We zipped out for a meal at Wetherspoons where a group of young, drunk men decided to make conversation and reiterated the general belief that we were mad for coming back to the UK and I introduced my new response to this 'There is more to life than the weather you know'. I got the same dumbfounded look that I get from everyone when I say that and I expect it won't be long before someone shoots back 'That's easy for you to say' Which of course it is and I can say I am eternally grateful that I did not have to go to school where I was expected to learn even though the very skin on my face had formed icicles. Having said that, today's English have central heating in every building and at this stage of the game my feeling is that they need to get over it. In fairness, talking about the weather is a banal thing that people across the world seem to do to pass the time.
Anyway, dinner and comic chat over, we went for a walk through the winter markets where there was food and goods from all over Europe, hot mulled wine and a fantastic atmosphere...the English may say they hate the weather but it doesn't seem to stop them from coming out and getting involved. Back to the room for a much needed sleep and another day begins.
I set off for an arty building shown in my stack of info from the kind glass balls lady but didn't do my homework and missed it, so I kept walking to the Whitworth Gallery through the University zone. I always find it exhilirating to walk amongst students on their way to and from classes, I feel as though knowledge is seeping into me. Of course it was quite a bit longer walk than I should have attempted but it was worth it. I wasn't too enthralled by the Turner lanscapes or the guy I forget from the 18th C who said no-one but Turner had ever really captured water and we should all go back to the drawing board....it's comments like that that make art feel elitist to lots of people! What I was surprised to thoroughly enjoy was a display of wallpaper, the kind that psychologists and advertising agencies spend hours talking about because they are covered in Barbies and Football teams etc. Just another way we unwittingly stereotype our children for the sake of companies making money...I'm so glad mine is grown up!
Spent the afternoon working on my first full length play.
Day three I actually went to the Art Gallery which is one of the best I've ever seen. Great contemporary but lots of the classics as well and although I'm not usually concerned with fame or branding, I was thrilled to see this painting of William Shakespeare by William Blake.....I mean, this man actually painted Shakespeare! Got asked to do a survey and discovered I had missed a really good exhibit; I'll be back, which I was the next day and it was awesome!
Day four spent most of the day putting the finishing touches to my play and long pause it's finished.
Day five, Glenn sets off with the suitcase and I hang out until 12 when I have to check out. Meet Glenn for lunch and put my case in the new car....a nice 2007 model Astra with excellent heating (oh god I'm starting to sound English!) Back to the library where I read an interesting political play by Edgar about the fall of communism. Headed to an Arndale and wandered the shops looking for xmas pressies. Glenn called to say I should meet him at the car and I left the shopping centre completely disoriented and in the wrong direction. Thank goodness I still had my trusty glass ball lady map and discovered my mistake before I got too far! Grabbed a baked potato (only 1 pound 20...there's no pound sign on our Aus computers so we have to write it), Got to the car and off we set. Fanny the sat nav is not being too helpful so I make an educated guess...Fanny kicks in and I had taken us the right way woohoo. We dined whilst driving, me on baked pot and a breakfast muffin, Glenn on my potato skin, a muffin and a croissant....we are so sophisticated when it comes to food lol.
Traffic not too bad but I made an error and we were up a side street skidding through the snow...back on track and all was good ; well except that it was snowing and the windscreen water wasn't full and for anyone who doesn't know, snow isn't wet so when you put the wipers on it kind of smears across the windscreen and Glenn spent most of the trip trying to get behind trucks to catch their spray and get a smidge of glass he could see through...anyway somewhere near Burton Fanny went haywire (probably the snow interfering) and we found ourselves going round in circles. It was at this point that things started to get a bit tetchy, now it may not seem like conflict to many, but when the two of us start gritting our teeth and saying 'I thought you said..' and 'I said that way' and 'No I didn't mean that way', well you know that things are pretty close to chaos.
Together we madesome good guesses and then recognised the road the taxi had taken us phew! Fanny kicked back in and was telling us to go left but I knew it wasn't the way the taxi had come...Glenn trusted me (gulp) and onward we went getting deeper and deeper into what looked like nowhere. Saw 2 bunnies sitting in the snow ohh and suddenly I shouted there, there Crickett's Inn, you have to turn left in a sec and there it was 'Measham'......we had made it again. Got home to find we had no car space and had to park out the back in the dark. Dragged our cases through about 3 inches of snow and found our home safe and sound and, in amongst a weeks worth of mail, a letter to me.....Oh Joy, my one-act play 'Chinese Whispers' has come third in the Bognor Regis Drama Club's competition and along with a cheque for thirty pounds, the best prize of all....to be performed!
All in all, Manchester was the best city I have visited so far, excellent service everywhere I went and lots to do. Glenn's week at work was excellent and he looks forward to a much shorter trip to Birmingham each day.
While many may not agree with us, the snow has been beautiful and with enough layers on, I can only say that the cold has been exhilirating! On that point however you may want to stay tuned lol after all, I am English.
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