Conference Stole My Life

I am unbelievably tired.  So I hope that this make sense.  I have been consumed over the last few weeks with a conference that I organised.  Oh did you know that I was organising an electric vehicle conference?  I have been a terrible friend over the last few weeks and have neglected everyone, so apologies to you all.  I have also been a terrible daughter and family member too.  I will email you all at some point and I promise to call you soon too.  I am only staying up to watch New Girl, which cheers me up no end.

So as I sit here, eating the last of my birthday food package from home, Choco-ade’s, they are the shit, I thought that I would tell you a bit about what has been going on for the last few weeks.

As most of you will have noted, The Castle Pub was saved.  Temporarily, but saved none the less.  We held a protest, we had placards that said ‘Don’t it always seem to go, that you don’t know what you got till its gone, they paved paradise and put up a parking lot.’  These words seemed really apt, and they have come to mean a lot to me. That is 2 to us and 0 to the developers.  It was a well fought victory.  We were lucky to make it with a vote of 5-4 in favour of refusing the planning application.  It turns out that our victory was shortlived, there is another planning application in with the Wandsworth Council, and its time to crank up the objection machine again and campaign for all that we are worth.  I am gutted.  I cannot believe that these people cannot take a hint and quite frankly – fuck off.  My sentiments are shared.  One of the objections that I read today said that he wished that they would give up and go and bother someone else, preferably in another country.  So people, put your objections in, be sure to mention that this design is still a floor larger than anything else in the conservation area when you do.

Also this month, I got the chance to see one of my new fav bands, for the second time in six months.  Fun are on the up and up.  Their songs touch me, I empathise with their lyrics.  When I saw them in May, they cemented my love for them.  They were raw, loud and singalongy.  The singer Nate is hot, chatty and can sing.  He sounds like Paul Simon and performs with like Mick Jagger, all tongue and gorgeousness.  This gig was small and intimate and there were about 300 people there.  This time was a bigger affair.  They played the Shepards Bush Empire, which is a lovely venue, full of charm and character.  Fun were brilliant.  They were much more polished than the last time that I saw them.  Which I think was a bit of a shame, but they were brilliant none the less.  It was great to see Nate again, and this time he was a little nervous.  This was the biggest gig that they had played in Europe so far.  The crowd were clearly Fun fans as they were singing along to songs from their first album as well.  Fun are a band that are more than their singles.  This was shown by the crowd going mental from the get go, even when We are Young, was featured late in the set and Some Nights was the encore.  I still believe that this band has not given us their best yet.  I am glad that I have seen them twice when they were still young and raw, because the next time I see them, I think it will be in a stadium.  And I will probably pay a lot more than £15 for the pleasure.

The other thing that has happened was the conference.  I got up before 6am three mornings in a row.  In. A. Row.  I am not a morning person and it sucked.  And I worked 12-`14 hour days.  But it was amazing to see the hard work that I had put in for the last couple of months come off.  The people who attended from all over Europe had a great time.  It was so nice to see them again and it was a bit sad that it was the last time that we will see some of them as the project is ending.  But another one is starting in January and I am sure that I will be able to get my wedding planner organisation on again then.  I can see me with a utility belt and a headset, feeding someone their  speech and then maybe like J Lo, I too will get knocked over in the street by a Matthew McConaghy look a like.  Although since this is my fantasty, please can I have Ryan Gosling.

Right so a little off track there.  I am tired and life has been full.  I have had very little time to write and I regret that.  Will try harder this month.  Hope that you are all good. xxxxx