Bassenthwaite weekend

Packed everything up the night before in my new POD black ice rucksack and met everyone down at the underpass at 5.30 after an interesting maths lesson with Struggles Matt and Rachel in which the only thing I learnt was that Pizzeta was 15m to the right of the room. Along with my POD I had bought a few dry bags, chalk bag and chalk from ultimate outdoors 20% off night. I must have que'd up 4 times, and we all had to go to the pub after to recover.

Set off in the mini bus and I fell asleep straight away, arrived at 7.15ish, me and fran claimed a corner of the room, unpacked, chatted etc .... Anna and others on the exec did most of the cooking and cottage pie was on the menu for the first night. Was upset by the lack of gravy but otherwise it was amazing. Woke up early at 7.30 to the sound of Anna shouting BREAKFAST! NOW! Soon we were all packed up and everyone on the ropes course headed for Sheppard Crags. Andy Brown took the course, (who I already know from snow and ice) and despite the horrendous weather, we all had a good day. I think I ended up helping out more that being helped on that day. I fixed some gear at the top of a pitch, taught people how to abseil with a prussic and how to belay with an Italian hitch etc ... we were all glad to get to the cafe at the end I think! Had a chat to Andy back at the hall and I’m thinking about doing my ML and one day SPA. Ill have to get in some serious lead climbing and practice my navigation skills though!

That night, me fran, Lindsey, mark, struggles and a few others helped out in the kitchen, the night then proceeded to table wrestling, wall climbing and cardboard box snogging well demonstraited by Matt. Amy now had some impressive bruises. Got up very confused on the Sunday as the clocks had, or were supposed to go back! Anna forgot to change her clock and got up to make breakfast at 6! Due to the rain over the last few days, we couldn’t get down some roads as they were policed off. Ended up in Keswick car park, then ... the mini bus door fell off! (Sort of). As a result I ended up spending allot of money in ultimate outdoors on quick draws and almost buying a hat in needle sports. We all got to Keswick climbing wall at about 1ish and had a good boulder around for a few hours. The other group got there allot later as they had had an epic journey in Borrowdale trying to rescue 2 ropes ... getting two others stuck in the process, but all was rescued in the end. All in all it was a good weekend ... although with less climbing than expected.

‘QUICK-DRAW BAR CRAWL’ AND OTHER DANGEROUS ACTIVITIES’

Had our first fiend tips to Kingsdale vally to see some terminal morains, glacial erratics and EUGENE THE UNCONFORMITY (an old friend of mine and Becky's) was a good day in all apart from not being able to open the mini bus when it started raining when we got back.

Met up with the rest of LUMC in Cartmel bar, put my harness on ... for we were going on a bar crawl with a difference. Attached myself to Craig with a quick-draw and ordered drinks. The aim of the game was for each pair to go round so many of the bars on campus, having a drink at each bar, and collecting a sticker to decorate a stick – climber. First pair back to Pendle bar were the proud owners of new chalk bags! We set off at a run from Cartmel for Lonsdale ... both amazed at how well I could run in heals. Quick drink at Lonsdale bar and off to grad bar, a few shots later we sprinted to Pendle bar where we got caught by some of the exec ... and missed coming 1st by about 10 seconds, loosing to Matt and his partner.
For the next few hours, we visited all the other bars on campus (attached to each other) ... a few trees got in the way, some railings too! A few manged to attempt climbing up the overhang at the back of Spar before heading to county bar for a drinking race. Fresher’s against the exec ... we lost. At some point me and fran went back to hers for cheese on toast ... bringing some back for Andy of course! Ended up in the sugar house at about 12ish and stupidly practiced karate with Amy before dancing the night away then heading to elements for the last half hour or so. Back on the bus with Struggles, Claire and Matt X2. Went to Pizzeta with Matt then crashed into bed at 3ish ... up for 9am lecture the next morning.

LECTURES, KARATE, SLEEPLESS NIGHTS AND TWISLETON!

I must admit, its taking rather allot longer than I expected to get into the way of doing work again. I’m enjoying my course so far, particularly the ‘global climate change’ module. Met some interesting people this week on my course, and in the mountaineering club. Went home on Saturday to see Rach, Emma, Eddy and Jon and the famous Southport musical fireworks! Apart from the moment when the bridge was almost set alight ... and the smoke, they were SPECTACULAR! Despite being stuck between 2 ‘romantic couples’ that were Emma and Jon, and Rach and Eddy, it was a nice evening of friends reunighting. Walked back through Southport after, and I realised how much I had missed it. Up early on Sunday, I and dad drove up to Langdale to meet up with Neil (dad’s oldest friend and my Godfather) and Ian for a ramble. We had a spontaneous day without much map reading (which proved a silly idea when Neil started going off in the wrong direction on the way back and I had to rescue him), and we all laughed at stories old and new. May have seen a few mad scouts from ‘Splash and Dash’ on Coniston Old Man at some point (I still feel bad for not going to help Jenny out). Had a long lunch break looking over to Dow Crag and Eliminate A. Got back late me and dad tidy my room, got some food and went to bed.
Went to the mountaineering clubs ‘safety talk’ on Thursday with Struggles (a friend of me and Rachel’s from our course) then got chatting to a fair few people in Furness bar after. Went to twistleton scars today with the club, me and Lindsey nailed a few good routes with a stupid amount of laybacking and smearing involved, and got to know people. I LEAD A SEVERE! I have decided I need to buy some guide books now.
Anyhow ... we’ll see how this week goes =]

FOAM AND GLOWSTICKS!!!!!!

