Saturday 14th May
We went shopping today @ Bluewater to get BigBoss a new pair of shoes and for him and tigzz to buy my "Birfdee" cards & pressie. I frog marched them to Serendipity and they came out with a big bag, so hopefully I've got some lovely things to open in the morning.......
This morning, at 1.30 am LOL, I released 2 books (with the help of DS1 who I was picking up from a club) and both were caught and journalled!!!!! How brilliant is that??????
http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/2637576/caffcaff/book_-First-Among-Equals-(Coronet-Books)-Jeffrey-Archer
http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/2170496/caffcaff/book_-The-Best-Of-Friends-Joanna-Trollope
The Joanna Trollope was released for LyzzyBee so I'm especially pleased about that one :o)
BigBoss took me out for a meal tonight. We went to The Mirabelle in London, my Birfdee meal, and I managed to release a book there. On the way home we released some of the books that were for my Mass Birthday Release...... Ok, I know it's a little early (only by a few hours) but I was getting so worried about having to do 37 books tomorrow that I thought I'd get a head start LOL so now I've only gotta do 25 (ONLY!!!!).....
I'm looking forward to a lay in tomorrow, but I don't think Tigzz (the kitten NOT the child) will let me lay in much pass 8! LOL
I'm off now, to finish catching up with all the natter on BCUK and to register some books I bought on Friday. Looking forward to tomorrow, but d'ya know what? I've had a quick shufty at all me pressies and not one seems to be a book............
Friday 13th May
I'm not really that superstitious, but, I don't think I'd get on a plane today!!!!
This morning BigBoss made his TV debut LOL. The woman from GMTV's Entertainment Today had been at the Oasis concert and it was GMTV who were filming the que outside. I didn't get chance to tape it or anything as I had no warning it was going to be on. Quite funny though, BigBoss standing there with his hands in his pockets, looking like something out of the Mafia! LOL Fortunately no shots of me as I made sure I had my head down LOL.
Today was a pretty boring day and made all the worse by the fact that I didn't feel too good (dodgy stomach), although I did get a telephone call from the Chairman of the charity who's board I'm on, asking me if I would like to be Secretary. I've got til the end of June to make a decision, but I think I'm gunna say yes.
I sorted out some more books, ie made another cull of Mount Toobie :o( I've really got to get the house tidy this week so we can get the Estate Agent in next week. Finally managed to persuade BigBoss to do the same, so now my bedroom is looking a whole lot better. The dining room however is a complete mess as I've now got 4 boxes of AVL's in there LOL
Thanks to chelseagirl I've now got a list on 43 things LOL
http://www.43things.com/people/view/caffcaff
Trouble is.......I can only think of 2 things to put on it at the moment, but I'm sure it wont take me long to fill it up ;o)
Went to the library and bought another 10 books!!!! LOL, all for wild releasing though so they don't count ;o)
Thursday 12th May
I had a very cultured day today ;o) I went to Leeds Castle in Kent ( http://www.leeds-castle.com/ ) to meet up with Book Crosser Acanthium32! We were suppose to meet at 10am but when i got there at 9.45 there was a que of cars going up the road! Was shocked at just how popular the place is on a week day. Topped up that she pulled into the car park behind me so that was great (meant i didn't have to hover suspiciously in the car park trying to suss out every woman on her own as possibly a BC'er!). We walked through the castle grounds (to the cafe to get a coffee) and released a few books on benches etc. Had coffee accompanied by various birds (which was quite worrying especially as we were both wearing black!). We went into the Castle and managed to release the rest of our books. I took 5 and i think Acanthium took 6. We'd done them all by half way round, so next time i will be taking at least 15! At one stage she called me to a window as being the keen eyed Book Crosser that she is, she'd spotted a lady outside walking around holding one of her books!
We had a lovely lunch in the restaurant (outside on the balcony over looking the moat and castle) and Acanthium shared her jacket potato skin with various Jackdaws and starlings. Even a Robin came to see what was on offer. Unfortunately all i had left of my prawn baguette were some crisps, but they seemed to quite like the salt & vinegar flavour! Acanthium went to order some more coffee and unbeknown to me, huge slices of chocolate cake (very sneaky!). I was absolutely bloated and couldn't finish it all!
