My weekend actually started on Friday morning at approximately 8.20am. The Robin Banks Breakfast show on KISS 100 played Sean Paul – Give It Up To Me followed by Nathan – Do Without My Love. I was happily singing along. It set me in a great mood for the day and look forward to the evening. It would be a classic night out if everyone who we had asked to come out did. My manager let me leave work early, so I was home by 5pm. However, the weekend could not officially start until I had completed some work. It was not much but I was pleased to meet the deadline as promised. I quickly packed my bag, grabbed my sleeping bag and headed over to Henley. I got to Chris’ house around 8pm. Just as I pulling into his road, Peter called me. He was already in the town centre and headed for the Slug & Lettuce. We would be there shortly but just had to wait for everyone to get ready. Then came the arrival. Gary, Chris’ older brother, whom I had not seen since July last year, rang the doorbell and came in. Not quite the entrance you would expect from a superhero but nevertheless, nice to see him and Sandy once again. Even if it had been almost seven months since I saw them both at the British Motor Show. Plus as you would expect, he had a little surprise. Chris had mentioned something during the week. I had an inkling it would be the full Superman cape but the Williams boy had gone for the original touch instead. A white t-shirt painted himself with his logo. I could go into the details of the evening but there is no need. There is clear photographic evidence (much of which now Chris completely denies). It was nearly 9pm by the time we got to The Slug & Lettuce. I was shocked to see it virtually empty on a Friday night. Going around the corner to the pool table, we could see the whole area had been partitioned off. There were paper signs everyone confirming the reservation and the name of the ‘host’. Chris quickly turned all the pieces of paper over. We stayed here for a few drinks but headed over to The Catherine Wheel around 10.30pm and were glad to discover it extremely busy. While it is nice to go to a lively location, there are a few downsides. The bar is extremely busy and they always appear to be understaffed. It took me over fifteen minutes to get served. Anyway, the night progressed with Gary joining an pensioner on the dance floor as they got their groove on (not together mind) to Akon’s “Smack That”. Around 1am, we headed over to River (formerly Latinos). Henley’s premier night spot, although I am not sure if it is the only night club in the town. Only a small group of us went to the club. It was time to say goodbye to Paul and Pete and a few others. In River, we were informed the first floor was closed. I gave my coat into the cloakroom and then headed to check out this club. I must say that Club Eden (in it’s hay day) was a better venue than this. I know that is not saying much and unless you have been to either of the discotheque, my comparison perhaps is rather wasted. In any case, after a few hours and several drinks later we left. I think it was some time after 2am, around 2.30am possibly. The walk back to Chris’ included a stop at the local kebab house. By the time I eventually fell asleep on the couch in the living room it must have been coming close to 3.30am. Some of Christophers’ Uni friends were still out as far as we knew. I woke up initially at 7am and had a strange moment. You know, you are still half a sleep and trying to get your bearings. Then you realise that you are somewhere different from the comfortable surrounds of your own home and more importantly your own bed. It took me a few minutes to adjust and realise, where I was, which day it was and which planet I was on. I tried to make out the time on the Panasonic tape recorder a few feet away, but my eyesight was completely blurred and I could just make out the unreadable dark yellow digits on the LCD display. I slowly drifted back off to sleep. The next time I woke, it dawned on me that I had to go and collect my car from the garage. I couldn’t spend all day in the sleeping bag, no matter how comfortable it was. Eventually I got myself off the sofa, got ready, and packed up all my things. Then I had a dilemma. Do I do the quick getaway (which I have picked up a reputation for) Or do I play the perfect guest and go upstairs and say goodbye to Chris. The house was silent and still. I did not really want to disturb the peace. Particularly with so many people quite delicate at this time. Rather than be rude, I tiptoed upstairs, knocked on the door and was surprised to see Chris awake. I told him I was leaving but more importantly thanked him for letting me stay. I then had one final obstacle. To collect my keys. As I went into the dining room, I noticed Christie asleep in her sleeping bag on the floor. I quietly picked my car keys from the rack and gently closed the door. I was off to pick up the A3 and I was looking forward to it. After a wait of over an hour my car was parked up outside the garage and I grabbed my stuff from the Ka and placed them into my Audi. I was given the keys and revved the engine before heading off back to wards Henley and then home. I switched over to Kiss. I had not bought my CDs as I already had plenty to carry on board and the fact the Ka never had a CD player in the first place. I was happy with the company of the radio on what turned out to be a beautifully sunny day. I was listening to Kiss, and just before the ad break the DJ explained that the All Saints would be played as part of some Kisstory. I tuned to a few other stations but returned to KISS. It was one of my favourite songs of all time and it was only almost exactly seven years old. Pure Shores was the song that made me sit up and pay attention to the girl group. I can recall listening to the song continuously in January / February of 2000 in my bright red Mini. I listened to the song at full blast all the way home. My weekend had just started, but yet so much had happened already, plus there was so much more to come. I got home and it was more of a pit stop than anything else. I had a few things to sort out, jump on the computer, check my e-mail and switch on the WinTV for the game. Then have a shower, pack my bag, grab my things, jump in my car and head onto the motorway. I