team (aka KC, Kevin, Stephanie, Angie, Danny), on Sunday and also Wednesday and Friday. And i'm incredibly thankful for this. I really like the new guys already and i'm looking forward to getting to know them this year, God willing. And of course its great, nay marvellous, to hang out with Brit, Toth and Ryan. You guys are class.

Still on the good side I've really been looking to grow in my faith and to seek the Lord recently, in a way that I haven't been so good at over the last few months. And when I do seek His will and teachings its been fantastic. The grace of the Lord is supreme and endless, and i am both blessed and grateful.

Slightly lower on the scale of goodness then I bought an amazing cd yesterday. Its is The Bends by Radiohead and it is fantastic. Bizarrely it was released 11 years ago and yet I'm only just coming across it now, but, I love it with a great deal of enthusiasm.

And as for the oddness, then to start I found that mid-week I was finding it hard going with the isolation that is effectively part of my course. But, even here, the Lord is sovereign and when I realised this things became a lot less stressful.

But still more oddity. Sadly I can't really go into detail on this issue as its a personal matter for a old friend of mine, but on Thursday I was approached for advice in a situation that was both unusal and very, very odd for me. But hey - makes life interesting.

Still its been a grand week - a week in which I learnt of 'Brutus the Buckeye' no less. 'Brutus' is of course the nutty mascot of THE (Thats for you Brit) Ohio State University Football team. And I find him most amusing. And I've renamed him 'Colin the Conker'.

Cricket: Take Three

I love this picture. And therefore I'm positing it. The victorious England cricket teams in Trafalgar Square - men and women.

Cricket: Take Two

England (admittedly inspite of my pessimism) have just beaten Australia to win the Ashes trophy. This is marvellous, wonderful, sublime stuff. And this picture is what its all been about. All five, five-day matches. One tiny trophy with some burnt wood in it and two great sporting rivals.

Return of the Americanos...

Well. At the moment theres only one thing I'd really like to note - the return of those darned crazy people known as the Americans. Or indeed Agape. The new team arrived on Thursday (and Friday) and its great to have them back around, especially Brit, Sarah and Ryan. Nice... I have honestly been walking around with a great big beaming smile on my face for the last few days. Its great to have you back guys.

Hmm... Ok, well maybe theres two things to note. A good friend recently gave me a book entitled The Practice of the Presence of God written by a French monk called Brother Lawrence. Now its taken me a while to really get into this book (translation: to actually read it) because of a number of reasons. But it is a rather splendid book. Here is a small extract of one of the chapters (bearing in mind this is a few hundred years old) that I love:

'It is only necessary to realise that God is initmately present within us, to turn at every moment to him and ask for his help, recognise his will in all things doubtful, and to do well all that which we clearly see he requires of us, offering what we do to him before we do it, and giving thanks for having done it afterwards. In this unbroken communion one is continually preoccupied with praising, worshipping and loving God for his infinite acts of loving-kindness and perfection.' (Brother Lawrence, The Practice of the Presence of God (St. Ives, 1996), pp. 28-29.)

Red Rose of Lancashire

So another post in quick succession. Ostensibly it is to post this picture, and more importantly what it shows. This is the Rose of Lancashire, the traditional symbol of the county that I would call my home. Think of it as my home state if you will. Ok so I live in Merseyside in reality but until 30 years ago Merseyside was Lancashire and had been for somewhere close on 800 years. So its Lancashire to me. I thought i'd post it given all that stuff about being a true Lancashire lad at the top of the blog.

As a wee side note I'd just like to say how amazing it is that we can go from being on top of the world and as confident as anything to feeling trully humbled for what seems like no reason at all.

Last night I went to sleep on a high, having just come off the back of 3 or 4 great days being back in Liverpool. This morning for no real reason I felt low and humbled. Odd.

Weddings and all that...

Other than immersing myself in the news (see below), i've been quite busy of late. I returned to Liverpool on Thursday (having had a pretty hectic week at home in the run up) with a whirlwind of a day. Between multiple trips to supermarkets, Ikea, and numerous runs in my car to Liverpool carting back my stuff, I was pretty shattered by the end of the day.

On Friday I ventured into Uni for some pretty unexciting (infact almost depressing) admin type jobs such as paying library fines, and trying to find out exactly how much money I will have to pay Liverpool University this year for the privillege of teaching myself. Fun, fun, fun!!

Friday evening was better though. I had the chance to briefly catch up with my mate Ryan, before heading off to catch a cool film, called, Crash. Intelligent, thought provoking and highly enjoyable.

On Saturday I frequented another wedding, that of my friends Phil and Anna, and it was great. Fantastic infact. It was amazing to see them married finally (its been a long time coming folks) and the day itself was a fantastic time of fellowship. Very enjoyable, though also very tiring. There should be some pictures at the top of this post.

Sunday was in essence simply a church day but again it was great. Amazing fellowship and a splendid day all in all. I even managed to finally catch up with Ryan properly over a good pint after a few days of trying which was good.

Today I've been brought down to earth a little, trying to sort out yet more of those administration tasks. But again its been a good day, particularly this evening which included me paying a visit to my mate Foz (he also got married recently - Phew!!! Lots, and lots, and lots of weddings) who has just returned from his medical elective in Cambodia. He regailed me and my housemate Damien with many, many tales of Cambodia. Splendid.

One downside to the last few days is that I've been pretty shocking in communicating with some of my more long distance friends. And for that i feel pretty useless. Anyway theres time to try and improve. Laters...

What a wonderful world....

