Smarty Paws
Oct. 17th, 2023 08:10 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lupestripeWe have just come back from a week in the UK, our fifth visit this year. This has caused us to start thinking about our future in Germany and whether it is viable. As I have said before, the social life here is poor and we are finding we are travelling back to the UK increasingly frequently for social events. This is making the high rent hard to justify, as in addition to higher taxes, we could save an awful lot of money by just returning home. Furthermore, while Poland's pivot away from the populist far-right is welcome, Germany is tilting in that direction, with recent elections in Bavaria and Hesse proving to be fertile ground for them. This has made me start to feel increasingly unwelcome here. We'll see what happens with my new job situation, while Wolfie would like to see out a year at his current place, which would take us to March. Ultimately, though, we have far more friends back in the UK and being in our house for just 48 hours this time has highlighted just how much I miss it. That's not to say that returning would not have negatives - the UK is still a mess and my core friendship groups have largely fallen apart - but the financial savings in particular certainly make it attractive.
All of this is ironic as we didn't really want to go back. Since the start of August in my case, and the end of August in Wolfie's, we haven't stopped and really want a few weeks of rest. We had to get up early on Monday morning (9 October) to catch an 11:20am flight and as we made our way through the city on the S9, we were very close to just cancelling the whole thing and heading back to bed. We had bought the flights very late on, meaning it was quite expensive, while we had already sunk money into the holiday and seeing Frankie Boyle on Sunday so on balance we decided to stay and catch our flight. What didn't help the tiredness was the fact our flight was delayed by an hour, which had a knock-on effect at the other end. Fortunately, only having hand luggage reduced the usual hassle significantly, while once we got back to the UK, we were delighted to discover it was an incredibly warm day for the time of year at 22C. We sat down at Greggs at Manchester Airport to grab a catch-up pasty before working out the best route to Uttoxeter, which was near where we were staying for the rest of the week. A route via Crewe presented itself as the best option and is the one we took. This was interesting as we saw a part of the country we don't really get chance to see, including the humongous Jodrell Bank dish, which we chugged past around halfway through our journey.
We were going to Furry Holiday, an annual event arranged by Lunar-Belle. We arrived at Uttoxeter shortly before 4pm, the station a modest gateway to this modest town. I only really knew the place through the racecourse, which is situated right next to the station, with the footbridge over the tracks affording excellent views of it. We then headed over the road to Lidl to pick up some supplies, knowing we would need alcohol and snacks for our four-day stay. It was while in Lidl that Lunar wrote to me offering to pick us up, which we accepted. She had to put some clothes on though, so we spent about twenty minutes sunbathing in a disabled car parking space outside of the supermarket. Here, an elderly gentleman who was resting before going shopping, started to chatting to us for a good five minutes about what we were doing here. It was the first of many friendly interactions around the town, which left a very good impression. The next was in B&M after Lunar turned up as I was buying more unicorn things, while we also grabbed some Christmas crackers for a Christmas-themed lunch that was being cooked. Typically, we couldn't find anything in Lidl despite their extensive Christmas range, even though it was still early October. Another interesting facet of Uttoxeter is the steel sculptures on the roundabouts, we saw one of a female centaur and another of a bull with exceptionally prominent testicles.
The cottages were in Somersal Herbert, just over the border in Derbyshire down some of the most narrow country roads I had ever seen. The village is pleasant enough with a neat church and a Tudor-framed hall, while there were only about ten houses in the place. Our cottage, appropriately called The Stables considering many of us are pony players, was one of four and although it was quite secluded, we were near other holiday makers too. The rolling countryside was exquisite and we had a picnic area which faced west, allowing for great views of the setting sun. This was also where the hot tub was, which was another perk. The week itself was largely relaxing, although we did join halfway through. This meant we missed the trip to the play area and a caving expedition upon which they had embarked over the weekend. However, we needed a weekend in Germany not doing anything, while the flights we booked were the most convenient we could find. Furthermore, my computer had had around eight BSODs every day in the week leading up to this trip and we really needed to get it sorted. In the end, Wolfie diagonsed it was a hard drive issue and bought a replacement. Touch wood, it seems to have resolved the issue.
Tuesday was a quiet day as most people went to nearby Alton Towers. We weren't given the option, which was a shame, but I am not a fan of roller coasters so no harm done. Furthermore, it was great just sleeping in and not doing very much. The tone had been set the night before when we had arrived, as we had enjoyed watching Monty Python's Life of Brian before a great Christmas-themed meal. Lunar had bought us all presents from her recent trip to Florida and I got a pink bandana with the phrase 'Insert Treats Here' on it, which will be perfect for Lupe as my current bandana is looking rather tatty (we may need to add some elastic to it though to ensure it goes around the puppy's neck). We were due to cook on the Tuesday and had Mexican, although all of the ingredients had been forgotten in the big shop prior to the week beginning, so we had to go back to the supermarket and pick up more supplies. As we were only cooking for half of the people - those not at Alton Towers - our turn on the cooking rota was one of the easier ones. We ended up playing Jackbox and I had forgotten just how fun this was. It certainly got me through lockdown and for four hours, we had a riot, although again there were quite a few pics of Lupe doing pooping which was strange. Do I have that aura? This was two separate groups independently now. The rap game was my favourite, but TKO and Quiplash were both fun too. Fibbage, as usual, was a struggle.
