The weeeeeeeekend baby!

Gardening! Sewing! Braaing! Playing drums!

Su over early on Saturday morning - long chats while mowing the lawn and making food - saffa chicken and butternut on the braai. Then crack out the sewing machine and work well into the evening with a glass of red. Reading bracelet :) Sunday morning finally oil the wooden garden border out the front, and then do the long-awaited second coat on the deck. Back to sewing - two custom pillow cases for my tempur pillow. Lots of other items fixed. Some drums, with my new cymbal. Plans for a cymbal bag underway.

Sunday evening cooking Spanish chicken for two with parsley from my own garden :) So easy!

Ingredients 8 chicken thighs, skin on and bone in 3 onions, thinly sliced 2 tsp paprika zest and juice 1 lemon good handful parsley, roughly chopped 150ml stock 1 tbsp olive oil

Method Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Put all the ingredients into a large, wide ovenproof dish. Mix everything together with your hands and season. Bake for 45 mins, stirring the onions after 20 mins, until the chicken is golden and the onions tender. Serve with rice. Recipe from Good Food magazine, October 2009

SUPERHOT game is addictive...
My first squash league match! Took one game off my opponent :)

Streetcar named Desire screening of the play was out of this world. Free diet coke and Topcorn. Wednesday off work cycling in Richmond Park! What a fantastic day, taking photos in the half-mist. Fingersmith part 2. ESH NEW JOB INNIT!

Car booked for the Leicester weekend... :-O

Paul Temple and the Conrad affair :) Band practice and packing for LEICESTER. Haircut... Asked for Roxette, got Sam Smith! D-:

In the world: Scotland votes 'no' in the independence referendum

Blackout back to light

Team Sweet Spots in Slough for LTGP weekend softball tournament! Barbican Digital revolution exhibition Sunday evening with The Lady. Billy Holiday revealed unexpectedly... Stiffness in the bones, but i feel so healthy! SJ's leaving present finalised and sent off - delivery fail on thursday :(

BLACKOUT with the Raiders Black Team on Wednesday night, Sh party crashing and a mafia talk. Or 3. I am just happy to be allowed to try again.

Oscar Pistorius verdict, guilty of culpable homicide, and firing a gun in public. Cleared of all other charges.

SJ leaving party at Tapestry - die-hards catching very last trains home.

Friday evening squash training by myself to prepare for the league I've entered... :-O Finally handed in my DKNY watch to be fixed \0/

Su's mom's PHONECALL!!

Bam

Naomi in Kings Cross. Took 4 games off D to win for the first time since we started playing squash! Arm-wrestle with housemate M - VERY close! She won though. "At least worth wondering about" T-shirt finished! Freezer party!

And then, it happened. Feels a bit unreal, actually, but how familiar... SP operation, Aunty Beulah passes away.

Fingersmith part 1. Su's mom's email!

I feel changed

Changed by the weekend, changed by my resolve, by the Sarah Waters book, Reading Festival, the rain. I also feel aimless.

National burger day at Sophie's in Covent Garden with D and M. Caramel ice-cream dessert. The total surprise of realising that it's my anniversary.

Sarah Fucking Waters Yes.

Friday with M at the Barbican Digital Revolution exhibition - absolutely awesome. Dirty Burger afterwards in Shoreditch.

Pink spiders

Band practice with a new song being hammered into shape. Dead mouse in the studio. Planting my Phlox and daisies, first apples from the tree cut-up and frozen for LATER. Drink Monday evening and the IKEA desk. Leaving drinks for SF at Ami. Playing squash with D after a G&T and 2 cigarettes is NOT a good idea.



Dinner with Su in the new sushi place on Southbank, and her revelation about her mom! Band practice at mine, and another song taking shape. Friday READING FESTIVAL - on my own. Daunting at first, but turns out to be amazing - probably because of Queens of the Stone Age and having someone look out for me till I got safely home. Also saw Brody Dalle, Vampire Weekend, SUBTRKT, an upcoming new alternative band, and introduced to Paramore. Met Jack from Brighton group Crisis Warning.

Down the Valley of Realisation, Up the Hill of Clarity

Edinburgh festival. 4 hour jam session with Davidx2 in Tottenham Court Road - absolutely awesome. Back to the Future Secret Cinema. Trying desperately to feel better. To get out of this cycle.

Finally scaled One Tree Hill. Clarity... I asked for clarity, and here it is, arriving piece by piece like guests to a party. Robin Williams :(

Played squash against my inner demons and won. Must do it more often. Place booked in the Raiders tournament in Leicester!



How is it possible that no single decision I'm making feels right?? Lesley's mom :( Thursday Vodka Revolution night with IC & SJ.

In the world: Robin Williams dies

Stars

Painted stars on my ceiling. Billy Holiday painting is done! Planning a sculpture. Meeting prospective house mate, band request from Halina (mel's friend). Orange is the new black season 1 done. Bought more flowers for the garden. Sue brunch in London Bridge. Back to the future outfit sorted.

Sunday softball fielding clinic! FEAST street food festival with M in Tobacco dock. Godfather with live orchestra booked!

Monday chat, notice period extended. Some relief, but the deep sadness remains. Considering Bupa's mental health councillors. Tuesday off - Homebase shopping trip, flowers, garden stuff. Braai prep and the feast that followed! D's lamb rack superb. E might be moving in :)

Hung Billy Holiday up for now. Painted more stars, and hung up the corkboard I finally bought for my room. FINALLY BOUGHT AN OFFICE CHAIR! (That stupid second hand shop was finally open!). Drummed.

Raiders quarter finals with JP, GB and SuJ supporting! 14-14 draw in the last innings, then playing 2 sudden death innings before TMW scored a whopping 7 runs to put us out of the league. Great night out with the team.

Oscar closing arguments. Squash with D. Orchestral performance of Andriesen's De Staat (inspired by Plato's Republic). Drunk with the housemates. Rossini booked :)