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!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bon Voyage, Mon Enfant!

Image
It's hard dealing with the lack of communication let alone discussion of my Godson's immediate future. Its hard not to view my part in his recent past as a failure. The point is that it is over and I need to move on whilst there is still some relationship left between us. I'm getting quite 'Zen' in covering my frustrations with calm.  My Godson has always been unwaveringly CERTAIN of any decision concerning his learning that was opposed to mine. He was SURE that the scant attention he gave to his studies would at least yield passes. He dismissed my protestations that higher grades offered greater prospects as irrelevant. In exasperation I finally  reminded him and his father that he was here to go to school and that when that ended he would leave my home. His school career recently ended when he did not secure the grades to enrol into the final year.  My Godson is and always has been capable of cruising through a standard UK education, but it wasn't impo
Read more

Waiting!

Image
I love working with other people and I absolutely hate it too! I love it when I get people together who agree to do stuff but I get twitchy when they're late and I remember that everyone's doing everything "at risk" unless I'm fortunate-enough to have cash with which to bribe them! Yesterday I completed my proposal for our new proposed Main Project- I'm really pleased with it and very excited to submit it, but it would be a mistake not to share it with my colleagues- they're a great bunch when I can get their attention! I have always to remember that they're not as committed to the company as I am: they joined as a favour to me initially and though they've all benefited from it at some time in the last five years... except Wayne who we all forgot was on the Board -including him lol I can't expect anything from them really. So, I get into waiting for responses and starting other things and forgetting that I'm waiting (I'd get annoyed
Read more

Gyre

Image
From time to time I notice the patterns I make in my life; the recurring themes, the 'deja vu and 'Oh, not again!' moments... I don't spend much time on self-reflective introspection out of a combination of embarrassment and fear. It hasn't stopped me unloading onto one or two toking-buddies on a regular basis, but I try not to be one of those who becomes so intimate with their own navels that they're end up being dull or even toxic. The fear is also about having to focus on the things in plain sight that I choose not to see or wrongly ascribe to factors out of my control. When I was a (sole black) first year drama student at university I was ever-so-gently cornered by all three of the lecturers and asked what I thought about playing Othello. I was surprised enough to think it was a joke and quipped that I couldn't play Othello (I was 18 and seven or eight weeks into a degree course) and that they were only asking me to save on make up (or something li
Read more