#hope shakespeare would be as chuffed as me! | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

photosbyjabo · 7 months ago

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A day in Paris

I cannot deny that Paris has always held a certain charm for me even when I was younger. The Eiffel Tower and its charming streets that I can only dream of but now I can proudly say that I've walked its avenues and streets myself. This was the first country me and my partner have been on a trip outside of the UK together and we were definitely chuffed. France will be the first part of our little Western Europe road trip. We didn't have anything planned because technically we're only spending one night and one day here so there wasn't much pressure on sticking to any itinerary or schedule.

I think I was a little bit overwhelmed the moment we landed so I didn't take as much photos as I would have wanted. I do remember the long drive from Charles de Gaulle airport to our hotel. The views outside our taxi ride were definitely wasn't what I hoped and expected - all the graffiti and the plainness of it all. But all that changed when we got closer and closer to the centre of the city. We booked this lovely, boutique hotel (Hotel Henriette, at the 13th arrondissement) with a small but sufficient room.

Not much to see outside from our window. Just the facade of another building. It was already 8pm when we settled in our room and then we decided to go to this burger place, which was a quick walk from the hotel. Afterwards, we went straight to see the Eiffel Tower. We took the Metro and a bus ride to get there. The Metro does have its own charm compared to the Tube. My impression was it looked and felt older but somehow not as suffocating as compared to some of the underground trains in London. Although, the doors were a bit more tricky definitely. Nearly got lost, but we made it to our destination in the end. One cannot miss its charming and inviting lights for sure. We were so excited that we didn't mind the troubles we went through just to see it up close. I still cannot believe how close we were to this amazing structure. So much history indeed. It's amazing isn't it. How can we be so bewitched from a frankly, metallic structure, I just don't know. Perhaps it's all those years of seeing it in the movies. And also perhaps from someone who's lived his whole life in the other side of the world. Getting here was so special for me. Undeniably magnificent up close. Nearly as special to the moment I came out of the Underground and saw the Big Ben for the first time.

We ended up staying there until midnight to see the lights start twinkling on its entirety. I also remember our commute back to the hotel and of how it made us feel a little bit uneasy, especially the moment we stepped out of the station closest to the hotel. We were after all in a city that we're unfamiliar with. Plus, it was already nearly 2 in the morning and we were so exhausted. I'll forever remember that evening for sure.

My only weakness and I suppose my top priority when visiting a new country or city is to find the best coffee shops or cafés. Naturally, that was the first on our agenda on the morning after. Fragments Café has been on my list for quite some time when I started looking for coffee spots to go. The vibe inside was really nice. We ended up just ordering an avocado toast with poached eggs (very British, indeed).

Breakfast and coffee done so we're pumped up for a day full of exploring and walking, obviously. I don't know how we ended up choosing to see the Fontaine Saint Michel as our first stop but we did. I was also very keen on going to the Shakespeare and Company bookshop and very close to it was the Notre Dame but we didn't go in as it was undergoing some repair. No evidence here as we only took some selfies.

Then we went to Montmartre to see the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur. By that time, we must've already walked for more than 10,000 steps and because it was the last day of July, it was also very warm. But my gosh, the view by the basilica was stunning!

We spent an hour inside the basilica and also left something very special - a padlock with our names on it dated on this day. Afterwards, we rode the funicular down for the experience but also because our legs were so beaten. Then we had a late lunch at La Crêperie de Josselin where we had our first proper French crêpes.

Already nearly six in the evening when we got back to our hotel. A few souvenirs, a lot of photos, and hearts filled. Not quite ready to leave France but ready for our next destination!

All photos taken with an iPhone (July, 2019).

#iphonephotography #travel #photojournal #iphone #Paris #France

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stormquill · 6 years ago

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One Equal Temper | chapter three [V/Reader]

As hell itself wreaks havoc upon your city, an angel lands on your doorstep—one who doesn’t seem to realize he has wings.

Author’s Notes: Follow the blog @one-equal-temper.

Notes: Touch-starved V time? Touch-starved V time.

V stares at the violin.

He stares at it for a very long time.

