Saturday and Sunday

I suppose it's really "what I did during the weekend" but it feels like I've had a weekend worth of stuff already. Suffice to say that Saturday was mostly a quiet day, of geeking and sleeping for the most part. I headed over to Simes and E-J's in the evening for an excellent party, with highlights being sossidges-inna-bun, fabulous chocolate cheesecake, and a pretty kitten who was exceptionally friendly and cuddly and sleepy and perky and cute all rolled into one. Nice to see Kitty and great to see Fi, though sad she's having such trouble with her knees.

I spent much of the evening wondering what had happened to the dutch lads, but eventually the got in touch some time after midnight, to say they were having trouble getting into the Kambar because it was full - a consequence of not arriving earlier, but they'd been seeing the rest of the bands at the Portland in the meantime. I cycled over to meet them at the Kambar, where I discovered several things. Dot Cotton appears to be even more expensive a night out (9 quid entry) with much the same layout of stage. Jaap commented they had the same dancers just in kinkier clothes. I couldn't help giggling at the "policeman" outfit. Rarely is such a small and tight pair of shorts seen in public. The music sadly was not to our taste though, seeming mostly to consist of 90s dance anthem type stuff. Not my cup of tea. We did make a couple of attempts to dance to it, but giving up we discovered that kind words to the chap on the door was enough to blag me back stage.

There I discovered a marquee tacked on the side of the building, with tables and chairs, a selection of buffet food which was mostly being ignored, and a bar selling beer for rather better value than the ones in the main room! I also discovered the rest of our friends from Skip the Rush and Moussevingt and spent a pleasant couple of hours talking mostly to Jaap and Frank. They headed off to bed with fond farewells and I spent another hour or so chatting to Thijs (Frank told me how to pronounce it but I've forgotten again) and one of the Moussevingt lads from Luxembourg, in a conversation which turned to politics and immigration, and was really quite interesting. Not least in noting that in a gathering of people from all over europe there were very very few non-white faces.

On saying goodnight outside I was amused to be asked how many kisses it was usual to give on parting in the uk, and more amused at the reaction to my answer of "none really". It seems three is the norm in Holland though, and I was more or less getting the hang of it. Anyway they were all very apologetic at having failed to say goodnight properly the previous evening, and blamed extreme drunkenness, though they'd seemed quite well within normal bounds to me. You can see why they find the british idea of drinking so much a little odd. I cycled off home cheerfully into the night, and nearly fell off my bike in surprise as I passed the Catholic church and realised it was 4am. Time flies when you're having fun.

Today I've been regretting so many late nights a little, as I'm sure so little sleep has made my cold rather worse than it would be otherwise. I've been alternating naps with watching the rest of the BBC Pride and Prejudice which I started last weekend, and finishing off Harry Potter a l'école des sorciers. Dinner involved lots of vegetables, some roasted some in cheese sauce, accompanied by a couple of sausages. And having done most of the prep it was great to leave the grilling to Richard. A very pleasant meal, with Helen as company, and later joined by others round to watch Brass with Richard. I think I should go to bed soon though, I'm sad to have missed Battle at the Portland, but I really have been in no fit state to go out. Hopefully I'll be somewhat better for work tomorrow.