2302.14 YORVIK

Morticia and I have ventured to the city of York for their annual Viking Festival - Jorvik. It's the first time I've been to the festival and the first time in a long time since I visited York. We're here on the first weekend and I'm aware that the majority of events are on the last weekend. We want a low key visit which combines a break with the viking stuff I love. 

1702.19 THE ROLLERCOASTER

When Ronan Keating sang "life is a roller-coaster" I think he could have been describing the last few days of my life. Emotionally it's been joy to traumatic and everywhere in between.

1610.10 THIS WEEKEND

We were on a mission this weekend. We have been working on friends' wedding photos (which Morticia had taken) and we planned to drop them off. These friends live close to Morticia's mother so the plan was to combine the two things together.

The drive is just over 2 hours and is quite dull. The A1 South is just a duel carriageway that feels like it goes on forever. We headed down Friday night with the idea of presenting the wedding photos over a late lunch the next day.

We'd booked a table at a local 'Brewer's Fayre pub (a typical chain establishment). I'd not visited a Brewer's Fayre for many years and in the past found them a little generic. The menu was indeed very standard but I was pleased with the fact that you could get free refills on soft drinks (and hot drinks too), a rarity for such an establishment. The photos were handed over to our newlywedded friends who were very pleased with their boxed memories. At the end of the afternoon just before we left the pub I noticed they had Rev James on draught at the bar, such a shame since I wasn't drinking, I'd never seen it this far out of Wales before (except in bottles).

They even had the classic pump clip.

The whole weekend was just the relaxing break I needed. As many know my head hasn't been in the right place recently and this trip gave me the opportunity to (to use old computer parlance) defrag my mind.

The drive home yesterday was uneventful and today I wait for the routine of my life to kick back in. I have the satisfaction of knowing I'll be going with a clear head, at least for now.

0910.03 BACK TO NORMALITY

Finally I can relax, it's my 3 day weekend and the last 2 weeks have been particularly stressful. For the last month I've been 'acting up' at work (supervising the team I work in), work politics and staffing issues have made it challenging but enjoyable. From next week I'm back to being just a normal member of the team but for now I can look forward to relaxing this weekend.

Tonight I am going out for a chinese with Morticia, it's a friends' wedding anniversary and we've been asked to accompany them. I'll have to watch my drinking since I'm such a lightweight. Last thing I want is to be hungover for my youngest's birthday tomorrow.