Slimming World weigh-in wasn’t too bad this morning. I did put a few pounds on after my pastathon, but not as much as I’d feared. I should easily be able to get it off again this next week, even with visitors coming.
I had work all afternoon, followed by Pilates class, so other than a couple of quick jobs this evening, I’ve had a break from the house project today. Will get up early and finish everything tomorrow.
It’s really nice to have a quiet evening – Geth’s away at a conference so it’s just me tonight. Me and the Now! ’80s channel, that is!
OOTD: fringe is getting too floppy for my liking – have booked a haircut for next week. Glasses Emporio Armani (2017), hoodie Gildan for Resistanz (2013), t-shirt Great North Run (2018), leggings Primark (2018), trainers Reebok (2018).
Today’s earworm playlist:
Duran Duran – Do You Believe In Shame?
The Smiths – What Difference Does It Make?
Arcadia – Election Day
The Housemartins – Happy Hour
The Reynolds Girls – I’d Rather Jack
Soft Cell – Say Hello, Wave Goodbye
Jermaine Stewart – We Don’t Have To Take Our Clothes Off
There’s still a lot of bits and pieces to do upstairs, but I’m getting there. 95% of the stuff is now living where it’s going to be living over the weekend while we have visitors. I also made a good start on downstairs today, and things are starting to look a lot better.
Including this candelabrum, for which I have finally found a good place after carting it round several houses. It would look even better if that tiny blue flame on the front candle would perk up a bit.
I’ve got a bit of time tomorrow and then most of Friday to finish off. It’s just small jobs left to do now so I feel a lot better about the house in general. Slimming World weigh-in tomorrow is another matter – after the (necessary but heavy) carbathon at the weekend I’m kind of dreading it!
OOTD: Geth’s comment was ‘I’m sure there’s a picture of my mother looking like that in the ’80s’. Jumper Faber (vintage 1980s, bought at vintage fair 2018), leggings Primark (2018), boots Carefree (2017).
Today’s earworm playlist:
The Reynolds Girls – I’d Rather Jack
Genesis – Land Of Confusion
Five Star – System Addict
Duran Duran – New Moon On Monday
A good day today! 5lbs off at Slimming World this morning, which got rid of the last of my various gains from August weekends away. After a few SP days it was nice to be able to have some pasta for lunch afterwards, too – getting started with the carbing up before Sunday! I got the last of my work done for the week in the afternoon (unless anything urgent comes in last-minute), which means I should be able to get a whole day of house stuff done tomorrow. Looking forward to unearthing more floor!
Also looking forward to trying out these new body butters – today’s shopping treat.
Pilates class started back again this evening after the summer break, which was a really nice pre-GNR workout – I’ve had a lot of energy today from wanting to get running, so it was good to be able to divert some of it.
Now having a writing evening. It feels more and more like I’m getting back into routine now, which is great.
OOTD: back to the regular Thursday routine! Hoodie Internacionale (2000), vest top Primark (2018), leggings Primark (2018), trainers Reebok (2017).
Today’s earworm playlist:
Kim Wilde – You Came
Alicia Keys – Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart
Swing Out Sister – Breakout
Green Day – Minority
Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Take Me Home
Steps – One For Sorrow
The Police – Don’t Stand So Close To Me
I love music festivals. There’s something very exciting about an entire intense weekend spent in the one place, seeing lots and lots of bands playing, catching up with tens of people you’ve not seen in ages, and eating lots of delicious food that you usually can’t have in order to provide a carb base for all the cider you’ll be drinking build energy for all the dancing you have to do. Utter bliss.
Unfortunately, Geth and I find nowadays that we can’t do as many camping festivals as we used to. The discomfort of sleeping in a tent is less manageable than it used to be – now that we’re old gits in our thirties we both find we need a good night’s sleep – and when it rains it’s absolutely miserable. I’ve been to a few festivals where it’s been a total washout all weekend (or worse, ones where the heavens open all day long on arrival day so that you’re slogging through mud for the rest of the festival). Last year’s M’era Luna was one such example, and so I think I need at least another two or three years to forget all the bad stuff about camping. It’s a shame though, ’cause both M’era Luna and Beautiful Days are coming up with some cracking lineups at the moment. I’ve also always really wanted to go to one of the two Rewind festivals that are on during the summer in the UK. Maybe in a few years’ time I’ll consider hiring a camper van or staying in a nearby hotel. Maybe.