We were due to go to a steam railway on Wednesday but the weather had turned and the rain was torrential. Furthermore, the main meal was a Sunday roast that was cooked for 1pm. It was odd having this as the first meal of the day, but it was rather tasty. I walked into the village afterwards, picking up the one and only geocache in the area. We were also driven to a craft beer shop in the pretty town of Ashbourne by the foxes and I was very impressed by their range. In the evening, we had a hen party for one of the group, as she is soon to be married. This involved a few silly games like a treasure hunt and covering her in toilet paper to create a bridal dress. She also wanted some puppies so I adorned my pup gear and rolled around for a bit. It was quite liberating.
Thursday was pony play day, which I was expecting early but didn't happen until around 5pm. We ended up playing tennis on the tennis court over the road, which was delightfully silly. I had to have a tennis racquet vet-wrapped onto my hoof while my spacial awareness was so poor I could barely see the ball, let alone see it. We got some wonderful photographs though. We also had the presence of a real dog, Bandit. He was Sergal "Tuno's" nine-month old German Shepherd puppy. He was kept in a crate most of the time, but he was allowed out the last night. We got on very well and he was very playful, although occasionally a little bitey. Apparently, his barking had caused issues over the weekend and he did disappear to Sergal's parents for a while, but they couldn't deal with him and he ended up back with us.
Friday was check-out day and again the weather was appalling. We had to be up early as we needed to leave by 9am. Without a car, I did feel a little isolated, while we did need to catch a train at 10:57. I had booked it so late so as to not have to harry people. I had hoped for a lift but most people's cars were too full, so we got a friendly Uber driver. We were about an hour early though, so we ended up sitting in Starbucks with Hussar and had breakfast. It was a really good week, far more relaxed than last year, when there had been a few arguments and some disappointment that people didn't get to do all the things they wanted. This was managed better this year and I think next year's Furry Holiday is already booked. Whether we do it depends on various factors, but my mind has definitely changed, moving more towards the affirmative as the week progressed.
The journey back to Leeds was awful. Firstly, we had two bags of leftover supplies and Wolfie left one in the waiting shelter at Uttoxeter station. It didn't contain anything of value - merely a bottle of Jack Daniel's, some bacon Cheddars, a packet of Jammie Dodgers and a Party Princess hat - but he was gutted to have left it. I don't know how it was missed as I picked up the adjacent bag of supplies, but the train was pulling out of the station by the time we realised. We therefore had to inform train staff in Derby. Meanwhile, the train to Leeds from there was standing room only as it consisted of only four carriages. We were stuck in the vestibule right by the toilet, meaning people had to clamber over us to relieve themselves. For £71, this was a disgrace and I arrived in Leeds in a very bad mood. By the time we got to Pudsey, I just wanted to crash, but the neighbours decided to start drilling in the wall directly behind the bed, so sleep wasn't a possibility. By the time 5pm rolled around, I was very close to cancelling our evening plans.
Fortunately, we didn't. Arcais had arranged a small LeedsFurs group to go and see Leeds Light Night. This was its ninth iteration and, despite having lived in the city for nearly fourteen years, I had never been. I thought it was a good opportunity as we were back, so we descended on the city ahead of a 6:30pm meeting time outside the Sainsbury's in the station. What struck me on the bus in was the amount of swearing that was going on, along with the usual annoying kids. Still, they didn't bother me too much and soon we had a group of about twelve of us in tow. The first stop was the Leeds Light Night hub in the Trinity Centre to pick up a useful program. This allowed us to orientate ourselves around the exhibits. Some people disappeared for food while we looked at the projection upon the Queen's Hotel. Entitled Sylvan Quiet, this was a nature themed show of flowers and trees, which was a great way to start the event. Speaking of projections, the Theatre of Illumination on the Guildhall was a dizzying techno display of black and white lines and 3D optical illusions, which I found very compelling.
The highlight for me was in Park Square, which was transformed into The Enchanted Glade. This was filled with glowing flowers, fairies and mystical stone circles, while there was a rearing unicorn as its opening exhibit. We did have to queue around the park for entry, but it was ultimately worth it, with the gold lights bobbing on wires like fireflies being particularly enchanting. This was a philip to the circus show in the Trinity Centre (called Portals), which sadly we had to miss out on, as the crowds were too thick to be able to see what was going on. We could glance at the show in the reflection in the glass roof, but this made it look like there were four performers in their multi-coloured lighted rings rather than just the one. Another highlight was immediately afterwards, when we went to The Enlightened Library. This was merely a walk around the old Leeds Library, but there were six different authors reading books from local writers. As it was a procession through the building, we couldn't really stop for context, but as a way of showcasing local talent, it was quite powerful. Indeed, the local theme was quite strong throughout Leeds Light Night, which added extra gravitas to the whole event. I also liked Public Trust, which should have been in the railway station but ended up in The Light. It was a huge billboard detailing the main news headlines, updated every hour or so. The focus was on vows, which were recorded on a drawing you can keep but were then displayed on this giant marquee board. This was juxtaposed with vows made by politicians, scientists and corporations, which is where the news headlines come in. It was an interesting exhibit on the power of making promises and being held to them.