Good morning! So here I am at 1 57 am (at least thats when i've started) writing in my blog. Thinking about it, I reckon I haven't gone to bed before 2 am for way over a month now. It seems that I have well and trully returned to my old Undergraduate habits, except back then I was a die-hard student, reading and writing essays to the silly hours of the morning. Nowadays I'm more likely to be found e-mailing, blogging or reading a Bill Bryson book I've already read a good 3 or 4 times but love so, so much that I'm devouring it again. Anyway random train of thought for you there.

To get back to this particular post I've been immersing myself in newspapers of late, picking my way through endless numbers of articles, columns, editorials, reporters blogs, and photos of the horrific events in New Orleans. And I must say that I sit open mouthed when considering it all. On the one hand the tragedy is simply staggering on its scale. An American commentator was discussing the situation on the BBC news yesterday and he put the crisis in a British perspective, comparing New Orleans with Manchester in its size for example, and this just put the Hurricane's devastation in perspective.

On the other hand though its the way the crisis has been handled thats really struck me. Now please don't misunderstand me here - if Britain was ever to face this kind of a disaster I am under no illusion that we, or infact the Government, would be any better placed to handle the situation (The Great Irish Famine being a good historical example of such a poorly handled crisis). But as part of a generation that has grown up looking to America as almost the 'Golden' nation its shocking to see one of its great cities almost disintegrate into chaos.

I hope and pray that the situation returns to some form of normality soon. Oh and if you are British and are feeling a tad helpless the British Red Cross is taking donations to pass on to the American Red Cross.

All of this news though has made me feel a tad low, and its this that brings me to the title of my post. I've been listening to a Louis Armstrong cd today and it has one of my favourite songs on it named 'What A Wonderful World' and it has just helped me to appreciate that this world we live in, though filled with tragedy, is a wonderful world and one that we should be immensly thankful for.

Thoughts for the day...

So todays post will be, as suggested in the title, more of a random collection of my thoughts for the day rather than a straightforward 'blog with a purpose'. And so it begins...

First off: Tragedy. More specifically the fact that the world is seemingly teeming with it at the mo. Or at least its more readily obvious to me personnally at this time.

One the one hand there is current tragedy. First off the hurricane which has annhilated the Gulf states of the US and is looking like being one of the worst disasters to strike the US in its history. And with every news report I see, more and more death and destruction. Trully frightening.. Secondly the stampede in Iraq which has killed some 1,000 people. Again terrifying.

And then, there is past tragedy. I happended to come across a documentary last night on BBC 2 named 'The Children of Beslan'. Essentially this was a programme interviewing the surviving children of the Beslan siege of 2004. Beslan, if you will remember, was a tiny Russian town near war-torn Chechnya, that became the centre of the world's attention for all the wrong reasons. Specifically a group of Chechen terrorists captured and held hostage hundreds of people in the local school, the age range of the hostages being anything from 4 to 84. And then, after bombs were detonated and fierce gun battles erupted, some 300 people lost their lives, many of them small children. Those children who survived spent the program re-living their experiences and it was tragic and chilling and... just sad.

And then to round off the evening I ended up watching another documentary, this time about the UN General who led a tiny number of UN forces during the Rwandan genocide. The programme centered on re-living the harrowing and horrendous slaughter through the eyes of the General, a man who felt he was betrayed by the UN and the Western powers (I would say with considerable justification) and by the end I just wanted to cry. Trully awful...

Secondly: Mates. My mates. I went to the pub with one of them tonight and we ended up talking in-depth about two other mutual friends who, since a New Years party this year, have, well lets say they have issues with each other. And its pretty bad - their issues have divided a group of friends that have been close throughout high school and beyond. As such it has prompted a lot of discussion on how we as a group of friends can rectify the situation. But tonight, as my mate waffled on at length, it suddenly dawned on me that the only solution to the problem is Christ. Thats it. The only true solution. And yet I'm too much of a coward to do anything about it.

Thirdly: Rain. I like the rain. I mean not in a 'I want to stand outside in the rain for hours on end' sense, and I have an equal liking for the sun. But I do appreciate the benefits falling water can bring to our world. For one it brings (at least in the UK) a seemingly endless supply of fresh water. Splendid!! Secondly, for me personnally, it brings relief from hot, muggy days (something my body finds difficult to cope with), and it can also allow me to feel like an 8 year old again. Let me explaing briefly - when you're 8 and playing with your mates its perfectly acceptable to go outside in the rain and mess around, have a laugh etc. But when you 'grow up' and reach adulthood to go out into the rain when you don't need to is considered a sign of being 'irresponsible' or 'insane'. However I beg to differ. Today I went for a walk in the rain and it was wonderful. I wouldn't do it again for a while (i'm not that crazy) but it was fun.

Backtracking

Ok, ok, ok. So I was going to end my blog. Well I'm not sure I'm ready to do that just yet. But I think the postings will definately become less frequent.

In the meantime, I took this photo whilst out walking the other day and I just though it really showed how amazing this world is. Fantastic.

And before I finish, I was catching up with current affairs the other day and came across a fact that blew me away in its magnitude.

Apparently President Bush is pushing for improved fuel economy in certain vehicles in the States - 4x4s (SUVs) and People Carriers (Minivans) etc. Now I will say that this is great - any move to reduce fuel consumption is a bonus at the moment. But the article that accompanied this story mentioned just how much of an effect this move for improved fuel efficiency would have. Apparently, by ensuring that these cars will be capable of 23 mpg rather than 21 mpg, some 10 billion gallons of fuel will be saved each year. I'll run that one by you again - 10 billion gallons a year.

That figure blew me away. What is even more staggering is that most European and Japanese cars are capable of at least 32 mpg and above. Just think how much larger that 10 billion figure would be if the President had pushed for that much of a change. But still, all credit for any move to save fuel. Nice...