We chatted about kids, houses, regression therapy and my fear of mazes lol. Don't actually remember talking that much about books? :o) I think we left at about 1.30 (i'm sure we would have stayed a bit longer if we'd had more books lol) after making arrangements for a BC Picnic for the Kent Book Crossers (info on the KentBCUK Site). I came away with some G & B's, a book from my wish list and a book of Hugs....awwwww.....perhaps I'll collect one in person next time ;o)
Thank you sooooo much for a lovely day Acanthium (and lunch!). It brought back quite a few memories of when me & BigBoss use to take the kids there when they were little.
I picked the kids up from school and tigzz said to me "mum, did you have lunch outside by chance?". I looked in the mirror and OMG!!!!!! SUNBURNT! Of course, the minute i noticed, my face started to sting lol.....
I spent the evening trying to catch up with all the BCUK mail (amazing how much you lot natter) and watched Foot Ballers Wives, yeah i know it's crap, but that's why i like it!
Even though i was still full from lunch BigBoss did manage to persuade me to have some of his Chinese. I MUST go on a diet, but how can i when people keep buying me chocolate cake and G & B?????..........
Wednesday 11th May
Today was me & BigBoss's anniversary.......we met 21 years ago today! I spose i should consider that quite an achievement, it doesn't feel like 21 years lol.
I was 15, he was 18 and we met in a pub called The Tigers Head in Lee Green, South East London. I went there with a couple of mates from school, he was there with loads of mates as it was his local. I got him to buy me a drink, but being the modern girl that i am i insisted in buying him one back (which apparently really impressed him lol....he reckons i was the first girl that had ever bought him a pint!). It was actually my mate that fancied him, but he didn't fancy her (great news for me though!). He says he liked my pink hair (ooooo, those were the days!). It was 4 days before my 16th birthday so i jokingly asked him where he was gunna take me (so i spose you could say i asked him out) and i was surprised when he actually agreed to! At the end of the night i ended up throwing up in the toilets, but the fact that i'd been sick didn't seem to put him off snogging the face off me in the car park lol. We swapped phone numbers, and the rest , as they say, is history.......... Trouble was i was actually kind of going out with someone else at the time lol. Well, as far as my ex was concerned i was!
So you could say that today I'm feeling old lol
I had a lay in this morning which was really nice. BigBoss took the kids to school and i managed to lay in till 9! I probably would have slept a bit longer if it wasn't for Tigzz (the cat, not my DD). He started by biting my ankles and when that didn't work, he attacked my hands. I felt terrible all day though as i don't think I've been getting enough sleep recently. It tends to catch up with me after about a week.
I spent most of the day trying to sort out the Yahoo group I've set up for Kent Book Crossers:
http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/KentBCUK/ which was a case of sending out invites and PMing people, letting them know about the group. We're hoping to organize a meet up at some stage, but I've gotta see what peoples preferences are, ie when they can make it.
I packaged up a box of books for LyzzyBee which I'm hopefully gunna post today. She needs some books for her OBCZ and a project she's got where she's gunna have a stall or something in Moseley. Had a great journal entry come in from The States, not on one of my books unfortunately, it was one of tigzz's http://bookcrossing.com/journal/2461886
I managed to persuade acanthium32 to meet me for a coffee today, so that will be nice.
Spent most of the evening (after watching Desperate Housewives of course) culling Mount Toobie :o( We're putting the house on the market in the next couple of weeks so i really need to get a bit more organized and as I've only got one bookcase (all my TBR's are in 3 crates under my bed) the piles of books all over the bedroom have got to go!!!!! I haven't got a loft in this house so storage is a big problem. If we were gunna stay here BigBoss had promised me that i could have a whole wall (floor to ceiling in an alcove that's about 7 foot wide by 2 foot deep) in my bedroom fitted out with bookshelves, but now we're moving I'll have to save that promise for the next house. I'll be househunting and saying to the agent "yes, but i don't really care if there's parking, is there room for lots of book cases?". Gunna work on BigBoss sorting out his 2 piles tonight. Don't see why i should be the only one who suffers lol
Well that's about it, i must dash as I've gotta organize what books I'm gunna wild release today......