The instrument was beautiful: 4/4, full-sized, made from a polished, glossy brown wood which was now reflecting light from the early morning rays. There were no fingerprints or nail scratches along its neck, nor was there any wear on the chin rest; the only indication it had ever been touched at all were the three strips of masking tape spaced out near the end of the neck, marking basic finger positions for a beginner.

Whoever owned the instrument had been learning how to play.

Griffon flew into the vacant apartment where V had taken refuge.

“You were right,” he said, perching along the balcony railing, “broken locks on every floor. Must’ve turned the whole damn building upside-down looking for that thing.”

“But why waste the time?”

“Only you would figure someone doin’ you a favour is a waste of time.”

“Cruelty knits a snare and spreads his baits with care.”

“Or—here’s a crazy friggin’ thought—maybe they were just being nice.”

V lifted the bow from the violin case. On instinct, his fingers fell around the end of it in perfect positioning, his hands full of memories that did not belong to his body. “Perhaps returning here was not such a good idea.”

“You’re killin’ me, V, you know that?” Griffon scowled. “May I remind you that you’re the one who hasn’t told the human why we’re here, yet? Who’s really ‘cruelty with a snare,’ here, huh?”

V tensed. At once, Griffon could feel him bristling, a sudden rush of static in the air that whipped the demonic familiar back to humility.

“Uh-oh, did I hit a nerve?” Griffon gave an apprehensive little chuckle. “Sorry, boss. Didn’t mean anything by it. You and me, we’re in this together. I’m behind you whatever you wanna do. Even if that means not showering for another week.”

Keeping silent, V twisted the screw at the bottom of the bow to tighten it. He retrieved the chunk of rosin from a pocket inside the violin case, and glided the small amber brick along the now-taut length of horsehair strings.

From the moment he was given life, V had conceptualized himself as half of a whole, the opposite side of Urizen’s coin that minted the currency of Vergil. Every waking moment was dedicated to a paradox, righting wrongs that were somehow both his own, and not his own. But you, in all of your panicked, twitchy, lone-survivor glory, ended up showing him a kindness he hadn’t come to expect of anyone before or since.

Such gestures were afforded to the living, and living was not the reason for V’s existence.

(What would you think of him if you knew the real reason he knocked on your door?)

Your unexpected gift was based on the ghosts of his memory, an unintentional parallel to the contradiction of his own reality—V knew how to play the violin, but at the same time, he had never held one in his hands.

You said you missed music.

Could he give you that much?

Standing at the balcony, V rested the violin on his shoulder and drew the bow across the strings, adjusting the pegs every so often until the notes of his scales felt proper.

“Soundin’ a little flat there, Shakespeare.”

“It may require further tuning.”

V could sense your presence in the neighboring apartment. You were around the corner, hiding from him, and that’s where he thought you would stay...until several minutes later, when you emerged onto your balcony holding two mugs of steaming liquid.

As your balconies were only an arm’s length from each other, you reached over your side’s edge to hand him his cup. He took it, and the brief, gentle caress of his fingers against yours marked the first physical contact with you he’s ever had.

“It’s hot chocolate,” you said, shyly. “I remember you saying you liked chocolate, so...”

Another small token. Another kind gesture.

The feeling of your hand beneath his touch lingered long after you pulled away.

V came and went all hours of the day and night.

Military efforts to take back Red Grave did not seem to wane, in spite of their consistent, predictable failures. V helped as much as he could—clearing the most densely-infected pockets of the city, advising those in charge time and time again that traditional artillery would do nothing against the plague—but the armies continued to be sent in waves, as if throwing more bullets, more guns, more bodies at the problem would eventually prove itself a viable solution.

The stagnation was frustrating, but V couldn’t accomplish much by way of progress until Nero returned.

In the meantime, V strategically controlled clusters of demon spawn before the herds became too much for him to handle alone. He tore down creeping Qliphoth roots to prevent them from branching outside city bounds. He fought alongside military personnel whenever he found them, until they fell back or were wiped out trying.

Through it all, he cannot keep his mind from the memory of his fingers against yours.

