Gem of the Peak District
06.06.06, 12:07 pm

Now exams are done I�m getting in some much needed guitar playing, and am currently learning Fields of Gold � Eva Cassidy fiddly version, not the block chords Sting version. I probably need to calm down; I�m playing so much I�m making my fingertips split. Sorry, this is another paragraph playing homage to my wonderful geetar; I realise it�s probably deathly dull to someone who doesn�t play. I just love it so much� playing always makes me happy, and when I�m frustrated or low I always find myself piddling away and it gives me a feeling of calm and perspective and control and other good things. I clearly need to marry my guitar.

So, Sunday was spent up in the Peaks. Em drove me and Mel up there, and after marvelling at the fact that driving three minutes north brings you into the middle of the countryside I had to endure Em�s cheesy tapes of death, which included �classics� such as We Are Family, Hungry Eyes and too many songs from Dirty Dancing. We ended up eating our lunch by Lady Bower Reservoir, sitting on a big stone pillar cover thing � a big herd of ramblers walked past up the slope from us and one shouted down that it was the cover to the sewers, but no one seemed to want to ramble with him so I don�t think his word can be trusted. Anyway, it was all very peaceful and idyllic and there were baby geese wandering around looking like big fluffy cushions and lots of boats on the water. We decided to pose for some photos, and as the grass was full of thistles and Mel was wearing flip-flops I said I�d carry her to the water�s edge, as she�s the weest person ever. I managed for about three seconds before my arms said �no� and I then collapsed. On a load of thistles, which Mel found hilarious seeing as she got to just collapse onto me. Pre-illness I�d have managed fine, but since its arrival I have bugger all strength.

I need to pause here to say that I�m trying to write this amidst some more awful hormones, which have decided to come back around again. I just want my fucking period, thanks, because I�m starting to think about buying a pregnancy test. And I really don�t want to write about all the feelings behind that so we�ll just move on.

After that we then went on to Castleton, which is a wee town in the middle of the Peak District (�gem of the Peak District�, according to the postcard I bought to put on my Wall of Stuff as a reminder of the day), and spent the afternoon wandering around the streets and through the market eating ice cream, before finally going on to The Snake Pass Inn and having a drink. It really was a perfect day, although I did have to endure I Am The One And Only and Oh What A Night on the way home and Em grinning at me and saying, �This is the best song ever!�

Yesterday was a day of cleaning and washing and other domestic stuff, and then Becky turned up in the afternoon, which was most pleasant. I probably didn�t spend as much time with her as I should, as the hormones made me a bit anti-social, but I figured she�d want to see Mel more anyway so it�s okay really. Plus she�s coming back for this weekend, as we�re doing all our final Uni going-outage and she�s decided that she doesn�t want to miss it.

In other news: still don�t know when my interview is and the mystery illness is kicking my ass quite a lot today. Found out that my results will probably be up on the notice board on the afternoon of the 21st June (lecturers� strike permitting), which is two weeks tomorrow. I rang my gran yesterday morning and she�s getting her MRI results today, I believe. She�s getting worse and I don�t want to talk about that either. I said I�d go down to Notts and see her towards the end of June. Okay, I�m going to have to stop here because my arms are hurting, and I should probably go do something productive anyway.

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