5 Things: July 2006

Hot Fun In The Summertime

5 Things About Brick Lane in the Heatwave.

1. Our offices don’t have any air-conditioning. This is only not a problem when the resting temperature is about 18°. Our thermostat only goes up to 30 however, and it’s definitely hotter than that, so you see the issue. There’s a limit to how many clothes I can decently remove, but some of us in here are definitely pushing the boundaries of office-acceptibility. A friend said to me last night, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you with your tits out before. It’s a good look.“ Hmm… and I thought I was being so modest!

2. The Brick Lane beach is proving v popular, and there is now a bar and a smoothie stand, enticing people to relax on the sand in their lunch break and try and pretend they are in the Caribbean and not in a car park in east London. I’ve tried it a couple of times, but am fed up with having sand in between my toes all afternoon.

Beach at Brick Lane, Friday
Originally uploaded by blackbeltjones.

3. It encourages my friends to do silly things like try and recreate the now famous ‘Mentos and Diet Coke’ experiment in the park off Brick Lane.

4. It makes for a great excuse to eat loads of ice creams.

5. It makes the endless curry houses seem strangely unappealing. Despite what everyone says about how spicy food should be perfect for the summer, considering where it originates, I really have no desire to sit in a tiny restaurant with no aircon eating a Madras. There’s only so much sweating a girl can do and retain any modicum of elegance.

5 Things About ‘A Big Weekend For The Barretts’

(In chronological order)

1. I jumped out of an aeroplane
(See previous post)
It was, without a doubt, one of the scariest things I have ever done (possibly with the exception of appearing on Sky News), but I am so pleased that I have done it. I think it’s important to do things sometimes that scare the bejesus out of you. It helps you know who you are and to remind yourself that you can really experience things, rather than keeping yourself in your comfort zone all the time. I’m not sure if I’d do it again, but at least I’ve done it once! And I have the DVD to prove it...

2. We enjoyed our annual trip to Stourhead Fete Champetre. This year’s theme was ‘An Evening With The Stars’, so Lizzie and I decided that the only thing to do was go as Paparazzi fodder / WAGS. It was really just an excuse to wear blonde wigs, but I think we carried it off rather well, don’t you?

Paris Plaza?
Originally uploaded by Becky.

Paris Regent Beverly Wilshire?
Originally uploaded by Becky.

3. Lizzie graduated!
My very clever sister, who I have always known was a genius, has finally had it officially confirmed. We had a lovely day, she graduated in a rainstorm (under a marquee, fortunately) and we went out to dinner at Charlton House to celebrate.

IMG_0996
Originally uploaded by Becky Barrett.

4. Ma & Pa celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary on Sunday.
For a while we thought they might never get to this point, but they have, and if I’m thrilled about it, imagine how they must be feeling! They set off on Sunday afternoon for a romantic night at a posh hotel in an undisclosed location (that just means I can’t remember where it was). It is so wonderful to see them truly enjoying each other’s company again.

5. That’s actually it.
I had an annoyingly slow drive back to London, listening to Muse and Foo Fighters (heavy rock is the best driving music) and contemplating all the changes that have happened in the first half of this year and all that will be happening in the second half of it. I did say in January that this year would be all about new beginnings, and it’s turning out to be true, but not quite in the way that I would have thought. But then, if things always happened in the way that you predicted them, wouldn't life be boring?