The Drop at the Howard Assembly Room was another highlight. This was right in the roof of the theatre and was quite musical, with smoke machines and lights providing an ambience to which a violin, cello, harp and drum was playing. By this point, it was just Wolfie, Ralph (TLO) and I, as we had lost the others, with Tonks directing them with little care for any stragglers. Arcais and Math, with whom I spoke an awful lot, had to leave at 9pm as they were going to Alton Towers. We did most of the top end of Briggate with Ralph, although I had received my bad family news in the middle of The Drop performance. We were there for fifteen minutes, sat on the floor, and the atmosphere was quite overwhelming. After this, we also saw The Plaza - a neon sign which should have been hung up on one of the buildings had renovation work not been ongoing. This was a copy of The Plaza neon sign outside an adult theatre of this name which had stood there between 1958 and 1985. We actually spoke to the artist, who told us all about its history. The theatre showed mucky films and religious ones too, while there was an pro-feminist demonstration in 1980 against one of the films they were showing. The rat motif was an homage to a story where someone dropped their popcorn and saw a rat run away with it. Sadly, we couldn't get to see Envisaging New Briggate's Tomorrow as St John's Churchyard was shut early, while the exhibit in the Holy Trinity Church was closed for unforeseen circumstances.
This was Ralph's first trip to Leeds Light Night and he really wanted to go to the bus station and see a few more things, utilising the 15-minute delay of his train back to Huddersfield. I really needed to phone my mother and sort my family issue out, but I didn't want to let him down so for the sake of half an hour, we followed. This was the last thing Wolfie's foot needed. En route, we saw The World Has Gone Pear Shaped - a giant green lit-up pair with a map of the world projected on it - before seeing Seed Of Life in the bus station itself. This was a mirrored football-shaped construction in which you could step, allowing the purples, golds, pinks, blues and greens to wash over you. It was very ethereal and moving, although there was a queue and the exhibits were due to close at 10:30pm (thus within five minutes) so I couldn't hang around long. Furthermore, the bus station is hardly the most calming place for an exhibit anyway. Sadly, Ralph had to run for his train so didn't get to experience this internally. As ever, we couldn't get around every exhibit, but we must have done about half of them. Allowing Arcais to guide proved to be a good choice as even though there was a little fannying about with the furs (including two who wanted to claim a free Diet Coke from Tesco right there and then for some reason), the two of us were determined to be efficient.
We ended the night in Brewdog, partly because the family news was worse than anticipated (I phoned my mother en route to the bar) and needed to decompress and partly because Wolfie's feet were hurting and he wanted to sit down. It was quite busy, which was good to see, while the range of guest beers was pretty good. What wasn't good was someone had smeared excrement all over the picture frame in the bathroom. Wolfie passed the message on to the distraught staff, but the smell was atrocious and the whole thing disgusting. Fortunately, it was on the frame and nowhere else, but there was an awful lot of it. We had intended to get the last number 72 bus back, which was very late at 00:18, but due to Wolfie's feet, we got a taxi instead. I am glad we did Leeds Light Night, it was good to see the city put on something so good. It was quite similar to Berlin's Festival of Lights, which we attended the Sunday before, except for some reason, the one in Leeds lasts only two days rather than nine. Regarding the Berlin one, we decided to start at Alexanderplatz and work west to the Brandenburg Gate, going the opposite way to our route with Blacksnip from the year before. The highlights here included the smoke machine light display near the TV tower, which really immersed you in the show, and the ten different colourful projections on the Berliner Dom. On the steps of the adjacent university, there was a choir of about 200 people singing American hits for some reason. I also liked the cloud-like swing exhibition in the grounds of the church around Nikolaiviertel while the displays around the Humboldt promoting diversity were also good.
We could have gone to the Manchester meet on Saturday, but I need to save money, coupled with the fact there were too many jobs to do around the house. The day was sunny, but with a bitterly cold wind, and while being caught once in an autumn shower, we did at least manage to do the gardening we needed to do. The weeds in particular were feral so it was useful we got rid of them. I was feeling somewhat restless for the rest of the day, catastrophising and considering the worst-case scenarios all the time, while I kept thinking about our future in Germany. We did have some fish and chips which were delicious, but then our recent run of poor luck continued when the TV stopped working. We think it's buggered. I also managed to do some reading, but it was not the relaxing day I had hoped it would be.
We left the house on Sunday afternoon as we were due to see Frankie Boyle in Manchester. We had initially planned to say with Doveux but as he has just moved house, that proved tricky, while Stray couldn't host us as Ki Saro was already staying. This meant we had to get a hotel, which we checked into shortly before 4:30pm. The journey over was quick and cheap, at £8 between us, and while we were slightly late, it wasn't an issue. We also grabbed a Greggs en route, even though we knew we would be eating food pretty soon afterwards. The place was Hello Oriental, a Trinity Kitchen for Asian food basically, down near the bottom end of Princess Street. It was one of those pay by app places, which was very annoying as the app kept timing out after five minutes and you needed to register with the company, then register your card before paying. Before I could make a transaction, I also got dragged to my bank to confirm the order, even for the smallest amounts, meaning I had to eighteen clicks on three programs just to get my dinner. It was very frustrating and a far cry from contactless. I really don't know what this is resolving. Anyway, I got Korean Fried Chicken which was a little too hot for me, but the salt and pepper fries were divine. Wolfie got the Korean Hot Chicken which wasn't much better, while Stray was disappointed with the duck ramen he got, largely because he expected breast meat rather than boney breast meat.