The walk back to the apartment building became his respite, the six-floor climb up the fire escape as good a reprieve as any. Regardless of the day’s events, regardless of whether or not he had yet slept, he would go out to his balcony and pick up the violin, every morning without fail. Playing for you was like rousing a bird from its nest. You would be drawn out by his melody, curious and weary, and you would listen.

You would not ask him where he had been. You would not ask him where he was going.

You would just listen.

A routine was birthed within this small sanctuary, a routine that started with music and ended with you reaching out to him, a warm mug in hand—sometimes tea, sometimes chocolate, depending on what you could find.

He ignored the way his pulse would quicken whenever your hands touched.

You were an indulgence, he rationalized.

Nothing more.

Shadow was growing unsettled, V could feel it.

Due to the nature of their contracts, inactivity would sometimes cause his familiars to grow restless, especially if one was being summoned more frequently than the others. As of late, Griffon had rarely been dismissed; if he wasn’t at V’s side in exploration or battle, he was in the apartment, napping on a pet bed he’d found in the corner and claimed for himself. Naturally, this made Shadow jealous.

There was no danger in calling upon Shadow outside of battle to appease her agitation. Though she was far more primal of a demon than Griffon was, she never acted out of alignment with V’s motives—his familiars were extensions of himself, which meant they were always in-tune with what he wanted.

So, when the panther burst forth from her sigils and ran out to V’s balcony to leap onto yours, to say V was surprised was an understatement.

He barely had time to process what had happened before he heard you screaming.

“Holy SHIT—NONONONONONONO—”

In the moments it took V and Griffon to reach you, you had already been pinned to the ground—you looked horrified as Shadow stood on top of you, nuzzling her face against yours hard enough to keep your head pressed firmly to the floor.

“What is happening?!” you shrieked, your voice shaking with terrified confusion.

Griffon wasted no time laughing his ass off.

Having a fully-grown black panther charge through your sixth-floor window was quite low on your list of expectations, but it didn’t take you long to regain your bearings.

You sat on your couch as Shadow loafed in your lap, the feline familiar big enough to take up all the remaining seats. Within minutes, you went from a state of shock to burying a cheek right into her fluff, using the vibrations of her deep purring to try and alleviate your perpetual headache.

You could tell something was wrong with V, be it from how he hadn’t moved from your balcony, or the expression of deep concern he wasn’t containing as well as he would’ve hoped. He was emanating an aura of unease you’d never felt from him before. You couldn’t shake off the feeling you’d done something wrong.

“So,” you started, trying to lighten the mood and getting a mouthful of fur in the process, “any other familiars I should know about?”

“...perhaps in due time.”

Griffon chuckled. “Oh man, you’re gonna love Nightmare.”

“Nightmare,” you repeated. If the giant demon bird was named ‘Griffon’ and the giant demon cat was named ‘Shadow,’ you tried to imagine what nature of creature ‘Nightmare’ could have been. Your overactive imagination combined with your chronic headache shorted out your brain. “Cool. Cool cool cool cool cool.”

Shadow chuffed in your lap. You jumped at the noise.

V kept watch from afar, leaning heavily against his cane.

There had never before been such egregious dissonance between V’s expectations and Shadow’s actions. Shadow existed in light of V’s best interests—she acted on what he wanted—and though you were blissfully unaware of the implications, being confronted by the sight of his own longing disgraced him in a way he didn’t think possible.

His familiars were extensions of himself, after all.

Instead of Griffon, V imagined being bold enough to have visited you first.

Instead of Shadow, V imagined himself spread across your lap, your hands through his hair, you smiling down at him as you were now.

Only then did V realize the depth of the problem.

V did not touch his violin the following morning.

In his entertainment of idle pleasantries, he had forgotten himself, and why he was here. His purpose in life was to reunite with Urizen to become whole again, to salvage what remained of Red Grave, to earn some semblance of atonement by purifying what he himself had poisoned. He was a splintered fracture of Vergil—he was not meant to have desires of his own, as he was not his own.

He was not his own.

V yanked the length of his silver cane from the demon’s flesh, tossing its mangled carcass aside with graceful ease.

