Mary Popping Christmas

Seeing off my lady on Saturday. Doing the garden round - all is well! Monday in the office with Carl. Dinner at Sarah's, collecting photos and my tshirt. Mary Poppins in the storm on the way back home. Tuesday off work - no trains across the whole of London after high winds and rain. Cab to 3B in the evening. Christmas Eve, Christmas Day - wonderful company and Finn's mountain of presents. The fire outside, Ouma Lena's cutlery and bowls, Articulate, Poker with dice, Who's in the the bag - laughing so hard I nearly died. Confusion about my ex, but I know which way to go. Beachy Head, obstacle course journey back home. NYE crackers made!

ABBA on Poached eggs on avo on toast

Sister's paintings, sign man storyboarding, SP.

Singing abba, poached eggs, coffee, trying to find "memories" and "aaaaalwaaaaays" - and not being the only one who knows that part! Trying to find Handel and going through the entire royal fireworks twice before finding it. Winter wonderland, almost. Meeting B.

Christmas market tower bridge with dan, walk to Tate modern and Southbank, shop shop shop, pork ribs and drinks at a small pub. Two mugs, finally!

Falling asleep to classical music over the phone.

Argument over new years.

Meeting the lesbian crew at Jen's! Talking about what makes a girl dikey. 

Londinium

Home, sweet sweet home. Fetched from the airport. Christmas presents upon my return :) table tennis and a beautiful illustrated book - Encyclopedia of Early Earth. Bracelet. Monday's big reveal to Jen... Office Christmas party and quiz! Become Christmas party missed. FOUND the ditsy little tune from the RAKS tape! Paganini!


 

Joberg

Shopping Mall, Sleeping at Ouma's, sleeping at Tannie Sus, Dad and Rosebank, Gautrain, driving aunt's Clio, seeing Dewald, Ruan and Stephan, Lise-Mari. Pretoria Zoo, Golf cart, Honeycomb moray, Cheetahs.

Vida! Milkshakes! Burgers! Shortbread and basil bizarreness!

Janis Sandton sunshine!! Painting Keith Haring T at the music fest, listening to good tunes, free cider from someone who kicked my elbow, meeting Colette, marker pens from Janis!

Ouma's white spider lily from Ouma Corrie, long chats with Tannie Sus, braai and braai and braai. 

Cape Town

Flight to JHB! Night nurse, 2 seats and watching Material. Dad at Mug & Bean, almost missing flight to CT! Mom at airport, chest infection, missing first 2 surfing days, playing squash instead (intense game!). Shopping, chatting, preparing apples for mulled wine crumble, wrapping presents, BIG shopping day at the V&A. Exhausted... Booties, leather jacket, martial arts pants, mom handbag :) pool, braai, day at Llandudno beach, driving the Lexus, driving the Audi, talking about Eshgheman. Watching Life of Pi, tessa's visit, Riaz's shirt, some SIGN MAN panels worked out. Orchestra recordings, SURFING. Seafood and milkshake and the surfboard on the roof rack. Meeting Riaz. Christmas! Lego shuttle! Radio show beginnings! Ouma word search.

Date with the niiiiiight

Roz & Jom for lunch! With liddle Finn! Cottage Pie! Ice-cream with apples! Blackheath Halls performance! Irene, SJ and Susan in attendance! LC ticket.




DATE NIGHT AWESOMENESS! BOWLING! 101-108! AIR HOCKEY! Drinks and POOL! GAMES ARCADE MADNESS! TIME CRISIS, BASKETBALL! £2 on the floor! MOTORBIKE RACING! Maltesers! RAMBO! AIR HOCKEY!! BURGER AND STEAK! \0/ BEST DATE EVER!

ZERO GRAVITY

Westfield Stratford. Tree! 172 bus from orchestra. Listening to a radio show with Mel. Running for replacement bus. Warm music on a Sunday night to the West.

Cottage pie x 2, Digital does Christmas at All Star Lanes and Shanghai Blues, Meeting Anne, Researching escape games. Traffic instead of squash :( BUT, GRAVITY! http://www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/article/17562/1/how-to-film-gravity


Frangos, RedBull Silent Disco,

Deciding to wear the new shoes from Office. Fighting fit Putney with mr Tony Lloyd himself. 

