January 2007

Pictures paint 1000 words, so here is a five thousand word tale of the weekend.(”Pain au Raisin”, Idwall)
(”Time to Reflect”, Devils Kitchen)
(”George”, Y Garn)(”Check her out” Pont Cyfyng)(”Temoral Focus, Soft Focus” Pont Cyfyng)

Derrynane, South West Ireland. Awesome surf spot (pic; mum)

Alas, the time has come to part with my beloved Fish. Awesome in the surf, and blisteringly quick, this boat has kept me grinning all the time I’ve been paddling in it. Unfortunately, the need for trips abroad, a new camera, and the bare looking fridge mean that its time to say goodbye to an old friend.

On eBay at the moment is my old (but excellent) Fuji s5600 semi compact digital camera, and my iRiver MP3 player.

Students are a bit like wild animals. We have a mating season (1st Jan to 31st Dec), and can hibernate for weeks at a time, when things like milk are scarce. A tiger, who clearly is not taking exams.

Alas, unlike tigers, we also have exam seasons. These occur roughly twice a year, and are indicated by vast pilings of paper, a trail of tea stained mugs, and “revision breaks”.

The “Revision Break” is an excellent concept, as it means not reading through tedious notes, and finding an excuse for adventure, before returning refreshed to the grindstone. My revision breaks this week have included; Fishermans Gorge on the Ogwen, Fairy Glen on the Conwy, Aberglaslyn Gorge, A BUCC Club Trip, and the Lledr.Did someone say “club trip”?

Exam season is nearly over, and I’m booking flights to Italy and Switzerland…

Friday afternoon found me on a train with a selection of attractive girls enjoying Lidl Pina Colada mix, and generally brightening the place up. I was on my way to Chris Eastabrook’s 21st birthday party at the The Jam House in Birmingham. Dave enjoys a damn fine Gin Martini (Pic; my phone)

The Jam House is a club/bar owened by Jules Holland, so the live music from the house band was excellent, as was the quality of the Gin Martinis, but at £6 a go, you would hope so!

The next morning (afternoon) after a hearty breakfast Dave Fairweather, Chris and myself set off for North Wales, in search of kayak based excitement. Having stolen some boats from someone’s back garden (cheers Sarah!) there was just time for it to get dark before a quick run down Fisherman’s gorge on the Ogwen. The only obvious cure for our still raging hangovers was a trip to the union for more drinking.Andy on the last drop of the Cwm Llan. (Pic; Dave)

Sunday dawned far too early, and for some reason, the Cwm Llan seemed appealing. It is a tribute to the quality of the run that it is worth walking 2km up the side of Snowdon to get to. Mad Andy joined us, and we “laid down some fresh new school slopestylin’(TM)”Hammer… …and head grab. Fresh (Pics; Chris Eastabrook)

Big thanks to Chris and all the people that made Jam so much fun, Helen for preparing such a hearty breakfast for us all, and Sarah for the loan of some spare creek boats!

Team Tea, Team Pikey, and Stamped Media present…
Tales of Scottish Creek Boat Heroism, of High Water, of Low Water, of tasty lines, and of sub-optimal lines. Join us on a quest to avoid work… and ask the ultimate question…
Is Your Irn Bru Cold?

Pre fill your river to roughly “cruisy” and set in an ideal local spot.
Take one tired student, seasoned lightly with notes on chromatography, and marinade with biros and highlighters for approximately two hours.
Stir in a number of cups of tea, and allow to doze. Mix in a large bag of sweaty kit, a boat, paddles and any accessories to taste.
Place all the ingredients into the pre-filled river, and allow to flow, basting occasionally with a cheeky boof move, or rock spin.
You should find about 30 minutes is an ideal length of time to prepare your student for the next bout of mind numbing.

Ogwen run, and some pub based fun. That’s all you need to celebrate no longer being a teenager!

Everything started on Saturday evening with the worlds largest french fancy, followed by a tour of Cheddar sampling ale. A brief wander home in the moonlight after failed taxi services, and a horse, and all was well. Sunday started at various times for various people. Some went boating. Here Iain shows us that even fat people can go caving.
Its not a party in Somerset without Cider. And lots of it. Team Tea were in evidence. Hurrah.
Find out why Alex got shoved into a bath, Owen ran in to the wall, and what Max would do, very soon….