took the standard M40 -> A46 – M69 route, which I had used many times during my time at University. Something told me that this weekend was going to be a mixture of looking back and looking forward. I left Wycombe around 1.30pm and the drive up was uneventful, with relatively clear roads. I cruised at around 80mph but when I needed to take over some slow riders, I just eased the gas pedal down and I would hit triple figures in the blink of an eye. I got into Leicester just before 3pm. I had been listening to the commentary of the second half of the game on Five Live but could tell it was a boring match with nil-nil written all over it, so opted to listen to my music. My colleague called me just as I was pulling off Narborough Road into the main city ring road asking for an update on the score. We had drawn and he was upset as he had some money on a home win. Never mind, but perhaps yet another reason why I do not believe in gambling. I had originally planned to park in The Shires Shopping Centre but decided that it would be easier to park closer to Welford Road. Why? Well I had booked to get my haircut at Hair by Minesh. He used to cut my hair over the three years I a student but also during my placement year, when I drove up to Leicester a few times. One weekend in particular I recall is March 2003. My appointment was for 3.30pm, so my timing (as always) was perfect. I parked in the Newark Street Car Park which is right next to the Phoenix Arts Centre.I had forgotten about this car park, even though I used to walk passed it at least once a week to go into the city centre. It was good to be back and catch up. Nice to have my haircut like I did when I was a student and see how Minesh was doing. I did however expect him to have two salons by now and take more of a management role. I am sure that will happen at some point. Anyway, after my haircut it was 4pm and I went over into the city centre to explore. In reality I should have jumped into my car and headed to my hotel but I wanted to see what had changed. I had not been in the town centre (okay technically the 10th largest city in the country but I still referred to it as a town) since August last year but not explored around for many years. I went to Clinton Cards but was surprised to see a main road in the process of being pedestrianised. The McDonald’s on the corner had been refurbished. I headed down past the main square down Gallowtree Gate. I was shocked to see around twelve light poles coming out of the ground. What perhaps was most strange was that they were illuminated pink. (I would later discover that they actually change colour, but they stayed pink for a good ten minutes, if not more). I went into the Shires to just walk around for old times sake. Yet another example of work in progress. The floor was being relaid so it was a complete mess with black and blue tape all over the place and the heavy pot holes boarded up to allow wheelchair uses to actually gain access into the centre. The shopping mall was busy, but what did I expect for a Saturday afternoon. Leicester were playing at home, but I did not know about the rugby team. I felt a bit stupid really. Walking all this way, just to check the place out for old times sake. The clock tower was another victim of repairs, with construction boarding signs around it. Whenever I would walk past this momument, I would quote the line from my favourite film trilogy (of all time) “Save the Clock Tower!”. Well finally, after over seven years, someone from the council has heard the call and is coming to the rescue. It was started to get dark, as I headed back to the car park. I was looking forward to the evening but also in the back of my mind, had memories from the previous evening. (It is strange but the last time I came to Leicester I had a big night out in Bournemouth on the Friday). I drove back out of Leicester onto the M1 northbound. Nope, stay with me here people. In August I had stayed in the city centre but it was quite expensive (all things considered) so I opted for an alternative hotel this time around. The Days Inn hotel, is situated at the Welcome Break Services at Forest East. The hotel is actually owned and run by the Welcome Break group under the franchise of Days Inn. However, enough of the business studies lesson. The room was £ 35 which is really good and considering I am only going to get a few hours of sleep, it is ideal. I do not need major luxuries. Plus, I can always go next door for food (which I did). Plus the beauty was free secure parking right next to the hotel, where as most (if not all) hotels in the city were charging for the privelege. Once I checked in, I got had a shower and watched the evening FA Cup tie on BBC1. I then decided what to do for food. I opted to go next door and get a big meal, something to keep me going for the rest of the night. They had televisions screens on, so I continued to watch the remainder of the first half and saw Manchester United score. After dinner, I came backto my room and got ready. A taxi was booked for 7.30pm. I was conscious of last year, when I got there far too early, so thought with the journey I would get there around 8pm when most people would be arriving. My taxi driver, however had other ideas. He took me through a shortcut (illegally) as it was designed only for emergency vehicles from behind the service station to the Western Boulevard. The venue was the same as last August, The Quay. I was wrong again, I was early, the golden couple had not arrived yet, so I sat on a table on my own, like the billy-no-mates I am. Eventually I saw a familiar face walk up the stairs, it was Sachin’s Uncle. I had worked with him at the Jacksons Stores in Narborough Road between October 2001 to late June 2002. Unforunately that is a pre-blogging period in my life, so you will have to just believe me. After speaking to him for a while and catching up, I went downstairs to get some drinks. Then, I bumped into my old housemate, Jaymin and his friend Chris. The party had well and truly started. Just as if my Bollywood magic, Rish and Sachin came in just a minute or two later. The DJ suddenley played Sexy Love by Neyo. Ironically the same song I had watched on the big screen while waiting for Rish and Sachin at their enagement party in early August last year.

