Greenwich Picnic Hilarity and Success

Good evening. What a day it has been, filled with ups and downs of various kinds - but I like to think the ups outweigh the downs.
Today was the long awaited meeting between my old school best friend and my boyfriend for a picnic in Greenwich Park. Despite being the only one providing food (which meant leaving the house earlier than planned to pick up a few extra items), we were not lacking and had enough to keep us going from when we arrived at a suitable spot in dappled shade at almost 12, until we packed up 5 hours later. 
Chicken poppers, Quorn mini eggs, grapes, sandwiches, pizza, apples, cake, crisps and gummie sweets (the latter two being eaten in combination to somewhat satisfying results). All was gradually consumed while we chatted about music, games, work experiences and funny events, danced round our shade-giving tree, and, for me and my friend, ran across the park to investigate the potential for a lake - which there was not. It was such a laid back afternoon, made sweeter by the coolness of the day (in the shade) and the music from a mini speaker Jackson brought with him. 
We decided to check out one of our favourite spots in East London - 'The Lookout' aka The Point. Such a stunning panoramic view of London from the Eye and further West, all the way over to the Docklands. The backstreets just below reminded me a lot of being back in Plymouth - so much so, I almost felt homesick. But coming home - after having had to bid farewell to Jackson - we were faced with being unable to get a train home, uncertainty over where to catch a bus from, diverted buses, and then having to change said bus. But we made it back to our home town - and eventually homes - in one piece and not terribly late. 
Bring on the next outing!

My Harley Quinn crush

Hello again! Wow, not only has it been over a week since I last posted, but it's almost the end of another month - which means second year is just around the corner now! *scared face* BUT, until then, I have been trying to enjoy my remaining time. Tuesday saw me and Jackson going to see Suicide Squad in my town's new Odeon cinema. Not only was the cinema impressive in size - even their smaller screens were still pretty spacious - but we bought some tasty lattice fries with guacamole dip *drools* while the film itself was better than I expected. Each villain character had their own story and a reason to fight. The sexual magnetism between Harley Quinn (I got a little excited over her myself) and the Joker (I have another reason to fantasise over Jared Leto now) was thrilling entertainment enough for me. Overall, I'm no big fan of DC, but this film has made me more interested than I was.
But the day didn't end there. We picked up some ingredients for a curry and made enough for five people as my sister and her boyfriend were there too. A lot of alcohol was consumed at that dinner table - by me! - before heading out into the garden for a round of Cards Against Humanity with ice cream and MORE drink! We played outside for a good few hours, bringing out lanterns when it started to get dark and eventually ordered some Dominos pizza. 
I'm usually pretty good at the game as I have a naturally dark sense of humour, however that didn't save me this time and I only scored 6 black cards, while my sister somehow scooped 12. But a fair few of mine were gained through mine and Jackson's mutual love of dark humour. It was an unforgettable night!
Next up, Greenwich Park picnic with (hopefully) both my best friend Eloise, and boyfriend Jackson - and maybe my sister if she's not preoccupied.
In other news, I am now trying to soldier my way to the end of another course book, Doris Lessing's Memoirs of a Survivor. It's an appealing apocalyptic story with moments of perversion and stereotypical apocalyptic survival techniques and scenarios. 
And the first new series of Robot Wars has come to its spectacular final. For anyone who hasn't been watching, you've been missing out.

Belated Amsterdam Tales, Days 4-6

So I'm back to continue the story of my travels in Amsterdam. 

Monday 8th August: We set this day aside for buying souvenirs for our friends and family back home. After a little wander, which turned up a crochet sheep and a notebook with a heat-activated colour change cover for my sister, we got hungry for The Original California Burrito which we enjoyed - though nowhere near as much as we did a burrito from Benito's Hat - along a new stretch of canal in the west of Amsterdam. We somehow found our way back to the Red Light District again (as always) and sat watching the world go by from our favourite spot opposite a strip club called the Moulin Rouge. Was fun to watch how people in small vans and cars traversed the busy canal-side roads and bridges so packed with pedestrians and cyclists. 

Snapshot of the room

Pretty much every day we bought food for later that night or the next morning from the local Albert Heijn Mart, which we did before our return to our room. I forget if we actually ordered the chips from room service that night instead of the Sunday. It was over a week ago now! (wow)

Tuesday 9th August: We were woken by a storm at 5am, the rain of which persisted for most of the morning so we stayed in our room until later that afternoon before going on another trek into town for gifts. We had no plans for dinner that day so we just bought snack foods (sandwich, pizza, noodles), wandered into various shops, and eventually returned early to the hotel to watch TV on the lovely screen you see here, and snack until bed for the last time in our gorgeous white room.

Curtained corridor

Wednesday 10th August: Leaving Day. We slowly packed up and got ourselves ready for an 11.30 departure, returning our room cards, getting our room service tab back, and bidding farewell to the beautiful Hotel Arena before hauling our luggage back through the city.

Like magnets, we were drawn back to the Red Light District one last time for a quiet drink by the canal, then into the retail centre of the city for souvenir t-shirts and sweaters, then finally to the station and onto a train for the airport. We'd hoped for a decent break with some lunch before boarding but due to the long walk from security to our gate, there was no time. We were on-board before we knew it - but at least I had food! Then the ground - and Amsterdam - were receding below us and we were over the ocean bound for Britain once again. Despite some minor turbulence, we arrived ahead of schedule and were back in rush hour traffic in the taxi by half 5pm. Some things never change.

