stuff and things

last weekend i helped a friend move house. it's the first time i've been back to manchester since i moved away from the area, so it was a bit weird... the hourly train back to the village of the damned (as it's now known) was leaving just as i got the the station on sunday morning, and it felt *so* nice knowing that i'd never have to catch it again..

we had drinks on the saturday in the village, and had a random man come play his harmonica at us. one of my companions decided that it was my birthday, so i had a 'special' tune played for mewhile i tried to disappear into the ground.
her new flat is fantabulous and has a pinball machine. it doesn't quite compete with my speakers in the bathroom and perpetual bookshelves, but comes close.
i spent the saturday evening drinking wine and having fags on the doorstep. at one point i believe i was having a conversation in russian with a random group of strangers.. i think i got to bed (well, sofa) about 2am.. i got woken up in the morning by people in the living room. i blearily asked one of them what time it was, and was told half past six. i asked again ten minutes later in case they were joking.

they weren't.

the longest few hours of my life followed, while we waited for a pub to open for breakfast.
proper breakfast, that is. i couldn't believe it that people were ordering jugs of cocktails at that time of day. what a sheltered life i lead *sigh*

on the monday i went to see josh t pearson and the devastations. jtp was very very beardy and very very good. devastations were a bit disappointing - we left before they finished their set.

i bumped into two drummers at the gig who i've had a 'thing' with in the past... the first i've not seen for a few years and it was fantastic to see again; the second i've not seen for a year, since they gave me cake for breakfast and were exceedingly lovely.... and just as lovely when they came over to say hi....

i panicked, ran off to the loo about 2 minutes after they came to talk to me, and came back to find my "friend" who'd accompanied me cackling, going 'i think they fucked off cos i wouldn't talk to them....'. didn't see them again after that, and lost their number many moons ago.
rubbish.

in between then and now, i've been wrangling with the brambles in my garden. i've been here a month and not really done anything... so far i've got about a metre squared of bare soil, fifty million metres squared of brambles, weeds and bricks to sort through, and the sparsest lawn in the world. the dandelions and nasty sticky weedy things are also having their revenge. grrrrr.

i have (in seed trays) peas, carrots and sprouts. i'm trying to find out if it's too late to sort out potatoes too.
i will become partway to living the good life if this works - hurrah!

other pots on the boil: a night this month in leeds with r, and goldfish nation ziney thing getting out there in july - get in touch if you'd like to contribute :) the theme's DIY....
in fact it's got a whole page thingy (couldn't be bothered to do a 'proper' one, so it's on myspace for the time being). clicky here

*edit: plans for *getting* aforesaid drummer got as far as: lassoo / big net / bear trap.
then i got bored and gave up.
plenty more musicians in the sea and all that....