It's not cos I'm particularly clever, I feign intelligence very well with my amazing feats of memory. Maybe I have a small attention span. But then again I can work at full throttle for ages when the intensity is right. Just need to find a way to crank up the intensity. How hard can that be?
Anyway back to what this lovely pic is about :-D. Now the gentleman in the white Tshirt is Marc Birch. An absolutely top bloke! So absolute is his topness, that he drew this rag tag bunch together on the day before his departure from Lincoln.
I park the car in front of Swapnal's and get everything out. He can't come out to play as he's off to MK to hang with his parentals before being thoroughly interrogated for the purposes of the potential offer of a final interrogation!
I brought along some suitably flamboyant flowery garden chairs, and a large mat upon which I used to do my suryanamaskars. Mark, being the most masculine example of manhood insisted in carrying all four chairs. We are now in search of Sarah who is sat on a wall near the lion. Of course this takes us up an incline which leaves Mark huffing and puffing. The guy is all about power he doesn't really do endurance.
So when we arrive Sarah is drawing! I know...totally out of character for Sarah Fisher, freelance illustrator, to be sketching trees whilst in the arboretum. Anyways I start setting up the whole ting and she deftly dismounts the wall. From the results of the 54 photos I took, not a fan of being the central focus of any pic.
After sometime we sight the man of the hour, Marc Thomas Birch. He's got a massive black bag with him. As he approaches I can hear a jangling! Turns out he's brought along proper cutlery! Some more chatting and Eleanor deftly sneaks up behind Mark. Leading to this image:
Now I gave up my chair when Elle arrived, partly because I am a chivalrous old world knight and partly because I have a bad back that gets better when I sit without support. Being the genius I am I positioned the three legged fold out stool on an incline. Ao when I face the group I have to lean forwards or run the risk of rolling down the hill. I now wish I had rolled down the hill!
Stephen and Gerrard arrive at the same time, Stephen is carrying a lovely brolly :D. He also goes straight for the herby sausage...
Scotch eggs, 2 types of small sausage, sandwiches, salad, millionaires shortbread, flapjacks, french dressing, mayo and ketchup. Twas a rather nice picnic that attracted several dogs! Sarah exits early on account of having previous plans. Such are the perils of short notice picnics!
The weather is peculiar, warm but cloudy. Too warm to wear and extra layer for any prolonged period but not warm enough to relax in a single layer for too long. Ah beautiful British summer time!
Eleanor and Mark head off into the undergrowth in search of a toilet! Not for anything unsavoury I might add, well at least I don't think that's what they were up to... Myself, Marc, Stephen and Gerrard pack up the gear and head back to the car to stow it. So we can wander about some more unburdened by picnic bric-a-brac. On the way there I spy Vicky, Swapnal's housemate, hanging out outside their front door. Friendly waves and surprised looks are exchanged :D
The cafe, which has toilets is closed. So when Mark and Eleanor arrive they're all squirmy n what not. I step up and knock on the door and awkwardly ask Vicky if these lovely folk can use the facilities. She kindly hustles Scott out the shower and lets us in. We wander up to the lounge and Mark insists I take a pic of him back on his pew. He snapchats Swapnal, who is confused and fuming as a result.
It was around this time that my camera started freezing up. I'd only taken 53 pics and then I remembered that I'd taken 200 a couple of weeks ago and not charged it up X-O.
We stare at the awesomeness of the upstairs lounge kitchen area and I point out the guitar. "Oh yeah I do play guitar" You crafty bastard :-P I could have quite happily stayed in the lounge/kitchen but it was a bit odd to hang about in a house where the only tenant you know is out and the other one you kinda know is heading out imminently.
So to the maze! Hit by a smell I love, it's kinda pine-ish wood chips. Elle hates this smell, so if you ever want to keep her away you now know what to deploy. Now the only reason you'd keep her away is if you were, for example, prepping a surprise party for her or if you were working with a creature that was equal parts hilarious and skittish...
