Hoses and Ladders

Sorry it's late, but I've been quite busy this week (which you'll find out about soon, but that's something for another post). However, Monday is fast becoming my favourite day of the week. I never thought it would, but there's so many things that make me enjoy it. My average Monday now goes like this:

• Get up 7.30 (groan...)
• Ready to catch bus by 8.30
• Get to college by 9.15
• Robbie's lectures all day: Seminar-like in the morning, practical lesson in the afternoon
• Get bus home
• Have dinner, relax
• Wrap up warm and head up to the Firestation at 6.30
• Leave at 8.30
• Review pictures
• Sort pictures
• Chill
• Bed

Not bad, huh? I really like Robbie's lectures, they're a lot more fun IMO. I like taking photos for Paul's lectures but I'm not fond of the idea that I have to get them printed EVERY WEEK for around £20 a pop. It's gonna cost something like £200 to print photos. I could put the money towards a new lens. I'm a student, I'm not made of money by definition!

Anyway, enough of my rambling. You're probably wondering how this Monday went.

This Monday was different. It started out ok, but it gradually got worse after about 12. Things got really bad at around 3.30, but that's a different post for a different day. The lecture in the morning was fine. Quite enjoyable really. We had a break (also known as Pimms o'clock) and lunch, then we started the painting with light class. It was fun, but I had this constant niggle in the back of my mind that I needed to get the prints done for my client. I stayed there for as long as I could stand since the anxiety was building more and more. Technically I'd already had this class anyway since I'd done it the week before. So I asked if I could leave and got to work.

Long story short, I ended up missing my bus. He's meant to wait till 4.07 (pedantic I know, but I don't set the times) but he'd already gone by the time I got out there, which was only 2 or 3 minutes past 4. So I was left lugging everything into town, missed the 4.40 service bus and so forced to look around Waterstones for about an hour. Could have been worse. When I eventually got home at around 6.20 I had my dinner and then rushed up to the fire station.

When I got there they'd already started doing things, though it wasn't much. Three of them were outside talking, and started looking at their watches and trying to wind me up by asking me "What time do you call this?". I just laughed. They pointed out that somebody had written something in the snow, something about somebody loving Hardy, one of the firemen there. I wandered over, laughed, took a picture and went back to the group. I then realised what was going on - they'd written it to set me up so I'd get the blame. So I blamed it on Chris since he wandered over there too!

After the ice was cleared from below the tower they got a health and safety briefing which I didn't pay much attention to since I was inside the fire engine by this point quite happily and peacefully taking photos, thinking they'd be great and that Paul was going to love them. The next thing I know all of the doors open and I'm surrounded by the guys all piling in to the engine and sounding off to Nigel. Thankfully it was only two in the back and two in the front, but we all found it funny.

More jokes were thrown around, I got asked if I was married (I can't remember why) and one of them tried to get me with one of the hoses again - I think this will be a weekly occurrence. Though I may have put him off of doing it again by asking him if he was willing to buy me a new camera if this one got damaged ;)

We all had a cup of tea/coffee, they asked me if I wanted beer since they were sharing bottles and cans out between themselves (I'm not too sure why and I didn't ask).





All in all, it was another fun day at the fire station. I got the photos printed today. I'm going to get it done online in future though, much cheaper. I only went to town to get it done today since I need them for tomorrow and home delivery wouldn't have been on time. They turned out pretty well.