Doveux had been to IKEA and so was slightly late, while he also brought Wolfie's birthday present, which I had left with him in August after my three-day air traffic control-related fiasco. However, as we only had hand luggage, we couldn't take the bottle of whisky back so Stray went and dropped it off, picking up a present he had kindly bought us from his recent trip to see Brian Butterfield - a packet of Bonbonbonbons. As he did this, Doveux, Ottercon, Wolfie and I went to the Palace Theatre, where we waited for him. Time was tight, but we got in just in time for the support act, Christopher Macarthur-Boyd. To be fair, he accepted his role as the act no-one really wanted to see, but his 25-minute set was actually very good. The bit about Hello Fresh was particularly amusing, certainly for Wolfie. There was then an interval where, oddly, no ice cream was sold, before Frankie Boyle did a 65-mintue set. He was acerbic from the start and it was everything you would expect for him, although I was concerned by how many jokes I found predictable. Sometimes, he seemed to rely on dropping the c-bomb a lot, but his observations on politicians were very astute and there was a lot of context to his humour, even if it was rather dark in places. What didn't aid my enjoyment was the uncomfortable nature of the seats. Not only where they narrow and boxed-in in the Circle, but the padding gave me numb butt, which got quite uncomfortable in the last fifteen minutes. The view of the stage was very good though, and Boyle was very quick with some of the heckling that was going on. There was an awful lot of up and down, as well as talking, amongst the audience which I hadn't seen pre-pandemic. This seemed to confirm what I have read about audiences getting ruder. Still, Boyle took it all in his stride and it was an enjoyable evening.
With the gig over by 9:15pm, we were soon outside, buoyed by the exit polls drifting through from the Polish elections. A progressive coalition to defeat the far-right populist PiS was great news and we left the gig with much mirth. Stray headed over to Beareoke, where he had been trying to drag us all night, but I wanted a sit down to digest the show so Doveux, Wolfie and I went to the DogHouse for a couple of craft beers. Ottercon, needing to get up at 6am for work, went to bed. The three of us enjoyed a number of beers and, like in Leeds on Friday, I was surprised by the number of guest beers on tap. In Berlin, there are barely any, and while I had heard complaints about the UK bars being too Brewdog beer focused, this didn't seem to bear out too much during our UK visit. We chatted about a range of things, while the staff were supremely helpful in helping Doveux determine the beers he wanted. As Blink 182 were playing in Manchester that night too, the soundtrack was banging and it was everything I really wanted. We ended up staying until closing, when Doveux had to leave for his last bus. However, as we have discovered living in the suburbs, you can't always guarantee the last bus and in this case, we were sadly proven right.
With little else to do, we reluctantly made it over to Beareoke. I have been avoiding this for a while, largely because I am not a bear and I loathe karaoke. Furthermore, I don't feel particularly comfortable in gay bars, although The Eagle isn't usually too bad. As there was only an hour left to go and nowhere else open for a beer, I thought it made sense to check it out, and in a way I am glad I did. Yes, it was too noisy to have a conversation and some of the singing was terrible, but it was far more rock-heavy than I thought it would be and you could request any video you wanted in between songs so we had the Hey Duggee Stick Song played. I don't have the confidence to sing, which is another reason I find karaoke prickly, but it was good to see Caleb and Ki Saro again, albeit briefly. It was so loud, though, that the barman fucked our order up and we got the synthetic Strongbow Dark Fruits rather than Black Heart. I didn't have the confidence to change it, but Stray had a word and we got the right drinks in the end. The other thing I noticed was it wasn't particularly beary. There were some bearded men, including Stray, but had you not told me the name of the event, I wouldn't have said it was a bear one. Furthermore, it wasn't kinky at all, even though there was no dress code. I am not sure what I was expecting - perhaps every other time I have been at The Eagle it has been a kink event - but the clothing was casual so I fit in quite well.
Stray got a crushed patty burger afterwards but I was craving a chicken sandwich so we went to Spar. This was about 1:30am, after which we went back to the hotel and watched The Chase. The new Irish Chaser was on and Wolfie didn't know who he was, but I quite liked him. We then headed to bed as we had a long day of travelling ahead, Manchester to Berlin via Amsterdam. Alas, our plane was an hour late leaving the UK, meaning we missed our connection and were stuck in Schiphol for four hours. The restaurants there were quite poor and we ended up going to Burger King, but at least we got €12 of vouchers each to spend in compensation from KLM (even though the delay wasn't even their fault). I liked the diddy Cityhopper plane from Manchester to Amsterdam, while the Berlin leg of the journey was on a usual service. We also had the delight of using Terminal 2 at Manchester, which feels much more like a proper airport, although we did have to help an elderly man who fell on his arse on the escalator, spilling his coffee in the process. In hindsight, we should have stopped the escalator as there was a woman behind who couldn't avoid the gentleman but he wasn't hurt and we soon got him out of the way. The terminal itself, as I say, is very good with the Se7en Brothers Brewery taproom being a welcome addition, which is where we had a full English breakfast and a few beers as we waited, while it was good to see so many Manchester-based restaurants in the departure lounge. Indeed, it was far better than Amsterdam airport, but at least KLM got us home. This was vital as we had to be up at 7am this morning as some people were coming to check our water and gas meters. This had been due yesterday, but I emailed them to rearrange the appointment as I knew we wouldn't be here. This is also why I am writing this so early - I had hoped to do this last night, but we didn't get back until nearly 1am and reasoned bed would be wise. Alas, at the time of writing (9:30am), they still haven't turned up. This is another annoyance of renting - they were so strict with us, and yet, when we were inconvenienced by them, they haven't bothered to show up. I've had fewer than four hours' sleep and could have had three more at this rate, plus I have a snotty nose thus think I'm getting a cold. Hopefully they'll turn up soon.
