Month / November 2005

by Gareth

It’s snowing!

Woo! It’s snowing!

Got up this morning to see a thin layer of snow on the ground, but in the last half hour it’s started snowing properly!

Not sure how long it will last ‘cos the BBC’s weather website reckons we’ve got rain forecast for the rest of the week, but it was cool to see out first proper snow this winter!

Other stuff… took myself off to see the new Harry Potter film at the cinema on Saturday night, and I thought it was really good – although I know that people who’ve read the book are disappointed that apparently a lot had to be cut out to get it to fit in one film. The first time I saw Harry Potter was this time last year… I’ve kind of watched them in a funny order… episode 3, then episode 1, now the fourth one… and the second film is on TV this Saturday so I’ll watch that then!! I know there’s been quite a lot of debate over Harry Potter, and whether it’s a bad influence and all that, but from watching the films, I can’t see that much of a difference in subject matter to say that of Lord of the Rings, or the Chronicles of Narnia. They’re all basically stories of good against evil – maybe the books are different – I don’t know, not having read them, but there was nothing in the film that made me think they’re bad.

by Gareth

New bike!

Well I went out and bought a bike this afternoon! I’ve been trying to make up my mind for the last week on whether to get one, and then I decided if I didn’t get it now, I never would!

It’s a Specialized Hardrock FS mountain bike, and I tried sitting on it in the shop, and it seems really good (not that I could really tell!! But I’ve been told it’s a good bike!)

I pushed it back to the office rather than make my first journey in 15 years through Manchester city centre! I think the last time I rode a bike was doing a paper round!!

It’s certainly going to be quite different to my last bike… for a start, this bike has 24 gears – when I was 18 I had a five speed second-hand racing bike which I used to ride everywhere – until I got a car! I think I’m going to need to find a park or somewhere to take it out and learn how to ride again, without anyone seeing me!!

by Gareth

Old faces

Me, Ali, Helen, Jeb, Tim, Nicky, Lisa and Mary.

Went down to Redditch on Saturday to meet up with some of the old CU guys from when I was at UCE. We met up at Phil and Mary’s house, and I hadn’t seen a few of them since I moved up to Manchester six years ago.

I got there at noon (using the sat-nav on my new phone which worked brilliantly!) and I’d only been there a short while when I was left holding the baby – literally – Ali dumped me with Phil & Mary’s 6 month old baby, which was a whole new experience for me! I really wasn’t sure how to hold her – I was so worried I’d drop her! But I managed okay I think!

It was a very noisy afternoon because Jeb & Nicky brought their new baby Lois with them, Tim & Lisa had their 2½ year-old daughter Lisa, and with Phil & Mary’s three children – baby Jessica, 2 year-old Ben, and 4½ year-old Alice – it was quite manic!! Good fun though!

It was nice to catch up with people again. It’s interesting to find out how lives have changed! Especially the ones with kids now!!

You can check out the photos here.