Saturday

0515: Alarm goes off. Drag myself out of bed and head for shower.

0600: Start finding things to put into rucksack. Change of clothes, shoes, drum sticks (1 pair), Oystercard, diary, keys, tissues, Star Trek piano music, sleeping bag… no, that doesn’t fit, and I won’t be sleeping anyway… oh alright, just in case. Get other (bigger) rucksack, transfer stuff to it, add sleeping bag. Right. Have I got everything?—oops, look at the time!.

0630: Arrive at agreed meeting point and hop in car to go to Stevenage. Slight dozing in car, but not real sleep.

0745: Need coffee, but the only place that’s open is McDonalds. Oh well, that’ll have to do.

0810: Turn up at random school hall and set up drums while brass players make a racket. Find tea. Someone has bought jam doughnuts. Mmmmmm, doughnuts.

0845: Run through test piece.

0910: Find that we’ll be the second band to play. Gets it out of the way nice and early! But we have to pack up and get to the competition venue asap.

1015ish: Play. It goes ok but everything sounds weird in that hall.

1030: Return gear to cars. The bass drum is heavy!

1100: To the bar for a pint. Text Mat to find out if he’s free this afternoon. He is; make vague arrangement to meet.

1130: Catch train to Cambridge.

1220: Arrive in Cambridge and meet Mat. Dash round shops to get food. Back to Mat’s house, eat food. My first experience of Nintendo Wii. It’s fun! Quite tempted to get one… when they become easier to find!

Afternoon: Wander into town to buy Mother’s Day card. Check out what games they have in the Magic Joke Shop, buy 2 small Carcassonne expansions (River 2 and The Count). Return to Mat’s and play Carcassonne using river 2 but not the Count because it’s confusing! Bit more Wii, then pizza.

1930: CULES shows! First “Something of a Pickle” which is a little difficult to follow, because (i) the plot is bizarre and (ii) the cast is changing accents rather frequently. Nevertheless, very entertaining. After this comes “Babes in the Wood” which is, without a doubt, the best and most polished panto I’ve ever seen CULES do. I take credit for helping to choose a couple of the songs :) but basically the script is very clever (some truly appalling puns) and everyone sings in time and in tune to words which actually fit the tunes! Followed by after-show party at the House of Light Entertainment. I have very little to drink because I need to be prepared for…

Sunday

0230: Head to New Hall, where the G&S society is part-way through Act II of “Iolanthe”. Many people leave after this, and it is at this point that I seat myself at the keyboard to accompany “Ruddigore”, “The Grand Duke” (crap) and “Utopia (un)Limited” (for this one I only do half the work—play one hand each with Theo).

0800: Time to go home. Walk into town, find a cab near Christ’s, allowing me to reach the station in time for the 0828 train back to Kings Cross. I reach the train before realising I haven’t got a ticket, so rush back to buy one from the machine, then rush back to the train.

0828: As train begins to leave, I go to sit down and am hailed by Grace, a friend from college. Go and chat for a bit, then make my apologies and explain that I need to go and sleep. Settle down to sleep, but am interrupted by ticket inspector Revenue Protection Officer. He points out that my Young Person’s Railcard has expired, and he’ll have to fine me. Bugger. 10 minutes and £36 later, I can go to sleep, but not before realising I don’t have my Oystercard. This is because it’s still in the other rucksack.

0930ish: Am woken by other passengers as the train is at Kings Cross. A bit bemused, I head for the Tube, buy a ticket, and hope on the Victoria Line. Get off at Oxford Circus, only to find the Central Line is not running. Arrgh! Go via Victoria and Ealing Broadway (which is at the end of its branch of the District Line, so I can safely doze). Finally, the E10 bus takes me home. Trudging up the hill to my house, I look forward to going to bed.

1030ish: Once inside the house, I notice I am treading something unpleasant into the carpet. It smells bad. Check outside the front door… fox-turd on the path *$!@£$!$* Clean carpet, hose shoes, go to bed.

1530: Wake up, go downstairs, discover dinner is nearly ready. Give card to mum, eat dinner, relax.

2130: Bed.

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