The Summer of 09

And another summer has been and gone - and it was a great one this year. I managed to cram loads of things in. If I tried to write about everything, it'd just be boring, so I thought I'd just choose ten pictures which more or less cover what I got up to. Obviously I got a lot of work done too, but that isn't really fun to write about. Or take pictures of.

1. At the start of the summer I took part in my first ever car rally. And it was a great day - although unbelievably tiring! None of us had expected that the rally would take us all over South East Essex. Or that there would be so much walking involved (it was a CAR rally). But Fiesta Resistance and the Poddington Peas did their best and finished up in second place. (Robbed, I have to say).
2. Hayley Westenra came to Southend as part of her tour and I went along with the family. It was a great night - and she was a real professional, especially when the torrential rain came into the auditorium. Due to my contacts :) I was able to meet her afterwards, and she was very cool. Here's the proof!

3. Still in July, my brother went to a music camp in Swansea, Wales, and, as I have a bit of a thing for all things Welsh, I didn't pass up the chance to tag along with the parents. Swansea is a strange town - roughly divided in half, with half of the centre (around the train station) being not so nice and half of the centre being really nice. Mumbles and the Gower Peninsula were, however, stunning, and Gower reminded me a little of the Faroes...

4. I took the opprtunity to brush up on my Welsh and buy a few books, having my first ever proper Welsh conversation (admittedly only a few lines) with the lady in WHSmith (she started it!). Just a warning to anyone who ever visits a part of the world where they speak a different language with me - I have an incredibly annoying tendency (I'm sure) to read every single sign I see out loud.

5. Music Camp. What can I say? It's ALWAYS a major highlight of my year, and this year rocked, just as I knew it would. I won't say much more, because it's only really fun if you were there, but I just love the time spent with great people, in a great setting. With great ice cream.

6. After Music Camp, I got to hang out with my friend Grit (on the right) for a bit. Great catching up!

7. And then Katie used a large courgette as a telephone.

8. And the final few photographs are from Portugal, where I went with the family for a few days in September. A great view over Lisbon, just up from the Marques de Pombal.

9. Now I'm not really a fan of zoos or anything like that, but Lisbon Zoo is fantastic, and I got some pretty cool pictures.

10. A real highlight for me was when I went to the Salvation Army in Lisbon. It was great as I was walking through the streets of Picheleira alone (understandably, my parents didn't feel they would get much from a Portuguese service), it was very cool to hear the sounds of a brass band playing 'By the Pathway of Duty'. It was an excellent experience: the little band of about 6 or 7 that played really well, the joy and the relaxed atmosphere, the very friendly people, including those that helped us understand everything that was going on. I've said it before, and no doubt I'll say it again, but that's one of the things I love about the Salvation Army - I can go practically anywhere in the world and instantly find a group of friends. Immense.