Tuesday 10th May
Well, what can i say........ I had a fantastic night last night!!!!!
We got to Charing Cross Road about 5-30 and found an NCP car park (couldn't believe the price to park, but it was a case of needs must!). I was starving and determined not to end up in McDonald's (YUK) so we went to a Noodle place a couple of doors down from The Astoria. BigBoss was a bit disappointed with his grub, but i really enjoyed it.....or was that just because it was "food" so i didn't really care what it tasted like. Started queuing outside at 6 and spent the next hour being entertained by some lads at the front of the que singing, people nearly getting run over in the street, tramps throwing up and film crews going up and down the que pointing camera's at us!
Doors opened at 7, we got in and went upstairs first, but the front 2 rows of the circle had been reserved by Initial Management so ended up downstairs by the bar. Didn't fancy going up the front (been there, done that) and anyway, where we were standing we had a really good view (about 40 feet from the stage) but a bit too far for me to throw me knickers at Liam (unless i put a brick in them).
The support band were crap (aren't they always?)...... Oasis came on at about 9.15 i think. Just before that, this bloke came and stood infront of me. I tell you, he was the tallest bloke in the whole place, seriously, and where does he decide to stand!!!!!! lol..... I'm 5 foot 2.....he was about 6"5 easy!!!! So i spent most of the concert shifting about and swapping places with BigBoss every time this bloke decided to move a bit.....He was with a bloke who was a lot shorter and half way through they decided to swap coz his poor little mate couldn't see! Oooooo...i was getting so annoyed. They were constantly chatting so i couldn't hear a word of what Liam or Noel were saying between the songs (still, at least i found out the score of Man U v Chelsea!!!! ARGH!!!!!). I was thinking "why have you come to an Oasis gig to stand there and while they're performing have a good old chat about football?. It did spoil it a little bit, but not too much. I still had a great view. Liam looked gorgeous (as usual) although i bet he was hot in his white furry coat lol. Nicole spent the night bopping away with her mates above me and i found out this morning that Jonathon Ross was there, so now i know why some of the fans had turned round and were chanting "fat bastard" at the people in the gallery (for a fleeting moment i thought Robbie was there). Music was brilliant, they played a lot of stuff from the new album (which I'd already downloaded from the net). I phoned home twice to let the kids hear, but they were totally disinterested lol
I bought a t shirt and a key ring (like i haven't got enough of them lol) and felt like absolute crap when we got out as I'd been hemmed in, without a drink for 3 1/2 hours! I'm sure i was dehydrated! Paid the 27 quid parking....(yes, i did say 27quid!!!!! extortion!) and got home about 11.30. Tigzz had already gone to bed (she left a nice little note on the computer.... as she knew that would be the first thing i did when i got in, check my e mails, she knows me well).
I was shattered so didn't respond to any e mails (the BCUKers had been busy all night as per usual lol) so went to bed just after midnight...... Now it doesn't seem to matter how tired i am i really need a book to wind down with and as I'd left my current read (The Ninth Life Of Louis Drax) in the car from when i picked the kids up, i then spent the next 30 minutes trying to find something else to read. Everything i picked up just didn't grab me :o( which is very strange...... I finally decided on The Sixteen Pleasure by Robert Hellenga and read 11 pages...... Seems pretty good so far, so I'm looking forward to reading some more.
The only thing I'm a bit disappointed about from yesterday is that with all the excitement i didn't take any books with me to wild release..... BigBoss was in shock! lol I'm quite upset about that. I could have left 1 in the Noodle place, 1 in the Astoria, 1 in the car park, 1 in the......................
Yesterday Was A Good Day!
I've decided that I'm going to use this as a kind of on line diary....Will try to make it a bit prettier over the coming weeks but for now it's gunna be pretty basic.....