Retail architecture therapy

Haircut Sunday - first cut without bleaching... Squash with SJ, Yoga with Andi, Watching Life on Mars, Mozart Night under the Stars at SouthBank (with seats 3rd row from the front!), 3D design of train board shopping mall for dad. playing drums for the first time in 33 Courtrai road (blister!) Opening the preserved apples! PERFECT!

Email out to Amiculum Digital for the Blackheath concert. preparations underway for Saturday lunch with Roz and Jom! Schwartz French version. Saturday afternoon with Susan at Clifton Nurseries - watering can, mini violas, cafe lunch! Threading and supper at a nice European cafe. Watching fireworks from my window. Attempting Conference call with mom and NES. SA LOLLIDAYZ planning! Reviving and fleshing out THE SIGN MAN.

Strawberry Hill

Dinner with Roz and Nan. Gogglebox and Junglebook. Friday off waiting for BT and oven man from Kenya. Me and the Pink Dogwood tree, drilling holes for drainage, then struggling to lift the huge pot back up again. Planting Violas. Setting up drums. Orchestra of Age of Enlightenment with Mel, Zoe and SJ (Nightshift at Southbank). Last Apple crumble of the season. Register with NHS. Tapas restaurant with Mel. Lady Gaga concert on iTunes Festival. Catfight between exes. Shopping in Richmond. Handbagged at the Tricycle theatre in Camden. Dentist. Sunday night big wind storm.

WORK

House party! Slipping out at 4:30 to get some sleep. Food diary! PD rose anim, M5 Schwartz game, Lady Gaga Artpop poster... sms from Sarah. Tickets booked for London Eye silent disco with Chris. Mom taking piano lessons and playing new pieces for me over the phone. Blackheath rehearsals every Sunday.

Kaneda!

Akira with Mel. Wrapping Irene's desk and phone. Leaving my own houseparty at 04:30 am to get some sleep! Dentist. Ams birthday drinks in CJ. Sleeping over in 3B.

Cutting ties

Veggie fest with Ams. Dentist in Richmond. Croft road to pick up stuff and incidentally meet Montepulciano the new cat. Carrying home the garden fork.

Maps

ORCHESTRA! Off sick Tuesday, Ami drinks, SJ off to Hamburg. Listening to Paul Temple and the Spencer affair while driving through Richmond park. Making poached eggs without pods. Tickets booked to SA. Kath & Kim. Swan lake tickets booked at Saddler's Wells!

Maps, wait, they don't love you like I love you. And by that, I mean the song. I have decided that the song is the object of my affection. It is the song of my every new chapter. The song of my being in love.

Dan & Dias in Portugal. Alt-J in Paris (without me). Chest infection = day off. Street Food Fest with Miss Mel was epic!! Indian starter bombay mix with EVERYTHING, Amsterdam van carrot soup, Crab tacos, weird sushi and lamb dumplings, two free cocktails.

FOOD

Airport run; Scottish shortbread; MORE APPLE CRUMBLE, this time with red wine; Blackheath Halls with my friend, Indian dinner in BH village afterwards! Sunday night. Pompeii exhibition with Ams, Squash in Kingston! Unexpected tickets to see Les Mis in the West End with Sue and her mom! Awesome show. Listened to the Queens of the Stone Age iTunes festival gig. Apple crumble into office. Tapestry with Irene and SJ. Roz dinner in Richmond with the gays and Ams and Ané. Dan & Dias in portugal.

The week away

Friend off to Scotland. Blackheath Halls first practice, after a convoluted journey through New Cross and Blackheath village. Terrified of the Ravel concerto. Random nursery at New Cross Station with record store at the back. Purple and white snap dragons, and Fleetwood Mac vinyl. Playing said vinyl back at home on Dan's decks - advice on phono preamp. Apple crumble, apple preserving.

Drinks with the Amiculum team plus John. Post Office despot Forest Hill, with a trip to the super cheap furniture store. Impromptu drinks with Irene in CJ after Roz dinner cancellation. Ms Carla of RSL fame has finally paid up! SA tickets booked. LOVED listening to the full Vampire Weekend iTunes Festival gig - almost feels like I was there!