Merseyfest

Thus it is that I end with a post about Merseyfest. Merseyfest is essentially a Christian mission/community outreach project based in the five boroughs that constitute Merseyside. It has been running for the last week throughout the area.

As such I have been helping out with a project based in my home town of St. Helens. Basically my home church's youth group, along with two groups from Liverpool and Leicester, has been working to clean-up a piece of wasteland in a dilapidated region of the town. And its been a great week. Through things that seem so simple (clearing a path way, painting fences, planting trees, clearing away rubbish) the team have made a major impact on the area.

Plus for my church's youth group it has been a fantastic week of fellowship, helping them to grow together and also introducing them to some really nice people from outside of the town (unless you live in St. Helens you have no idea how great that is for these guys).

It has been a marvellous week. And as a final end to this blog perhaps you could pray for:

The project - that it will have a lasting impact on the community and on peoples hearts.

The kids - that they will be able to continue to grow in their Christian faith and also in their fellowship with each other.

And... That this won't be the only time St. Helens is visited by such an event.

Ok guys. Thats it. The End.

The Sun-Setting...

So here it is. The end of my blog (well not quite - I thought I'd ascribe that honour to my Merseyfest post). And I must admit its been fun delving into the blogging world for the last few months.

But. All good things must end. In my case thats so 'all good things' can begin. By that I mean I can now spend a LONG time blogging and not much time working or praying etc. So its time to put a limit on things.

So dearest reader. Thanks for taking the time to observe my simple observations over the last few months. Its been fun.

Bad Haircut...

Yesterday I went for a haircut. Why? Well my hair was begining to take on 'epic' proportions and was attracting too many 'when are you going to get your hair cut?' comments. One girl at Merseyfest even offered to cut it with a pair of hedge clippers!!

So, inspight of me personnally being a fan of my dishevelled look, I went and had a haircut.

And... I now have the strangest hair-cut ever - well not really. But it is odd. I'm certainly being overly vain about it, but my hair just looks 'wrong'. And I can't work out why.

Theres not much I can do about it now other than wait for my hair to grow. But it does confirm one thing - that I cannot get a good haircut. Some people can and some people can't - I certainly fit the latter group. I don't even blaim the hardresser - I just have 'unfortunate hair' (I think thats something Bill Bryson said).

The Lakes...

Ok. Well I went to the Lake District last week and it was great. Very relaxing and the scenery was fantastic... Don't believe me? Well here is a picture to prove it. Nice.

Cricket

So I want to talk about cricket. It is a wonderful, magnificent game. I know, I know. The usual comments regarding cricket go along the lines of 'It is SO boring'. And yes - there is some truth in that.

But over the last few weeks I've been watching the 'Ashes' test series. For those not in the know the 'Ashes' is a historic competition between Austrailia and England, contested over a series of five day matches. And while that sounds long-winded and slow, it is riveting stuff. Exciting, dramatic, and all very British. I love it. So, so good.

If you are American you can probably find it on ESPN 42: The Redcoat Channel or something. Check it out...

And this man - pictured - makes it all the better. He is Adam Gilchrist, the Aussie wicket-keeper and he is a funny man (though I would imagine unintentionally).

Holiday a coming...

Tomorrow I leave for a week in the Lake District which will be fantastic. It is a time to rest, relax, and just generally chill. I will be able to head into the mountains, wander around the lake, or stroll in the woods. I can go scrambling on rocky outcrops and take photos till i'm blue in the face. A local pub will allow me eat delicious food and enjoy a fine pint of local ale. So in other words it will be a great week, and I am really looking forward to it.
On the other hand I approach it with some trepidation. Why? Well I am massively behind with my Uni work and I need to get it done. This simple, basic and also terrifying fact is resting uneasily on my mind. Furthermore the week will be a lonely one. I am with family but I am the youngest by some 25 years and that shows when you are in an isolated part of the world. However... It will be a good week.

Today has been a quiet one. I had a peaceful morning watching cricket while my parents where out and about. The afternoon included a random trip to Liverpool. In the evening my dad let me drive is car which was COOL. He has a Landrover Freelander (basically a small 4x4, or SUV if you are American) and it is great. So, so fast and so much fun. And I get to drive it to and in the Lakes. I am a happy man at the moment. Oh and I also dismantled a wardrobe. As you do.

Laters...

Musing...

I wrote a HUGE entry here before only to go to post it and - deep breath - it didn't post. Honestly, I reckon it was approaching 1,000 words. But - maybe its best it didn't make it to the published stage.

Anyway, here are a few assorted notes on the various things that I've been thinking about today.

1. Fuel. Petrol in this country has risen to an extortionate amount since I was last home and using my car. Today when I went to fill up it was 89.7p a litre. For our American friends that is about $6 a gallon. Yikes!!!

2. Teaching. I went into my mum's school today to help her get her classroom ready for the forthcoming term. All I was doing really was mundane tasks - sticking name labels on books etc - but it started me thinking about how much of a stressful job teaching is these days. Teachers aren't just teachers - they are mentors, managers, accounts, artists, IT specialists, and particularly in Primary education, are required to be experts in many, many subject areas. They have demands in time, stress and responsibility similar to professions such as Law and Medicine and yet recieve much less pay than lawyers, doctors etc. In short I have the highest respect for teachers, and would have to think very, very, very hard indeed before choosing the profession myself.

3. St Helens. My home town. Its been discussed here before, and I'll start by saying that it has many problems. Its run down, and full of scallies for a start. But the people are so, so friendly - this always take me aback - and my particular part of the town is so nice. The colours of the fields, the fresh air, the feeling of space - such a welcome change from Liverpool.

And, thats it...