Lonsdale’s ‘Big Night Out’ and passed out people

Went on my college ‘Big Night Out’ last night (I think) got to the 1st bar where this guy was passed out (despite it only being 8:00) after checking his pulse I proceeded to show everyone just how crazy I can be ... I attached allot of Menu’s to him and pics were taken. Wont go into details, but throughout the night, Kate bought me my 1st drink (VK Cherry) which was my only drink of the night. I didn’t get into ‘walkabout’ as I only had my purple card on me and was told that would get me in, so when I met up with the others they gave me some of their wrist bands and I sat down in the middle of the floor to put them round my ankles. I ate a lime =] and chatted to allot of cool new people in ‘Mint’ and also stood on top of the fountain yelling ‘Lonny Lonny Lonny!!!’. We all ended up at the ‘Sugar House’, which was packed ... and we danced the night way. Got back not too late and Sam proceeded to clean the kitchen.
Had another meeting with my department, had a quiz, and the lectures started giving out free beer ... such a strange department is the Environmental one. Went to check out one of the lecture theatres with Rachel, and then headed back to cook tea and get ready for the FOAM? 80’s RAVE PARTY!!!!! More pics will go on the wall of shame tonight I think in the kitchen!! All my body paint has washed off and I’m’ soaked!
Back now! So covered in foam it’s unbelievable! Once they turned on the foam machine the whole bar was about 1m deep in the stuff ... I swallowed some and nearly choked on it! I collected about 50 glow sticks and decorated my shorts with them ... and spent about 10mins chasing round 2 guys who thought they could steal them!

Barn dance and Lancaster !

well howdy there!!! went to the barn dance at church on sat night ... the less said about the burnt hot pot the better ....

The first few days here have been ... interesting. still getting to know alot of people, met so many its hard to keep track. mum, dad and vicky left without a tear, but promised to buy me more cushions =]. met the people in my flat, in our triangle kitchen. i have to say the baked potato night was very tasty and after we decided to bring the 'party' back to the flat. hed a txt from Matt at about 2.30am asking me to go and see his kitchen ... (campus is cold at 2.30am in ur PJ's) went on a 'white t'shirt' party' last night, which was really a bar crawl around campus in which the intent was to show all the other colleges that Lonsdale IS THE best. went to meet the Environmental Science dept yesterday. me and a girl called Rachel had some fun trying to understand how the course works. got a posh 'do' tonight, should be fun!

x

THINGS THAT GO ‘BUMP’ IN THE NIGHT

Spent most of the week getting things ready for Lancaster and worrying about my finances. I can no longer see the floor in the ‘expedition room’ for so many boxes full of clothes, plates, and copious amounts of stationary and cushions. Also my laptop is dead …
Got up early on Saturday morning as me and Vicky were getting the train to Liverpool to go to Awesome walls climbing centre … little did we know that we s=would get hopelessly lost on the way and would spend 2 hours walking round Liverpool trying to find it. We since discovered that the older proportion of the generation do not know where local climbing walls are and there was infact a station right by awesome walls. We crossed m-ways, canals and jumped over walls to get there. Once we were there we had lunch and a rest to regain out strength. Spent a good 30mins in the crypt boldering, and then did some good walls and the pinnacle. Did a few 5a’s. Our rock shoes are holding out pretty well!
Went out for a last meal out at Chiquitoes on Saturday night at 9pm. Met Claire, Bex, Rachel and Emma, Eddy, Adam, Jon and Samuel there. Was good to see Bex, as she was back for the weekend from Regents. We ordered and all had a good chat about things past present and … future while the male waiter flirted with Eddy. As per usual I ended up eating more than my fair share of everyone’s desert. Decided to go back to Rache’s for a last sleep over (having spent a good few nights there already throughout the summer). Drove Eddy home 1st, then went to Emma’s to get her overnight stuff … the car horn came in useful here. Rach and me had a good talk about bacteria going to Heaven.
Watched some planet earth while we got ready for bed. Its funny how, because me, Emma and Rach have spent so much time having sleepovers, we all now have a ‘side of the bed’ at Rache’s in her huge bed. We listened to Michael Buble and planned a 40’s party at mine for Christmas and had a really good chat about anything and everything for the last time for a while until the early hours.
Woke up at 9am by Rach saying … what’s Emma doing on the floor …? Apparently I had jumped out of bed in the middle of the night, tried to get Emma and Rach up thinking something was after us, lay down on the floor and couldn’t work out how to get back in my sleeping bag … so put on Raches dressing gown and emptied her pockets of Tea cake wrappers all over her room in my sleep … I do worry sometimes. Anyway, made breakfast, dropped Rach and Emma off at church as they were doing a drama for Lexi, went home to pick up mum and Vicky and went to church for the last time before uni. Was good to see everyone, then went to meet everyone at Elim as we had planned to go into town to Apherohead for a hot chocolate. Saw Emma’s mum on the way and had a chat about Emma’s room … at some point Jon, Emma, Bex and Rach lost me in WHSmiths when I got distracted and sat on the floor for 15mins reading ‘climb’. Had a shop around and did the usual ‘trying expensive clothes on in Bay’ then wondered home. Went past church on the way back where Dad, Peter (the minister) Amy, Kathryn, Mike and Andy were chopping down trees. . . me and Dad will have fun chopping logs in days to come =]

