CARAVANS AND CLIMBING AND MY 18TH BIRTHDAY =]

As you may have gathered from my last post, I have been living in a tiny 2-man caravan with my mum, dad and Vicky ... needless to say, I was feeling slightly squished by the end of the experience. Many a nights were spent sprawled across the gravel floor outside the caravan as the rubbish ‘bed’ loaned to me by the Forshaw’s, which proved inadequate, and the slighted movement caused the whole contraption to capsize, landing on top of me.
YAY IT WAS MY BIRTHDAY ON WEDNESDAY THE 16TH JULY!!!! WOOO IM 18!!!! As I am having my party a month from now, I just met up with Emma and Rachy-babe for an early breakfast in Broadbent’s ... muffins, caramel squares, hot choc with cream and marshmallows as on the menu. Rach and Em paid for me =] we then went dress trying on in Bay ... as per usual, and TKMax too! Wedding dresser were involved ‘I do’ believe. Went off for a bit of ‘me’ time after and later went out for a mean with mum dad Vicky, nana, gran granddad and Aileen (Mike on holiday). I was surprised by an apple pie with a candle in at the end which made it all too funny, not to mansion gran stealing handfuls of mint imperials ... she won the compotition. I had a caterpillar cake ... =]
Luckily for me, I was to endure the least of the conditions of all of us as I was working so much. Thursday night 5-12, then Friday Clark’s 11-4 and pizza express 5-10, then on to Emma’s birthday cinema expedition. Bex (with Rach and Claire in the car) picked my up from work and we made an emergency stop off at Asda and met up with Emma, Jon, Adam and James. After raiding the sweets and chocolate isle, we proceeded to see Mama Mia! There was a pizza throwing incident in the car park and we risked getting arrested down Neville Street as I was getting changed in the back seat. Had to wait till we got to the cinema to pull up my skinny jeans properly, much to the embarrassment of a few people in the car park. Decided to go for a ‘walk-through’ at McDonalds as it had shut. And I got a bit silly doing a car impression through the drive through.
The film was really good! And if I wasn’t a fan of Abba before ... I certainly am now! The funniest thing was Pierce wotsit ‘trying’ to sing ... and simply achieving the constipated look. I was sleeping over at Emma’s as I had work in town in the morning and didn’t want to go back to the caravan. We spent a while trying to figure out some of her birthday presents and finally went to sleep. Got up in the morning, bread was discussed and I left for work at 10:00. Work was hard but rewarding when a lovely women gave me £10 for telling her I was going to uni to save the world! Anyhow ... the day passed and I bought my shoes from Clarks, and worked at pizza express until 1:00am.
Was slightly shattered in the morning, but got up for church and did the projector, saw Kathryn, who I had been dying to see, and I got the most amazing collection on presents including a beast of a balloon. Got back to the caravan and me and mum watched ‘A Walk to Remember’ ... no more need saying here ... except many trees were sacrificed. Back at work later ... yeah.
Packed up on Monday morning and returned to the seeming mansion we now live in. Have been mostly working since and packing for France on Thursday. Matt and Carrington came over spontaneously on Monday night ... and I totally ‘Notebooked’ them... also ‘I am Legend’ was watched and polar bears were abused in the process. We planned to go climbing on Wednesday (today) and this morning we met at Matt’s at 9am, who had just got up, and was tucking into a large amount of pancakes mmmm. Set off shortly after leaving our mums to chat over a cup of coffee. The three of us arrived at Wilton quarry soon and geared up. Did a few good single pitched up Orange wall and countless others. Did a few VD’s a HVS and one VS which Matt did an amazing lead on without a top rope. Even though he was putting in protection in along the way, I was still slightly concerned. A few technical knees were used I do believe and I seconded taking out protection along the way. Topping out was difficult as Matt was in the way and all I cold see were his bear feet. I gave him his flop-flops which Carrington had attached to my Harness, and all was well. Had a bite to eat at some point, where Carrington went for a long 2minuet walk back to the car for food, leaving me and Matt to discuss a gear shopping spree ... I must make a list.
We somehow ended up making a sort of zip-line and about an hour was spent tying knots, and sliding up and down the contraption. In due course Carrington pulled my up the last part taking all the skin off my knuckles ... there was blood.
Stopped off at KFC on the homeward journey and listened to the Top Gear album while illegally cutting through people’s gardens as a short cut ... the less said here the better. Got back soon after, and I went to work, where a strange man gave me his number secretly and a note saying ‘you are lovely’ ... hmm ... well ... scary.
Now sitting up at 2:00am writing this before I forget it all in France, I’m realising how much the little things mean I life when you take the time to write them down and laugh at all the things that makes the world go round. The last week has been an experience. Lived in a caravan, worked into the night, seen my friends, turned 18, and been climbing. I feel, for the first time in a long time ... that everything will work out ok, I will go far and ‘save the world’... and climb Everest ... (that’s ‘into thin air’ talking).