This site has now been retired. I've moved to my new site Silverknife, where you'll find new blog posts and all my latest projects and photos. These pages will remain for at least a while, as I know some of you are still looking through the archives, but I'm reposting my travel journals and many other articles on the new site. Come and check it out.
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And he's back! Sorry for the slightly-longer-than-predicted break folks, but I was unavoidably detained due to Sheffield being extremely flooded. Full news on that shortly. Right now my brain is pretty much a melted lump, due to having had around 3 hours sleep on the floor of Sheffield City Hall (kind of my own choice, to be fair) and the journey home, which wasn't.
Basically, due to all the flooding I ended up coming home by the most circuitous route possible - Sheffield to Manchester Picadilly station (about 40 miles in the wrong direction), then Manchester to London Euston (about 50 miles past Bedford), a good walk round the corner to St Pancras and finally a train back out to bring me home. What should have been less than a two hour journey took just under 5 hours.
Though it's been tiring and at times frustrating, today was actually a really good experience preparing for serious travel. I've been jumping on and off trains all day, chasing information and covering a hell of a lot of ground on foot, and the rucksack and my complete survival kit have been with me at all times without hampering me noticeably.
I know I can sling it on and off overhead luggage racks if necessary, and get stuff I need on the spot out of it easily, and although it's heavy to carry I don't have any real sore spots or muscle pain anywhere - the weight is nicely distributed and the padding works well...it's been a very successful test/practice.
My dad very kindly picked me up from the station and dropped me home, saving me the last trudge (which was much appreciated as I was on my last legs), and I got home at half past 12, only to remember that I had my next vaccination at 3. Still, that didn't spoil my enjoyment of a very large hot foamy (and much-needed) bath and shave, and tiredness seemed to make me particularly relaxed as I didn't feel either needle. Fear of the jabs is definitely receding now, I barely got tense on the way over to the clinic (although again that was probably partly tiredness).
Okay, I'm on my last lobe now so I'm just going to say huge congratulations to my sister Laura and her husband Aaron. They make a really sweet couple, and I wish them every joy and long happy lives together, and lots of kids so my mum doesn't pester me and my brother to spawn. Proper news and some photos of bits of Sheffield underwater tomorrow, if I can be bothered to get out of bed at any point.
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