OMG a post. I guess you could say I was inspired by Rik finally getting off his arse and posting in his blog. (Nice work on the R Beef Jongleurs card btw mate.)

So what have I been up to since the weekend of devastation in Hull. Well in preparation for a weeks holiday in Tenerife starting next Tuesday, I've been trying to get my PADI qualification finished finally. I didn't complete the last 2 open water dives when I originally did the course in 2002, so have had to refresh all the skills. I had to do a dry suit induction last Friday, and I swear I've never been so hot in my life, they're designed to keep you warm in really cold water.. so practicing in a heated swimming pool.... you get the picture.

I have 3 dives this Sunday at Stoney Cove in Leicestershire, so hopefully they'll all go well - and I'll be sorted with PADI OWD so that I can do the ray feeding dive at 20m in Tenerife (which is meant to be pretty neat).

Went out for my sisters birthday in Covent Garden/Holborn last weekend, and ended up in some place called Sway. Kev joined us later on, and brought Mandy and her new flat mate along too. A few drinks later I actually managed to pull Mandy, which I think was a surprise to both of us, but definitely a nice one!
My sister meanwhile decided to go back to our flat with her huge crowd of uni and work mates and play the piano at 4am. Needless to say this didn't improve neighbourly relations, although she insists that the French guy who lives downstairs stopped looking angry when she fluttered her eyelashes at him and whined... "but it was my birthday"..

Going back a bit further we (me and my university mates) had a bit of a shocking night in East London the other week, when a friend of ours who is going through a fairly tough time at the moment, turned up and lamped Stephan in the face with no warning. Yup he just steamed straight into the restaurant and properly clocked him one. Now I know Steph lives in Aldershot and probably gets this all the time just walking around.. but really there is no need for it in a Frankie and Benny's.. worse still as he fell backwards he dropped his pint glass which smashed and cut into his hand pretty deeply.. Cue half the group having to spend the evening in casualty with Steph stuck with the possibility of permanent nerve damage and quite a lot of stitches.