NIGHT ON THE TOWN

Leicester Square

(Christina and Angela)

It was one of those nights where every stranger you crossed paths with revealed to you the best of themself.

LIFE IN LONDON
I've been here for one and a half weeks now. I have to say that I really love it. Surbiton is a beautiful area; far away enough from Central London's disadvantages and close enough to be in the thick of it all within half an hour. London truly is an amazing place.

I start my course on Monday. I'm mostly excited, with a hint of nervousness. On October 30th I have my first day at school. I don't know which school, or what year group, but I loook forward to the experience. Back in Canada on Decemeber 16th. I'll need that holiday by then.

The buildings around here are beautiful. I'm in the Public Library at the minute. It's a Georgian building designed to match the fire hall next door. Very beautiful! Most of the banks are in the original bank buildings that have been around for donkey's years. They are so grand and elaborate. They don't make buildings like they used.
With such a dense population here the advantage is you never have to travel far for what you are looking for. Grocery shops, pharmacies, doctors' offices, banks, post offices, hospitals, libraries and schools are everywhere.
A good friend of mine from York is coming to visit today. We are going to venture into Central London tonight. A return train journey to the centre will cost us less than a drink but it's not about that. It's about being in one of the most famous places for a night out in the entire world! Me and 7 millions other people!

MOM's GARDENMom worked really hard planning the gardens this summer. The photos really don't do these massive flower beds justice.

PURRS and BUBBLES
Callum plays hide and seek......not very well!!Rocky loves a cuddle. I think he is the only cat in the house who doesn't know he has only one eye. The others use his blind spot in fights to their advantage.
And the new addition, a big-go aquarium! Go fish-the cats wish!

CHILDHOOD HAUNTING

(Clerks' Bedrooms)
When I was a kid my parents were members of a society downtown. They spent much of their time at the local office on the weekends. As a kid, this meant I went along.
This building always terrified me as a child. It hadn't been updated in what looked like forever, especially through the eyes of a child. The society had its residence upstairs with one way in, and one way out, a 26 step stair case. 26 steps in a row!! At the top there was a hallway lined with offices; formerly the professional quarters of doctors, dentists and brokers. In broad daylight this corridor is still pitch black.
At the end of the corridor, where it's particularly dark, another staircase curves around a corner. As child I was terrified of the end of this corridor, as if something would drag me up the stairwell. This building scared me so much that I remember one night watching the Santa Clause parade from an office window in terror. Mom had turned out the light so we could see the parade better. Not a wise move!
This building has haunted my dreams into adulthood. In my nightmares I get to the floor beyond the mysterious stairwell (somewhere I had never been before), but in my dreams I take an elevator (something I never knew to exist in the building). In the dreams the floor is a hallway with smaller rooms used as bedrooms.(Elevator Shaft)
I decided to face this mysterious building again this summer, for the first time since childhood. I went up the creepy set of stairs to the abandoned floor, that I had never visited before and knew nothing about, to find it was as it had been in my nightmares. Better yet I found the abandoned elevator shaft.

I couldn't believe it. Apparently the bank, below the society's residence, had had accommodation for its clerks on the top floor; small very basic bedrooms, just as there had been in my nightmares. My parents had told me years before that there were offices up there, like downstairs. I had no way of knowing this.

I wonder if children really are more attuned to mysterious things?

Apparently the first person to die in Brantford from Spanish influenza was a doctor who had his office at the address and as for the rest of the building's history?... I'd like to know.

SILENT HILL (Downtown Brantford) IN THE SUN(Colborne Street)

Former shopping district in Brantford, now abandoned and decaying, became the ideal film set for the horror blockbuster Silent Hill (Terrible film! Don't see it!). I used to shop on these streets as a child. It's sad to see it like this.
However, there is hope. Laurier University has moved to the old public library a stone's throw from the main site of the decay. The university has purchased many buildings in the area for renovation. Hopefully Brantford's downtown will get off the big screen and start flourishing as so many people remember it once did.Unfortunately the casino is cleaning out the pockets of people in the same locality. Maybe not a good thing for the locals? Brantford certainly has some interesting city planning schemes.

GRADUATION DAY

ENGLAND? Really!?(Studland Beach, Dorset)

It was genuinely beautiful June day. The relaxing rhythm of the waves relinquished any and all the stresses of life. The five and a half hour car drive back to London in the humidity soon sorted that out!

FUTURES AND FATEGrades are in! On Tuesday the Sociology results were posted on the third year board in the department. Christina came with me and later Lynsey turned up too. Matt turned up last minute. More sociologists arrived and lecturers who knew the results were hovering about, but unable to say anything. The tension was growing. Betty, our secretary sat in her office typing up our fate. The word was out. Only 10 minutes to go!

The door to the office opens. Betty strides to the board and pins the sheets up. I stand up. I didn't think pinning four pieces of paper to a cork board has ever taken so long. Christina and Lynsey tell me to get in there. My heart was beating through my chest. First there, I dragged my right index finger down the list and to find my name. Name found, my finger slides right to find my degree classification. And then again to check it was in fact my grade!
It was a first. I tiptoed out of the way and sat back in my spot between Lynsey and Christina. I said it in a manner I can't remember but I know how it felt. Amazing. Moments later Frances invited me to her office to get my breakdown. It was amazing. Never heard of a 95% for a sociology essay. Shocked!! My average was 74.3% and therefore well into the first class category.
I couldn't believe it. I was the dim girl at elementary school; the girl who beyond not liking to read, couldn't read. For my North American readers a first is probably similar to receiving honours with your degree. A first is the best degree classification you can get. In Sociology 5 of 60 or so students got firsts. The news gets even better. Four of my close mates have also got firsts! I think we all thought the clever people were out there, but didn't think that we might be them.

Last night was the Grad Ball and a great opportunity to celebrate. The pictures speak for themselves.

A DAY TO CELEBRATE

On June 5th Sociology students at the University of York said good-bye to their undergraduate degrees. We said good-bye the long way, spending 14 hours with friends at our favourite haunts.

DAY 4: BEFORE WE LEFT....

(View of Edinburgh - Edinburgh Castle)
The large black church tower in the distance is in actual fact a cafe. Despite being the easiest spotted landmark of the landscape none of the museums mention it! It's as though its new status has deemed it stricken from the record books. It serves as a prime example that when trying to obtain planning permission in the UK it's not what you know, but who you know in the local council.

Recently in York a new bar, THE PARISH, has opened. It's in an old church, funnily enough. Now a trendy bar inside, the venue retains many of its original features such as a tower of fully operational bells (now home to the bar) and a tomb behind the games machine! I'm not sure where I stand on the matter but I know many people are disgusted with the outcome.
Scottish Parliament:
The building was well over budget and took well over the estimated time to complete and a few weeks ago a beam fell off the ceiling, though fortunately not on anyone. It's also, in my opinion, an ugly building.
Holyrood Hotel Reception

Day 3: My 21st BIRTHDAYView from Edinburgh Castle - Overlooking Princes Street

Edinburgh Castle

DAY 2: EDINBURGH(Holyrood Hotel)
Generally speaking the hotel was great but, as you can see, we did experience difficulties with the valet service.

Fortunately for us, we got the full Scottish experience. The weather was great. The air was so moist the entire time. Our hike up the hill was like going through a tunnel.

(Royal Scottish Museum)Before we got too high to see the ground

(Princes Street)
We walked everywhere on our second day. We covered over 17,000 steps according to my pedometer. Must have been many miles.