From the break of dawn to the glint of twilight, he made rounds throughout the city, reminding himself with every battle what he was responsible for unleashing upon the world. With the demons’ current respawn rate, he knew his efforts were an exercise in futility, but he continued the onslaught without pause, until every demon type in existence blurred together in a bloody palace of blades and wings and carapaces.

He would find catharsis. Eventually.

As he felt his vision blur and his power begin to wane, V unearthed a massive nest of dormant Furies, crowded behind a hidden wall of rubble and debris.

“V,” Griffon warned, still trying to catch his breath, “I don’t know what’s going through that head of yours, but we’ve been at this all damn day. You sure you wanna keep goin’?”

V’s hand tightened around his cane.

This is why he was here.

This is all he was good for.

It was curious to see where his legs had taken him without him knowing.

Griffon’s talons wrapped tight around V’s shoulders as he carried him over the fire escape railing. Shadow supported V’s lethargic landing on the metal grates, propping him upright with her own body. All three of them were covered in blood.

“Up and over,” Griffon groaned, dragging V in through the open window. “C’mon, kid, on your feet—”

V collapsed into the hallway, falling into a tangled heap on the ground.

“—alright, close enough.”

Shadow hopped in after him, once more letting V use her as leverage to stand until he could right himself with his cane.

Whatever came next was a haze.

Footsteps from down the hall. Muffled conversation. Someone rushing to his side, slinging his arm around their neck to support his weight and help him find his footing again, like a bird on his wings for too long.

Of course it was you.

Who else but you?

The two of you made it to his bed, eventually, and V landed on the mattress with a heavy sigh.

“Are you guys hurt??” you asked in a panic, looking over the blood on all three of them.

“Don’t freak out, gravedigger, the blood’s not ours.” Visibly frustrated, Griffon nestled on his bed atop the nightstand. “Shakespeare bit off more than he could chew tonight and now he’s payin’ for it.”

“I overexerted myself,” V corrected. “I simply need to rest.”

Your brows drew together. “You want me to just leave you like this?”

“I will be fine.”

“Let me help clean you off, at least.”

“I will take care of it in the morning.”

“Look—I know you’re pissed at me, but you’re not going to get any proper rest passing out in your own filth.”

The frustration in your voice was sobering. From your point of view, he had slighted you, somehow—yet, you were still seeking ways to help him.

“What makes you believe I am upset with you?” he asked in concern.

Confusion flickered across your face as you spoke. “When Shadow came over yesterday, you spent the whole time standing on my balcony looking like someone pissed in your cereal. And this morning—I made you tea, but you didn’t show up to our...”

You stopped yourself, not knowing what to call it.

“Rendezvous,” he offered.

“...yeah.”

“I am sorry for misleading you,” he said, softly. “I assure you, you have done nothing wrong—my quandaries are purely my own. There was an urgent...dilemma that required my attention.”

“Did you figure it out, at least?”

V turned to examine you, seeing one side of you stained red from where you held him as you helped him walk. The moment you saw he was in trouble, you had no reservations about getting blood all over yourself, and even now, you had no hesitation in getting even more of it on you. You had no idea you were at the heart of his predicament.

You had no idea of the predicament in his heart.

In the face of every apprehension sounding alarms within his head, V stood resolute, and asked precisely what he wanted to. “May I be so bold as to request your assistance?”

You lit up in surprise, and you nodded.

You pulled the bedroom chair towards his bedside and took a look at what you were dealing with. Upon closer examination, he wasn’t so much drenched in blood as he was heavily splattered, like he was on the losing end of a particularly nasty paintball ambush. He didn’t seem to have any injuries, but you didn’t know what an overnight soak in demon blood would do to a person, and you had no intention of finding out.

“I need to take your jacket off,” you said. “Is that okay?”

“Such polite bedside manner,” he smirked.

You rolled your eyes, but he was pleased to notice the shade of red he brought to your cheeks. With steady hands, you untied the string at the front of his coat; he could feel your fingertips brush against his bare skin, and the contact made his stomach flip.

“Can you sit up for me?” you asked, not having noticed a thing.

Still exhausted, V trembled slightly as he lifted himself on his elbows and gathered the strength to follow your request—then your hand was on his back, above his coat, helping him move upright. Your other hand tucked along each collar bone, sliding his jacket from his shoulders, one arm at a time. You removed his glove and unclipped his bracelets from his wrist.

