Carlisle United 3 Brighton and Hove Albion 1

It must be nearly 10 years since I last went down with my Dad to see Carlisle play at Brunton Park. I have to admit I’m a bit of a glory supporter, yes one of those annoying people who only go to watch their team when they’re doing well. At one point in recent years Carlisle even dropped out of the league altogether, now in just two seasons they’ve made it up into League One (which was called Division Two when I was younger and Division Three back in my Dad’s day. Why do they keep changing the names?).

I’d asked my Dad if he’d take me along next time he went to a match. The last sporting events that I attended being the sumo and the High School baseball both being, to me at least, very Japanese events. I wanted to go along to the football for the cultural experience, to stand and take note of what everyone around me did and to see if I’d actually enjoy it.

It wasn’t quite a normal match however for us. My Dad is a Brighton supporter, it’s his home team but he said he didn’t mind going in the Carlisle supporters end. I was pleased - the fear of being spotted in the away supporters stand by someone would have been too much for me! I felt bad after a while though because I couldn’t really care less which team I supported that afternoon and my poor father had to stand surrounded by Carlisle fans and had me sternly reminding him that if he cheered for Brighton at all we would actually be battered!

We had tickets for the Warwick Road Stand so we entered the turnstile and I visited the toilet enclosed in a wooden shed with no electric light before finding somewhere to stand. As a lower division club we don’t have an all seated stadium - in fact there’s only one stand with seats. I flicked through the programme, one of my best friends has a regular spot ‘Tea with Tino’ I have to admit I don’t really understand much of what he writes about but it’s amusing never the less.

I was completely intrigued by all the action in the stand, all the different types of people supporting their local team, almost so captivated that I missed half the action. At this point I’ll inform you that Europe’s most notorious football hooligan is from Carlisle, he’s a Carlisle supporter all be it that he’s banned from any football match in the world. So there’s a real mix of people, from those swearing at every second move to young families, to couples in their matching strips to groups of elderly men. I’d say 75% of those there have probably been drinking ale for several hours before as the air is literally filled with the stale smell of beer and of course cigarette smoke, as you can still smoke in stands at Carlisle.

Before the match and during half time, a group of young girls came onto the pitch and danced around a bit, which I found amusing for several reasons. 1) The girls were probably between 7 and 12 years old and their name was ‘Nixon’s Vixens’. Highly inappropriate but justified by the fact the club sponsor is a fox. 2) I’m used to the intensely practiced and co-ordinated dance routines the kids put on in Japan, in comparison these girls were terrible, I’ve seen more co-ordination in guys who have had a skinfull on a Friday night in town. 3) There’s a new pitch been put down at Carlisle and half way through these sprinklers come up and water the pitch. Whilst Nixon’s Vixens are clumsily jumping around the sprinklers came on, all credit to them they carried on dancing and of course got drenched. It was hilarious - definitely the highlight of the match.

I won’t bother critiquing the match or the individual football skills as I wouldn’t really have a clue what I was talking about but Carlisle won and suffice to say from what I could tell they really deserved it. So will I go again? Most definitely. It was fun and exciting and despite the fact the people stood in the stand were all so completely different, it didn’t matter because they all supported Carlisle United (well, apart from my Dad). I haven’t seen such unity in a very long time and the atmosphere was electric but then again Carlisle did win.

Apologies for this post - because I pasted it in from word it's all underlined. It always does this and I know how to remedy it but it's not complying today. Plus I had more photos but they all kept uploading in different sizes, so I've just left it with this one of Nixon's Vixens getting soaked by the sprinklers.

Autumn's Here

This last week saw my friend Tom and his brother Joseph both return to university, obviously I'm pretty gutted as I've spent most days with them but fear not as my friend Sue has left Manchester and is moving back home! I went out for dinner at this great tapas restaurant with Tom and his Mum on his last night which was really nice, we tried to go out afterwards but we were just uncomfortably full so went home early. I was pleased to see though that our club of choice for that night was packed out - so the boys were right the students really do make a huge difference to a night out in Carlisle!

Have been working at the restaurant every day since then and have tried to fit in the dreaded filling in of application forms! Argh! Don't get me started on how stupid I think they are!!! Have loads to write about the restaurant and how comical I think it is but will leave that for another time when I'm not quite so tired and ready for my bed. Also, I must, must, must write and post some pictures soon from the football on Saturday! But for now here are some pictures from today when we we went to my Grandpa's via the Lakes (please excuse the terrible photos recently but they are all from my mobile phone).

