Weekend 1 - Sleep 0...

Shhh, don't tell my mom, but I stayed up ALL Saturday night at a party in Essex!

Last weekend I did monitors (sound on the stage) for Essex University's Summer Ball, along with a few other engineers for a PA company I'm friends with.

Essex Uni is a massive place and rather grand.
After setting up, Friday night was pleasant and was spent in this hotel on site. The evening meal was fab and I tried PawPaw fruit for the first time.

...After then, some sleep or a nap or even the prospect of a bed became very appealing!

The main event was held in this MASSIVE marquee

The organisers spent days setting the interior up for the guests

They cleverly installed a grass tile, which was rather novel ;0)

Crewman Glen AKA 'patch guru' setting the last few lines up

The main act was 'Jamelia'
She came in early to do a sound check ready for her midnight performance.

The stage was then set for the night.
Don't touch AAANYTHING... Or even think about it!

It was quite a posh do too; a brass band greeted the arriving guests

The first band up was 'Fake That'
A Take That tribute band

Next up was 'Colin Murray'
A DJ from Radio 1, who actually played a good couple of sets and boy he was trollied :]
He pulled a rather smart stunt of playing 'Oasis - Cigarettes and Alcohol' and went down to the audience with a bottle of vodka and got the crowd to take a swig each and pass the bottle along the front row!

The vodka-guzzling crowd

There's nowt like a mixing console to get the old noodle working full steam ahead, especially while under pressure!
Due to the usual kind of technical hitches one expects on a gig, arsey artists and having 1/10th of the time actually needed, Jamelia's set was a little stressful at the start, as was the preceding 'Queen' tribute band.
Phhheeewww is all I will say :[]

The Queen B tribute band front man ended up in his boxers by the end of their set, as you do!

YAWN
Local DJs then played through until 5:20am!!!
...Then we all packed the PA system away
...Then drove home

Essex wide-boy Stef, the owner of the PA company Audio Plus.
At gone 6 in the morning, he turns up from being at another gig to lend a hand.
Having zero sleep, he still manages to completely crack me up and have me in tears of laughter with his, quite frankly, rather piss-taking humour. :)

Today, I'm Most Angry About: Being on day 4 of a headache!!! Grrr :'(
Grrr-O-Meter Rating: 7/10

Today's Top Tip: Fool everyone into thinking you have just eaten an apple by rubbing your tummy and saying out loud, "Mmm! That was a lovely apple."

A Busy Bank Holiday...

As previously mentioned, this bank holiday was spent helping out at Tan Hill Inn as they suspected it might be a busy one...
They weren't wrong!

The KFC whipping pub perched in its usual spot upon Tan Hill.
Good to see it hadn't moved I guess!

The entrance to the public house was as mental as normal and you had to fight your way through the dogs, Tinker and Sherbet, the two lambs and one of the chickens!

The room I was staying in had a German magazine on the side...
I have nooo idea why, but that's eccentric Tan Hill Inn for ya!


It was great to see the dog again and I came baring gifts for her.

A new neckerchief was included of course :]

One of my first jobs was to fix the old mine cart outside, that had collapsed under it's own weight.
So with help from Andy, we took out half the stones and fixed it up like new... Ish!
[No looking at my balding patch now*]


The lambs seemed to love to watch us all work from this patch behind the bar.
It was that "rammed" up their, all the rooms and sofas (I kid you not) were fully booked and every member of staff was on duty too!
Total chaos, but what fun :0)

The customers found it entertaining when I was walking round with a lamb collecting glasses.
I couldn't get this one to pull a decent pint though, pffft!


Don't you just love the way cats and dogs can get away with doing 'this' in the middle of the floor in a crowded pub?
No time like the present eh ToTo!



I took the canine out for an hours walk across the Yorkshire moors and managed to loose it!
Boy did I panic, for A. The dogs well being and B. My well being when the landlady finds out DoGGa's lost her dogga!!!
I came across this sheep's skull on an old building, which didn't help the matter in hand.

When I got back to the pub 'empty hounded' (see what I did there?) Sherby was sat by the fire looking a tad guilty on spotting me!
She must have doubled back and found her own way after loosing sight of me... Pheeew!

The evening's sunset was a spectacular as normal


The next day, my mate Steve came to visit and stop the night.
He said he found the pub all right and his sat nav only made one mistake, although it only cost 79pence, so he couldn't complain! I was rather intrigued to know about this bargain sat nav system...

Let me introduce you to 'SteveNav' brought to you by WHSmiths.
Here he is demonstrating the ease of book marking your location :)

After a killer morning at the pub I.E. 29 full English breakfasts, an afternoon walk with Andy and Steve to the nearest town, Keld was called for.

Check out this country road weaving it's way to Tan Hill

Came across this odd door, high upon the wall of an old farm building


This photo is a pile of shite! Boom Boom


When stumbling across 'Butt House' B&B, there was only one thing to do :]
[I dedicate this photo to Boo]

A very pleasant and much calmer evening was had this night and I took plenty of time out for dog fussing, including Neil's dog Sid, the loveable Staffy.

That evening I showed Steve how to pull a beer.
Please pay attention to his infamous "Good Bush, Bad Bush" t-shirt LOL
I also had to ID two young guys and refuse to serve them for being / looking under age!

The last morning was like a scene from 'The Darling Buds of May' with us staff round one table for toast and coffee

The lambs were not left out from breakfast and we got Steve to feed them, hehe


A bonus video of Tan the Sheep, who masterfully creeps up on this unsuspecting customer and goes for his sandwich :)


[* You looked didn't you?]

Today, I'm Most Angry About: Badges... E.G. When I put my hand into my bag to retrieve my USB stick, a sharp pain took me by surprise and when retrieving my hand, my Wyre Forest Dog Rescue badge was "attached" to my middle finger! Grrr my grrr :[]
Grrr-O-Meter Rating: 3/10

Today's Top Tip: I regularly drive to the pub, but I'm never guilty of drink driving. The secret is to consume so much alcohol that by closing time you have completely forgotten ever owning a car!