What I did on my holidays...

I did a lot you know. Yes! A lot. I woke up and fell asleep every day. I ate and drank every day and I did walking too. And I did toilet and dressing and I spended money. I had big holiday in big city and I did talking to lots of people.

I arrived in Heathrow on 22nd December to parents who were sure they wouldn't recognise me as having hair straightened is akin to having plastic surgery it seems. But the familiar sight of me purchasing an excess of Ferrero Rocher and Toblerone at the last chance Duty-Free counter jogged their memories and we made our way home via a busy pub where I carried my luggage up a flight of stairs and felt very dizzy. I was very tired having managed only 2 hours sleep the night before and therefore the rest of the evening is a blur.

The 23rd was also a bit of a blur, and I took in some familiar sights- the Doctor's (where I was informed that I had never been to Japan before this trip by a Dr I've never met before), Toni and Guy Essensuals in Covent Garden (only the best for me! Hair cut by Michael, very nice), popped in to the CityLit for about 3 hours to visit old work colleagues, 2 thirds of whom were on hols (hot damn, but thank you and hello to all who were there) and then met Jo Attwooll for tea in Food For Thought on Neal Street (v. tasty veggie restaurant). Then met Juliette at Covent Garden station and we went to the Globe pub to meet Chika-san (our Japanese teacher in England) and her Mum at the pub and some of her friends. Except we were the first there and Chika-san was the last and we didn't know any of her friends so we were confused for a long while...

The 24th didn't quite go to plan. I had to do Christmas shopping (I'd bought some bits from Japan, but not enough) and then meet people, so I dodged into Marks's in Moorgate and grabbed many nice things before being delayed by loons on either side of the cash tills. From there I went on to meet Megan and Dhanusha in Camden where they tried on lots of clothes and Dhanusha announced that she is to be wed. Yay! And proving we are similar, she tried on a dress which didn't fit, and bought it anyway because it was too nice and someone should wear it.

Kofi and Karen joined us and did pretend fighting and we went for a pub lunch which was very tasty and then we went home. Having not made it to the pub in the evening to meet Neil and Rachel and Roland and Kat due to time constraints, Ma and Pa and I headed to Midnight mass which was preceeded by a diabolical carol service. The carols themselves weren't diabolical, but the performances were. It was like Helen Keller without the vocal training. Next year I'm bringing a portable tape player and a nice Christmas CD to drown out the din.

Christmas day was lovely and quiet and my brother, his lady wife and her lady mother came to ours for dinner and tea and we all watched Peter Kay on DVD. And then on Boxing day we did pretty much the same, but at my brother's house.

On Monday the 27th I headed up North and saw some snow along the way. I was going to Manchester to see friends and babies! Yay! So I arrived and was picked up by Sara and her Mum in the middle of the city (which just gets better every time you go) and Sara and I went to see Emma who looked well. Penny, it turned out had gone to Newcastle with Robert (her baby), and I realised I'd forgotten to reply to an email somewhere... And we chatted and caught up for a while and then left and it was only in the morning I realised I'd forgotten to see Emma's baby. Still, she showed me a lovely photo...

The Tuesday was another day of plans going awry, where Charlotte picked me up from Sara's and I spent a lot of time trying to get in contact with Susan and Lyndsey with whom I was supposed to be staying. Well, we did a bit of shopping and a lot of chatting and for lunch headed to a pub in Sale where I was meeting Suzanne, my old flatmate, and her new partner Rob. And it was here that both Suzanne and I walked past each other, not recognising each other with our new barnets (perhaps my parents were right about hair changes being akin to plastic surgery). And it was also here that I heard from Susan with whom it wouldn't be possible for me to stay with due to unforeseen circumstances. Oops! So I arranged to stay with Sara again and had a nice lunch catching up with Suzanne and chatting with Rob and Charlotte. And then I headed into town for an aimless afternoon of wandering. And I did my usual looking round and saw all the new bits no-one tells you about (it is looking rather grand these days). But the day wasn't in vain as I made the acquaintance of an Argentine model called Frank we spent the afternoon chatting and then bumped into Kofi while we were in Velvet.