Update: They turned up at around 9:50am, nearly three hours late, and they were only here for 15 minutes rather than the two hours advertised. At least they have done what they needed to do, I think, but I wish we would have known beforehand. I've had fewer than four hours' sleep and there's a world of difference between that and seven. I'm so tired and have a busy day ahead.
All of this is ironic as we didn't really want to go back. Since the start of August in my case, and the end of August in Wolfie's, we haven't stopped and really want a few weeks of rest. We had to get up early on Monday morning (9 October) to catch an 11:20am flight and as we made our way through the city on the S9, we were very close to just cancelling the whole thing and heading back to bed. We had bought the flights very late on, meaning it was quite expensive, while we had already sunk money into the holiday and seeing Frankie Boyle on Sunday so on balance we decided to stay and catch our flight. What didn't help the tiredness was the fact our flight was delayed by an hour, which had a knock-on effect at the other end. Fortunately, only having hand luggage reduced the usual hassle significantly, while once we got back to the UK, we were delighted to discover it was an incredibly warm day for the time of year at 22C. We sat down at Greggs at Manchester Airport to grab a catch-up pasty before working out the best route to Uttoxeter, which was near where we were staying for the rest of the week. A route via Crewe presented itself as the best option and is the one we took. This was interesting as we saw a part of the country we don't really get chance to see, including the humongous Jodrell Bank dish, which we chugged past around halfway through our journey.
We were going to Furry Holiday, an annual event arranged by Lunar-Belle. We arrived at Uttoxeter shortly before 4pm, the station a modest gateway to this modest town. I only really knew the place through the racecourse, which is situated right next to the station, with the footbridge over the tracks affording excellent views of it. We then headed over the road to Lidl to pick up some supplies, knowing we would need alcohol and snacks for our four-day stay. It was while in Lidl that Lunar wrote to me offering to pick us up, which we accepted. She had to put some clothes on though, so we spent about twenty minutes sunbathing in a disabled car parking space outside of the supermarket. Here, an elderly gentleman who was resting before going shopping, started to chatting to us for a good five minutes about what we were doing here. It was the first of many friendly interactions around the town, which left a very good impression. The next was in B&M after Lunar turned up as I was buying more unicorn things, while we also grabbed some Christmas crackers for a Christmas-themed lunch that was being cooked. Typically, we couldn't find anything in Lidl despite their extensive Christmas range, even though it was still early October. Another interesting facet of Uttoxeter is the steel sculptures on the roundabouts, we saw one of a female centaur and another of a bull with exceptionally prominent testicles.
The cottages were in Somersal Herbert, just over the border in Derbyshire down some of the most narrow country roads I had ever seen. The village is pleasant enough with a neat church and a Tudor-framed hall, while there were only about ten houses in the place. Our cottage, appropriately called The Stables considering many of us are pony players, was one of four and although it was quite secluded, we were near other holiday makers too. The rolling countryside was exquisite and we had a picnic area which faced west, allowing for great views of the setting sun. This was also where the hot tub was, which was another perk. The week itself was largely relaxing, although we did join halfway through. This meant we missed the trip to the play area and a caving expedition upon which they had embarked over the weekend. However, we needed a weekend in Germany not doing anything, while the flights we booked were the most convenient we could find. Furthermore, my computer had had around eight BSODs every day in the week leading up to this trip and we really needed to get it sorted. In the end, Wolfie diagonsed it was a hard drive issue and bought a replacement. Touch wood, it seems to have resolved the issue.
Tuesday was a quiet day as most people went to nearby Alton Towers. We weren't given the option, which was a shame, but I am not a fan of roller coasters so no harm done. Furthermore, it was great just sleeping in and not doing very much. The tone had been set the night before when we had arrived, as we had enjoyed watching Monty Python's Life of Brian before a great Christmas-themed meal. Lunar had bought us all presents from her recent trip to Florida and I got a pink bandana with the phrase 'Insert Treats Here' on it, which will be perfect for Lupe as my current bandana is looking rather tatty (we may need to add some elastic to it though to ensure it goes around the puppy's neck). We were due to cook on the Tuesday and had Mexican, although all of the ingredients had been forgotten in the big shop prior to the week beginning, so we had to go back to the supermarket and pick up more supplies. As we were only cooking for half of the people - those not at Alton Towers - our turn on the cooking rota was one of the easier ones. We ended up playing Jackbox and I had forgotten just how fun this was. It certainly got me through lockdown and for four hours, we had a riot, although again there were quite a few pics of Lupe doing pooping which was strange. Do I have that aura? This was two separate groups independently now. The rap game was my favourite, but TKO and Quiplash were both fun too. Fibbage, as usual, was a struggle.
We were due to go to a steam railway on Wednesday but the weather had turned and the rain was torrential. Furthermore, the main meal was a Sunday roast that was cooked for 1pm. It was odd having this as the first meal of the day, but it was rather tasty. I walked into the village afterwards, picking up the one and only geocache in the area. We were also driven to a craft beer shop in the pretty town of Ashbourne by the foxes and I was very impressed by their range. In the evening, we had a hen party for one of the group, as she is soon to be married. This involved a few silly games like a treasure hunt and covering her in toilet paper to create a bridal dress. She also wanted some puppies so I adorned my pup gear and rolled around for a bit. It was quite liberating.
