Reader, I slept.
Whether it was the settling in to holiday mode or the exhaustions of the preceding weekend (ie the talking and walking - there was no filth) or just being around Ross with his long sleeping habits, I don't know. But I spent the first few days sleeping ten hours and more and then having a nap in the afternoon.
A little Docklands shopping on Monday, a trip to the laundrette on Tuesday, a visit
to the doctor's on Wednesday. It was, as you can see, a hectic schedule.
Ross and I talked a little about the prospects of moving to Liverpool - really following on from the conversation which Chris and I had had on Saturday. But Ross had already forestalled some of my worries by having a lighting catalogue which he had collected in order to buy lights for the garden and by having a list of seeds he wants for the garden. We talked about him working in Liverpool and he has few qualms. I still think we need to talk a lot more about the how of how we are going to manage this potential move. But there's plenty of time.
Tuesday evening took us out to Harlow where I picked up Queer as Folk series one in the Virgin sale to add to the series two I picked up in Liverpool. We couldn't find an accompanying video to take advantage of the multiple purchase offer so I ended up getting the David Beckham video (so quickly discounted, dear reader) to make up the numbers.
Interesting side fact. Sir Frederick Gibberd was the chief planner for Harlow New Town in 1947. Liverpool's Metropolitan Cathedral was built in 1967. Its designer was Sir Frederick Gibberd. Can I do anything without a Liverpool connection these days?
I feel almost apostolic in the zeal with which I promote my homeland. Mind you I've had
to work very hard to include the final olic word of the month.
Our reason for being out in that neck of the woods was that Robert was taking part in a dance event in the Harlow Playhouse studio theatre. The evening was a mixed bag. Robert's piece was first up. Short. Billed as a work in progress. And performed with a fellow dance student and friend, Tom.
I can honestly say that I was well impressed. His dancing has come on since I last saw him perform. He seems a lot stronger and lither. And a lot more fearless about reaching for those shapes and hitting those marks and lifting and turning and the whole thing. Ross thinks he is very good looking. I was quite taken by Tom. Both have girlfriends. But hey, a boy can look even if he doesn't touch.
Gill was there also. Good to see her, if only briefly. She flies to South Africa for three weeks on Friday to do some project work out there.
I had the chance of a good long chat with Robert and Tom as I drove them into town. We covered a whole range of things including living arrangements, girlfriends, student life, the dance course at Laban, the sources of the piece I'd seen them dance, homoeroticism in the piece (which they said they hadn't intended but could fully see why other people might find it there and were cool about it if they did), Popstars (Robert is off to G.A.Y. to see the group as one of Tom's girlfriend's friends knows one of the women in the group) and all sorts of stuff.
Robert and Tom were well impressed that Ross had work on show at Brixton Art Gallery. Ross said that he'd get them on the invitations list for his next gallery opening which should be May, back in Brixton. Robert and Tom liked this idea. I told them that it was a pay bar but they were quite happy just to lig the free nibbles.
Ross thinks that Robert and I don't talk together like father and son. I take that as a compliment.