Enough of my ramblings, let the photos above and the other thirty eight tell you the story of the night. Although of course that is only up to the witching hour of midnight. There are a few things I should mention, I got to meet Shush, who is organising the stag do (still pencilled in for late March). He made a speech (semi-Best man style) at the bar, you can see him above in the bright yellow top. It was nice to meet him finally as I had spoken to him previously on the phone. The other highlight was Rish’s dance group (along with herself) dancing to Michael Jackson’s Thriller. They were amazing, to the extend that drinkers downstairs stopped what they were doing (dancing, smoking or ordering more drinks) to watch and appauld the talent on show. They were great and brilliant considering I last saw the performance by Chris Brown and entourage back in November in Earls Court. I was offered a drink down at Sachin’s brother’s house. However, Jaymin had other ideas. Chris and I, headed into town in his M-reg Volvo 440. We headed for Liquid (formerly known as Creations). There was not a queue outside but the bouncer said it was very busy inside (he would say that wouldn’t he!) I was really comfortable paying £6 but was willing to go along just to remember those nights in there from my student days. It was relatively busy but not too packed. After a while in Liquid, we went into the second room, Envy. Here they were playing more cheesy classics but it was completely rammed and after a few minutes and a walk around we back to Liquid. The dancefloor was busy, but there is always enough room for Jaymin to bust a groove. They played some went through a phase of playing RnB tunes and I thought I might as well enjoy what remained of my Saturday evening (Sunday morning). Then the DJ dropped an abosolute anthem. A song I had listened to on Friday night in The Catherine Wheel, a song I had burnt onto CD to listen to on the drive up and even a song they had played in The Quay perhaps as much as an hour ago early. The song for me will always be associated with Leicester, with coming back to my University city. What perhaps make the song even more important to me personally is the fact that I have met the artist and he used to attend a regular RnB night on Thursdays in my first year, back in 2000. What am I going on about? Mark Morrison and his number one hit, “Return Of The Mack”. I think I will download the music video as well. The sweet sweet memories. I know the song is over eleven years old and shows it’s age but I love it! Plus, I also know that when I met Mark (okay served him some chewing gum in a petrol station) he was driving a black Range Rover with the number plate MM 96. We did not stay in the night club long and ended back to the car. Next on the menu was some food. There was only one place we could go. JBS on Narborough Road. We got some food and once again it brought back memories of many nights out on the town. Funny how you remember all those stupid things that you did and all the fun you got to up as a student. Just a shame that none of them are really on this blog. Actually, thinking about it, that is a good thing. Jaymin and Chris dropped me at the hotel just after 3am. They were originally going to get a room themselves but opted to dead back to Redditich. All in all, a grand weekend and a fantastic Saturday night out. I got up early on Sunday, do not ask me why. I felt fine and wanted to have something to do. I am not the sort of person to sit around reading Sunday newspapers. I had to check out by 11am in any case, so there was no option for a lazy lie in. (Well there was but it would turn out to be very expensive.) I had my usual breakfast of Crunchy Nut Cornflakes and tea but above the M1 northbound carriageway instead the comfortable table back in Wycombe. I then watched television in my room, read a bit of The Independent on Sunday before my friend text me. They were busy but could meet in the town centre around 12pm. Okay, I checked out the hotel just before 11am, checked my tyre presures and then hit the motorway, coming off at the next junction and using my biological satelite navigation to get me into town. I parked in the same place and walked into the town centre. I thought I would just browse the shops and not give into the temptation to buy something (like designer clothes from USC). I walked around Debenhams and a few other shops and even popped into Thomas Cook before meeting up with my friend. We headed for Yates and had a nice lunch in there. It was quiet and it was nice to catch up properly. MSN can be great but nothing can beat good old fashioned face to face conversation. They had a television screen by our table, it was showing music videos from 2003. For example. Kym Marsh – Cry and Sarah Whatmore (remember her?) with her second single, “Automatic”. I mentioned to my friend, that they seemed to be playing all the music videos from my placement year. Strange. After lunch, I jumped in the car and headed home. I had a piano lesson scheduled for 3pm, I was late by 30 minutes and obviously faced a penalty from my tutor. Easily one of the best weekends of the year so far. Plus, with such an array of stars, what more could I ever ask for? There was Super Gary on Friday, then on Saturday my day was filled with Jaymin, Lilly Allen and Mark Morrison. When I got home, I realised that I must not leave it too long to go and visit Leicester again. Although I doubt I will be as dedicated as Chris and make the 100 mile trek, like he does every Sunday morning to Worcester.