Yesterday (9th) I ended up in my local library, which is pretty rare for me since joining Book Crossing (I don't have time to read the books in the house let alone borrow more from the library!) but I didn't go in with the intention of borrowing.......I blame WistfulDragon! I thought I'd go and see if they had anything interesting for sale.....hmmmmm.....I came out with 10 books! Well, come on, they were 10p each!!!!! The thing is, I'd already bought a box of 50 books at a boot fair on Sunday and then when I got home the post man delivered my order from http://www.thebookpeople.co.uk which was another 15 books..... ho hum, you'd think that would be enough wouldn't you? lol Then I came home from the London BC Meet Up last night with a further 7 (which is probably a record for me.....as most of those weren't actually for me!) Am I addicted d'ya think? lol
I finally finished The Great Gatsby, which seemed to take ages to read. I'd heard it was such a great book, but I was really disappointed :o( I must have missed something because I still cant understand why Gatsby was "Great" lol. So I decided to start my new book on the train journey to the London Meet Up (at The Stamford Arms).... A Crime In The Neighbourhood. I got to page 3 and had to put it down!!!!! It was HORRIBLE! A 12 year old boy had been raped and battered and left in some woods. A woman heard a noise (that sounded like an injured cat) and went to have a look but couldn't find anything. She went away and then the rapist came back to finish the job. YUK, I just wasn't in the mood and having kids roughly the same age I just couldn't bare to read on...... So I ended up bunging it on the table at the Meet Up.... incognitoh has taken it home, but I did warn her.
I wild released 2 books yesterday. One at the station where I got on the train (well, the car park outside) and the other actually on the train. What I usually do is put the book on the seat in front of me and then I can watch what happens. This time 3 blokes (early 20's) got on the stop after me and one of them picked the book up. I was a little bit worried that I might hear the sound of tearing paper and was getting ready to jump out of my seat and confront them if I did (as they were very loud and not the sort you'd expect to be into books). They ended up getting off at London Bridge (like me) and one of them had the book in his hand (fully intact)...... So now, I guess I play the waiting game (as usual).........
The Meet Up was great, as always!!!! I'd already put out a request on BCUK for poetry books to send to my BC Twin in the States, thanks to UrbanSpaceman, Netstation & stamford-arms she will be getting a nice little package in the not too distant future....... I managed to get everyone who was there to sign Bossmare's Journal, so that will be going off to the States today (which reminds me, I better get moving and get down the post office). It was great to meet Cestmoi who is visiting from Canada.... Netstation has already reported back that she had a great time. BigBoss picked me up and managed to get a quick lager shandy and transferred all the children's books i got from Loopy to Netstation's boot so that the OBCZ Relay can continue. Now Netstation has to get them to catrionamoore lol. I am so glad to be shot of them. About 120 children's books!!!!! So now my study is a bit clearer..... Got home about 11, even with being stopped by the police in the Old Kent Road (a terrorist check lol). They searched the boot and then asked BigBoss what was in the big black canvas bag on the back seat, he responded with "The bag is full of books, I've just picked my wife up from a Book Crossing Meet Up"...... I was so proud! lol..... Thought i might have to get out of the car and explain more but unfortunately he didn't ask what that entailed :o(
So now i have to tidy the house (hubby and kids on their own for the evening....not a good idea!), get to the post office and get organized for the great evening ahead...... I'M GOING TO SEE OASIS TONIGHT.....sorry, shall i just say that again......I'M GOING TO SEE OASIS!!!!!!! Will have to pick the kids up from school, dash down McDonald's to get them fed and then go up to London (Woolwich) to pick up BigBoss and then its off to The Astoria.... I AM SOOOOO EXCITED!!!!! I'm not gunna be able to concentrate on anything today..... I only found out i was going on Saturday night as BigBoss bought them as a surprise for my birthday (which isn't until the 15th, but hey, I'M not complaining!)
So i guess i better go......I will let you know tomorrow how it goes.
Vikki
Hi There :o)
This is my first attempt at a "blog" so please bare with me!