Parking off

Susan in Green Park! Posh restaurant at the RA with Sea bass and red chianti and Eaton Mess. Lots of deliveries at home, mowing the lawn, trimming hedges. Last haircut with Bozena. Sarah lunch and Kate's 27th at Queen of Hoxton. Lots of flatpack assemblies. Richmond park and all the deer. New cardie from Jam's mom! (Accidentally shrunk in the wash). SJ's nephew born safe and sound, Ouma is feeling better :) Drinks at project Orange with Irene and SJ. Ouma in Little Company of Mary's for partial obstruction and rupture operation. Anna Calvi gig shifted in favour of some quiet time amongst the trees in Richmond Park. Velvetines gig with Sarah. Apple crumble.

IKEA

IKEA. Southbanquet with Mel and a table full of lesbians. IKEA again and almost Nandos, according to Google Maps. Argos. Fajitas on the braai, setting fire to the disposable bbq with Dan, picking up apples.

My room

John Lewis bed and wardrobe, settling into room, Housemates all moved in.

Moving on in

BRAAAAAIIS. Sunday at Jim's parents, Saturday in Richmond park with lots of deer, very small ones and one scary big male. Friday drinks in Richmond Revolution with Amiculum! Smoking in the sunset on the balcony. Buying a bed. Southbank members late viewing of 'Alternate guide to the Universe' with Ams. Mozart evening at Mandeville place with SJ - trying not to laugh. Failing. MOVING IN TO COURTRAI.

In Honor of Oak Park

FINALLY! A braai!! Sarah in SA. Meeting Jen Brister at the Phoenix Fringe in Soho on Saturday night, also Karen and Jen's gf, Chloe. Saturday night, Sunday morning, Sunday all day. Poached eggs and reading magazines, Richmond park deer and the Indian family playing cricket. Phoning my gran to tell her about my life. Vida in Cradock. Monday night Amiculum drinks.

Momentary panic about the way out location of my new abode, until I found the Crystal Palace train... Fetching boxes from Croft Road. House Crew dinner at Mel's. Train ride into Waterloo for dinner at Southbank with Susan and Cathy.

Painting with the colour of magic

Moved in at Harrington Mews after a motherly cab ride with Ula. Painting with Finn. Wonderful homely Sunday meal in the Irish household of Bernie and Tiny. Monday night. Hotel Transylvania, vegetable noodles, G&T. Tuesday with SAM AMS ROZ at Pizza Express Clapham Junction. Swan Lake Reloaded with Susan! Talking noise in Leicester Square at dusk. Thursday night jamming. Cucumber and mint noodle salad. Reading Terry Pratchett's Colour of magic. Schrödinger's candy email at work gets some laughs!

Fuuuuuuuuuuck

Packing up the bits of my life I want to keep. Throwing away the rest. Did not make enough allowance for how shit crazy it's all getting. Mix this stock exchange bar graph with a cosine expression to describe Shazam and you see how fucked I am.

HOT in the day, soft rain at night... The Sunday night of EVERYTHING. The Monday of EVERYTHING else.

Dinner and drinks with Susan, Candy bar and PK at the door; drinks with the HOUSE CREW - 33 COURTRAI ROAD - moving out to 3B. And the QUANTUM JOURNEY ALONG THE WAY.

Puuuut down the JAM

Great weekend with Sarah's birthday braai - Susan, Roz, Jim, Finn, The Geldies, Sam and Justine. One unexpected revelation and one missed opportunity. Smoking with Sue and Binks, SINGSTAR! Sunday talk with mom. Jesus Christ. Sue's Amnesia helped that one though.

Losing my mind over The Scientist.

New office friend :) Drumkit packed away.

Jesus what didn't I do this week. Drinks with Amiculum - Paula and Clare. The skype conversation. Drinks with Elle and a multitude of talking. Going home drunk and getting into a Facebook Jam. Find Sarah in the dark. Music music. I need to write. I feel momentarily tapped back into the time and place where everything was rich and painful, sweet and delightfully hard. Funny how these moments have to come at a price.

Friday night out with miss J and Irene - have not laughed this much in a VERY long time. Taxi home with Shazam.

"You and I remain eternally weird"

Chilled, busy weekend. House viewing in Streatham with Mel, Pancakes, H&M, Sarah hangover after AMANDA FUCKING PALMER. Best. Gig. Ever.

