The Grand Updates

Well, as you may have noticed, or not, I have actually filled in the gaps. Read down for another three updates. All at once! Crazy.

Andrew on Tour - Part Three [The North East]

A change to my schedule for the training meant that instead of doing the exciting visits to Ilford, I was instead seeing the scenic sights of the North East, namely Newcastle, as well as London in that week also.

This of course meant that as I was in Newcastle for two days, I got to spend an evening (and as it turned out, two evenings) in Durham. This is really pointless mentioning because all the people who knows this already are the only ones who read this, but hey. That's the point of this.

So yes, got to spend one evening in Durham, which was very very nice. Very glad I did that, and worth all the travel - especially as it goes on expenses anyway. Second evening I had been intending to meet up with a friend, Mark, in Leeds on the way back. However, when texting him to meet up ... he could get to Leeds five minutes before I had to leave. Not good planning. So I went to Durham again that evening for a couple of hours.

More good work.

Andrew on Tour - Part Two [Manchester]

So, two Saturdays ago I was being decisive and going to the Grand Final in Manchester at Old Trafford. I mentioned this in my blog a few weeks previously, but noone applied for interest. So I contacted an old friend from uni, Stuart who was one of my housemates in second year, and a Hull FC supporter, and asked if he wanted to go. He did, and his girlfriend Emma who I also knew from then did too.

So I went up to his on the Saturday morning; for an Arsenal supporter he sadly lives right outside the Emirates. And I mean, literally, right outside. Tragic, I know.

So we drove up to Manchester - I say 'we' but I was the only one not to drive, logical really as I still don't have a license. The final was Leeds vs St. Helens for those of you who were not aware; which I would not be surprised considering it was entirely overshadowed by both the football and rugby union that day, and noone would actually know it was on unless they bothered to find out for themselves.

The atmosphere was great and really enjoyable at the game. The only downside was that after a tight first half, Saints got really quite obliterated in the second half. They didn't play particularly poorly, but looked a bit toothless in attack, while Leeds defended well. Final score was a mismatch which didn't represent the true state of the game, as it was tight but Leeds did deserve to win.

This was actually the first time I watched Saints lose live, a run including four Challenge Cup finals and a Grand Final - not a bad record. However, despite that it was a really enjoyable day and I'm delighted I actually made the effort to make the contact and make it work. Good stuff all round.

Andrew On Tour: Part One [The South West]

Right, I did say I would update. So here we go. En masse.

Many moons ago, which may well have been three weeks back, I was in the south-west of England delivering training in both Bristol and Exeter. This was the first step of my tour of the country. It wasn't really a grand tour, but a tour nevertheless.

This is memorable because mainly of the utter ineptitude of the Bristol Central Travel Lodge. Take my advice and never stay there. The odds you would've done anyway are pretty slim, but better safe than sorry.

The place was horrendous. I had the misfortune to be stuck there two nights, due to no accomodation in Exeter within the appropriate price range - instead I got a train early the next morning to Exeter. On the second night of my stay, there were a group of us bitching in the bar about the experiences of the hotel. It was thrilling.

Here were my own experiences: the only hotel in the world that doesn't do shampoo. Unbelieveable. They didn't have the billing information which had been provided. They had electronic keys for the doors and couldn't activate them correctly the first two times.

Other people's complaints included the following: frozen food. But still frozen when served. Nice. Removing your drink when you move from your seat for ten seconds with your book and papers still obviously there. Ignoring you at reception while standing fairly obviously in front of them ringing the bell. But the all time killer was someone driving around who couldn't find the hotel, ringing the hotel reception - only to be told "we're busy" and hung up on. It's something straight out of Fawlty Towers.

Besides that, my trip was uneventful and featured lots of rather boring training and long travelling on not entirely shite trains.

The Calm Before The Storm

This weekend I really do plan to update my blog with the last however many weeks of stuff. Promise.

Now sleep.

Andrew On Tour

[Disclaimer: If I get through this without the word 'update' from here to the end, I'll be impressed]

Well, to keep people informed of what I've been doing and why I've been so frenetically busy not to bother blogging of late, well, for a start I've been off around the country. This sort of exciting modern-executive style living should continue for the next three weeks or so.

This week I was in Liverpool for a day, Tuesday being the day in question (travelling up and staying overnight on the Monday, returning on the Tuesday evening). On the bright side, it meant I got to travel on one of these swish Virgin trains, which are extra roomy due to each passenger only having one arm and one leg having bought their ticket.

The reason I was in Liverpool was because I was part of the training team for a new program being rolled out to various branches across the country. This is the same reason I'm going for the next few weeks to be away.

In my tour I will be visiting Bristol, Exeter, Newcastle, several parts of London, and the wonderfully scenic Ilford (ha ha). While in Newcastle I will also be visiting old university folks from Durham, or rather young ones because they are still there while I have moved on. If anyone else who reads this (unlikely) is near one of the other places, let me know.

In addition to that, I have received my first payslip. It makes all the work and early starts worthwhile. So far have not had much of a chance to spend it, but, I've got it and that's the first thing.

More to come in the next few days I suspect, I intend to provide more regular posts in the near future. But then I always do.