R

Proverbs

I've been flicking through the book of Proverbs recently. And I just want to say I love it. Out of all the books in the Bible (which incidently is full of good stuff on every page) I have a real affinity for Proverbs and the book of James. Don't know why but hey. If you get the chance check them both out. Have a quick glance through. Ah go on.

Going home....

So later on today I'm going home to spend some quality time with my parents, enjoy the wonder that is my car and take in the rarity that is 'space'. All three of these are tremendous blessings in that I can go home and enjoy them, and, that they are so close to hand. My housemate Evans pointed this out before and its true. I am lucky.

And boy do I need them. Well maybe not the car - thats an added bonus. But seeing my parents will be nice. Why? Well first of all I really think that I need to go home to 'honour my parents' - to spend some quality time with them. This is something I feel I do not do well at the moment. Secondly its just so different being home - you get 'looked after' in a way that just doesn't happen at uni. Or infact in real life. Getting 'looked after' has obvious irritations - theres nothing like sensing like you've lost your freedom, even if that freedom is doing your own washing - but its something that we get few opportunities to enjoy and those opportunities are slipping away fast as we all get older.

And as for space then man do i need space - space in our house is at a premium right now. Hard to find and even harder to keep. Don't get me wrong. Its been a lot of fun living here over summer so far, but I need some breathing room. And I should be able to get that a plenty at home.

Anyway. I'm going home ladies and gents... Nice.

Ford Mustang

This is a nice car. It is a Ford Mustang 2005 and if I lived in America I would very much like to own one. Hmm... Nice

Revelationary moment

Good morning. Ever have one of those revelationary moments? You know... A moment of sheer utter and total 'whoa'. Well i've just had one - well maybe it was a few hours ago, but the whens and wheres are unimportant. What is important is that I had a moment of revelationary 'whoa'.

And the revelation? Well it was one of 'how incredibly lucky am i?'. Self-centred yes, but hopefully self-centred in a thankful way. I am thankful. Thankful for the incredible and blessed life that I am able to lead at Uni. Thankful for my amazing parents. Thankful for my good health. And- thankful for amazing people that I am so richly blessed with in my day-to-day life.

Nice thought to begin my day with, and, in addition to a most welcome phone call, it somewhat justifies my so far sleepless night.

And the gang at said wedding. Left to Right - Moll, Yaqi, 'The Pong', Cass, and Samo..

Wedding...

Yesterday, I went to a wedding. And a fine wedding it was too. Here is a wee snapshot of the over-the-moon bride and groom and their equally ecstatic parents.

Whats the craic with ye?

Ah hello there? Whats the craic with ye today dearest reader? I hope all is well and good in your everyday experience with this world that we live in.

So here is a little summary of my thoughts and experiences of the last week or so...

Firstly, I actually managed to make some progress with my work - only a fraction of what I need to accomplish ultimately, but progress nontheless.

Secondly, in preparation for the proper game that is cricket and England's regular opportunity to hammer the Aussies at it (hopefully anyway), I ended up watching two wonderfully obscure sports from the US of A. They were 'Slam Ball' (Basketball with trampolines. Ha!) and Extreme Dodge Ball. And they were most amusing.

Thirdly i've been enjoying have a relatively quiet, straightforward week. With weddings, posh meals, and, sadly, funerals to attend, life can seem a bit hectic sometimes. So to have a week of just being in Liverpool was most welcome. Nice.

Fourthly i've had a week of missing Americans - thats right Americanos - I miss you guys...

And lastly i've become hooked on the tv programme that is Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. This is embarrasing of course, but, I actually really like it. For a long time I held out as a cynical Brit - but now. Hooked, line and sinker...

And on that - laters innit

Mates from 'ome..

This delightful bunch to the left are my mates from home. I had hoped to get a picture up a while ago but never quite got around to it. But - here it is. We all look a bit young (this was taken four years ago when we were all 18 and just finishing sixth-form college), and I don't see some of these guys anymore. Nonetheless - my mates from home ladies and gents...

At the movies...

A new computer - a new blog...

So a bit of movie theme tonight. To start with we (my house - give or take the odd one) have just been to see 'The Wedding Crashers'. For those who don't know this is the new Vince Vaughn/Owen Wilson tale about two blokes who... well they crash weddings in the interest of general merriment. And after a slowish start it was a very funny film. A bit dodgy in parts but very good.. Plus it had a Will Ferrell cameo - always a good thing.

On a more serious note I watched 'Hotel Rwanda' last night. This is essentially the story of a Rwandan Oscar Schindler, who against all the odds, managed to shelter over 1000 Hutu and Tutsi refugees through the genocide that took place in Rwanda in the mid 1990s. And it was a deeply moving film to watch. Equally it was incredibly shocking. As a whole it captured remarkably the horrendous scale and brutality of the genocide. It also highlighted the complete pointlessness of it all and more disturbingly, the complete lack of assistance from the western powers. It tooke Tutsi rebels to end the bloodshed, while we western nations stood by and watched.

It made me feel very, very sad indeed.

Techological breakdown....

A quick blog today since i'm on Danny's computer - thanks Danny.

So today i've been computer hunting...and come away with two cd's. Hmm... Something went wrong there. But. They are good cd's - Amos Lee (based on an enthusiastic recommendation from at least two Americanos) and Jason Mraz. Very relaxing...

The lack of a computer has also highlighted just how lucky and...spoilt, I am. And in a strange way it has reminded me of how significant and awe inspiring God is. By that I mean we come to depend on these wonderful and yet remarkably annoying man-made machines and then they fall apart - but God's amazing provision continues.

Of late i've felt that the computer has started to take over my life - i need it to work for one thing, but, also with some very dear people to me being out of our fine land, i see it as a key form of communication. MSN, e-mail and blogging et al. But as consequence of this I feel that i'm taking my focus off God and onto the computer. Sounds odd I guess but seriously - instead of praying or reading the bible i'll go onto the net for the millioneth time that day to check my e-mails.. Not good.

