Laurieston Arrival

I doubt I'll be able to express my true feelings at actually arriving at Laurieston Hall for an Edward Carpenter Community, Gay Men's Week. I'm one of MANY people who regard Laurieston as my "Spirtual Home"- a palpable feeling hits me when I turn off the road onto the drive to the Hall. I was all the more keen to come this year when I discovered that this MIGHT be the last 'Season' that the Lauriestonians welcome visitors- at least for a while, Edward Carpenter Community have been coming here for 31 years. Despite a 12 year gap that ended last year, this is my 15th ECC event and almost all of them have been at Laurieston. There are over 60 gay men here from all over UK.

So, getting here was a doddle from Newcastle- apart from taking a wrong turning off the M6 and refusing to trust the Sat Nav when I got to Laurieston (from a new direction) and going 4 miles AWAY from the house until I realised... Oh, and I spun off the road on a country road approching Laurieston village... or rather I spun around in the road 180 degrees after catching the edge of a ditch with my rear wheels on a sharp turn. It was a strange sensation: I'd clearly lost control, but I could see what was happening and was able to minimise risk of damage to myself or the vehicle.

I was SO pleased to have arrived that my usual apprehensions about how I was likely to deal with the manditory needy, self centred, entitled divas who invariably attend these events were absent. 

I have been having a series of revelations recently that affect the way I want to live the rest of my life. The huge gap in this blog has been about issues I have been facing at work which I'll write about later but which have left me totally fed up with the cycle of working for people who end up either failing to support or actively sabotaging my achievements. My current job ends in March- through NO fault of mine but the complete failure on the part of my boss to even THINK about a positive resolution has left me furious. Too many times have I ended up in similar situations. Though I have started researching and applying for jobs, I increasingly don't want to take the risk of ending up working for another set of no-hope arseholes. I would rather run my own enterprise and, if the odure should come into contact with the ventilation system, at least I'll know that the mess in entirely my own. My home in Newcastle COULD generate enough income from lodgers to pay for the mortgage an bills. If the right thing presented itself I'd JUMP at it.

Laurieston is going through major change accellerated by the fire last year that has precipitated the suspension of their 'People Centre' project. But I have also found out that in 17 people have left the collective in the last 7 years. If I felt I had something to offer and if they would consider me I'd definitely put my name in the hat for becoming a resident here. I already have made sure that my friends who live here know my aspirations, they seem open to the idea.

I went to bed after time in the smokers hut and then a chat in the hall, feeling mega chilled. I am REALLY please Bill Gleave is here and it is always nice for me to connect with David Adler. Of course there are other people with whom I have reconnected and only one so far who fits the tedious diva category hinted at above.

Pizza, coleslaw, salad and bannana cake with cream for dinner!