EDINBURGH BABY!!!

WE'RE HERE!

I find myself currently bag watching at the Pleasance Courtyard, armed only with a bacardi and diet coke to keep me company whilst the girls head off to collect armfuls of tickets.  We can't check into the apartment until 1600 - first show is at 1700, so it's going to be a very quick turnaround!

The sun is shining down on Edinburgh today - oh but to dream this will last all week...ah well, make the most of it whilst we can...methinks a dress may be in order for later...or not...depends...

Different layout in the Pleasance Courtyard form the last time I came two years ago...not sure I like it but I believe there are building works or something still ongoing.  Mind you, I've parked myself in a very comfy chair under the canopy so am happy.

Been here barely 20 minutes and already the hoards of leaflets arrive and have been cleared...working their way through the crowds are various people putting down more flyers...it must cost them a FORTUNE!!

I forgot how orderly people queue for the bar here...I have a feeling I might've pushed in unintentionally earlier *oops*

So...first show today is The Rupert Pupkin Collective @ Gilded Balloon Teviot.  It will not be the last time I visit that particular venue this week.  Will do reviews of the shows as and when I can. 

Can't wait to get rid of luggage, then it'll really feel like EdFest has begun...

First Class and luggage count

Both ladies were early too, and I'm pleased to say that Carol had a case the same size as mine....although Lizzlie appears to have a baby case which one can only conclude that she has decided to wear bikinis all week, which is handy because they work in both rain and shine and she does have the most impressive breastage.

All three of us are armed with at least two bags...I can make my count only two if I put my regular bag into the medium sized bag.  Is that cheating??  So that's ten luggage items between three of us...overkill???

And so I find myself experiencing First Class on East Coast trains for the first time...seats are large and comfy and fricking tilt at the press of a button.  I have a lot of space and have already had the first of no doubt many coffees (in a real coffee cup no less!)...I shall be on a caffeine high by the time I get to Edinburgh!

Thinking of settling down with a film...it's very quiet in the carriage, which is nice.  However one cannot help but feel that the party carriage is where Lizzlie and Carol are, especially after having been shown their flavoured vodka supply!!!  I armed myself with water, two bananas and an apple...I must be getting old.

Looking very grey out there. Am hoping this will improve as we head up the country, even if it's only meant to be sunny in Ed until Tuesday.

Hmmm...actually before I go offline, I must try and sort out my gmail/mobile problem now the meester seems to have solved where it lies.

Catch you all later x

Countdown to Edinburgh...IT'S TODAY!!!

After a lovely evening with the meester, going out for dinner and then staying at my Big Bro's pad, went to bed a little excited about today...which showed in the fact that I woke up an hour before my alarm(s) was due to go off...as we were both awake we opted to get up, dressed and out of the door, to grab breakfast near the station....and that's exactly what we did.  I don't think I have ever been TWO hours early for a train before...

About half an hour ago I bid farewell to my husband - think smokey/steamy platform, tears and white hanky if you will...had he stayed longer we could have done the running by the side of the train whilst I wave leaning out from a window...I would possibly also have him in uniform in that scene.  

So now I find myself sat surrounded by my luggage at Kings Cross station, which is remarkably busy for a Saturday morning.  I await the arrival of my housemates for the next week, Lizzlie and Carol...from the sound of it we have packed up all our relevant homes and are bringing them with us...stay tuned for luggage count later!

In fact...Carol has just arrived so I'm logging off...laters x

Countdown to Edinburgh...one day to go...

I'm packed.

And by packed, I mean I have half the contents of my house in a number of cases and bags...ok, not quite that much, but feels like a lot.

Doesn't help that I've also had to think ahead to the Saturday I leave Edinburgh as I have a wedding to attend in Cambridgeshire, so have had to pack something nice for that to...that's my excuse anyway.

Things I have with me:

• Medium/large suitcase containing all manner of clothing from jeans & tees to dresses, skirts, corset, shoes, flipflops (so optimistic!), my daughter's panda-esq hat, waterproof jacket, fleece & more knickers than I thought I owned.  Also in here are hair dryer, straighteners, curling iron, charger & lead for camera, charger for mobile, various hair "bits", video camera and a book.
• Medium sized bag containing my large sparkly bag (which itself contains various things including back up book), makeup bag, various other pieces of jewellery I found and stuffed in last minute and camera.
• Laptop bag containing...erm...my laptop and Edinburgh pack with all schedules, maps and tickets in.
• My regular bag containing all my regular things and a third book.

Of course, in all of this I completely forgot to pack my perfume...may have to purchase some tomorrow...can't be done without it and needed a new bottle anyway.  I have probably forgotten something else equally important...and will no doubt not even wear half the stuff I've packed.

Tonight I am staying at my brother's apartment in London that over looks the river...will save me a good hour in the morning and tbh any excuse to pretend to be loaded for the night!

Funny thing is, if I had been just going overnight, I could have packed toothbrush & paste, clean knicks and t-shirt and be done!

TBH I'm just not that lucky with cars...

Writing the last post made me remember an amazing run of bad luck I've had with vehicles in my life.

First car I had was a green Ford Fiesta called Godzooki bought for £250 by my Father.  No front bumper, something I noticed only half way home...it died after a month.

My Father then gave me his Rover 216s (called Bertha) in pale metallic blue, complete with rust, bullet holes (I shit you not!) and a dodgy starter motor...by the time the engine blew up, I no longer had working heaters/fans, had a hole you could put your fist in on the driver side frame (started as a bullethole), the starter motor didn't start more often than it did start therefore I was an expert in bump-starting it on my own, the windscreen had been kicked in by a b/f & then replaced by said b/f and it had been in three crashes where none had actually been my fault! (twice I'd been stationary, the other someone pulled out from a side road)...I think it committed car-suicide...