Upon arriving at the maze we choose the wrong entrance. And now it has devolved into a race. Stephen and Marc choose the cheaters path and make to the centre first. Inevitable Mark loses! It is quite a let down, mostly because it's not quite tall enough to present a challenge and it's got gaps that aren't supposed to be there, that you can shuffle through.
Now back to the car...on the way Eleanor discovers Mark is ticklish. He keeps his distance, now we must capture and embarrass him. We are at the entrance to the Arboretum that's near Thomas St.
Marc and Eleanor advance pushing Mark back into the Arboretum. Myself and Stephen surreptitiously slip behind a couple of well placed pillars and wait. Eleanor and Marc feign defeat and head towards the street corner. Mark cautiously walks after them. Upon spotting Stephen he steps backwards and straight into bear hug from me! Deer in the headlights :D Eleanor unleashes a relentless barrage leaving him a quivering heap. Then he heads home to have some soup. Can't blame him after all that excitement!
I offer everyone a lift home and we head to Marc's as it's my last chance, probably, to see his bedroom. Everyone else has seen it except me! Also he has food to disperse to the towns peoeple. Get there have a wander round, I spot the copious amount of iron he's got, 140kg! To the kitchen where Stephen shotguns all the pasta. Of course once someone has something it becomes exponentially more appealing.
Eleanor wants some pasta but Stephen's having none of it. So whilst Marc n Stephen nip to the living room to locate a bag for all the pasta Eleanor surreptitiously sneaks a bag into the pocket of her hoody. After a brief scuffle Stephen reclaims the pasta but now there's pasta on the floor, disaster.
Marc then tells us he may not be off on Thursday as the plans have changed yet again! So my minds spooling up thinking of what else we could do whilst this fantastic fellow is still in our midst. The prevailing idea is kareoke, never partaken so no idea why I'm so keen. Also I really can't sing. No sooner am I forming the ideas does Marc receive a text from his bro, Wesley, asking if it's ok to make the move on Wednesday!
Downstairs to play with Marc's ferrets, Izzy and Bella. Bendy little things that love to climb n sniff :D. Izzy is bitey so I steer well clear. I don't really want to go, mostly because I hate goodbyes. So I stick around and chat. Eleanor and Stephen are growing increasingly bored but they are both so well mannered they occupy themselves. Eleanor with a shrink wrapped 4 pack of baked beans, which she was slowly shredding with her nails. And Stephen with poking holes in the dirt between paving stones with his umbrella.
It's during this time I think about setting up my own company and employing the old team. It's a great idea because we all got on so famously! And we had such different skills.
Marc: IT + the ability to fix computers by simply standing near them
Stephen: Also IT
Gerrard: IT Helpdesk + a voice that could make a wolverine purr
Swapnal: Permanently set to smoulder + crafty
Sarah: Illustration + invaluable in a contact situation
Eleanor: Marketing + a laugh that can disarm at 100 paces
James: No nonsense straight talker + Excel god
Mark: Morale + finance (!)
Chris: Putting a glass eye to sleep!
And then we come to me...what is it that I bring to the party? Well I'm pretty good with numbers, but that's kinda boring. But according to Marc and several others I've asked I'm pretty damn good at presenting a thoroughly believable spiel. So I've basically been told that I am a con man!
But the only thing is I haven't got the cash to finance this idea, yet. Also what would we do? Some kind of centralised consultancy...hmmm maybe with another decade of experience under my belt I'll give it a proper go.
Waving bye to Marc as we drive off, drop Elle off at hers. Nearly miss the place as she's too busy singing. Stephen departs on the high street leaving me on my own to go home. Now I kinda like being alone but that's only when I've "had" to spend lots of time with people. This time I was alone, but not by choice. So I'm kinda down. Most of the way home all I can think is that time is fleeting and nothing lasts forever.
Sort of depressing right? Well no, enjoy the hell out of it while it's there! This message was hammered home when turning in to my driveway. I startle a hedgehog, who legs it across the driveway for the nearest shrubbery!
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