So we stopped for some lunch at this great pub and this was the view. Typically of course a couple of hours later there was brilliant sunshine but I kind of like it when the weather is all misty like this in the Lake District it's surely got to remind you of something - a certain rather famous novel? OK admittedly could be one of many but any guesses which one I'm thinking of in particular?
Look what I found - momiji ! :)
Just a photo of Ambleside

Vinny's prison cell ... erm I mean uni room

So on Tuesday I drove Vinny down to Liverpool. Yes, there Vinny and me were with all the other freshers and their stressed out parents, they probably thought we were orphans or that Vinny had been disowned by his parents for going out with some older woman! Anyway kind of weird to be in Liverpool again, of course very nostalgic; remembering when I first showed up - pleased that it wasn't me this time but at the same time wondered how I would do things differently if I could take stab at it all again.

The cell
At least there's a nice view from his room!

Too much to do ...

There's so much I want to write about; taking Vinny to Liverpool, Tom and Joseph leaving me, Sue coming home, working at the restaurant, the careers fair etc

But I have no time ... there are also a hundred people I want to email and I'm afraid that'll have to wait too.

Let's just say it's a full time job just thinking about and applying for jobs - whilst working the lunch shift at the restaurant and of course I have to get some coffee sessions in! Although with a total lack of money at the moment I might have to curb my 'coffee up town' habit as I realised today when I paid for my friend Mike's and my coffees and it cost more than I earn in an hour waitressing.

So I said I'd never be a waitress again ...and other stuff

Friday and Saturday were spent doing the usual; sitting outside in town drinking coffee with various different people and went to the cinema on Friday (weird not paying 2000 yen). All very relaxing but that all changed on Saturday night…

I said I wouldn’t ever waitress again (although admittedly I have said that plenty of times in the past and still always end up doing it) and then what do I end up doing on Saturday night - running around the restaurant. Yes, my part time job from when I was at SCHOOL! They were short staffed and I desperately need some cash so I couldn’t say no.

I actually enjoyed it - I probably had to use my head more than I did the whole time I was in Japan! I’d forgotten how physically hard work it is though running up and down the stairs with arms full of food.

I found it an interesting cultural experience actually. At the start when it was quiet I loved standing back and watching everyone in the restaurant. It’s amazing the different types of people that come in and you know exactly what type of person they are from the food they order.

After a while it was frantic though, there were hundreds of bookings and people were queuing out the door onto the street. I spent a lot of time trying to avoid the deathly stares you receive from customers when they’ve been waiting, oh about an hour for their food ;)

For most people who work there, they obviously care a lot and it’s incredibly stressful for them- but I was just helping out at the end of the day so didn’t really care. Table 6 will get their Pollo Valdestana and Pizza Napoli eventually! Staring at me is not going to get their food there any faster, what do they want me to do? Magic the food onto their table - I’m not the chef! There's nothing I could do so I chose just not to care! I worked hard but I didn't stress about things beyond my control! Everyone kept asking ‘have you been knocking back the wine behind here? You’re in a very good mood’ - obviously I hadn’t been I was just of the opinion that in a few hours it will be over, everyone will have eaten, everyone will be happy and I’ll be out with my friends.

I went to meet everyone afterwards - I literally skipped to the bar! I was so hyper after work being so hectic and so pleased to be going out with my friends. We had a fantastic night! Perhaps you appreciate nights out more when you’ve been hard at work before hand?!

Last night we went into town for our friend’s birthday. There was this amazing bbq with mussels, salmon and prawns. Had such a lovely evening talking with so many different people.

One of the main reasons I love Carlisle - people who you haven’t really spoken to for five years, don’t care that you’ve been away or where you’ve been which admittedly can be upsetting but the main thing is they just totally welcome you back like you’ve never been away. People who you’ve never spoken to before, but you probably generally know who each other are, talk to you like you’ve always been friends - you’re totally welcomed back because the only prerequisite is that you live in Carlisle at the moment and I guess it helps if you've lived here in the past too.

Tom and me went for our last lunch in town before he goes back to uni (went to this really cool bar and the food was amazing), we were sat having coffee watching everyone go by, Tom commented ‘There’s no where quite like Carlisle. Everyone’s so lovely but oh - so hard, everyone is though aren’t they?’ I’d just been laughing about it the day before with my Mum at the supermarket, the conversation we overheard between the shop assistant and this customer, all I’ll say - comedy you couldn’t write!!

Vinny’s off to the 'pool tomorrow! Mum, Dad and me have just been a total ‘shan’ and presented him with a good luck card whilst singing Beatles’ tunes at the top of our voices - I’ve told him that he’ll never meet as fun and crazy people as us at uni ;)

The Weirdest Night

I was wondering whether I should write about this on my blog as it may not deem me in the greatest of lights but I’ve decided I don’t really care …

Yesterday started with an old family friend calling around for coffee, it was lovely to catch up etc
Then Sue, Kate and Sophie came around and we decided it was just about warm enough to have lunch in the garden. The sun came out in the end so we spent all day outside.