D of E reunion, Starbucks, last few times at youth, ‘film night’, and decorating =]

Tuesday night we all met at Alcamy to hand in our D of E books and go for a meal out to celebrate. We had originally planned on going to Fuegoes but me, Rach and Eddy could get 25% discount at Nandoes, (plus ... its Nandoes) so we ended up there instead. Me, Rach, Eddy, Gary and Josh went in the car and mike on his bike. Took us a long time to order as I had to be talked out of having a whole chicken. We all had a good laugh about D of E and ma Rach and Josh talked about the scientific side of life while others messed with my camera. Debated going to the cinema after, then headed home.
As many of us are all going off to uni soon, the last few nights at Elim have been very special. Although I only started going in the last 2 years, the mad Tuesday and Friday nights of odd films, odder challenges involving malt loaf, eggs, cold spaghetti and wool and glue, great live worship, sports and hanging out have been great. Emma, Claire and Rach came round to mine on sat and we put a film on for 10mins before getting board, trying to do an old 70’s retro exercise tape then going on the phone and webcam to Bex in Regents. Spent a good few hours talking and seeing her new friends.
The last week has been mostly composed of me, Emma and sometimes Jon and Rach decorating Emma’s room. Talk about being spontaneous! Bought paint from homebase after spending half a day de-junking Emma’s room and saying ‘aaah! Remember this!!!’. I and Rach went to the tip to chuck stuff and recycle the paper. Drove into town to dump old clothes at the charity shop and to get masking tape before realising I hadn't put my parking ticket in the window, but in my purse. Ran back to the car park only to find this waiting...

The 1st thing I did was get my camera out, then went to flutter my eyelashes at the traffic warden and beg for forgiveness as I had bought my ticket.ive written off about it and all should be fine ... I hope. I also ended up in Emma’s loft looking for sheets and trying not to step through the ceiling at one point. We had some tea at some point.
Went to Rachel’s for a late breakfast the next morning and we went shopping for uni stuff, it was a long day. Me and Emma went to raches that night after house group and stayed over before going for an early painting start at Emma’s in the morning. Also had fun making scrambled egg and jacked potatoes for lunch. Decorating still unfinished, but were getting there. =]

see http://picasaweb.google.com/Emmmmmmmmmmmma for many pics comming soon =]

Things that happen when you go to the gym =]

Spent the last few days with my friends and earning money. Friday was a free day so I met Emma and Rachel in town at 11:00, after looking for an outfit for Emma, going the CBS, me shopping in Primark, going for lunch, Rach buying me some hair clips and just ‘chillin’, we realised we were meant to be going to the gym ... and it had taken us three hours to get there so far! Got to the gym and did half a work out before we all got ‘chatted up’ by some sick 30 year old man. Apparently he had been watching me and Rach doing sit-ups ... Emma was rather annoyed with the situation. Wondered back into town and planned a few things for weeks to come. Emma went her way and me and Rach walked home and had a really good chat about life etc.
Went to Bex’s that night for a ‘girls night in’ with Bex, Claire, Rachel and Emma, as it was the last time we would see Bex before she goes to Regents. Spent a few hours exploring their new extension, messing around taking pics on Bex’s webcam on her laptop ... much to Rachel’s surprised when I jumped on her on Bex’s bed to get in the pic! Claire came ... with Chinese. Heated up pizza too and had a feast of junk. Jon and Adam arrived later. Dropped Rach off and we listened to the CD we borrowed off James on the way... good tunes.
Meeting Rach and Emma for a session at the gym tomorrow, and I think a coffee (hot chocolate) afternoon and a lunch out will be arranged ... and a night out too!