Hello again, England

Since my return home, I have yet to see Jackson again due to being kept busy at home, and with my return to university fast approaching, I am hoping I can get more time. As to my university business, I am onto a new book - The Sorrows of Young Werther - a little novella of the Romantic era and very sad it is too. If I can just soldier through these last few, I might stand a chance after all!

For now, I think that covers it.

Belated Amsterdam Tales, Days 1-3

I have been neglecting this blog, haven't I? I go away to Amsterdam and don't even feel the need to tell the world about it. Well I may be over a week late, but I'll try my best to provide a quick overview with pictures.
Friday 5th August: Picked up in Jackson's dad's taxi to be taken to the airport. Sounds simple until you realise this is a Friday afternoon and we are travelling clockwise on the M25 towards one of the busiest airports in the southeast of England; consequently we are crawling through traffic for about 90 minutes, me internally panicking that we'll miss our flight. This is all in vain when we arrive and learn our flight was 'overbooked', meaning we won't be flying at our intended time anyway. Cue my frustrated tears. After much waiting and some magic talk from Jackson (I still don't know his secret), we get booked onto the next flight at 3.55pm AND compensated £105 each for the inconvenience. We even got boarded first - after some delays due to the plane experiencing turbulence on the way in - because Jackson volunteered to have his bag put in hold luggage. Only when we were successfully seated and moving was I truly happy; it meant our holiday had begun. Due to delays, we didn't reach

Hotel Arena Reception

Amsterdam until around half 6pm, and even then we had to trek about 40 minutes across the city to the southeast to find our hotel. After a few wrong turns, we came across a bizarre wooden tunnel flanked by a wheelbarrow with some potted plants in it, and just beyond, the facade of a grand building. This was the Hotel Arena, undergoing renovation, and our new home for the next five days. Inside certainly lived up to my expectations, all wooden banistered staircases, curtains, and dim yet cosy lighting. The room was the polar opposite, though no less impressive: airy, white, and open, with a huge bed, swivel television, room service, and a black glass walled bathroom. We took advantage of room service that night, though I was made to regret the choice of a tuna burger which came with seaweed and wasabi....at least the chips made up for it.

Stoner Kitty

Next day, Saturday 6th, we were ready to explore the city once more. Gay Pride was going on that weekend so it was pretty busy. Met up with Anthony, one of Jackson's workmates, who happened to be staying in Amsterdam at the same time and we chatted in a coffeeshop (one of the many in Amsterdam - anyone familiar with the place will know what I mean) which had a resident cat. He was high as a kite! The four of us (including Ant's girlfriend, not the stoner cat) went to the Amsterdam Dungeons around half 4. It was significantly more interesting (and just the teeniest bit scarier) than the London Dungeons, partly because it was history I didn't know. We parted from them afterward with the intention of meeting up again but Jackson's phone died so we lost communication, got stuck in a huge crowd of Pride partygoers, and eventually left for Pasta Pasta, a unique little pasta shop in the centre of the city. We didn't get back to the hotel until about half 10 that night, but it allowed for some spectacular views of the Red Light District all lit up - the 'ladies of the night' in white lingerie, glowing under UV lighting - and the Walter Suskind Bridge with its lights on (which I mistook for the iconic Magere Brug.

Walter Suskind Bridge

Sunday 7th was a much more lazy day as we stayed in watching MTV and Comedy Central all morning and afternoon until around 3pm when we finally tore ourselves away from another episode of Catfish to get some Chinese food for dinner at Wagamama. Chicken katsu curry and gyoza were our choice, and then later we hunted down one of the many sweet treats shops selling heavily glazed waffles, donuts, crepes, macaroons and ice cream. I had a donut which was genuinely the best I'd ever had! As we hadn't made any other plans for the day, I suggested we wander down towards the southwest corner, but in doing so I managed to twist my ankle doing what I always do on holiday: not watching my step. Suffice to say, after a rest in the hopes that it isn't too bad - which it kind of was - we head back to the hotel for an early evening, taking advantage of room service again and ordering some chips to see us through.

Amsterdam Awaits

So this is it. Last night at home for a few days because tomorrow afternoon, I am off to Amsterdam - a surprisingly popular place with many people I know recently, including one person who is even jetting off the same day as me!
Today itself has been a pretty easy one, made even more enjoyable by spending a small part of it with Jackson, who I will now be in constant company of for the next six days. I finished the majority of my packing tonight so now it's time to just get excited! There are a few differences this time: later flight, closer hotel to the city centre and station, earlier in the month than last year, and a different airline. I hope British Airways lives up to their reputation. 
Oh yes, I forgot to mention, me being the foodie and all, I made the most successful trifle I have ever made yesterday. The key I have found is use a little less water in the jelly and a little less milk in the custard.....or I just got lucky this time!
Anyway there are Dutch delights and a swanky hotel awaiting me so I best sign off for now. I'll be in Amsterdam this time tomorrow!

Stroking my Inner Neatfreak

So today I decided to organise my dad's entire CD collection. Judging by the word 'entire' you can probably guess it's pretty extensive, and also a mess. It absorbed me so much that I forgot I was hungry! But our shelves are much the better for it, and the inner neat freak thanked me for it.
In other news, Jackson's dear cat Splash has gone to the kitty box in the sky after one too many games with the cars *cries a little* 
Good news is it's only four more nights until the day the two of us jet off to Amsterdam. I'm sincerely hoping that my foot protection tactics work and I'm not forced to limit our city wanderings because of it. I am genuinely excited for this!
Also finished The Year of the Flood last night so now it's on to Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle. Not sure what to expect but I always liked Margaret Atwood so that was a treat despite how long it was. 
And that is all from me for now.
Tomorrow, an early start and a trip to the tip. Nice.