So basically I’d been having a lovely day until …

I was meeting the boys in town for drinks as Martyn was back for the night, so Sue’s brother drove me into town in his 2 seater, flash sports car (which I find very amusing) and dropped me at the pub.

As I'm writing this I've been thinking I don’t want this to turn into one of those blogs where people rant about their personal life so I’ll leave it at - I didn't have such a great time talking with the boys.

We went to another bar for some drinks and yes the freshers have arrived in Carlisle. This is good because I’ve heard it will no longer be a ghost town with all the students back. This is bad because they’re all 18 years old.

Anyway the boys went home early and I went to meet Sue and Tom as Sue’s train back to Manchester had been delayed and they were waiting by the station. I’m not sure I can describe this very well but I’ll give it a go …

The train had been delayed over 40 minutes (obviously this isn’t any surprise for anyone who has used trains in the UK). It comes into the station and the carriages that stop where everyone is stood on the platform turn out not to be use so people start working in one direction and they’re not in use either so everyone starts wandering up the platform and there’s a free carriage but it doesn’t say 'Carriage not in use' like the others did so some people try to get on there but it’s obviously not in use either.

In this carriage though there was a train employee leaning out and Sue went up and asked what was happening with all the carriages to which the woman shouted in a very rude and impatient manner that the train started from the next carriage up and shouted at everyone to get on the train there.

Everyone is wandering up the platform and I just said, probably a little too loudly ‘there’s no need to be rude…’ (think this comes from me living in a country where people don’t understand me).

The next thing I know she’s pointing down the platform at me and shouting at me to stop. So I do. She comes marching up to me, point at me and starts shouting I replied ‘don’t worry I’m not getting on your train’ she says ‘well good because I wouldn’t have let you on after speaking to me like that’

I calmly apologised and agreed I shouldn’t have used that tone but explained that I thought she’d been very rude to my friend and the other people who have been waiting a long time for this train very late at night.

She continued shouting informing me ‘well I’ve had a very bad night and you’ve just made it worse. I wouldn’t let people like you on this train’ I should have replied ‘people like me?! Please look around at the scallies, drunks, druggies that get on your train every day and do nothing about’.

It was left by me saying ‘I’m sorry again for manner I said that but I still think you were rude’ she marched back on the train and I stood on the platform and waved a hysterical Sue off with an equally hysterical Tom. Apparently this made Sue’s week. Tom says he wouldn't even have given her the time of day and wouldn't have bothered apologising but anyway.

Then we go back to Tom’s for some wine and to cut a long story short I inadvertently caused a big argument between Joseph and Tom and ended up upset. Then for some reason I decide to pour my heart out to poor Joseph about a million different things including the events of last October which I’ve never talked about to anyone about from home. Oh dear.

My brother just came in and asked about my night, so I’ve told him and he replied that it sounds like the most bizarre night ever - he was expecting the usual response to ‘how was your night?’ as ‘aye grand like’. He says it all started going wrong with the outfit I chose ;)

44p

My friend Sue has come up from Manchester for a few days and we’ve been having the best time. We went out with Tom last night for some wine and ended up at a karaoke night - in a club! I refrained from singing, obviously, baring in mind it’s a club full of people. The music in-between people tunelessly screeching away was really good so much dancing ensued - on the stage no less. Our attempts to make friends with the other people in there failed miserably and again we were joking that we’re just embarrassing old women (Tom at this point had disappeared but we weren’t overly concerned). Sometimes I can’t believe just how much fun we have and as we get older we just seem to have even more fun!

Today we went for lunch at Franco’s to see Tom and Kate and little Sophie came to meet us. Sue and me were walking through town with Sophie and people would stop and say how beautiful Sophie is - we would both pointedly say in unison - we’ll be sure to tell her mother! I then bumped into our old boss and he invited us into his café and gave us all drinks etc for free. Then we just generally walked around, literally every few metres one of us would see someone we knew so we just spent the time chatting to different people. People ask ‘are you just up town shopping?’ Shopping?! I spent all day in town and spent a total of 44p on a stamp - I just go for the craic.

Today I couldn’t be happier.

This Week ...

What ever was the matter with me last week?! This week I’ve been having the best time again. Would look for a job if I wasn’t having so much fun ;) No seriously I will get a job this week ;)

So this week …

Manchester again for fun and frolics with Tom and Sue.

Party at Tom’s relative’s house to meet his family over from America.

I went around to Mark’s house for dinner on Thursday and then into town for drinks with the boys. It’s the first time I’ve properly caught up with them since I’ve been back. Town was dead but I still had a great night.