So maybe I need this technological break?

Anyway - laters...

R

So. My computer just died. This is one of those moments when the word 'bummer' is definately justified. I'm writing this on my mate Samo's computer for which I am most definately grateful.

However I had hoped to start some long-over-due work tonight. As in essay writing. This is no longer a viable option really.

Ne'the'mind. Tomorrow I shall head into Uni to use the computers there, before heading into town to check out whats available in the world of computers these days..

Fun, fun, fun...

Dr David Wood

A proud man with his tractor...

Anglo-American cooporation...

Ah.. A true symbol of Anglo-American cooporation on each and every table.. Splendid.

The 'lads'...

The 'lads' on the lawn at Hassop Hall....

The meal...

Recently most of my posts have been, er, shall we say a little on the negative side. On the one-hand thats fine - they reflect my thoughts at the moment and also provide a little breathing space for my mind.

However today I want to write about something more positive. You see today a few of us from the house went over to Derbyshire for my housemate Dave's graduation meal. And it was great.

Firstly it was simply a priviledge to be present. For the meal was a thankyou from Dave to those closest in his life - those whom he feels truly grateful to for helping him through the last ten years of his life. And the fact that he asked us to be present was fantastic - a real honour. It trully felt remarkable to be part of an occasion like that.

Secondly it was just a great time of friendship between me, Steve, Danny and Evans. There is something about going doing something different with people that can strengthen friendship remarkably - no matter how well you know people. And today felt like that. Call it the 'road trip' effect... Or whatever. It was great.

Thirdly it was a fantastic opportunity to meet new people, and also people you hear of over time, but never meet. For example - over the years Dave would tell us about his family, but most of us had never really met any of them. Until today. And... it was cool. We sat on a table with one of his brothers, who was a class guy - very funny and remarkably like Dave. Also on our table we had Dave's best mates from home and elsewhere and again it was fun. We'd never met before but still we had a good laugh and the spirits were high.

Fourthly, well there are the asthetics. Food wise, we had a delicous 4 course meal. Really nice, plus of course we didn't have to pay for it. Bonus. Add to that the location - Hassop Hall ( a house probably about 400-500 years old) set in the beautiful Derbyshire countryside. It was fantastic. Oh and we had free drinks too - wine, champagne, and sherry - though not too much was consumed. Honestly...

And lastly it was a splendid day for some stand out reasons. On the one hand we had Dave driving up to the place in a tractor. This was something I really don't think we were expecting (nor was he by all accounts), but it is his boyhood dream so it was great that it was fulfilled. Raises my hopes that my parents will one day fulfill my boyhood dream of flying a jet fighter. Hmm.. Maybe not..

In addition its not something you do every day. Ie put on a suit, drive to a manison in a national park, drink sherry on the lawn before retiring to a sumptuous room to eat a four course meal in good company.

So it was a grand day.

R

Graduation...

Its a year-to-the-day since I graduated. That is a very strange thing to ponder on...

Home...

Whoa... Its like total picture overload.. So this morning I set off from my house (in St Helens) for a quick walk over the nearby fields. And I decided to take my camera. This is a visual record of but a small part of the resulting 30 min walk. I love my home area. Technically I live in a huge industrial town of more than 200,000 people, located in one of the UK's most urbanised regions, directly inbetween Liverpool and Manchester. And yet, its so amazingly serene and picturesque, and, within 30 seconds walk from my house. Quality.

Funeral...

Today I attended a funeral. It was the funeral of my friends mother, who sadly died of cancer last week.

And... It was an odd experience. I'm glad I went - with my other friends - but it was an unusual position to be in. The church was full of family and friends and though we were all invited to support my friend we did feel a little out of place, since we didn't really know his mother too well.

But... The service was good. It didn't shy away from God (many funeral services hide away from the truth these days) and it was a beautiful service. The music for the hymns was provided by a local coillery band (as in a brass band that used to be formed by members of local coal mines) and it was amazing. Maybe its because I used to play a brass instrument myself but I find brass music to be incredibly emotional and it can stir me at the most placid of times, let alone a funeral. It was... touching.. Yep thats the right word.

Since the funeral service itself I've been to the crematorium (which was weird because I was in the very same building for my Nan's funeral three weeks ago), and no less than 3 seporate public houses. Though I will add that i have had no alcoholic beverages at all today....

Overall: a weird day.. But one that I feel priviledged to have been able to attend, and, one that has really highlighted how amazing my mates are (see below)...

R

Friends from home...

Today I've had the rare opportunity to spend some quality time with my friends from home. By 'friends from home' I mean the guys that I went to primary school, high school, sixth-form college and even, in some cases, Uni with.

These are the people that I've grown-up with. The people that i saw almost every day for at least 10 years of my life. They are the people with whom I've shared so many firsts in my life, such as going abroad for the first time.

And I just want to say they are great. Today, one of my friends really needed our support, and we came through for him. En mass. Even though we are all slowly moving in different directions in our lives and in many cases living far away from home, we all came home to support and be with our friend.

Today has truly reminded me of the value of close, long-term friendship. It has also highlighted how great my mates from home actually are. Inspight of our growing differences, inspight of not living in the same town we are still a close knit group who care and watch out for each other. And that is fantastic. Such a priviledge. Such a blessing..

So heres a shout out to my mates:

Chris
Ste
Si
Ben
Alex
Rich (not me!)
Andy
Liz

(P.S. Uni guys... You are all great too...)

A Hommage....

A hommage to what you may ask? Well a hommage to our friends across the pond in the good ole' US of A. Today may remember a historic low point in British/American relations, but on the scale of British military defeats, it has to be one of our finest.

