Bank Holiday Weekend Ahoy! Woot!

Bank Holiday weekend in the UK, and Memorial Day weekend in the US coming right up!  Yay!!!

What are you doing?  Any special plans?

We are going to a BBQ on Saturday, and please British BBQ Weather Gods - can we cut a break here?  I probably just jinxed it, didn't I? 

And depending on how delicate we are feeling Sunday (or not), I'm sure we'll be doing a long walk (10-13 miles?) on either Sunday or Monday - training up for our 80 mile, week long walk in June.

That's probably about it & just chilling here at ours.  Over to you... 

It should be a good weekend for me - it's my birthday on Tuesday (and I have the day off as a privilege day), so I've got lots planned for the weekend:

- Sunday is a shopping day with my mum for birthday things (there's nothing in particular I want so she said she'd take me shopping instead) and she's taking me for lunch (with a newly-acquired 50% off card ). Then in the evening we're having a 'birthday tea' at home with the family.

- On Monday, we're going for a family meal at the new Jamie Oliver restaurant in Bristol... and I've just found out that my brother has arranged for me to go to a free beginner's pole dancing class - his girlfriend is a pole-dance instructor (by night... during the day, she's a nuclear engineer!) and apparently he thinks it'll be fun as I used to study dance .

- On my birthday on Tuesday, I'm going for afternoon tea at Thornbury Castle with my best friend from school and her new baby son and then in the evening I'm going for a meal with my friends from uni. I also have to bake a cake to take into work on Wednesday (apparently everyone at work has to bake a cake for their birthday... and they're all men - I'm the only female working in the office) .

I'm hoping to make the most of the long weekend because I have a feeling work is going to be scary next week. I'm on late shifts from 2 pm until 2.30 am and they're putting me 'on the forecasting bench' from tomorrow, so I will have to issue the official forecasts, answer phonecalls and in-person enquiries from pilots and give squadron briefings (for some reason my confidence at work has really gone down lately so I'm kind of dreading it)!

We are going to a BBQ on Saturday, and please British BBQ Weather Gods - can we cut a break here?  I probably just jinxed it, didn't I? 

Unfortunately the weekend doesn't look so good for weather - Saturday should be mostly dry, but cloudy and pretty windy (possibly some rain in the morning after a cold front that's going through in the early hours). Saturday night there is another cold front going through so rain overnight, but maybe some showers in the day on Sunday... but it will be even windier than Saturday. Monday is looking better, with lighter winds and no rain at the moment (according to the current forecasts). I can try to update if there's a change to this though.

My birthday on Monday -- really truly Memorial Day. Don't yet know if DS has the day off which will influence plans.
In the old days I used to go to the town parade (which I thought as a child was in my honor!) but get too annoyed lately when the high school bugler plays taps at the war memorial and hardly any male onlookers will remove their HATS! I was brought up in the days when men took off their headgear when the flag passed or when taps was sounded. Most people would even place their right hand over their heart. Nowadays folks just seem to regard the whole thing as cheap entertainment for the kiddies. I can actually remember when all the WWII vets would march past and even one old boy from the Spanish-American War!! [OK -- grumble over]

Saturday we are doing a bbq for some friends (and thank goodness we have a covered patio to bbq on) and on Sunday we are going to a friend's for dinner.  I'm hoping Monday we can just relax. 

Happy early birthday, Bostondiner!

Monday is my big 10k race that I've been training all year for. I'm hoping to be last year's time but I'd reseeding like to beat my pre-illness best time of 51:13, too. But I'm not sure if it's in the card this year... (see my sig if you fancy sponsoring me!)

Sorry, missed that.  Happy Early Birthday Bostondiner and ksand!

Good luck with your race squirrellypoo!

I'm headed to visit DF!  We've got bbq's and nights out galore for  the next week.  Plus, we are in a crazed hunt at the moment for a house and he has booked a ton of viewings!

Hope you have a great birthday weekend BostonDiner!

We're going up to Northumberland tonight (Friday) to celebrate a friend's 40th birthday.  There will be about 20 of us plus some kids so we will take over most of the hostel for the weekend.

We'll come back on Sunday taking a scenic route down through the Dales (yay!) and get home before dinner time.

I'm working Monday, but it's only 10-4 and if it's going to be like the Royal Wedding bank holiday it will be slow.  In any case I'm closing at 3:45 (a bit naughty) and making sure I'm out the door by 4 on the dot as I'm giving a harp lesson at 4:30.

We're heading off to Hay-on-Wye tomorrow for our annual week at the festival! CANNOT. WAIT.

Oh - lots of fun plans out there!!

Happy Birthday ksand24 and BostonDiner!  And thanks for the weather update, ksand24 - we'll expect up-to-the-hour reports now for the weekend, good practice, eh?  

You should have every confidence, ksand24, it sounds like you are doing just great.

And BostonDiner, I kind of miss celebrating Memorial Day in the US - one, because proper warm/hot spring/summer weather is the thing that I miss the utmost about the US (yes even 90-100 F days!), and I know this dates me, but I liked the tradition of decorating the graves (sort of like Día de los Muertos elsewhere).  Also, I am pretty sure there isn't a single person who is even around anymore, nowhere near, where my mom & dad are buried (side by side) to put anything on theirs & that makes me sad.    And thirdly, American style BBQ and picnics!

Good luck with the race, squirrellypoo - we are all so proud of you & are rooting for you, you know.

Safe, fun trip, Sscarllet.  I am sure you are over the moon!

Andee, your Northumberland house party getaway sounds like a lot of fun, as does Hay-on-Wye, chary.

And persephone, American style BBQ tomorrow on Bambi's huuuuuge a** American gas grill - om nom nom nom nom!!!    (and Dr Who)

I'll be working, since in Scotland it's only the banks who get this bank holiday

Thanks for all birthday wishes.

Mrs. R. -- I'd go and decorate your family grave if it was anywhere nearby! I actually once toyed with the idea of becoming a professional grave tender for people who could no longer do it! 

Mrs. R. -- I'd go and decorate your family grave if it was anywhere nearby! 

It's kind of you to say, but bit of a drive for you considering it's in the middle of nowhere in south central Kansas.  Even so, part of the grave decorating is the being there in person & quietly remembering, IMO.

It's kind of you to say, but bit of a drive for you considering it's in the middle of nowhere in south central Kansas.  Even so, part of the grave decorating is the being there in person & quietly remembering, IMO.

So true.

Andee, your Northumberland house party getaway sounds like a lot of fun

Hmm.  Maybe.  I think it's going to be freezing up there and they are all going to want to climb a mountain.  I'm prepared to explore on my own as I refuse to climb any mountains, and also I'm bringing books.