Sunday at Tully's farm for Finn's birthday. Finn's painting done and epic. Gays, Ams, Nan, the Moir clan, trampoline, blow-up slide and bouncy castle. Amazing cake. Monday back at Mortlake.

Amsterdam hot and gay as always. Eydie from Hong Kong on the flight, frozen yoghurt with stroopwaffles by the iamsterdam sign, YYY gig at Paradiso was out of this world - sweaty as fck, great view, great people. Londoners rock the crowd better though. Windmills in Zaanse Schans, drinks and goats cheese salad on a 'beach' by the river. Tessla, and the worlds of thought that ensued on the balcony of the best room yet. Work emails well into the night and trying not to fall right in. Failing.



We look no different from the outside. But the inside has been rearranged, exchanged, revamped and reinvented. Our shift will seem, in time, to have been remarkably smooth, natural,

Perhaps it's just a rumour

Went for Seven drinks but ended up with Mel, Jack and Dias instead, at Endurance bar in Soho. 3D foyer new project for Kenrock. Wimbledon tennis :( Feast Food Festival in Brick lane with Mel, NYC BBQ wings from a hot lady, drinks. Susan's house for a braai :) bought a squash racket on the way. Dear Daily Mail, Amanda Fucking Palmer. Explosive big band 'Leeds United', crowd surf RIGHT AT ME, cicus antics, Sufjan Stevens cover, collaboration of artists, so real and beautiful.

Love all

Working in Mortlake - nice corner desk! Chilled weekend, house hunting back in Brockley with Dan and Dias, almost braai with Susan... Listening to Wimbledon. Sabine Lisicki takes out Serena Williams! started watching Game of Thrones while reading like a demon to stay ahead of the comments on Imgur. Chatting on Omegle for the first time. Inspired to do a brand new Madnella site - can see the future! Bought Pixies tickets for November. Sarah booked Amsterdam! I am officially the Wimbledon update girl on FB - Night out with the HOUSE CREW in London Bridge - 18th Century Superman looking good - Susan's gloves for kickfit - Viewings - iPad app for Amiculum - Sabine Lisicki looking HOT on court! Swan Lake tickets, Southbank membership and Alternative Guide to the Universe Late event booked.

Almost made it through the week without thinking about the pain.

At LEAST worth wondering about

Justine over to check out the flat. Wendy Kate house warming Saturday. Watched The Sapphires, Lunch with Susan, watched Snatch, painted Yolandi vi$$er T-shirt and designed my T-shirt emblem. Wimbledon!! Swimming at 3B leisure centre with Finn and Roz, Tattoo drawing for Roz. Final moments of Rafael Nadal's qualifying round loss on the big screen in Wimbledon. Updated aneldebruyn.com with HP. Spur of the moment visit to the Courtauld gallery, after sitting in Farringdon watching tennis on a big outdoor screen (and lunch with Susan). Joined Guardian Soulmates. Updated aneldebruyn.com with HP.

What a day. Wednesday: DOMA overturned, Prop 8 overturned, 7 injuries at Wimbledon, Tsonga withdraws, Lleyton Hewitt out, Sharapova out, Federer out! (Dustin Brown yeah). Did various extra small projects. Two images submitted to imgur gallery - 45 points between them :) Shopping for shoes and formal wear with Susan & Cathy. Being brave! Viewings in Honor Oak Park and Tooting. Painful growing - Brockley, Tooting, Balham, looking for boots. Should have gone to Glasto!


Finished reading GOT 1.

Post by Javél.

Good braai, good braai, GOOD BRAAI, GOOD BRAAI, for the first time!

Inlaw rents over this weekend - bought and built a BRAAI! Used it twice already. Mel's birthday partay at Dishoom. Considering going to Kate and Wendy's house warming alone. Dad blog. HOUSE CREW group on Google+ - hunting going well so far. Heather Nova Tattoo design for Sarah with Toon app. Sea/Heart takes off again. Terrapinn Friday night involving Gin, Pizza, Sam, Justine and the meeting room bean bags.

Yeehaaaa

G-Force birthday party in Kings Cross was epic - Checked out Herne Hill and Denmark Hill with Mel and Dan. May just be moving into a house share...! Eksie ou T-shirt for little Lance - Beatles song for Janis' kids :) Watched Arende! Finished 99 designs contest - TEEEEGAAAN & SARAAAAAA !!! Tattoo on Gina's side one Terrapinn evening.