Why? Well first of all it resulted in a very cool country, a country which is home to some very, very cool people who I am delighted to be able to call my friends. It is the handful of US citizens that i've been so privileged to have met in the last few years that have well and truly transformed my view of America. Never have I met such a generous and friendly group of people. You guys are great - really looking forward to your return.

Secondly, defeat in America (well apart from Canada :-)) forced Britain to look elsewhere in the world. And the result? Well, it was called the British Empire. For the moment i'll put to one side the numerous downsides to the Empire (and there were many) and concentrate on the tremendous diversity that the Empire has brought to Britain. It has enriched our diet (Indian food - mmmm...), and has produced much of the English speaking world. I think thats pretty cool.. And its all thanks to those American patriots - and a little help from Le France...

Cheers guys...

Hotel Hallville...

I know I keep going on about my house and people in it. But - in the last week we have had no less than 15 different people living here. 15!!! That is a LOT of people. Not all at once (11 is the current record for that, set two days ago) but still its a lot. As my housemate Steve pointed out before it feels like a completely different house. Not sure how well I'm coping with it.. Rather than feeling relaxed and comfortable, I feel on the defensive - trying to protect 'tradition'. This is selfish and unfair on those moving in.. But when you've been here for 3 years already it feels so... so odd.

Away from the house, just been to see War of the Worlds, the new Tom Cruise/Steven Spielberg (that how you spell it?) movie. Pretty good - though it had a very understated ending...

Anyway... Laters...

New Housemate No. 2

And on this picture you will see Mr Damien Parkinson. Standing to the right this time, Damien is again an interesting chap. On the surface he's quiet, unassuming and generally a good lad. However as with Samo you can be certain he has a more devious nature just waiting to be unleashed. Slightly crazy - the first time I met him he was talking about Purple lizards crawling on the roof (?) - he is a welcome addition to the house and a mean chess player. So there you are two new members of the clan Hallville.

New Housemate No.1

Ok.. So I thought it'd be good to introduce my two new housemates. These are the people braving the world that is 31 Hallville... On this picture you will find Samson Wachira. Standing to the left of the picture, he could be said to be rather quiet, retiring in personality - all in all a pleasant individual. Of course he is also wise, and has a tendancy to show a rather devious smile. Interesting chap.. And now also the oldest in the house. So there you go. Samo Wachira from Kenya.

Hmm....

I am in what you might call a state of mild confusion. I'm still sat in Liverpool, at the same desk i've been sat at for three years, wondering what on earth is going on here. In my house, two old housemates are leaving which is a bit of pain but hey, thats normal. However by the end of this week those two housemates will have left, their replacements will have arrived, and... and we will also have two other guys living in the house. This is cool/ok etc. The new housemates are guys i've known for 3 and 4 years, and the 'extra', 'temporary' housemates are/ should be good fun. But theres so much people moving going on right now that I feel disorientated. I wake up thinking 'Who's living in my house today?'... Odd.

The mild state of confusion also continues into the world outside of 31 Hallville Road. I have no idea who is living in Liverpool right now. Some medics I think... Now and again some guys will return/are returning to move stuff from house-to-house, go to church or just generally get some time away from home.. But again its disorientating - you run into people unexpectedly (though this is very cool and very much appreciated when it happens) and then theres no guarantee that you'll see them until September. I find this a weird way to socialise.

I guess what i'm craving here is some kind of stability. Whilst all this 'people moving' is going on I'm feeling increasingly under pressure to start producing work wise and its not easy. When your academic life involves virtually no connact with anyone, socialising takes on a new precedence. It is your life-line to normality. A bit overdramatic maybe but i feel its somewhat justified.

I'm also missing key people in my everyday life. At least one, maybe two, are not natives of this fair land and are in Ohio or Russia. And i am missing them dearly. Others are dotted around the UK, having either graduated or being on holiday. Its a real bummer to be honest. But hey there are worse things to deal with in life.

On a happier note I rather unexpectedly ended up in Brum (Birmingham) yesterday and I really enjoyed it. It is a vvvvvv nice city (i'd never been before - always associated the place with Spaghetti Junction, and dilapidated industry) - so, so nice. I ended up there as part of the ongoing Evans Felix Sarpong birthday celebrations. We were planning on going to Alton Towers (big theme park) but aborted on route and headed to the Brummie capital. Wise move. One of my good friends from Uni happens to live in the vicinity of B and after Evans gave him a call, Woody came down into the city, gave us a guided tour, and then we headed over to his home town and chilled out... Nice..

OK.. Time for work or something.. Oh and last night I had the hottest Chicken Tikka Masala I have ever had in my life. Soooooo hot - I got the feeling the chefs might have put in some Vindaloo curry sauce for a bit of a laugh... Hmmm....

Its all about the shadows..

Its all about the shadows... So. Whilst pottering around at Fountains Abbey - see below - me and my best mate from Uni (well - undergrad degree anyway) went a bit nuts on the old photography. Why? Well we enjoy it I guess...

Whilst scrambling around in one of the buildings I found myself standing in a huge old window and noticed the shadow being cast on the ground in front of me. With the midday sun at my back my silhouette was being projected perfectly into this amazing medieval setting. Anyway being an arty type I thought this was pretty cool and took a picture.. And I really like it... Laters...

Fountains Abbey...

So this is Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire, England (for Americanos out there), and it is an awe-inspiring place. Say what you want about monks, monasteries and old, imposing churches, but this place is amazing. Built in a time long, long before Columbus sailed in the ocean blue, Fountains is a HUGE structure. Soooo big... Sadly this photo doesen't show that too well but it is a beautiful place and I think the photo does show that. Anyway...