Thursday was pony play day, which I was expecting early but didn't happen until around 5pm. We ended up playing tennis on the tennis court over the road, which was delightfully silly. I had to have a tennis racquet vet-wrapped onto my hoof while my spacial awareness was so poor I could barely see the ball, let alone see it. We got some wonderful photographs though. We also had the presence of a real dog, Bandit. He was Sergal "Tuno's" nine-month old German Shepherd puppy. He was kept in a crate most of the time, but he was allowed out the last night. We got on very well and he was very playful, although occasionally a little bitey. Apparently, his barking had caused issues over the weekend and he did disappear to Sergal's parents for a while, but they couldn't deal with him and he ended up back with us.
Friday was check-out day and again the weather was appalling. We had to be up early as we needed to leave by 9am. Without a car, I did feel a little isolated, while we did need to catch a train at 10:57. I had booked it so late so as to not have to harry people. I had hoped for a lift but most people's cars were too full, so we got a friendly Uber driver. We were about an hour early though, so we ended up sitting in Starbucks with Hussar and had breakfast. It was a really good week, far more relaxed than last year, when there had been a few arguments and some disappointment that people didn't get to do all the things they wanted. This was managed better this year and I think next year's Furry Holiday is already booked. Whether we do it depends on various factors, but my mind has definitely changed, moving more towards the affirmative as the week progressed.
The journey back to Leeds was awful. Firstly, we had two bags of leftover supplies and Wolfie left one in the waiting shelter at Uttoxeter station. It didn't contain anything of value - merely a bottle of Jack Daniel's, some bacon Cheddars, a packet of Jammie Dodgers and a Party Princess hat - but he was gutted to have left it. I don't know how it was missed as I picked up the adjacent bag of supplies, but the train was pulling out of the station by the time we realised. We therefore had to inform train staff in Derby. Meanwhile, the train to Leeds from there was standing room only as it consisted of only four carriages. We were stuck in the vestibule right by the toilet, meaning people had to clamber over us to relieve themselves. For £71, this was a disgrace and I arrived in Leeds in a very bad mood. By the time we got to Pudsey, I just wanted to crash, but the neighbours decided to start drilling in the wall directly behind the bed, so sleep wasn't a possibility. By the time 5pm rolled around, I was very close to cancelling our evening plans.
Fortunately, we didn't. Arcais had arranged a small LeedsFurs group to go and see Leeds Light Night. This was its ninth iteration and, despite having lived in the city for nearly fourteen years, I had never been. I thought it was a good opportunity as we were back, so we descended on the city ahead of a 6:30pm meeting time outside the Sainsbury's in the station. What struck me on the bus in was the amount of swearing that was going on, along with the usual annoying kids. Still, they didn't bother me too much and soon we had a group of about twelve of us in tow. The first stop was the Leeds Light Night hub in the Trinity Centre to pick up a useful program. This allowed us to orientate ourselves around the exhibits. Some people disappeared for food while we looked at the projection upon the Queen's Hotel. Entitled Sylvan Quiet, this was a nature themed show of flowers and trees, which was a great way to start the event. Speaking of projections, the Theatre of Illumination on the Guildhall was a dizzying techno display of black and white lines and 3D optical illusions, which I found very compelling.
The highlight for me was in Park Square, which was transformed into The Enchanted Glade. This was filled with glowing flowers, fairies and mystical stone circles, while there was a rearing unicorn as its opening exhibit. We did have to queue around the park for entry, but it was ultimately worth it, with the gold lights bobbing on wires like fireflies being particularly enchanting. This was a philip to the circus show in the Trinity Centre (called Portals), which sadly we had to miss out on, as the crowds were too thick to be able to see what was going on. We could glance at the show in the reflection in the glass roof, but this made it look like there were four performers in their multi-coloured lighted rings rather than just the one. Another highlight was immediately afterwards, when we went to The Enlightened Library. This was merely a walk around the old Leeds Library, but there were six different authors reading books from local writers. As it was a procession through the building, we couldn't really stop for context, but as a way of showcasing local talent, it was quite powerful. Indeed, the local theme was quite strong throughout Leeds Light Night, which added extra gravitas to the whole event. I also liked Public Trust, which should have been in the railway station but ended up in The Light. It was a huge billboard detailing the main news headlines, updated every hour or so. The focus was on vows, which were recorded on a drawing you can keep but were then displayed on this giant marquee board. This was juxtaposed with vows made by politicians, scientists and corporations, which is where the news headlines come in. It was an interesting exhibit on the power of making promises and being held to them.
The Drop at the Howard Assembly Room was another highlight. This was right in the roof of the theatre and was quite musical, with smoke machines and lights providing an ambience to which a violin, cello, harp and drum was playing. By this point, it was just Wolfie, Ralph (TLO) and I, as we had lost the others, with Tonks directing them with little care for any stragglers. Arcais and Math, with whom I spoke an awful lot, had to leave at 9pm as they were going to Alton Towers. We did most of the top end of Briggate with Ralph, although I had received my bad family news in the middle of The Drop performance. We were there for fifteen minutes, sat on the floor, and the atmosphere was quite overwhelming. After this, we also saw The Plaza - a neon sign which should have been hung up on one of the buildings had renovation work not been ongoing. This was a copy of The Plaza neon sign outside an adult theatre of this name which had stood there between 1958 and 1985. We actually spoke to the artist, who told us all about its history. The theatre showed mucky films and religious ones too, while there was an pro-feminist demonstration in 1980 against one of the films they were showing. The rat motif was an homage to a story where someone dropped their popcorn and saw a rat run away with it. Sadly, we couldn't get to see Envisaging New Briggate's Tomorrow as St John's Churchyard was shut early, while the exhibit in the Holy Trinity Church was closed for unforeseen circumstances.
