Sunday 24 August 2008

IT'S FINN'S BIRTHDAY

Or, it was. 

I carried a large Red Velvet cake on foot through the midst of the Notting Hill Carnival to the studio. It wasn't as much of a disaster as I thought it might be, given the trepidation I felt when I looked down Ladbroke Grove and saw a wash of people and felt my vision blur from the bass....The only dodgy moment was when a drunk senior citizen tried halfheartedly to relieve me of it. His challenge was easily deflected and I carried on, only to stop and gawk at an entire bus full of bored looking policemen. I was gazing absentmindedly at the array of kevlar when I realised that the one sitting in the very back seat was staring right back. When he realised I'd seen him he started smiling and leering. I found this surprising and was a bit on the back foot as to how to deal with it. When one policeman out of a busload starts making eyes at you, is it safe to flip him the bird? Will he scream HALT, and send his mates out to arrest me, and, worst of all, confiscate my cake? 

I didn't know, and I let it go. But it was weirdly offputting. I guess I am a conservative after all. I'd expect that kind of behaviour from Firemen. But it would've been even weirder from an Ambulance driver. 

Anyway. Finn seemed happy with his birthday, Graham's had a haircut, and Dan still hasn't gotten over an incident on friday night involving a misunderstanding between him and Henning about whether the Sinai where Henning goes on holiday is the FAMOUS Sinai. It ended with Dan viciously whipping a couch with a sweater screaming 'IS IT WHERE THE TEN COMMANDMENTS...' and Henning saying calmly 'but I go to the peninsula..I never went to a mountain..' 

It is the same Sinai. But he goes to the peninsula, where the snorkeling is better. 

We're nearly finished, both in terms of time we have and tasks we have to do. It's a funny feeling. Relief and terror in equal measures. 




3 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi guys, we met a couple of times round at Nektar through Ed.

So anyway, I just happen to have written an article on the Police at Carnival on my blog..

If you can make it up to Gaz's Rockin' Blues for 3:30pm today (Monday), my band is playing. Otherwise, see you at Nektar some time!

Andrew said...

Happy Birthday, Finn. Many happy returns.

Unknown said...

Happy belated birthday! Hope it was grand.

Aha, the part with the couch-whipping and "IS IT WHERE THE TEN COMMANDMENTS..." had me laughing inexplicably for so long...