Photo

Yay!!! I can post an image on my blog.. Hopefully it will work for others to see. I took this picture from our house the other day and i just think its cool.. Reminds me of Gods amazing creation. Anyway enjoy... R

Spiffing day old bean...

If you read the preceeding post then.. well i'm moaning about my day and how tired i am..

However i've actually had quite a nice day. Started by heading to a very nice coffee shop on Rose Lane where I had a bagel with jam and a cappuccino with an old mate of mine named Phil. Phil is a sound guy who i've not seen for a while so it was cool to meet up, plus he invited me to his wedding in September which is great. Really looking forward to it. Anyway yeah it was a great way to start the day.

Then, after watching Shrek 2 (great film) I've just been chilling out, listening to great music, watching the fine game of cricket, and taking in this fantastic weather.. Nice...

Sledge hammer

At the moment i feel like i've been hit by a sledge hammer.. Why may you ask?

Well the answer comes in two parts. Firstly I have been defeated by the might of pollen.. My body has reacted very badly indeed and has resorted to doing strange things. This in turn has kept me awake at night.. Bummer..

However i have decided to fight back. First off i will get some allergy tablets pronto. Secondly i've just blitzed my room with a hoover and duster in the hope that removing dust will make a difference. Wishful thinking maybe but good non-the-less. Though i didn't really appreciate just how exhausting cleaning my room could be. By cleaning i mean proper cleaning - moving (shock horror) furniture etc to get all the dust etc. Man - it nearly killed me. And it took hours.

The result? I feel like i've been hit by a sledge hammer.

Twidling my thumbs...

I'm bored. Like really bored. Since Monday things have got a whole lot quieter around here. Its nice in some ways - I can get more work done for example (600 words today already - Nice) and there are still some quality people around to see or catch up with. But i'm still bored..

Vertigo: a sensation of whirling and loss of balance, caused by looking down from a great height...

So on Wednesday I had vertigo... Well not quite...

Rather, I was fortunate enough to be at the City of Manchester Stadium to watch Bono, the Edge et al perform in all their might. And man do they put on a show. So, sooooo good.

Our merry band, consisting of myself, Mr Jack Sykes, Mr Steven 'Naked' Attwell and Mr Peter 'Swanny' Swan, arrived at the gig late afternoon just in time to hear U2 end their practice set, buy a tour t-shirt each (well pretty much) and then head into the stadium to get a good spot for later in the night.

Fortunately because we were pretty early we managed to get inside the 'inner corden' that was the section of the arena around the stage, fenced off from the rest of the pitch. Little did we know how good this would be a few hours later. Anyway, we settled in nicely with Idlewild (cool Scottish indie band) and then Athlete (equally cool English indie band) providing an entertaining warm up. And then the fun began...

Things started to get interesting before Bono and chums even got near the stage. Being a little bored waiting for drum kits to be changed, guitars to be tuned and mics to be checked, a few of us started to randomly cheer, wave and well have a laugh. Recognising that this was a good plan more and more people around us joined in until we turned to the stands and beckoned our fellow U2 fans to join in with the cheering and arm waving. And sure enough within a matter of seconds we had a huge mexican wave going around the stadium.. V cool... We even applauded them since we were so impressed.. Anyway...

Then U2 arrived and they were amazing! Vertigo started us off and people were soon 'in the spirit', having a bit of a dance, screaming along etc. Good stuff. What followed was essentially a succession of amazing hits both old and new, backed up by a spectacular light show. Musically everything was great. Larry Mullen (drums) and Adam Clayton (base) happily sat back and kept every song ticking over. The Edge played some amazing riffs on his many, many guitars bringing every song to life. Bono - well - the guy is a legend. Such an awesome entertainer. Everything he did, said, even sang just had the audience in the palm of his hand. Incredible.

The highlights? Well musically I was pretty 'stoked' by the tracks 'One' and 'Where the Streets Have No Name' because I like them really, but to be honest every track was great. 'Beautiful Day' was pretty awesome too, just becasue of the way they got the suspense going. We (the audience) where pretty fired up for the chorus and then, no, we'll keep it chilled, da de da, dum de dum.... CHORUS... Nice.

Away from the music then there was a really cool bit where Bono was like 'Everyone take out your phones and hold them up'. So we did. Then the lights went down and it was so good. Think looking at the stars but in the stadium. If you're sceptical, then trust me, its very effective and cool to see. After that we were asked to text our name and the word africa to a number. So I did and soon after my name (along with others) flashed up on the big screen. Interesting feeling seeing it up there but definately a good one.

Other cool bits included Bono giving someone his coat, swapping his shades with a lass and then getting another lass up on stage in 'With or Without You'. Good stuff..

The main highlight though? Well, it had to be just being where we where in relation to the stage. Put simply we where probably 30ft from the main stage, and 10ft from two small stages linked to the main stage by walkways. This meant that we had an amazing view throughout the night, and, that when the band headed out onto the stages, which they did a lot, we were 10ft from Bono, the Edge, etc... VVVVVVVV cool...

So all in all then a vvvvvvvvv good night.... Go and see U2! NOW!

Brittney...

See The Challenge...

This week...

Aside from my little challenge theres a lot I could write about here in this blog of mine. A LOT.

I could write about the very sad feeling that I had on Sunday because I realised that a number of quality, amazing people in my life will be leaving shortly either for a month and a bit, or, for good (at least in the long-term). By this I mean those known as the 'Agape guys' or simply the 'Americans'. Not good. Going to miss you guys...