In the meantime, indoor festivals are where it’s at as far as I’m concerned, and we booked to go to two this year. The first of these is Infest, and I’m having as good a time as always!
This is my sixth Infest, making it my most-attended festival (I’ve been five times to Beautiful Days, four to Resistanz and four to M’era Luna). It’s also my fifth in a row, as since Resistanz stopped running, it’s my one annual chance to catch up with friends from the goth and industrial scene. Geth and I are currently planning to take a break for a few years after this one (of course, I have said that before, and I may find myself tempted once they start announcing next year’s lineup – we’ll see!) and so I’m determined to enjoy this one as much as possible.
Because it’s the 20th anniversary special this year, the organisers put on an extra night on the Thursday. I’ve arrived at festivals on a Thursday before (Beautiful Days started putting on Thursday camping a few years before we stopped going) but I don’t think I’ve ever done one with four days of music. I was really happy about this when they announced it, as I’m the kind of person who always feels that festivals end too quickly. Maybe four days will feel just right. I’ll tell you after the weekend!
Anyway, Infest day 1: Thursday.
Because we usually travel to Infest on the Friday of August Bank Holiday Weekend, we’ve not previously had the pleasure of sharing the train journey with people travelling to Reading and Leeds Festival (that experience has formerly been reserved for the Monday when coming back!). The train we were on was travelling to BOTH Leeds and Reading. It was pretty full. Thankfully, this was mainly due to festival-goers’ luggage rather than festival-goers themselves, so we didn’t have too much trouble squeezing into our booked seats, where we were able to commence our train picnic (complete with a couple of ciders, which I don’t usually allow myself on trains since being on Slimming World, but Infest is a special weekend).
Arriving in Bradford, we spotted old Edinburgh University Goth & Rock Society (EDG&R) friends Kirsten and Jacquelyn as we joined the check-in queue at the Jurys Inn. The Jurys Inn also provided us with the sight of our first Christmas tree of 2018:
‘Oh, Christmas tree, oh, Christmas tree/You’re badly out of season.’
It’s appalling, because it’s still August, but this is not the earliest I’ve seen a hotel do this (the QHotel in which we stayed in Leeds in July 2016 for a Beat:Cancer gig already had one up a month earlier). A discreet poster advertising that you can now book for Christmas? Fine. A fully-decorated Christmas tree up in the summer? Go home, hotel, you’re drunk.
I’ll forgive the Jurys Inn, though, ’cause the pizza I had in the bar before heading off was absolutely perfect for a pre-Infest meal. I’ll be having a couple more of those this weekend.
(A quick note about my Infest day 1 outfit: for years, I longed to be able to lose enough weight in time for Infest that I would feel comfortable wearing a clingy Cyberdog shift dress. Because I reached my Slimming World target in May, I was finally able to go for it this year. I wore it on the Thursday night in order to minimise festival bloat, but it was still fairly unforgiving!)
Thursday OOTD: bringing the neon for Infest day 1! Necklaces Claire’s Accessories (2003), dress Cyberdog (2018), boots Primark (2017).
We arrived in the familiar environs of Bradford Student Union, exchanged our tickets for wristbands, said hi to our friend Cat from the Southampton days, and ventured into the sports bar – the heart of Infest as far as I’m concerned! – where we were able to catch up with Bod and his beautiful wig. Geth got comfortable on the sofa, as he wasn’t interested in the first band, and Bod and I headed through to check out Grave Diggers’ Union.
Band 1: Grave Diggers’ Union
Grave Diggers’ Union were twenty minutes late starting, so there was a lot of hanging about. When they finally did get going, I managed about a song and a half, Bod even less. It’s sort of monotonous goth rock, and I found it a bit dull (it wasn’t helped by some problems that were going on with the sound setup, which didn’t seem to be sorted until later in the evening). I did like the sort of goth Hawaiian shirt worn by the drummer, though!