I then bought a black Vauxhall Nova (Black Beauty number 1) with lovely orange interior. I loved that little car. First car I'd actually bought.  I felt very grown up.

All went well with the car until the day I left the lights on parked up at the train station...wouldn't start when I got back.  I walked the 5 miles home.  My neighbour then took me back to disconnect the battery and charge it for me.  Two nights later we returned with the battery (couldn't get back the following day) only to notice something odd about the car...it had been broken into.  All the steering casing had been broken, and a pair of nail scissors were jammed in the now broken starter motor...but there was a funny side...they'd popped the bonnet...I like to imagine their faces on discovering no battery LOL! 

A few months later my Nova went for it's MOT...it failed.  It failed badly.  I believe the term is "Cut and Shut".  Oh and I never had got the starter motor fixed (don't even ask how I'd expected it to pass when you needed scissors to start it!)

Needless to say I didn't own a car again for about 10 years...was insured on other cars, but refused to own one myself...I did manage to blow the head gaskets on my friend's car in the meantime tho.

About six/seven years ago was the next time I owned a car...technically it was my husband's but due to the fact he had two bans showing on his licence he struggled to get insurance, whereas Little Miss Clean Licence could...so once again I found myself owning a car.  This one faired well for quite some time.  It had been my husband's Mother's car...then his ex-wife's car...and now mine...so at least we'd known where it had been.  Several years of driving it around flew by, then one night, en route to site at night, something went wrong, the car basically seized...and then died...

Then we bought our last car...the one before the current Jag...we bought a Renault Grand Espace which, if you've never been in one, is fecking HUGE!  Seated seven, could probably seat a lot more if you tried.  It was known as the Cleggbus.  Although very "mumsy" it was very useful, went well, and hell, I could still beat boy racers at TLGP (Traffic Light Grand Prix). 

We'd only had it 18 months when this turned into a rocket...literally (turbo diesel).  Of course, it was my hubbie and child who got to be rescued by three fire engines...not me...oh no...no effing firemen EVER rescue me with broken cars!!!

So there you have it...a number of reasons why I should NEVER EVER be allowed to own a car...now I think I might post up some old blogs of mine relating to motorbikes, as my luck is not just restricted to four wheels...

BTW I still have a clean licence...never had any points...amazing huh?

Countdown to Edinburgh...two days to go...so let's break the car...

Two days left until I shall be on my way to Edinburgh and I would LOVE to say I got stuff done last night from my TO DO list, but instead I decided to go to the gym and wreck the car instead *le sigh*.

Okay okay so I haven't TOTALLY wrecked the car, but did somehow manage to get it stuck on the kerb where I'd parked (yes I know I'm "special").  Had a good workout in the gym only to be faced with a horrid noise and not actually moving anywhere when I tried to get out of my space.  A quick look under the Jag and I find a strange block that appears to be stuck on the wrong side of the kerbstone. Fucksticks.

Quick call the hubbie and he suggested turning the steering all the way to one way and the other and try reversing...SUCCESS! I'm free!

I have a quick look under the car again before heading off...oh-oh...erm...well that didn't look like THAT before!!!  Huge chuck of metal now pointing downwards and only a few inches from the road. Hmmmmm....not good.

A very careful drive home, wait for the meester, who through being the mechanical man-god that he is, manages to bend said metal back into place using a jack and a stand and the weight of a 2T car!  We all jump into the car and head to swimming, before back home for lovely scram and then I was so tired I couldn't be bothered doing anything on my list...

...oh, and this morning there appears to be a bit of a leak under the car...double fucksticks.

Countdown to Edinburgh...three days to go

One of the main reasons I decided to finally get a "proper" blog, rather than restricting myself to my usual ramblings on a motorbike forum, Facebook and Twitter, is because I am heading up to Edinburgh on Saturday, to partake in the wonderful festivals that are on at the moment.

This will be my fourth trip up to the EdFest...and the first time for longer than three days (I am there for a week).  I shall be filling my time with various comedy shows...but also a cabaret show, a magic show, a crime writing masterclass and a wander round The Impressionist exhibit at The National.  These are just the ones I've pre-booked, I will no doubt pick up another few shows when there (I do like to surprise myself), however I also plan to see a number of the "free" shows and various exhibitions that are going on.

I have prepared my schedule and pack - the old PA in me coming flooding back - I have a detailed itinerary overview, and then individual day ones, including maps showing where each venue is.  Obviously this has been thrown into disarray this afternoon by being asked to attend another show - a minor tweak and the pack will once again be up to date.

Another thing I also intend to do is both document and photograph my time there, to try to capture the feeling of it all on my camera and give reviews of shows I go to see, but also I want to see the city.

Of course, my intentions could go completely out of the window and this blog will remain blank or just filled with drunken ramblings added at 0100...money would be on the latter if I were you!

So, it's only a matter of days now...I haven't packed.  I don't even know whether to take a small suitcase (read limited clothing, accessories & crap) or just bite the bullet and accept that I will end up taking my larger case and only use half the things in it...

My list of "STUFF LEFT TO DO": 

• Rush wash last minute items that I want to take but have found in the wash basket/on bedroom floor
• Decided whether to take one pair of trainers or many pairs of shoes/boots/trainers
• Dye hair (currently faded strawberry & cream due to swimming with undertone of regrowth - need it to return to OMFG why do you have hair THAT pink!?!)
• Do nails/bath/shave
• Find something waterproof
• Get the meester to make sure the wireless thingie works with my laptop
• Plan wedding outfit (I have a wedding in Cambridgeshire the day I leave Edinburgh!)
• Pack everything

I think that's it...