I could also write about the oddities of my home town, a place I was frequenting earlier today. I could write about the friendliness and warmth of the people, the local delicacy that is the 'meat and potato pie', the beautiful countryside, the history etc. Or I could mention the industrial wasteland, the scalliest scallies in all the land and the sheer numbers of miserable people that inhabit the place. Seriously I was humming and whistling away in the town center today, happy and joyous for all that we have in this world etc, and all I got in return was looks of fear, horror and disgust from my fellow st helenians... Anyway...

I could write about the fact that I'm going to have one of the oddest weeks of my life probably in seeing U2 on Wednesday with 60,000 people, only to be at a funeral within less than 24 hours...

I could write about the amazing people in my life that I sometimes overlook and who I'm just so thankful for. And I believe some of them have actually read this blog (not you B and D - there are others apparently - SHOCK HORROR)..

I could also write about my house which is amazing. We had a house meal tonight to basically commemorate Dave and Machine leaving us and it basically reminded me of how good our house is. So many sound people. Sweet...

And I could also write about how my head is so often up in the clouds these days, and why, though I'll leave that there. But it is and its not so bad... :-)

But on that I'm going to go to bed...

The Challenge

Ok so today I did an odd thing - I will freely and happily admit that this is an odd thing to do.

I went to my local post office and exchanged a remarkably small amount (got to LOVE that exchange rate) of English money for some US dollars. The result? I have $40 US sat in my wallet. Whilst this is nice/slightly unusual/just that little bit different,I have in all honesty simply exchanged good, useful, English money for not so useful American produced bits of paper.

But... There is method to my madness. Well I hope there is. My cunning plan is to hand over these four bits of oddly enscribed paper (with some guy called Hamilton on each one) to a citizen of the United States (or maybe two). As these people will soon be able to use such unusal money in their homeland i'm thinking how good it would be if they could use it wisely on my behalf. Kind of like an agent I guess.

So what do you say B.M.L? How about using my $40 to buy that CD by a stinkin' rockin' band and maybe something cool as well (I don't know what cool is but surprise me - maybe a baseball - thats kind of cool. Or an Ohio tee)? Ah go dude! Please... You could think of it as a challenge - see how original you could be.

Anyway... Go on lass. You know you want to...

An Ode to Mr Temlett...

I'll let the song speak for itself....


Oh Danny boy

Oh Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling
From glen to glen, and down the mountain side
The summer's gone, and all the flowers are dying
'tis you, 'tis you must go and I must bide.

But come you back when summer's in the meadow
Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow
'tis I'll be there in sunshine or in shadow
Oh Danny boy, oh Danny boy, I love you so.

And if you come, when all the flowers are dying
And I am dead, as dead I well may be
You'll come and find the place where I am lying
And kneel and say an "Ave" there for me.

And I shall hear, tho' soft you tread above me
And all my dreams will warm and sweeter be
If you'll not fail to tell me that you love me
I simply sleep in peace until you come to me.

Please Note: The lyrics of this song in no way relfect the personal feelings of this blogger to Mr T or any other Danny in this world.

One heck of a 24 hrs....

Ok so i'm tired. Really tired. But in a nice way.

As the title suggests i've had a busy twenty four hours. Well it feels like it to me anyway..

Yesterday I went home. The reasons for this are many and numerous, and not that important, but crucially it allowed me to indulge in some quality 'memory lane-ing' which is always good. I managed to meet up with my best mate from home, a guy called Chris, who is a dude, though he'd probably have a go at me for being too American for calling him a 'dude'. Anyway he's a sound guy and it was good to chill out, swap tales of woe and discuss future plans..

After that I had a wee bit of time to go for a proper fast, country road type drive - all fast, twisty corners and stuff... So good... Also got to take in the joy that is driving past my old high school and knowing that i don't EVER have to be in maths or something equally dull on such an amazingly beautiful day.. Nice.

After that, and a quick trip back to Liverpool to grab some stuff, I blasted up the motorway to the Lake District to meet up with my parents who are at this moment in time on holiday in that amazing part of the world. And that was yesterday.

This morning I arose in a beautiful part of the world and started my day by going for a really cool, chilled out, swim in this ace private, indoor heated swimming pool where my parents are staying.. So good. I haven't been swimming for years and it was fantastic.. Really should go more often..

Then I had some time chilling out with my parents, which was great, just eating some nice decent food that i didn't have to pay for (bonus), and then going for a relaxing walk into the nearest town which was good.. If not a little frightening

The town, Grange-over-Sands in the Lakes, is essentially a Mecca for Old Age Pensioners, and therefore can be quite disorientating for someone in their early twenties. For a good hour today I was surrounded by people who were on average forty or even fifty years older than me.. Scary.. Just imagine people called Ethel or Margerey, doddering around town at 0.000001 mph, saying things like 'In my day' or raising their walking stick in anger at the nearest person without sagging skin, false teeth and a zimmer.. Seriously it has the effect of making you feel like an endagered species when you're young..

After that I headed back to the holiday centre, had a proper Lancashire meal (hotpot - like stew but better) and then headed home (Liverpool) at high speed, and got back just in time to see the sun setting over the city.. Quality...

All in all vvvvvv tiring though... Need to sleep methinks...

Sara and Brittney

Guys. What can i say other than that I officially suck at the old communication business tonight. So apologies....

In my defense I simply turned my computer on, popped downstairs to finish off my Maryland cookies with some milk, watched a bit of tv with Machine and Swanny and headed back upstairs ready to hit my computer. All this was done in the belief that a least one of you splendid people (Brittney Michelle) would be, and I quote, 'up late working' and on MSN.

And yet I get back up here to find not one, but two, yes two, conversation windows open and no-one on line. Dude.. Bummer.. Though for what its worth the dual conversation was very entertaining to read - so thankyou... And apologies guys...

Hope the craic is good while you are reading this. If you are reading this...

Richy, Rich (aka poopstain)