As with the beginning of last year's entries, I've decided to restart the blog on the day I've re-entered hobo mode, at a hotel. However, unlike last year, the hotel I've chosen tonight looks quite nice - and the sheets smell perfectly fine. I'm in Nottingham, at the moment, checking out some frickin' laser equipment for upcoming seasons. After this, I'm going to head down to Cornwall for a week of meteorology training. I'm expecting this to be as enjoyable and informative as Karthaus, my similar pre-south trip last year. I've started off tonight by visiting a favourite old pub - the Olde Trip to Jerusalem, which claims to be Britain's oldest pub (a disputed claim; but it's more than 800 years old, regardless).
It's half cave - and has many oddities like a model ship that hasn't been cleaned in 200 years...because everyone who cleans it, dies mysteriously shortly afterwards. Nice.
Since my last entry, it's been a relatively quiet summer. Here are the highlights:
- After my usual start in Cambourne, Cambridge's planned community, I pulled some strings, used some contacts (Blumenthals and porters), and acquired myself a nice little flat downtown. This was wonderful, and lasted me until September. At this point, I had to move temporarily into a less-than-salubrious student place on the far side of the tracks on Mill Road. Nice people - not so nice place. I never really knew who or what was ever there. I did find certain mind-altering substances on the kitchen table one morning, and was visited in my bedroom on two other separate occasions by a white rabbit and a black cat. Other than that, not much to say about the place. After this interlude, it's back to Cambourne for three more weeks before taking off south again.
- Did manage a round-the-world trip shortly upon my return. Visited Bangkok, Brisbane, and Canada over two weeks. The trip was great, but a bit tense at the end when a certain family member had a bit of a health crisis. Said family member was rebuilt stronger, faster, and smarter by the time I got home, though, so a completely happy end to my trip.
- I bought myself a bi-cycle. Clever invention, that. Mine is 23", a rather large one. I bought it off a short French fellow who didn't even finish assembling it before realizing he couldn't remotely fit on it. Since then, I have rediscovered the joy of random county exploration. I'm itching to take it to the southwest and explore Devon and the Cotswolds. Ah, the pubs I shall find...
And that's the end of my "What I did last summer" report. Stay tuned next week for the sites and sounds of Cornwall...and then, following that, we shall outline the game plan for the 2009-10 Antarctic summer.
See you soon.
Ryan
