I took advantage of a summer spent stuck in work to take a few extra days off this year. Managed to fit in Get Loaded in the Park and a visit to Portsmouth, so also didn't feel like I'd wasted the time off.
Get Loaded was as good as always - yet again after a shit summer the weather was on its best behavious and we sweltered int he heat/the various tents all day. Unlike last year, we didn't spend 3 hours getting drunk in a pub in Clapham and actually made it through the gates about an hour after it opened. The highlights w ere Bonde do Role (in the video below) and 2 Many DJs, although the Streets weren't far behind, despite me being pretty unimpressed last year at Roskilde. The fact I was starting to get a hangover kicking in and it was 1am probably didn't help my mood in Denmark though. Bonde do role are your usual crazy Brazilians which made for the best atmosphere of any gig I've been at for a while.
Portsmouth is not a dump.
I was as surprised as you. Obviously there are certain parts of it that need a bit of work, like every town in the UK, and it helps if busy sea ports and ship yards make you wide eyed with child like wonder, but the whole area around Gunwharf Quay and Southsea is lovely. We were down flat hunting for 'er indoors' impending relocation for the university year, and we even managed to achieve our goal. Although considering the feature that clinched the room was a brick chimney, perhaps it wasn't as difficult as it could have been. The flat's in a really nice area near a nice local pub and about 5 minutes walk from the beach, so it couldn't be better. I'm glad I managed to see the room and the town before the move - I 'm now very likely to visit on a regular basis and know that she'll be happy down there. Meanwhile, I'm moving out to the suburbs, having admitted defeat at staying young. Nice tree-lined street, back garden, big room - a far cry from my current bachelor pad (which doesn't contain any bachelors). All change at Casa Tattie, that's for sure.
Before the move I have a bit of international jet-setting to do - Edinburgh next week for 3 days, then Poland for 4 days a fortnight later for a Polish wedding. By all accounts they last for 2 days and the 2nd day is where the leftover booze and food gets used up, so god knows what nick I'll be in upon my return. After that, it's a couple more weeks of work and then off to the motherland for birthday shenanigans and a wee trip to Glasgow to visit my spiritual home. All this and the rugby world cup. I have no idea how my liver or bank balance is going to come out the other side unscathed, but sure it's all about the thrill of the journey. Anyway, this time two months I'll officially be old and knackered and bits of me will start deteriorating, so at least I'm going out in style....
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