It's Monday again and what a weekend it's been! I thought I would update you all today on what's been going on with me this last weekend. Highlights include:
-A visit to Willen Lake with my good friend, Ahsaan.
-Another Bunderson adventure to Berkhamsted Food Festival that, in typical Bunderson style, ended up going slightly different than planned. This also features Kiki and a MASSIVE hill followed by humiliation, laughter and a mighty wheel spin
-The new Kesha album, Rainbow.
-Watching The Hitman's Bodyguard.
So, it's September already! I've frequently wondered how the year is going to quickly without me even noticing and I've come up with a conclusion: because I plan, and quite frankly live, for the weekends. Even now 4 days into September I have the rest of September planned and even the first week of October! Me and Matthew are going on another Mulie holiday to Blackpool in early October for our second anniversary and I cannot wait- 27 days to go! Planning my life away like this can be a blessing and a curse because while I love to keep busy, I find myself sometimes wanting to have some 'Julie' time too and as me and Matthew only really get to see each other at weekends, I spend most of them with him. This last weekend however, I left him at home to work on another of his projects while I spent the time catching up with friends. Sometimes we have the odd weekend where we will catch up with our own individual things which I think is a good thing; not only does it allow me to catch up on some 'me' time, it allows me to spend time seeing friends and/or spending the time with mum.
This weekend was a friends weekend predominantly. I'd not seen Jade for 'Bunderson' time for over a month and I'd not seen Ahsaan since I took him and his girlfriend for a tour around London in June so it's safe to say it was about time to have some quality time together.
Lets start with Saturday.
For some time I had been stuck on one level in particular in Crash 2. Ruination. I'd already been stuck for days on the bee and polar bear levels, spending entire evenings swearing at the TV wanting to throw the controller at it. The bee levels....Oh. My. Goodness. I got so many 'game over's' doing those levels but I persevered and then completed all the levels on that platform until I got to Ruination. Flames, Komodo dragons, awkward rotating platforms and nitro boxes. From an initial glance, it doesn't look like much but when you play, it gets so much more irritating. I spent Saturday morning trying to complete this level once and for all so I could finally go up to the next platform. I was also waiting for an Amazon order that I made the night before. I'd bought the new Kesha album after listening to it over and over on Youtube first to see whether I liked it enough to part with precious voucher credit. After another half hour and more profanities, I finally completed Ruination and to my anger, then got stuck on the boss level, Dr N. Gin. Even as we speak I've not yet completed it so any hints and tips, please feel free to share!
Me and Ahsaan headed to Willen Lake in Milton Keynes at about 3. I'd never been before but I had seen pictures from other people's trips there on Facebook and really wanted to see it for myself. It didn't take too long to get there but when we did arrive, we both said how it reminded us of Watermead here in Aylesbury, but on a much larger scale. The weather was actually pretty decent on Saturday so we went for a walk around the lake. I'd never seen so many swans in one place before, and neither had I seen so many bikes. In fact, I did have a blonde moment when I said "There are more bikes here than people!" which Ahsaan found hilarious. After a couple of hours of catching up watching all the people boating about on the lake, we headed back to Aylesbury. I had a lovely day at Willen Lake and it was nice to catch up with Ahsaan again after so long. He's going to America again in November to see his girlfriend and he did promise me he'd bring me back some caramel M&M's. Ahsaan if you're reading this, add caramel M&M's to your list and make sure to save plenty of room in your suitcase for them!
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| Willen Lake, MK |
Sunday was Bunderson day and we'd made our plans on Friday. The agenda was; drive to Chesham to get Jade then drive on to Berkhamsted for their food festival. I'd never been to a food festival before but as it was all about food and you got to taste a bunch of it for free, I was way past sold on the idea. I got to Jade's at 12 and we set off soon after. This was where the first of many hilarious moments took place. The way to Berkhamsted was up a very....very............very steep hill. I went up this initially with all the ambition and cockiness that only a novice driver would have, floored it in 2nd gear and prayed Kiki would have the strength within her to go the distance. Kiki wasn't happy with this plan and decided she wanted to crawl up the hill in a slow and painful way. I then tried to compromise with Kiki by giving it more gas but she then really started to express her dislike at this situation by revving relentlessly. First gear it was then! Only before I could get to that point, Kiki had stalled in protest. So, picture this, a red KA stopped awkwardly at the top of a very steep hill. Instead of freaking out at this, me and Jade just started laughing at what we'd landed ourselves in. Or more what I had landed us in. The humiliation wasn't over just yet however, oh no! In the attempts to save us from hanging on the top of the hill, I followed normal procedure for a hill start. Only I overcooked the gas anticipating the sheer drop of the hill and we eventually jolted forward, wheel spinning before overcoming the hill. A huge relief for me, funny for Jade and probably horrific for Kiki. Like I've always said, it's a miracle I'm qualified to drive to be honest, someone's definitely watching over me up there!
When we got to Berkhamsted alive and in one piece, we went to discover the foods on offer. Sadly, there wasn't as much on offer as we thought and soon we found ourselves wondering what to do next. We'd both forgot to get money out and no stalls were taking card, so much akin to the typical Bunderson style, we decided to do something else. We pondered places to go for some time while sat in the car and eventually we settled on going back to Aylesbury, lunching then going to see The Hitman's Bodyguard which looked so funny in the trailer. Jade also managed to get money off vouchers from Groupon as well which made it even easier on our pockets. Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L Jackson. A recipe for hilarity. Ryan Reynolds set his comedic benchmark with Deadpool and Samuel L Jackson has always injected any film he's starred in with a certain sass that hits the comedic nail right on the head.
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I was also able to give Kesha's album, Rainbow a proper listen on Sunday's drive and what can I say, it's a great album. You may have heard the story about Kesha and her ex-music producer Dr Luke. She sued him for a decade of sexual, verbal and emotional abuse toward her. This album signified her transformation and separation from an old producer that stood oppressively over her musical success. This album sounds completely different from records past and while other artists like Taylor Swift and have had more style changes than you've had hot dinners siting a sudden "awakening", Kesha's new sound and style comes from a genuine new found freedom and inner strength, not to mention that her more country style is something she's always had in her repertoire. From the first track 'Bastards', it is clear that she's back and she has something to say. Revenge albums are ten a penny but as you listen to more and more of this record, it starts to become clear that this album is more than just a huge "fuck you", it's an anthem for recovery and having the confidence to find and use your inner strength. The album is also peppered with good old sing-your-heart-out tracks too, 'Woman' being the most infectious of them. Give it a listen and if you aren't shouting out the chorus within the first 2 minutes then there's something wrong with you. As I heard the last of the final track, I found myself feeling nothing but pride for Kesha. She's been through some terrible times with abuse and an eating disorder and now she's not only recovered from those, but has also proved Dr Luke wrong and has found her way back into the music industry with her head held high and a powerful message to match. She's found her voice and used it to create a record that is so much more than a revenge album, but a message of hope to others who are fighting their demons too.
After the cinema, I drove Jade home and came back home myself reflecting on how good my weekend had been. I was also a little proud of myself for saying 'fuck it' and driving to Chesham and Berkhamsted. Even if Kiki probably hated me for it afterwards and I suffered the embarassment of that hill. It may not seem like much, but for me it was a little victory. Jade if you're watching, thanks for being so nice about my terrible driving! You survived a trip in Kiki....I should probably start making certificates for this achievement!
So, there you have it, a full weekend report! I'd really recommend giving Kesha's new album a listen and watching The Hitman's Bodyguard. Don't forget to tune into Bake Off again tomorrow and I will see you all again here on Wednesday evening. Have a great Tuesday!
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