OK, maybe I’m a bit too sentimental for my own good but there were so many good times I’d like to record a few memories and anecdotes for posterity. Here they being, tied to the occasional photo.
We’ll be grateful of this when the memories have faded.
Wednesday
For some, it was an early start. Richard left Bristol at 5.40 am; he arrived before 8. He proceeded to read all of Harry Potter 7 before the sun set.
Much later that same day, Chris and Abi arrived at ours in enough time to throw down some pasta and hit the road by 7.30 (yes, the civilised 7.30).
We picked Gareth up en route. We had passed Swansea and were about to hit the dirt tracks (don’t say…). This was starting to feel like a holiday!
As we passed the St David’s sign, Ian pulled his usual joke: slamming on the brakes he declared “oh it’s too far, let’s turn back”. Quite funny actually!
We arrived at the Grove to the inevitable news: our shared 4-person room was a 3-person room with a double and a single. Abi and Chris kindly offered Gareth the second single bed in their room provided (and I quote) “you don’t mind a bit of bump and grind in the night”. Gareth opted to snatch the matress and sleep on our floor.
Meanwhile, we met Richard in the bar and helped him finish the pub quiz (Ian doubled his running score almost immediately). Never did find out where we came!?!
At closing time, I made what I expected to be an unpopular proposal of heading down to the cathedral and see the starts; in fact everyone was game. Arriving at the cathedral was no less breathtaking the previous two times I’d been there, if anything enhanced by the dark sky and starlight. We lay on gravestones, stargazing and feeling proper hippies.
When we got back to the hotel, Chris opened the sherry, and my memories of the rest of the evening are fairly blank.
Except to share with you that sleeping 4-abreast in a small room is quite some experience, the only way out being forwards. I swear I managed a forward roll from my bed directly into the bathroom and onto the toilet but that may have been a dream.
Thursday
To follow…
