When I left my flat on Sunday morning at 10am, I thought I would be back in the evening around 6pm. I never thought I would set a world record of spending thirteen and a half hours out and about. My day was spent at the Racecourse for my first ever visit and then in town for the evening. What a weekend. I suppose I should start with Saturday before I get onto the antics of Sunday.

Saturday was a rather lazy day all things considered. I headed off into town in the morning to do a few jobs and then returned back to the flat to start on the cleaning. There was several things to do, including washing shirts for work and clearing the house of clutter. It took me most of the morning. This had been different to the weekend I had originally planned. I was going to head home for my parents wedding anniversary meal but it was cancelled as my sisters had to go away for the weekend. Being told about this so late on Thursday meant that my original weekend of camping in Winchester had to hit the buffers. This was a shame, because Pav (as you can imagine) had been building up my appearance most of the week via GMail. Although I had been rather lame with responses to any of his messages, I am just too busy and prefer to spend my lunch (weather permitting) out in the park reading my book. I had assigned myself a weekend in Newbury but with good reason, I knew the next few weekends were going to be extremely busy in the build up to my holiday and then whatever is in store afterwards for the Bank Holiday Weekend.

My friend Bhavna had recommended I see the chick flick Ghosts Of Girlfriends Past because there was a cameo of one of my favourite singers slash actresses Christina Milian. Although it was a fun cameo for her, it perhaps was not good enough reason to sit through this movie, which although was funny in places did not really get going. The record still remains that I have not seen Miss Milian in a full feature film (in a starring role) yet, even though I have been a fan for several years.

I had some chocolate cheesecake on Saturday evening, while watching the movie and suffered on Sunday morning. I woke up with a headache, nothing too major but it meant there was no chance I was going to make it to the gym. I resigned myself to the fact that Sunday morning gym sessions were going to be difficult for the next few weeks. I did eventually get up and get ready and headed over to my cousin’s house. Only to arrive and see no car in the drive. I called him and got through to his voicemail. Seconds after I had left a message he blasted around the corner in his silver Alfa Romeo. I was a bit too early perhaps and should have walked a little bit slower down London Road. Two of his friends arrived and we headed inside. I recall it was 10:37 on the oven clock, when the first birthday beverage was poured. It was going to be a long long day.

This was my first time to Newbury Races and only my second time at a race meeting. My previous visit was back in July 2002, when I went to Newmarket with the law firm I was working for during my placement year. I am not a real fan of gambling and it was more about a day out in the sunshine with my cousin, family and his friends. It was a good day, with my cousin Hersh winning in the first race of the day followed by my Uncle in the second race with a horse called Recession Proof. The race course got busier as it was a designate Family Day with mascots (a horse?) running around greeting the young ones. We had tickets for the Premier Enclosure, which gave excellent views over the finishing line.

Around 5.30pm, with the last race over, we retired to the bar and it was soon after I expected I would dash off home. However, I did not, Praag invited me firstly down the pub and then onto a curry in town. So the evening picked up from where we had started in the morning. It was over to The Plough over looking Greenham Common. After a drink here, it was off into town to Newab. A restaurant I had passed many times on my walk to the train station. Eventually I emerged from the curry house around 10.30pm and headed, not home as you would expect but the Canal Bar to watch Matt perform at the Open Mic Night there. He performed an acoustic version of The One & Only, which had been arranged the previous evening in an attempt to raise some more money for his charity Three Peak Challenge which takes place this coming weekend. I eventually left the bar and ended home after a very long day and noted the clock in my room. It was 11.35pm, I had been out all day and night and the flat was in a state. Would I have a quiet weekend, next weekend to compensate? No, I was off to sunny North Wales.