This was Ralph's first trip to Leeds Light Night and he really wanted to go to the bus station and see a few more things, utilising the 15-minute delay of his train back to Huddersfield. I really needed to phone my mother and sort my family issue out, but I didn't want to let him down so for the sake of half an hour, we followed. This was the last thing Wolfie's foot needed. En route, we saw The World Has Gone Pear Shaped - a giant green lit-up pair with a map of the world projected on it - before seeing Seed Of Life in the bus station itself. This was a mirrored football-shaped construction in which you could step, allowing the purples, golds, pinks, blues and greens to wash over you. It was very ethereal and moving, although there was a queue and the exhibits were due to close at 10:30pm (thus within five minutes) so I couldn't hang around long. Furthermore, the bus station is hardly the most calming place for an exhibit anyway. Sadly, Ralph had to run for his train so didn't get to experience this internally. As ever, we couldn't get around every exhibit, but we must have done about half of them. Allowing Arcais to guide proved to be a good choice as even though there was a little fannying about with the furs (including two who wanted to claim a free Diet Coke from Tesco right there and then for some reason), the two of us were determined to be efficient.
We ended the night in Brewdog, partly because the family news was worse than anticipated (I phoned my mother en route to the bar) and needed to decompress and partly because Wolfie's feet were hurting and he wanted to sit down. It was quite busy, which was good to see, while the range of guest beers was pretty good. What wasn't good was someone had smeared excrement all over the picture frame in the bathroom. Wolfie passed the message on to the distraught staff, but the smell was atrocious and the whole thing disgusting. Fortunately, it was on the frame and nowhere else, but there was an awful lot of it. We had intended to get the last number 72 bus back, which was very late at 00:18, but due to Wolfie's feet, we got a taxi instead. I am glad we did Leeds Light Night, it was good to see the city put on something so good. It was quite similar to Berlin's Festival of Lights, which we attended the Sunday before, except for some reason, the one in Leeds lasts only two days rather than nine. Regarding the Berlin one, we decided to start at Alexanderplatz and work west to the Brandenburg Gate, going the opposite way to our route with Blacksnip from the year before. The highlights here included the smoke machine light display near the TV tower, which really immersed you in the show, and the ten different colourful projections on the Berliner Dom. On the steps of the adjacent university, there was a choir of about 200 people singing American hits for some reason. I also liked the cloud-like swing exhibition in the grounds of the church around Nikolaiviertel while the displays around the Humboldt promoting diversity were also good.
We could have gone to the Manchester meet on Saturday, but I need to save money, coupled with the fact there were too many jobs to do around the house. The day was sunny, but with a bitterly cold wind, and while being caught once in an autumn shower, we did at least manage to do the gardening we needed to do. The weeds in particular were feral so it was useful we got rid of them. I was feeling somewhat restless for the rest of the day, catastrophising and considering the worst-case scenarios all the time, while I kept thinking about our future in Germany. We did have some fish and chips which were delicious, but then our recent run of poor luck continued when the TV stopped working. We think it's buggered. I also managed to do some reading, but it was not the relaxing day I had hoped it would be.
We left the house on Sunday afternoon as we were due to see Frankie Boyle in Manchester. We had initially planned to say with Doveux but as he has just moved house, that proved tricky, while Stray couldn't host us as Ki Saro was already staying. This meant we had to get a hotel, which we checked into shortly before 4:30pm. The journey over was quick and cheap, at £8 between us, and while we were slightly late, it wasn't an issue. We also grabbed a Greggs en route, even though we knew we would be eating food pretty soon afterwards. The place was Hello Oriental, a Trinity Kitchen for Asian food basically, down near the bottom end of Princess Street. It was one of those pay by app places, which was very annoying as the app kept timing out after five minutes and you needed to register with the company, then register your card before paying. Before I could make a transaction, I also got dragged to my bank to confirm the order, even for the smallest amounts, meaning I had to eighteen clicks on three programs just to get my dinner. It was very frustrating and a far cry from contactless. I really don't know what this is resolving. Anyway, I got Korean Fried Chicken which was a little too hot for me, but the salt and pepper fries were divine. Wolfie got the Korean Hot Chicken which wasn't much better, while Stray was disappointed with the duck ramen he got, largely because he expected breast meat rather than boney breast meat.