Then your hands were off him, again.

You left the room and returned with some supplies: a large bowl of water, several small towels, and a flashlight you stood up on a nearby table to cast light towards the ceiling and illuminate the room.

You rolled up your sleeves and pushed your hair back before setting to work.

With V covered in his mess and his familiars as soiled as he was, the bedroom was thick with the stench of demon blood, rotten and strangely acidic—thankfully, it seemed to wipe away easily with a damp cloth.

There was a clinical detachment in the way you moved around him, aided by the fact you would not meet his eyes. Even so, V was painfully aware of every gentle motion your warm hands made against him, clearing bright red smears from the pallor of his skin. Cloth in hand, you made soothing, repetitive movements down the lengths of his arms, across his palms, between each of his fingers, careful and thorough. You moved down the dip of his collar bones and travelled across the width of his chest; you reached the hollows beneath his ribs and he wondered if you could feel his heart beating.

He could tell how hard you were trying to detach yourself from the moment, but your worry was obvious in your tenderness, your care evident in your gentle attention.

As his eyes drifted shut, he did something he hadn’t since the day he was forced onto this plane of existence.

He let himself feel safe.

Your every movement against him felt deliberate and reverent, as if the demon’s blood had vandalized his canvas and you were working to restore the artwork underneath. Even you, in all your modesty, couldn’t tear your eyes from the artwork spanning the length of his body, studying the maze of ink tangled across his skin as if he were a masterpiece.

He felt you work your way back up his neck. As you took a fresh cloth to the blood across his nose, you used your other hand to touch the side of his face, trying to turn him towards you. Keeping his eyes closed, he instead took it as an invitation to lean fully into your palm, until you were cradling his face in your hand.

When he finally glanced up at you from beneath his dark lashes, he realized you were holding your breath.

He felt you brush your thumb along his cheek to move his hair away from his eyes.

And in that moment, you were everything.

“I made the mistake of denying myself the possibility of new experiences,” he said, voice drowsy with exhaustion. “I feared having purpose outside of my calling would prove to be a distraction, and I feared it presumptuous of me to interpret your acts of kindness as anything more than gracious gestures. I hope for nothing more than to be wrong on both counts.”

Your heart was mounting beneath your chest. His words felt dizzying, even after you remembered how to breathe.

“I have been granted a short breath of time to rectify transgressions resulting from my selfish desires, but during this quest, ironic as it may be, I will dare to be selfish.” He held a hand over the one you had against his face. “If you would indulge me.”

You could think of nothing you wanted more.

You turned your palm over to hold his hand, threading a few of your fingers between his own. You hadn’t realized how tense he was until your acceptance seemed to make his whole body sigh, a breathless smirk tugging at the edge of his lips as he gazed at you with half-lidded eyes.

“Like the morning star arising above the black waves, when a shipwrecked soul sighs for morning,” he breathed, beaming. “No matter where I go, I am drawn back here, to you, like gravity.”

He pressed a kiss to the back of your hand.

“Thank you, starlight.”

His hand was still wrapped in yours when he finally drifted off to sleep.

After some time, a beak gently nudged your shoulder from behind. When you turned around, Griffon’s eyes were shying away from yours, as if he’d just witnessed something he wasn’t supposed to to.

“We can take it from here, gravedigger,” he said, shrugging his head. “You go on, get some sleep.”

Your heart fuller now than it had ever been, you smiled back at him, not wanting to move your hand a single inch away from where it was now. “Would it be alright if I stayed?”

Griffon snorted, knowing he should’ve known better. “Yeah, kid. You do you.”

V was surprised to wake with you by his side. You were still sitting in the chair as you slouched over his bed, your arms and clothes still blood-stained from the previous night’s events. Griffon appeared to have preened himself and had stuck random damaged feathers in your hair throughout the night as you slept. Shadow was curled on the floor at the foot of his bed. Both of his familiars were fast asleep.

You hadn't let go of his hand.

As he stirred, you roused from your slumber, and the first thing you did was smile at him.

“Good morning, starlight.”

