Has it been 2 weeks already?

Well doesn't 2 weeks fly by, it doesn't seem like it was only 14 days ago since i last updated. So where to begin, my memory is getting so bad these days lol.

I decided to start baking again so we could be healthy, and being as i've never made bread before i decided to make a wholemeal sundried tomato, sweet chilli and olive loaf which saying so myself was bloody lovely but by the time you've bought all the ingredients, taken 2 hours to make it and cost of gas it comes to 3 times the cost of a Mediteranean Loaf from Tesco, so why do people go through all that sticky finger muck, flour covered kitchen, leave it to rise next to their under pants in the airing cupboard hassle just to make fresh bread, what a pain, but i did have a sense of self satisfaction for making such a great tasting bread lol


While i was in Zakynthos my best buddy and Leeds supporter Dez contacted me about going to see The Cult (rock band) in Feb, now being as this was one of my all time fav bands there was no hesitation. So Feb the 18th came and off i went to Leeds which i must say is one of my favourite cities. You may know the band by the songs "she sells sanctuary" , "Rain" , " Revolution" , "Love Removal Machine" and many more. So, i made my way from Carmarthen to Leeds which wasn't to bad but 2 hour delay due to a horse that had been hit and killed on the track, Just run over it for good sake, tons of train can't move it? No wonder train travel is in such a state and don't get me started on the welsh rail network trains, Arriva Trains, whats the point in reserving a seat in a quiet compartment with a plug socket at a table when they don't have a quiet compartment, or plug sockets at tables and the don't even reserve seats anymore even though i did all the reservation procedures online when i booked the tickets but all the other networks do. I've also found a cunning plan that i use whenever i book a train journey. The train journey booked as a total journey came up as £128 but if you book each train seperate as single tickets its cheaper, so i booked from Carmarthen to Manchester then Manchester to Leeds and the same singles for the return journey and i saved, wait for it, £82, yep you read it right, tickets cost just £46. How can they charge so much for that journey booked as a complete journey when i was getting the exact same trains, CRAZY!

Got there in time for a bit of a rest, bite to eat then off to The Dry Dock pub to meet Dez, great pub, love it in there all rock music and rock type people. After that on too the Wetherspoons in Millenium Square where i was shocked to see a rapist, yes a rapist on the lose, i believe he lives in a place called Emerdale, very famous place i hear, well he had unwilling sex with his friends wife and there he was bold as brass having a beer in the bar, no wonder he was alone.

On to the o2 academy in Leeds and what a venue, think it holds between 1000-2000 people but it was such a nice size place with good sound, wherever you stood in the building it was like you were near the front of the stage, everything was clear to see and close up. They came on and did a few older tracks from when they were called Southern Death Cult and some new tracks but as soon as "She sells Sanctuary" started that was it down the front i went and in to the crush of the mosh pit (mosh pit-place where people go mental lol) I was expecting a few elbows in the face, couple of kicks on the shin, the odd fist in my mouth but i forgot one thing, we were all between 40-50 years old, Jumping up and down - no problem, pushing people around - no problem, lasting for longer than one song - no chance lol. It was really funny, if someone fell down a big circle would appear until someone picked them up then it would start again, if that was at a younger rock bands gig they would have been trampled over, after "she sells sanctuary" i was pumped up and ready for more but as i turned around all i could see were guys bent over puffing and panting trying to get their second breath, it looked like they were at the finishing line of the london Marathon haha. I got myself 2 T-shirts to wear in the bar this season and Duffy (not the welsh blond singer) threw his guitar pick in to the crowd and i got it woohoo! Anywhooo here are some pics from the amazing gig.

Booked in to hotel for the night and what a good price i got £25 for a night on the day, in advance you can get it for £18, ok it looks like a room from a luxury prison but it had all you need for somewhere to use as a base, i never spend much time in a hotel as there are better things outside to do no matter where you stay. This hotel is the Etap hotel and it was 2 mins walk from the edge of the town centre so couldn't fault it at all.

Dez stayed over as he missed his last bus so in the morning off we went to Leeds in door market for breakfast before we headed off to catch our trains but on the way who should we bump in to on the street but Adrian Chiles off Daybreak, ok what about the One Show? ok how about The Apprentice - Your Fired? well he was in Leeds for ITV coverage of Leeds v Arsenal anyway, so it was celebrity fest in Leeds lol.

I've only had one holiday in 12 years, yes i know i here you cry "you poor thing" well we decided to book a holiday. We were looking at Cyprus but we just couldn't find what we wanted (cheap haha) so we booked for Lanzarote leaving Wednesday as a friend said it was still hot when they went beginning of Jan and booze was dirt cheap, WayHay i'm there. Now i hate Spain, i hate the ignorance, i've worked in a few resorts around Spain and their islands, also been on the odd holiday to it but never been entirely happy wherever i've ended up, not like Greece, i've loved everywhere i've worked and been on holiday in Greece. Have never been to Lanzarote so going there with a clean slate and open mind but i have heard it called "Lanzagrotty" and i saw that "My big fat gypsy wedding" went there for a hen night, so it didn't fill me with joy. Never look at reviews as i just like to go and make my own mind up on the hotel and resort, as we all know everyone is different but i am now really excited to be going, lets hope Helen can find way to airport this time, bloody crappy satnav haha.

Sunday, so now we're right up to date, i decided to take my direct access motorbike test, i have to own up i've been riding on an old licence and times have changed but god that change costs. In all this licence could cost me all together at the most £600, bloody hell my bike in the UK cost me that. So it was a full day on a bike, started off on a 125cc doing basic technique, no problem, so the instructor decided to up the bike to a 650cc, did the same training, no problem, he said my handling was perfect of both bikes, so he decided to go straight to the roads. This is where the fun started. I haven't been on a UK road in 6 years on a bike, i haven't been above 40mph on Zakynthos as never seen a sign on a road thats above that speed limit and i abide by the laws, well maybe not all. There are hardly any road signs on the island, definately no roundabouts and traffic lights may as well not be there lol So we took a ride out with me following the instructor to our destination, it felt good, i was calm and enjoyed the ride but on the way back i had to take the lead aaaaggggh! So i had an earpiece in listening to his instructions, while concentrating on my riding and also having to use new techniques, my head was shot to pieces. Also he stopped me to go practice emergency stops and told me i had the most awkward riding style he'd ever seen and i could get failed on it on my main test but its what i'm used to riding like ever since i was 16, only come off twice in all those years so it can't be that bad. So now i have that on my mind also, god help me lol. We get to our destination and i tell him its the first time in 6 years since i've been on a UK road, well, you could see the blood drain from his face, you see at this point i should still be on a 125cc on the road while practicing but because of my perfect control with both bikes he left me on the 650cc, perhaps i should have mentioned that before we left the training ground haha. Great news though, i passed my first test, Theory test on Valentines day then my MODII test a week later but i'll be very honest i'm more worried about my riding now than before i passed. Will have to confront my fears but it is playing on my mind, i need a holiday LOL

The Kawasaki 650 i was riding, boy did it shift.

So thats it again for another fortnight so will update again after our well deserved hols, well i think i deserve it, see yah'll, have a nice day now you hear!