As a bonus: here is a terrible blurry picture that I took of the vocalist/keyboardist. My current phone camera can barely cope with taking outfit pictures indoors, let alone gig pictures, and so I will not be attempting any more during the course of the weekend. You’ll just have to use your imagination instead, or alternatively go on Facebook and find some pictures taken by proper photographers.
That UV sign on the keyboard really bothered me while we were waiting for them to come on, because although it’s meant to be a gravestone-style cross, it looks more like an arrow pointing to something.
After a quick drink in the bar and a catchup with friends Matt and John, we headed through for the second band.
Band 2: Zeitgeist Zero
Zeitgeist Zero were again suffering from sound problems, but it was quite a good show. They have a lot of energy onstage, and their current music is very danceable, although I don’t find it quite as memorable as their mid-’00s output – maybe I just need to listen to the new stuff more. I had a good bop around, and I found myself quite surprised when the set finished so soon, which is always a good thing.
A very quick trip back to the bar, as everyone was very excited about band three!
Band 3: Peter Hook & The Light
Three has always been my lucky number, and band three will undoubtedly remain the highlight of the weekend. Peter Hook & The Light do renditions of classic Joy Division and New Order songs, and Hook’s treatment of his old bands’ songs is absolutely lovely.
I was lucky enough to see the full classic lineup of New Order back in 2005, when Peter Hook was still with the band, and it’s still among my favourite music performances I’ve ever seen. As such, I didn’t think this would match it, but in actual fact I can’t compare the two – the experiences were so different. The band did play a few New Order songs – Temptation, Blue Monday and True Faith (and this time the sound on True Faith didn’t cut out in the middle, like it did in 2005!) – but it was mostly Joy Division, and it honestly felt like the closest thing you could get to seeing Joy Division live post-1980. In 2005, New Order were playing a couple of Joy Division tracks to mark the 25th anniversary of Ian Curtis’ death, but it didn’t feel quite like Joy Division. There’s something about Hook’s take on the vocals in comparison to Bernard Sumner’s that just feels more fitting, somehow.
I’m now really looking forward to seeing Peter Hook & The Light again in December at the Electric Dreams festival!
Because everyone was absolutely buzzing after that performance, there was a lot more drinking and chatting in the sports bar (including comparing exercise experiences with Blanka, hearing all about Pat’s special V2A darts flights – I have no idea about darts equipment but apparently they’ve been a big hit with various celebrities – and finding out from chatting with Andy from Spucktute that he doesn’t actually dislike the Human League. All very valuable information!). I really did mean to go and see…
Band 4: Empirion
…but let’s face it, no-one was going to come close to Peter Hook & The Light, so I didn’t get round to it. Bod said they were quite good though!
Geth and I moved through to the Escape Bar for half an hour of post-band DJ sets (and I had a good shimmy to Soft Cell) before heading back to the hotel to get a good night’s sleep in preparation for day 2.
A nice day today! Mum and Dad popped in on their way back home to Edinburgh after getting off the ferry. Dad was feeling poorly due to some dodgy ferry buffet food, so they stayed for a few hours until he was feeling well enough to drive home, and we had a really good catchup (and Dad mended my broken dressing room stool. Thanks, Dad!).
In the afternoon I did some work for a new client – international relations this time! – and Geth and I listened to all the bands that are playing an upcoming music festival that we’re going to.
SP day today, so I made a nice omelette for tea. Hoping to get a few pounds off at weigh-in tomorrow, as I’ve got a big weekend coming up.
OOTD: still enjoying being back in my jeans! Vest top B&C for Faderhead (2016), jeans Levi (2018), shoes Primark (2017).
I didn’t feel like woman of the split second today (I was a bit delicate after a few drinks last night), let alone woman of the year, but that’s the award I got from my Slimming World group this morning!
I got these lovely flowers to celebrate.
I sort of feel like I didn’t earn it, because we didn’t vote on it like we usually do. The reason is that I’m the only person in my group who qualifies for the regional competition, because I’ve lost more than four stone. I have to fill in a questionnaire for my consultant to send in along with before and after photos, which is a bit nervewracking!
After group and a bit of email admin, I had a nice afternoon off. Back to work tomorrow!
