Just got back from the holiday. These are a few of the things that I did:

Saturday 20th September

Stopped off in Sheffield to visit my old babysitter, husband and kids. I used to look after the kids when they were younger and it was very strange to see them all ‘teenage’ (14 and 17 yrs old)…they also revealed that I am responsible for getting them addicted to cheese and tomato sauce sandwiches!

The parentage and I went for a walk around Sheffield’s botanical gardens. Really beautiful and babysitters husband told us about the arsonist that is currently at work in Sheffield – he only sets fire to conifer trees…(cue many jokes about incidents with xmas trees as a child “daddy, not the baubles” etc)

Sunday 21st September

Drove to Newcastle. Got my first really good look at the Angel of the North I have seen it from the train but you only get a glimpse. From the motorway you can see it for ages. It’s wonderful, striking, beautiful, etc..

Monday 22nd September

Spent today walking around Newcastle. Went to the Baltic and the Millennium Bridge – both amazing to look at…unfortunately the Baltic have forgotten to put enough art in there (but the Jane and Louise Wilson video piece was pretty good). Much TOO minimal.

Spent the afternoon watching Whalerider at the Tyneside Cinema. Erh, I suggest that you wait for the video. Not the best film of the year by a long shot.

In the evening I cracked and had to go out. I rang Stu and asked him to take me to the ‘new gay triangle’. There are 3 bars and 1 club in the genetics area – leading to the question, is Newcastle the new centre for ‘gay’ experimentation??? Met his boyfriend, worked out that I hadn’t been in Newcastle for over 3 years. We got suitably drunk as fuck and ended up clubbing! Hurrah, it was wonderful to catch up with Stu (minus dreads!). Can’t wait to get him down to London again…

Tuesday 23rd September

Hungover as fuck!

Meet Paul at the Monument at 4pm. Went to the ‘gay triangle’ again. I’m so hungover I drink shandy for the first time in my life! Dan (Paul’s boyfriend) and Gina come to meet us. Then we go back to Paul and Dan’s for my first fondue…ummm, melted cheese…It was really good to catch up with Paul especially to see him settled (this is a man that I spent a lot of time with, drinking cheap cider and getting morbidly depressed to MSP and Suede and vomiting and dancing – not particularly in that order!!!)

My other mates Emma and Sarah were also meant to turn up but they didn’t…I texted them to ask if we could meet up another time but they didn’t get in touch, so y’know…“whatever”

Wednesday 24th September

Watched Spirited Away – beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.

Thursday 25th September

Went to a new gallery Biscuit Factory. Very interesting – discovered a wonderful artist Jacqueline Boyd. Lots of fun indeed.

Payday, so I went shopping – sensible shopping. 2 new pairs of shoes (£6.99 and £14.99!), M&S knickers (10 pairs, black, sensible), socks (poundstretcher, 10 pairs, £5.00).

In the evening the family went to see Underworld. Good fun, vamp and werewolf romp. Lots of lovely overacting, ended with the biggest “there’s a sequel y’know” ending!

Friday 26th September

Dad, Dash (baby bro) and mate were getting stoned so Jan and I went to see Young Adam. Dark, slow, empty shots of Scottish canals, power filled sex scenes, brooding Ewan McGregor. Flashback scenes throughout the movie as the plot unfurled were stunning (apart from the unnecessary (but disturbingly horny) sex scene halfway through).

Thoughts about Newcastle – very odd being back, I spent most of my teenage years here and there are memories jumping out at me from everywhere…emotionally heavy moments. The corner where I had my first ‘proper snog’, the street where I had the biggest fight with my best friend when we were 16 (she had shagged my other (male) best friend…), the first flat that I got with my boyfriend (who I ended up moving down to London with and who broke my fucking heart a couple of years later), the pubs and clubs I used to go to, the replacement window in the door that I smashed during the argument with my mother that ended up with me moving in with my father…, the 24hrs garage where we all promised to meet up in the year 2000!, major emotional rollercoaster moments.

Saturday 27th September

We drove back to London via the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. Romping through fields, looking at art, eating lovely food in the restaurant.

Got home to Lornie, Hels (who is staying on our sofa for a while) and Ali G being hungover. It’s so good to be back!!!