Trips into town - about three! Someone asked the other day ‘will you be up town tomorrow?’ my friend replied for me ‘Helen’s unemployed, of course she’ll be up town, what else do you do when you haven’t got a job!’. Through my trips into town I’ve realised I really seem to care what I look like at home. My make-up maybe made an appearance once a week in Japan but here there’s no way I could ever go into town without make-up. My Mum asked me if I’d like to go into town with her “Yeah, cool. But give me half an hour … to put on my make-up…straighten my hair … choose an outfit” For those who understand … yes I’m ashamed to say but I’ve been trying to pull outfits. It’s exhausting and expensive!

Newcastle yesterday for a trip shopping with the family. Oh and I went to the BEST food store, erm shop, it had so many Japanese products. Felt like I was in Max Value. Needless to say I was very excited.

Today Tom and me managed to make it out for a ‘run’ … it’s been a while though so we just walked instead and ended up playing in the children’s playground. Sunday mornings- the roads are empty, there’s nobody around, it’s kind of eerie but I really love it. PLUS the newspapers are HUGE!! ;) It’s amazing to read newspapers again!

Erm … yeah so gossip is a weird thing! Don’t believe it! ;) There’s about as much chance of me getting back together with my ex as there is of me visiting the moon on a daily basis!

OK my Mum’s calling … Sunday lunch … jealous?

Nige I think I'm becoming that domestic goddess you always wanted! Have been spent the afternoon cleaning, mowing the lawn, washing the cars, just have to hem my trousers and I'm finished.

In Carlisle's Defence ...

These posts are for you Sam after your sarcastic remark ;)

I'm not origninally from Carlisle so there's no need for me to defend it but I was brought up here and I think there are worse places to live.

I shouldn't romanticise - admittedly most people are inbred, it is full of scallies, most places are covered in grafatti, there's nobody between the ages of 20 and 40 years old, most people wouldn't know if it's Scotland or England (or think it's in Wales as they get confused with Cardiff) BUT it's also historic and beautiful and for the moment I like it! (ask me again in a few more weeks and I might have a very different opinion)

So today I decided to take some pictures when I was up town - probably should have picked a better day for it weather wise but lets face it I could be waiting a very long time...

The Old Guildhall - now Franco's Restaurant (my old place of work)
Trinity School - OK this is my school although this might be deemed as false advertising (as it goes on about half a mile down the road to fill all 1800 students and none of the other buildings look like this)
The Citadel - part of the old city walls

Old signs
Carlisle Castle
Tullie House Museum

Carlisle Cathedral

Have added some pictures to some previous posts ...

Tom’s Birthday and My Bad Mood/Hangover

On Tuesday morning I went around to Tom’s for a champagne breakfast for his birthday before going for lunch with him, Joseph and their Grandma. Later in the afternoon Kate drove us down to Manchester, where we drank more champagne at Sue’s before heading out for dinner.

We went to an ‘Asian fusion’ kind of place, in fact I think it was called Fusion, anyway it was all very nice but I was feeling very nostalgic… I had some Asahi for the first time since I’ve been back and nearly cried thinking about karaoke … ate nasi goreng and nearly cried thinking about Aileen and Momo… some people ordered a bunch of Japanese food and I nearly cried as they pronounced everything wrong (and bit my tongue as didn‘t want to be pretentious and correct them)! Then Tom’s poor friend who sat opposite me made the mistake of telling me he’s studied some Japanese at uni and was thinking about teaching English in Japan after he graduated …well I think I completely bored the poor guy to tears!!

After this I picked up a bit once we headed into the centre of town to Canal Street, which was so, so, so much fun!

The day after I think I had the worst hangover ever and I think it even lasted a couple of days, or at least I’m attributing that to the foul mood I’ve been in since Manchester …

I knew I shouldn’t have written about how great and relaxed I was feeling about everything the other day because I should have known that as soon as I said it - it would no longer be true.

I’m still pleased to be home and quite content in my decision that I’m going to stick around Carlisle for a while longer. Everyone keeps asking me how on earth can I manage living at home again after living on my own. Yeah … I love living on my own (more than any of my friends here - seen as though none of them have ever done it). I love living on my own more than I can ever describe BUT I’ve gone through much harder and stressful times than having to live with my lovely family for a while!

So living in Carlisle isn’t the problem but possibly not having a job is … my head is whirling with a million different thoughts ... too much time on my hands ... I think I might be going a wee bit crazy …

BUT today I’ve seen a job advertised and have sent off for further details. Will keep you posted!

Note: Have just sent a load of emails to all my favourite people and went to see my friend's sister for coffee and biscuits - am feeling much better :) Small things.