Your eyes lit up, but the tremendous guilt behind his own must have been obvious, as your expression fell at once. “What’s wrong?”

He squeezed your hand a little tighter.

“I fear I have not been honest with you.”

#v x reader #v x you #v dmc5 #dmc5 v #devil may cry #one equal temper

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daveywankenobie · 7 years ago

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There are some teeny tiny little things in everyday life that probably mean nothing to anyone else – but to me they’re epic moments of success.

As I type I’m sitting in the back of a car full of people.

To most people this is the short straw and something of a raw deal because sitting in the front seat is infinitely preferable.

The back seat is cramped and it has three men on it who are shoulder to shoulder – however (even though it’s very cosy) I’m just chuffed beyond words that I’m one of them and able to sit here without feeling like I’m taking up more than my fair share.

My seatbelt is on, I have loads of leg room, I fit comfortably in my seat and I’m able to put my knees together.

None of this was possible a couple of years ago.

Furthermore I wouldn’t have even been in someone else’s car in the first place.

I’d have been driving myself to my destination to avoid the embarrassment of trying (and invariably failing) to get a seatbelt on in any car other than my own.

The reason I’m in this situation is that I’m out if work today on a team building exercise and I’m staying for the evening in hotel Stratford-upon-Avon.

Oddly (although I live only 15 miles away) I’ve not spent much time in Stratford. I know next to nothing about the history of the place or the more nuanced elements of it’s character.

That may be about to change…

(Author spends the day doing things and then continues writing his blog the next day.)

Well – although I’ve not had much sleep (largely related to coffee) I’m in a pretty good frame of mind because yesterday contained another real triumph too. It turned out that simply sitting in a car was the least of the things I had to be happy about.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

The hotel was pretty neat – and waaaay higher up the comfort scale that I’m used to, because if I was paying for this myself I’d definitely have been looking for a B&B!

Normally I don’t really feel at home when every surface is covered in marble – but I made the best of things and resolved to grin and bear the hardships that life had seen fit to throw at me.

The day didn’t go too badly in this respect either because rather out of the blue I got a nice little room upgrade due to a mix up involving duplicate card keys. As I let myself into what I thought was my assigned room it turned out that I was strolling into a colleague’s room very unexpectedly!

Thankfully (although I’d surprised him) he’d already hidden the body he’d almost certainly been disposing of and there was no other significant embarrassment.

After a chat with reception to make up for this they hurriedly moved me to the top floor and into a king size with a view!

The team building event was all very useful and all the people there (a lot of whom I’d heard of but never met) seemed very happy to meet eachother – as well as willing to tuck in and enjoy the seemingly endless food that the company and venue had laid on.

As a Slimming World focused guy this all looked extremely off limits (I did have an egg and a bacon roll, but threw away the bread and the rind) – so I instead focused on the fruit and grabbed a few apples.

However there was one really great perk.

Unlimited coffee!

Lunch was pretty similar – and while there was a buffet style arrangement with a cheesy baked pasta with deep fried wedges and breaded scampi there was also a lot of fruit and chilled meat.

Once again I made a healthier choice and grabbed a load of watermelon, some carrot and pepper sticks, a little pasta and some ham.

This filled a gap (I did go back for more) and along with (far too much) coffee managed to see me through the day.

After the event’s workshop my company had also organised a fun team building GPS challenge that would split us all up and force us to head out on foot to explore around Stratford-upon-Avon.

The idea behind it was to learn more about the people we were with, make us work together and go on a ‘guide free’ guided tour. If I’m honest I couldn’t have been happier about this – as it had already proved to be a little hard to fit in my usual amount of miles and steps with everything that had been going on.

We were presented with a GPS enabled tablet – told to head for any of many ‘locked’ areas on the map and work though the challenges that we found there.

They wouldn’t unlock until we arrived, and along the way we could earn extra points with general knowledge and business related multiple choice questions.

As soon as we set off I realised I’d been matched up with three pretty fit and extremely competitive people who were all frequently breaking into a jog to get from A to B. As soon as we left the building and they immediately took off like a hares at a greyhound race in the direction of the most distant locked point on the map.

