21.10.08

Durham

Posted in Juggling, People at 5:03 pm by alby

Wasn’t sure whether to go to Durham this year.  I’m very pleased I did.

I was out on Friday so was up late-ish on Saturday but the drive was pretty good.  Not too much delay anyway.  Oh and I managed to leave the directions in the house.  Specially printed them the day before n’all.

Wandered in to find a bustling lobby and hall at around 2.30.

Squeals and hellos and hugs abound.  I like jugglers.  P&C were there despite having travelled up in Philip.  They had tales of bouncy dog which yet again makes me want one.  Sigh.

Me and Clurb got down to some passing as per our usual want.
After a short while I realised I’d not really eaten anything in the day yet so buggered off to the village shop.  Bought myself what should have been a lovely sandwich only to find out that the bread was sodden wet and therefore contented myself with stuffing the filling straight into my mouth and ignoring the ruined bread.

More time spent with an variety of folk from the usuals to Graeme and Kate (ex Lugeburf) to the Fletchers and doing crosswords with Lorri and more.  An extremely pleasant way of spending a day.

In the aft we all headed off for dinner at the “other” pub.  This one rather handily served food at sensible times (last year the other pub started serving at 7.30 - no good for those of us who wanted to see the show).  Good food as well.  Service was good.  Recommended for next year.  Whilst sitting there about half of the convention goers turned up as well which did cause Ewan slight stress as he was organising the show and the sheer quantity of food needing prep meant slow service.  But despite this, laughs a plenty, lots of passing notes around ala school and I even had pudding which frankly is unheard of.

To the show.  They had their £1 a drink bar again which is excellent.  More places should try this.  This was the start of me drinking rather too much.

Ooh no it wasn’t.  I had a pint at the pub with dinner too.

After the show we all headed back into the hall for more juggling.  At least that was the plan.

What actually happened was we sat around in a big group chatting, eating and drinking.  I’d brought up the sausage Pete had bought a couple of weeks back, the Bulgarian meat and sausage I’d brought back from my trip and, to drink, the 4 remaining bottles of Belgian beer as delivered by my couchsurfing Belgians.  P&C had also brought some chocolate that I’d given them from Germany.

We had a nice little group of folk around us.  The meat went down well (not quite as nice as the really smoked version), Helen made herself into a special case by refusing to eat it on the flimsy rationale that it was pork and what with her being jewish etc etc.  I mean the nerve of the woman! (this incident reminded me of a skit from “Beyond the Fringe” where one of them comments that Jonathan Miller is a Jew.  “I’m not a jew.  I’m jewish, not the whole hog.”) People ummed and aahed about whether the sausage was lovely and which was the better.  Then we get to the chocolate.

PnC’d brought “Feuer” and “Wasser”.  Feuer is a chili chocolate.  Wasser is milk cream and watermelon.  The chili one was a bit dull but it did its job of warming.  But Wasser really was a discovery.  Loads of people had a bit and reactions varied from “nyer” to “What is it?  Is it really?  I’ll sniff it first.  No actually I’ll nibble a bit.  Oh it’s disgusting.  No maybe not.  Ah really it is.  Urgh.  Ooh that’s space dust!”

By this time I was well on my way to being the drunkest I’ve been in ages.  I totted up my booze intake this morning.  1 pint at the pub with dinner, 3 half litre bottles of Polish beer and 2 odd Belgian beers.  And I was having a great time.

Sleep did come easily and the back of this car was pretty comfy with a thermarest, a 3 season sleeping bag and a duvet.

Woke up to a noxious headache and guts but the latter was soon passed.  Coke helped ease the former.

More passing and sitting and chatting.  And then home via my parents’ place.

I was going to join others for a pub lunch but realised as I set off that I was going to have yet another meal out with my folks when I got there.  So rather than a lovely meal with lovely people I set myself to a long dull drive south before another lovely meal with lovely people.

So now that’s 2 Durhams and 2 great times.  And 3 conventions in 3 weekends.  I think I need a rest.

Have fun.

Pics here.

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