Spring from Spamalot to Shrek - United Kingdom, United Kingdom .

Sunday, May8, 2011
Well not alone did April fly by, with so often on and so many years off, but it reached record temperatures in the UK being the hottest April on record. So I get now lived through the coldest December and the hottest April in the UK. It is rumoured that this is summer and it will be over soon, but I'm hopeful that it will be a good long summer.

Ok so April has not just been a jammed packed month but it also saw the end of my contract at Long Eaton due to no funding. I now feel myself in a position that there basically is no work - one that I have been favorable to not have been in since I came over 3 years ago. But that won't contain me for long and I will invariably get something to do. It's only a little sad that I had to leave somewhere that turned out to be one of the most enjoyable jobs I have had in the UK.

Scouting For Girls

Right so now onto the fun stuff. Early on in April I headed over to Manchester to join Amy, Dave and about of their friends in a snap in Tatton Park on the outskirts of Manchester, went to see Scouting for Girls in concert and went for a lovely sunday walk and a pub lunch to finish.

I then headed up to Edinburgh for a weekend to see big sis and helped her out in her annual local community spring clean event where I was the chief afternoon tea person whipping up my very first victoria sponge (mum you would be proud), decorating cupcakes with easter and spring themed decorations and fashioning a survival of sandwiches and nibbles that were devoured by all.

Other fun stuff was leaving to Leicester with a workmate to go to see Spamalot the work and laugh ourselves silly, and for my work farewell we went to the Jamie Oliver chain of Italian restaurants for a gorgeous meal. We were all rather amused with the old fashioned decor in the restaurant especially the Thomas Crapper toilets - small things amuse small minds or was that the wine?

Easter was exhausted in the Lake District with Amy, Dave and several members of Dave's family at Dave's mum and dad's place - a soft and relaxing weekend

Picnic at Tatton Park

. Then of form the effect that was muched hyped was of form the imperial wedding of William and Kate in which we had a day off for - yeah day off. I headed with a workmate to her sister in laws in Huddersfield as she had a prominent tv and we got to ooh and ahh happily to the dress, the kiss and all that stuff.

April then came to an end and that was me idle and homeless, so I stayed with a workmate for a few years before heading down to London where I have been staying in a hostel where I have had everything - from the previous night noisy arrival, the dispute of communication with somebody who speaks very little english, the snoring (I thought a daughter had got lucky and was sharing her bed with the lucky guy - one from the great pile in the bed and two that no woman could always be able of that measure of noise, but it turned out it was a quite large woman who you could safely say was suffering sleep apnoea), my towel being stolen by the cleaners and one I have never some across but a wheelchair bound lady who was hostelling it but who in place to get in and out of her wheelchair and on and off the bottom bunk bed below me requisite to use the run and bunk edge which made me look like there was an earthquake below me, I too had to catch myself from wanting to help her as I felt compelled to, but as I am technically on vacation and she seemed set to do it herself I held back

Work Farewell

. All reference to her though as is hard to go when not in a wheelchair, I can but think how severe it must be.

I was then linked by a supporter from the old Port days (her grandparents were neighbours of ours) Kelly and she joined me to go sing and wave our glow sticks at the musical legend of Barry Manilow - and yes I can see you laughing - but how many people can say they have sung Copacabana with the man who 'writes the songs'.

Kel(having just arrived in the UK on the Weds) and I then headed out and almost in London and we saw all the top ticket items in one day - Wellington Arch / Hyde Park Corner / Green Park / Buckingham Palace and changing of the guard / St James Palace / Trafalgar Square / The Mall / Horse Guards Parade / Downing Street / Big Ben / Houses of Parliament / Westminster Abbey / London Eye / Southbank / Tate Modern / Shakepeare's Globe / St Paul's (catching some of the Vespers service) / Piccadilly circus / Leicester Sqaure / Covent Garden / Chinatown- and yes we were shattered and had aching feet and blisters.Sunday was then a clear day visiting Old Spitalfields market and Brick Lane.

I then had a few days spare in London so managed to get a few errands done, go on a royal weddings walking tour (highlights from the recent marriage and amusing stories from years of old)
and go and see Shrek the Musical with a few big name British stars including Amanda Holden as Princess Fiona (she's on Britain you've got Talent as one of the judges). Now you would think donkey would have been the show stopper with humour but that point went to none other than Lord Farqar who to take his little stature went about on his knees with fake skinny legs attached - it was so funny.

So that has been April and first week in May - Next up a new venture in a new country (Iceland) and fingers crossed that work comes my way.