The amazing thing (this kind of thing still surprises me) is that I was able not only to keep up but felt perfectly comfortable when I did.

As we navigated around the sites of interest, took photos, staged funny videos and chatted to random members of the public as part of the challenges that kept unlocking I became aware that I was really enjoying the energy of it all.

My pulse was racing with excitement rather than exhaustion!

As the two hour deadline assigned to us ticked down it also became apparent when the tablet started pinging that we were narrowly ahead in the rankings. When all of a sudden the scoresheet disappeared we realised that very little stood between a total loss and a resounding victory – so we rushed even more.

By the time we were back in the room we were looking at a lot of other pretty tired people – some of whom seemed to be really flagging – whilst others were similarly energised.

One of my day to day team members had been with another group and they had been very close to our score.

We eyed eachother suspiciously…

Who had beaten who?

As the winners were announced, and funny pictures or videos from the day were thrown up on the projection screen everyone seemed on the edge of their seats and the table with the four of us actually seemed like we were literally on the edge of our seats.

Then our names were absent.

The announcer callout out the table behind us and one by one put the winning medals on another team….

We looked at eachother.

What the heck?

How had that happened?

We were SO close!!!

Was the tablet broken?

Had our score not uploaded?

Then the announcer turned to them and said ‘and take those medals off and give them to the REAL winners – whose score was over 100 points higher – and pointed to my team!!!

We only went and frikkin won the whole thing!!!!!

After a lot of laughter and congratulations (as well as commiserations) we all headed beck to our rooms to get ready for our evening’s activity – which was a meal at the rooftop restaurant in the RSC.

Once again this is waaaaay swankier than I’d normally go for – and because we were such a big group we ended up spilling over from one huge table into another room – which looked like King Arthur should have been the guest of honour…

The food (which in my case was ordered in advance) was a pretty stress free SW experience – because although not everything I’d be eating was perfectly in plan it was as good as I was going to get.

I had the mackerel for a starter (with rhubarb and celeriac), and the chicken and bacon for a main.

I’ll be honest and say that this didn’t touch the sides – and despite my best intentions I ended up eating the complimentary biscuits in the room later that evening (2 large chocolate cookies and 2 ginger nuts) which must have been absolutely loaded with syns.

However – I’m not going to stress about it.

Life’s for living after all.

Since I don’t drink alcohol I went to bed well before the (rather well oiled) party finished in the bar that evening, in the hope that I’d get a good night’s sleep.

However – this wasn’t meant to be – and probably because of being in a strange bed combined with all of the soft and diet drinks I’d been having (alongside buckets of sparking water) I was awake pretty much all night.

By 5.30am I decided to give up on sleep and go for a walk along the river and around the town before breakfast at 6.30.

There was practically no-one around except me – so I just had to take a shameless tourist selfie outside Shakespeare’s house, and also outside the really odd Christmas shop thats open ALL YEAR ROUND right opposite it.

(why?….)

Whilst mooching around I also noticed that near the RSC all of the houses had rather unique door knockers!

How cool are these?!!!

After taking snaps of people’s front doors I wandered back along the peaceful riverbank and back to the hotel for the start of the breakfast window.

I scared the life out of the lady on the booking desk who (thanks to my recent Clarkes Shoes purchase) didn’t hear or see me coming at all. Yaaay for comfort and sneakability!!!

Faced with a lot of choice and at the same time feeling rather tired and worn out I once again tried to food optimise – but this was tough.

Buffets can be good for things like that – as long as you try and keep the ratios right – and broadly speaking I think I sort of managed it, but my willpower was at a bit of a low ebb.

I’m not gonna lie – I went back for seconds too.

But you know what – all in all I had a great time!

I met a lot of lovely people, won a challenge I’d never have had a hope in hell of even competing in previously and got to explore Stratford a bit more.

All in all internet it was a really welcome break from the norm!

Davey

P.S. thats not the only break from the usual because I’m not weighing in today. In a minute I’m heading off to yet another engagement. More on that in a later post 🙂

GPS hunt There are some teeny tiny little things in everyday life that probably mean nothing to anyone else - but to me they're epic moments of success.

#Fitness #Health #Slimming World #Weight loss

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