Doveux had been to IKEA and so was slightly late, while he also brought Wolfie's birthday present, which I had left with him in August after my three-day air traffic control-related fiasco. However, as we only had hand luggage, we couldn't take the bottle of whisky back so Stray went and dropped it off, picking up a present he had kindly bought us from his recent trip to see Brian Butterfield - a packet of Bonbonbonbons. As he did this, Doveux, Ottercon, Wolfie and I went to the Palace Theatre, where we waited for him. Time was tight, but we got in just in time for the support act, Christopher Macarthur-Boyd. To be fair, he accepted his role as the act no-one really wanted to see, but his 25-minute set was actually very good. The bit about Hello Fresh was particularly amusing, certainly for Wolfie. There was then an interval where, oddly, no ice cream was sold, before Frankie Boyle did a 65-mintue set. He was acerbic from the start and it was everything you would expect for him, although I was concerned by how many jokes I found predictable. Sometimes, he seemed to rely on dropping the c-bomb a lot, but his observations on politicians were very astute and there was a lot of context to his humour, even if it was rather dark in places. What didn't aid my enjoyment was the uncomfortable nature of the seats. Not only where they narrow and boxed-in in the Circle, but the padding gave me numb butt, which got quite uncomfortable in the last fifteen minutes. The view of the stage was very good though, and Boyle was very quick with some of the heckling that was going on. There was an awful lot of up and down, as well as talking, amongst the audience which I hadn't seen pre-pandemic. This seemed to confirm what I have read about audiences getting ruder. Still, Boyle took it all in his stride and it was an enjoyable evening.
With the gig over by 9:15pm, we were soon outside, buoyed by the exit polls drifting through from the Polish elections. A progressive coalition to defeat the far-right populist PiS was great news and we left the gig with much mirth. Stray headed over to Beareoke, where he had been trying to drag us all night, but I wanted a sit down to digest the show so Doveux, Wolfie and I went to the DogHouse for a couple of craft beers. Ottercon, needing to get up at 6am for work, went to bed. The three of us enjoyed a number of beers and, like in Leeds on Friday, I was surprised by the number of guest beers on tap. In Berlin, there are barely any, and while I had heard complaints about the UK bars being too Brewdog beer focused, this didn't seem to bear out too much during our UK visit. We chatted about a range of things, while the staff were supremely helpful in helping Doveux determine the beers he wanted. As Blink 182 were playing in Manchester that night too, the soundtrack was banging and it was everything I really wanted. We ended up staying until closing, when Doveux had to leave for his last bus. However, as we have discovered living in the suburbs, you can't always guarantee the last bus and in this case, we were sadly proven right.
With little else to do, we reluctantly made it over to Beareoke. I have been avoiding this for a while, largely because I am not a bear and I loathe karaoke. Furthermore, I don't feel particularly comfortable in gay bars, although The Eagle isn't usually too bad. As there was only an hour left to go and nowhere else open for a beer, I thought it made sense to check it out, and in a way I am glad I did. Yes, it was too noisy to have a conversation and some of the singing was terrible, but it was far more rock-heavy than I thought it would be and you could request any video you wanted in between songs so we had the Hey Duggee Stick Song played. I don't have the confidence to sing, which is another reason I find karaoke prickly, but it was good to see Caleb and Ki Saro again, albeit briefly. It was so loud, though, that the barman fucked our order up and we got the synthetic Strongbow Dark Fruits rather than Black Heart. I didn't have the confidence to change it, but Stray had a word and we got the right drinks in the end. The other thing I noticed was it wasn't particularly beary. There were some bearded men, including Stray, but had you not told me the name of the event, I wouldn't have said it was a bear one. Furthermore, it wasn't kinky at all, even though there was no dress code. I am not sure what I was expecting - perhaps every other time I have been at The Eagle it has been a kink event - but the clothing was casual so I fit in quite well.
Stray got a crushed patty burger afterwards but I was craving a chicken sandwich so we went to Spar. This was about 1:30am, after which we went back to the hotel and watched The Chase. The new Irish Chaser was on and Wolfie didn't know who he was, but I quite liked him. We then headed to bed as we had a long day of travelling ahead, Manchester to Berlin via Amsterdam. Alas, our plane was an hour late leaving the UK, meaning we missed our connection and were stuck in Schiphol for four hours. The restaurants there were quite poor and we ended up going to Burger King, but at least we got €12 of vouchers each to spend in compensation from KLM (even though the delay wasn't even their fault). I liked the diddy Cityhopper plane from Manchester to Amsterdam, while the Berlin leg of the journey was on a usual service. We also had the delight of using Terminal 2 at Manchester, which feels much more like a proper airport, although we did have to help an elderly man who fell on his arse on the escalator, spilling his coffee in the process. In hindsight, we should have stopped the escalator as there was a woman behind who couldn't avoid the gentleman but he wasn't hurt and we soon got him out of the way. The terminal itself, as I say, is very good with the Se7en Brothers Brewery taproom being a welcome addition, which is where we had a full English breakfast and a few beers as we waited, while it was good to see so many Manchester-based restaurants in the departure lounge. Indeed, it was far better than Amsterdam airport, but at least KLM got us home. This was vital as we had to be up at 7am this morning as some people were coming to check our water and gas meters. This had been due yesterday, but I emailed them to rearrange the appointment as I knew we wouldn't be here. This is also why I am writing this so early - I had hoped to do this last night, but we didn't get back until nearly 1am and reasoned bed would be wise. Alas, at the time of writing (9:30am), they still haven't turned up. This is another annoyance of renting - they were so strict with us, and yet, when we were inconvenienced by them, they haven't bothered to show up. I've had fewer than four hours' sleep and could have had three more at this rate, plus I have a snotty nose thus think I'm getting a cold. Hopefully they'll turn up soon.
Update: They turned up at around 9:50am, nearly three hours late, and they were only here for 15 minutes rather than the two hours advertised. At least they have done what they needed to do, I think, but I wish we would have known beforehand. I've had fewer than four hours' sleep and there's a world of difference between that and seven. I'm so tired and have a busy day ahead.
