A Collection of Faux-Baroque Greeting Cards: Whit Weekend and other stuff.

Luckily for me, my exams have come to an end (all but for my general studies paper anyway.) It would seem "The Week of Terror" would pass quickly and I have found myself sinking back into the same routine of last summer; that is, slobbing about the house in my tesco's joggers all day, watching crap t.v and only leaving the house to go to the garage for another can of Irn Bru, but that is not to say it is what I will be doing all summer.

I've been a bit worried about my summer plans because when I lay them out in front of me.. it really isn't much, but actually the spaces I have free I'm determined to fill up with really practical stuff, like, y'kno, reading books, learning a new language, all that kind'a crap.

In just over a week I'll be heading to Devon to hang out with my family who are already enjoying the southern sun. This leaves me with a week and a half to sit back, enjoy the freedom of my house and sleep off the last 10 months of life at Blue Coat. It has been two days since my mum and dad left on sat, I have in those two nights only stayed at my house once and there already seems to be 15ish empty beer cans and bottles, a take away pizza and empty packets of club bars, ciggarettes and paracetamol lying about the place. Clearly left overs from the Whit Weekend celebrations of friday and the beer walk. (see links for more information)

"Local folk like to call it The Greatest Free Show On Earth, and one visit is usually enough to convince anyone that's no idle boast." Richard Jones: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/the-northerner/2011/jun/16/dobcross-whit-friday-brass-bands

Whit Friday for the Youth of Saddleworth and (at a stretch, haha) Tameside is a no longer, sadly, a night for the brass bands but a poor excuse to get very drunk (note: I don't honestly believe this, but you'd have thought so if you see the youth on whit Friday.) It was bizarre for me upon arriving to Dobcross to find what used to be "everyone" outside its central pub, the Shambles (which recently closed down, most likely due to the unfortunate name change...or the real reason ) replaced by what appeared to be 12 - 15 year olds. I understand that I was 15 and drinking under age when it was where "everyone" was but, it was just unusual. I found that I enjoyed myself most when sitting in Scouthead's own contest field listening to the brass bands and eating my black pudding than this. "We" - me and the loosely named "JT Crew" of 2008-11 decided to heard off to Upermill, where we were welcomed by a similar larger scene of people 16-19 crowding the park and drunkenly hobbling over the stepping stones (seen here late last year.) Maybe it was because I was getting increasingly drunk, but what started out as a rather embarrassing night for people like me, who prides themselves on Saddleworth (and Tameside) traditions such as Whit Friday and the Rushcart ended up being rather good. There was a moment when the night just seemed to go uphill and everything was good. Whit Friday became how I remember it: every 5 minutes or some someone else you know walks by, everyone is your best friend, everyone (that's drunk) is happy, the faint sound of the brass band keeps up the tempo of the people and even the police (in some cases) are up for a chat - one told me about an old woman that slipped on the stepping stones into the river earlier in the evening. Whit Friday, was another success.

I'm sad to say I did not attend The Beer Walk the following day, what with my dearest Issac to clean, little Amber Niko slobbing about the house and a feeling of absolute apathy thanks to the night before hanging over me but James, Tom and Will did. It looked and sounded like a nice day and I'm hoping to do it next year.

So, as I sit in the pit of mess that is my living room after a nice whit weekend, a much needed return to church yesterday followed by my trip to the MMU end of year art show featuring Ruth Thomason's stunning work I look forward to the summer. My short stay in Devon, My trip to London with two of my favourite gals, SUbmerged and, what I can see becoming a summer of partys, chilled evenings and long lie ins.

Lots of love and God Bless, L x

For a much nicer account of whit friday, see Trumpet by Richard Jones of Saddleworth News.

Some pictures that don't quite capture how good my weekend was, at all.