On the wednesday I left Sara's and Manchester and headed back to London and an evening visit to Lyn's, where we chatted and ate more good food...

I left my house as late as posible on Thursday and made my way to Shepherd's Bush Empire to pick up my ticket for New Year, but I got it wrong as tickets can only be collected on the night, doh! So I headed to my rendevous point with Vezza Lezza/ Dorothy Brody/ Verity (delete as applicable, all are same person), where we shopped and went on to discuss the finer points of the City Lit, food overseas, alcohol and vomiting in inappropriate places (much to the pleasure of the people sitting next to us in the Greek restaurant I'm sure).

New Year's Eve. All my friends were doing exciting and cool different things. So I thought, "sod that" and went off on my own. I was going to see Saint Etienne at the Shepherd's Bush Empire. Prior to this I met with Neil and Rachel and Roland and Kat and we had tasty pub tea (potatoes) and took the piss out of the locals in an Ilford pub.

Saint Etienne was ace. They had two support bands- the Magic Numbers (the ugliest band I have ever seen, but their music was ace) and the Concretes (a slighlty odd Swedish combo who used many, many, many different instruments. Their album is very good) and then after their show they had DJs until 3. I sometimes forget how much I love Saint Etienne. They played most of their hits and some new songs, and the highlight for me was definitely "Who Do You Think You Are" with it's opening "ping" sound. I met lots of nice people, including one girl who was to be married who asked me if I would snog her friend and didn't think my being gay was an issue as it was New Year's Eve and I should make an effort. Needless to say I didn't make the effort. But I danced alot anyway...

New Year's day was a day of recovery from arriving home at 4:40 and getting in bed by about 5:30. We (Ma, Pa and me) went to Romford and had Pizza Hut tea. Mmm...

I had decided one thing I needed to buy while home was jeans, so on the 2nd January, JeanQuest began in earnest. And then stalled as I realised to my horror, that I had not only put on the half a stone where your clothes feel a bit tight but no-one else can see the difference, I had also put on the other half a stone where everyone tells you you look really well (about 8 times) and your size doesn't fit you anymore. So I left TopMan pondering a 32 waist, and wondering what it means to be square on your lower half (32 waist, 32 inside leg), and headed for Brixton to meet Lizzy and Matt and Lawrence and Oliviera for some food (Matt made 2 masterful curries- Indian and Thai) and then to a pub to see a friend of Lawrence's singing (Alice McLoughlin- she really was very good) and then to the cinema to see the House of the Flying Daggers which was a beautifully filmed nonsensical love story. Suspend that belief... And I forgot that all the tubes finish early on Sunday and nearly had to spent the whole night getting home, but fortunately caught the last train at Liverpool St.

My last day was spent feeling rough as I had started coughing in a flu like fashion in the cinema the night before. And due to the urgency of JeansQuest I had to cancel a planned trip to Essex and head to London, and back to TopMan to buy square jeans with low waist and bootcut/ flared leg with the support and assistance of a post-birthday Megan (January's a busy birthday month). A bit more wandering and some coffee and we parted ways as I headed home to prepare for a family dinner in a Harvester restaurant (have you ever been to a harvester before?) Fortunately they had renovated both the restaurant and then menu, and the food was gorgeous. I had to stop myself ordering food as I felt I was on my last meal before execution. Prawn cocktail, swordfish steak with new potatoes, breaded mushrooms, sticky date and toffee pudding with custard, uuuuhhh....... Excuse me while I wipe the drool from the keyboard...

Anyway, Tuesday 4th was spent packing and buying toiletries that it turned out wouldn't fit in my suitcase and then going to the plane and this time appearing hard-faced in front of a weeping family not because I wasn't upset, but because I was too ill to register what was going on, and too weighed down with bags to have a clue (how I got on the plane with 4 peices of hand luggage I'll never know. I looked like I was taking a week's shopping back with me...).

Having changed at Seoul, I bumped in Kathleen (the Ochiai JET - 2 towns from me) and her boyfriend Mike, and also Peter and Jen on the plane. Kathleen is lovely and offered me a lift home which I accepted, and then passed out once I arrived indoors.

I miss you England! And all you people I left behind!