Love is a murderer

Susan and Cathy at PQ, tapas and red wine - Sarah in Dover - Saying goodbye to Vida in 3B - Brighton with the gays and Ams - back home to work on my gunslinger waistcoat - klinknaels - Mobile 5: HP Flash piece (in AS3!) - Attempt and failure at finishing The Hundred Year Old Man who climbed out of a window before Monday's book club - New plan: Book club with Ams and Roz. New tenants in RSL 101 - Cocktails with Mel at Barrios in Poland street - The Fleetwood Mac pact between me and my record player. Sanded down the garden table and varnished it. Mobile 5 HP job gone very well up to the tracking stage... Launched my first 99 designs contest after almost getting Sam a job with The Old London Underground Company.

Lots of lunches

Roz, Finn, Jim. Seven Digital. Lunch with Jo! - Lunch with Gina - Lunch with Susan - GOT - Grazes from Kickfit - Vampire Weekend new album - Telling the parents, telling Celeste - Possible future work with DC -

wtf

Vidaaaaa - birthday bowling night, cocktails, 50's swing dance - birthday morning sitting in the garden - vida & roz - record player. Creosote. Brighton.






Rug from under feet.

Variazioni in Do per clarinetto obbligato e orchestra, Andante Moderato Poco pui moss

Found some old mix tapes; converted to digital MP3 - Found a long-lost Rossini tune (Variation in D for clarinet and orchestra (1810) In a moderately slow tempo, a little more rough) after cleaning tape and tape heads and playing tape over and over again - copious amounts of red wine - charity opera concert - Yoga - ABSA financial adviser - Surfing on a shorter board - time of day in the sea - Birthday lunch at 12 Apostles - Cycling on Holland bikes along Sea point promenade - Janis T-shirt - Flight back. Dad. - Google Adwords CT - LinkedIn CT advert - Pizza Express reunion supper - Home improvements! Garden, House number, Light bulbs, etc.

Up, up and away!

Maverick - 12 Apostles spa, floatation tank, steam room scrub, mask and rain - Godfather III - Interview with Virtual Architects in Cape Town - Tennis - Green Card Lotto unsuccessful. Wine farm Stellenbosch to meet Boeta - Yoga - More soft pastel drawing - Iron Man 3D and shopping with Bernard in Cavendish - Indifresh logo - Successful Shopping at V&A - Pina Colada at La Playa - Lego Shuttle!

Nes!Quick!

Cycling tokai forest - dad blog - yoga - kickboxing - properties - soft pastel drawing - bookrack - 3D screen - CV's to agencies in CT (2 immediate positive responses! 6 in total after 1 day) - Badminton in the wind - NesQuick treasure hunt - squash! - Pool - Brent - shopping - Call from London for a potential perm role...

Surf's up!

Sketching - Robot and Frank - pancakes - Vida, veggie lasagne - Janis - Oumies - Groep 2 - Alan Garity - Ocean Basket - NES! - Gautrain - Nicola - Safari Park - Shopping at Menlyn with Nes - Breakfast at Ouma's - poached eggs - Horse riding - tennis - hiking up kirstenbosch yellow wood trail - properties - surfing Muizenberg - playing pool

Johannesburg

Packing - breakfast at Old Frizzle with Sarah - Fly to JHB on premier seats - Skyfall on the Plane - Hitchcock - Dad - Search for Lego - Everard Read Gallery - Goodman Gallery - Art class - Tannie Sus - Oil painting - almost rugby with Ruan - epic CD for Dad:

How we operate - Gomez
House of cards - Radiohead
Reckoner - Radiohead
Weird fishes / Arpeggi - Radiohead
Riverside - Kid Harpoon
As it always was - Kid Harpoon
Hang me up to dry - Cold War Kids
We used to vacation - Cold War Kids
I'll believe in anything - Wolf Parade
Burn the witch - Queens of the Stone Age
Everybody knows that you are insane - Queens of the Stone Age
No one knows - Queens of the Stone Age
The Passenger - Iggy Pop
North American Scum - LCD Soundsystem
Someone great - LCD Soundsystem
Midnight City - M83
Harrowdown Hill - Thom Yorke