OOTD: posing with my Slimming World award goodies! Blouse H&M (2018), vest top Primark (2016), leggings Primark (2018), boots Primark (2017). Photo by Emma Butler at my Slimming World group.
Lots of people have been posting this week about the weather cooling down, but that has definitely not been the case in Newcastle – I’m still finding it really hot and stuffy, especially in the upstairs of our house, where the mugginess just seems to collect and sit there uncomfortably. I’ve been trying really hard not to complain about the heat, because we hardly ever get summers like this in the UK, but in all honesty I am starting to get a bit fed up of only being able to wear about 5% of my clothes because everything else is too heavy.
Also, I love autumn. It’s my favourite time of the year – the pretty leaves, the onset of crisp weather when it’s still a novelty, Strictly Come Dancing on TV, Hallowe’en, NaNoWriMo, and the long magical run-up to Christmas. I know I shouldn’t wish time away, but it’s tantalisingly close now and I am starting to get excited.
Anyway, one day at a time. I lost two pounds at Slimming World weigh-in today, which is great – it gives me a good buffer for the weekend. I’ve been able to get a bit more work done this evening, and will be able to slot in a bit more tomorrow before the wedding on Saturday. All going well!
OOTD: another very lightweight summer dress. Dress Monteau (2018), trainers Reebok (2017).
Back to work today! Another full day to get on with things before a hectic weekend.
Again, I did a pre-weigh-in SP day today – I’m at a wedding this weekend where there will obviously be a lot of eating and drinking, followed by a midweek visit from some of the in-laws, so I’m hoping to lose a couple of pounds as a buffer. There’s been a bit more alcohol this week than there should have been, so we’ll see! Fingers crossed.
(My first couple of months at target, incidentally, have really proven to me what I already knew: the summer is definitely the hardest time of year for me to stay on plan.)
Geth’s been away this afternoon and evening, so I’ve been taking the opportunity to listen to music that’s not Lisa and Kieran’s wedding playlist, courtesy of the Now! ’80s channel!
OOTD: that is my slightly grumpy ‘it’s still stupidly hot, where is this cooling down that everyone’s talking about?’ face. Dress unknown brand (thrifted from Steff in 2016).
…that I have escaped the ignominy of having to pay my Slimming World fee again! I lost the four pounds required to take me back into target range. Will try to lose a bit more this next week so that I’m more towards the middle of it again.
I went to WH Smith afterwards to pick up my Doctor Who Magazine (I’m several months behind with reading DWM, but I’ve been diligently buying all the issues so I can catch up at some point). I’ve been sternly telling myself that I need to cut down on magazines, because I never have time to read the ones I buy and it’s a bit of an expensive habit, but when I walked into the shop, all of these were on display:
Classic Pop Magazine – my new favourite magazine and also my new downfall, given that they keep releasing all these special editions about my favourite bands. Still not got round to reading the Pet Shop Boys one from two months ago!
Yeah. I’ll be starting that ‘cutting down’ thing next week.
Another quiet afternoon plugging away at work – Pilates class is on summer break till September so I’ve got plenty of time on a Thursday afternoon to get on with things at the moment.
Geth has been playing a lot of Final Fantasy XIII-2 this week, which has meant a lot of early nights reading for me. I expect I will be doing the same tonight, although I’ll possibly be forsaking my Kindle for making a start on that giant pile of magazines that I just added to.
OOTD: it’s still pretty warm around here. Vest top Primark (2018), skirt unknown brand (estimated 1980s, bought at vintage fair 2018).
I’ve been back from Canada for a week now, and I’m still struggling a little with my sleeping pattern, although at least this morning I was only an hour late forcing myself awake. It really is worse going eastwards.
Another day mostly spent getting on with work and cleaning the house, although I did also try on my bridesmaid dress for Lisa and Kieran’s wedding. Good thing I did, as it’s a bit too long and I’m going to have to take it in to be hemmed – luckily Geth has already booked an alterations appointment as he needs his suit taken in, so we’ll get that done together.
Second SP day went well – I made an awesome salad, which Geth says he wants to eat more often. Recipe coming soon!
OOTD: another sundress day. Dress Matalan (2001), shoes Zara (2018).
