Well here I sit, having survived (just!) my first day at big school. I say “day”, it was actually only about an hour in total of doing things, but it felt like a day. I was doing really well this morning, then started to get horribly nervous around lunch time. I got myself into a bit of a state but Twinkle came to help (see photo).

Sparkle has had a day of tests at the vet and should arrive home a bit druggie!

I was able to meet my friend Matt on the way to uni (see photo)

as he has just started a Design for Interactive Media course. This was a huge relief as he made me laugh and eased the nerves a little. I felt quite ill in the induction meeting at first, but it got better as time went on. I explored the campus a bit with a girl called “Artee”, before having my signature J20 in the (slightly sticky) SU bar. There seemed to be a nice vibe to the place and I hope that the next three years will be lots of fun as well as learning. Praying for the health to sort itself out, but what will be will be.

I have a grand total of ONE lecture per week, but the rest of the time is built from tutorials and practical sessions, so it pads out the week. I don’t have anything on Fridays which is nice, but I guess that this is time to complete assignments and earn a bit of the much-needed ‘wonga’!!

Poor JT returned home at 3:40am last night and has worked a full day today, so I expect that he will be shattered when he gets in. My dad built some wooden ‘tables’ whilst he was away for his train set which I have set up as a surprise. I moved all the furniture and cleared a space for it, so apart from being a little disorientated at 3:40am when he tried to get into a bed which had moved, he was very chuffed. I am leaving him to set up the track etc how he wants it.

I am now back in the flat with the usual sirens screeching past our windows. All is well at the end of day one.

For anyone who has ever played THE SIMS and been equally amused/puzzled as I have over the ability to purchase decorative flamingoes for the garden, I can now inform you that they are real!! Apparently a 1950′s fashion?! I flicked onto eBay this morning only to find a pair sitting on the home page! I’m not sure if they possess that amusing SIMS feature whereby you can kick them to hear them go “Eeee!” Hmmmm… The bog mindles…

Wow I have even relapsed into Glarrrse-tuh-shirrre chav speak!! “on ma larry” roughly translates as “I am sitting here all alone…” Yes *sniffle*, JT is away at the “End of Road” festival, doing stage tech for Badly Drawn Boy, Ryan Adams and others. I have never been in this flat on my own and it is kinda eerie… JT won’t be back until Monday 5am-ish (and is then working at about 8am) so it is all very very sad :****(

I am particularly uneasy because I have my big “first day of uni” day on Monday which I am very nervous about – an induction at 2pm! Please pray for me, but mostly for JT whilst he gets very tired at work that day. I have packed my new pencil case and rucksack already and have to remember to take about 100 documents. If anyone wants to come and play with me this weekend, please do!! As you can tell I may be feeling just a little sorry for myself…!!

I am a little sleepy this morning… Late last night, JT and I thought that we might pop into the Thursday night Kemble gathering for a quick beverage (and left at midnight!) I forget that I always come away from a night at the Kemble with face ache, from laughing at Mark Rayfield! George and I were considering setting up a blog for him after he famously said that all he would write on it was “Today I have nothing to say”. !!!!!!!!!!!!!

So here is a little contest, can anyone submit a favourite “Rayfield quote”? If we get enough, we’ll set up a blog dedicated to face ache, to amuse the general public for generations to come.

I had to post this photo, it is Al, George and myself, except that we all look totally bizarre, we couldn’t stop laughing at it. I also have another picure which I might post, of some pasty-faced regulars who were so amusing that we took a pic!

Fully animated, sleeps, poos, eats, purrs, sits wherever is inconvenient, just like a real cat!! Answers to the name of “Sparkle” or “Twinkle” in fact! Guaranteed to make you smile, wonders around your desktop as you work.

Here I am with my MAC spy camera in the sitting room of our flat… I am currently ‘spying on’ a band practice – you saw it here first… Amnesia Valley might be making a comeback!! Ross and JT are recording a new track, with a new style! The new Tony (potentially) is a rapper. who knows what the future may hold? Trippy gigs on sticky floors being the only one not drunk or stoned at 3am, (ahhh the memories…Hmmm…) or, hopefully, super stardom for JT! Woohoo! Go the boyz!

Does anyone remember the mysterious Patsy Poppins?? The doll that accompanied my desk at work faithfully until she got a bit adventurous… Where is she now?? Check Patsy’s blog to find out! She has just returned from a trip to Barcelona with Owen and Anne.

Whilst I am not boastful at heart, I cannot help but feel a little excited by our latest acquisition, which has come as a tremendous blessing, a gift from the DSA because of my IBS. This beautiful Macbook Pro should help me play design catchup at home, when I am too poorly to attend lectures. It is so smooth and gorgeous!! VERY excited!! I also received some gadgets to help me with my ‘disability’, such as a deck chair for my books (useful for the elderly according to the box!!) and various other bits and bobs. They kindly also sent me a ream of paper, which wasn’t on the list, but is always useful I guess. Thank you Lord for being so kind :- )

In my quest to learn how to cook real food, I attempted a home-made soup recipe that George sent me. After a few explosions (didn’t have a big enough pan!!) and a BIT of resulting mess, it actually tasted very good! Don’t be put off by the appearance…