Birthday Celebrations!

Hello All!

Well it's 4 days to go 'til I turn 19, and it's the first birthday i've had yet that I didn't want to come around! I don't feel old enough to be 19! I'm quite happy to stay 18 for the rest of my life, thanks! However, Josie assures me being 19 is a lot more fun than being 18, and it's your 20th birthday you should dread. We'll have to see.
Anyway, to soften the blow, Me, Claire, Josie and her mate Joanne went out in town on Friday night. It was a shame loads of people are still at uni and couldn't join us cos it was a fab night! We did a proper bar crawl around Bolton; starting at Harvey's, then Maloney's, Chic, Macauley's, Barracuda, Yates's and Bar Me, before getting a pizza and sloping off home. The good thing was cos we only stayed out 'til about 12:30 I only had time to get happy-drunk as opposed to completely off-my-face-drunk, and I only spent £20. Ace. Then when I came home I watched 'The Jungle Book' to send me off to sleep, but instead it turned out to appear totally hilarious. No idea why.
Anyway, on a more relevant note, the globetrotter will be doing some Britain-Trotting over the coming Christmas Season, visiting Lancaster and Huddersfield to see some University-Dwelling buddies (i.e. Lauren and Louisa) and then to North Wales to see family. So 'twill be v. busy. Hopefully that should shorten the waiting time for Australia too!

'Tis all for now! Christina x

ps. I broke a mirror at work yesterday. But it doesn't mean anything!

Leeds Summer Camp Interview

Hello All!

Well Me and Claire went to Leeds for our interview, and had to set off at 11:20 to get there for 3:45 because it was sunday and the trains were at pants times! Anyway we got there in time to have some lunch at Wetherspoons and find out where the venue was. When we got there turned out they were running late so we had to push in the queue to make our train (felt mildly guilty about that!). Then a kindly guy closely resembling Tony Blackburn came out of the interview room to greet us, and when I went in it wasn't really like a normal interview; he did all the talking! It was more like just handing over our references and application forms and what-not and discussing (or listening to rather!) what we should expect at camp and what should happen in the next few weeks. The only bummer was that the compulsory orientation days are in the Easter Hols and Claire and I won't be back before then. However, when we read the "What you should expect to happen after your interview" slip on the train on the way home we realised there are orientations in May. Problem sorted! Hopefully we'll be on our way to the USA in the summer, yey!
Not much else to report, just that I've packed my December with loads of plans for going out, seeing people at Uni and going to see family in Wales, not to mention Christmas and New Year, so it should be a short month and we'll be off Down Under in no-time! Six weeks on Friday in fact. That's 45 days. Not that I'm counting them or anything. Ahem.

Cheerio for now!

Summer Camp USA Application

Well after spending ALL DAY at the computer I've finally finished my application form for Summer Camp USA, and it's been a thoroughly mentally exhausting experience! You wouldn't think an application form would be such hard work - oh... but it is! It's like writing your University Application 3 times over. Anyway, it's done now, ready for my interview on Sunday, and then i'll be out in Bolton Sunday night "relaxing" after a hectic week.
Tis all for now folks, wish me luck for sunday!

Christina x

ps. if you fancy a laugh come down to Boots on Middlebrook on Friday, solely to see me in a Pink Panther outfit. Yes, you heard right.

Victory!

Hello all, and welcome to yet another episode of 'Christina Life'! Success has finally come for the Globetrotter, as I managed to swindle a credit card yesterday! Hoo-rah! My advice to anyone trying to get a credit card for the first time is to go to your bank first, as they know your history and are more likely to be nice to you! So now everything is set for the trip. I've even bought a Japanese phrase book for the short time we're in Japan, some travel wash and my diary that I'm going to write in! I just need some reading material for the flight now, preferably something from the pen of the legend that is Michael Palin, like 'Around the World in 80 Days', so if anyone's worrying about what to buy me for Christmas you heard it here first!
Anyway, not much else to report from Christina towers really, except that developments are underway for the second half of 'The Plan' - as Claire likes to call it! - which involves spending our entire summer in the USA or Canada, working primarily as Camp Counsellors for around 8-9wks, and then spending some hard-earned time sight-seeing! Hopefully I'll be able to get together with Mark and Susan in Idaho, and some of the folk I met on the San Diego programme, if they'll have me! Me and Claire probably won't be stationed together (which may be a good thing after spending three months in each others pockets!) so it will mean going TOTALLY independent, which I'm finding rather scary. Anyway, we've got our interview with BUNAC ( www.bunac.org.uk ) in Leeds on Sunday the 21st, so wish us luck and we'll let you know how it goes. You never know, I could be begging for a job at Pontins yet!
Also congrats to Martin on getting to New Zealand safely, hope you can stay in touch and be careful in the wilderness! ( www.marttimo.blogspot.com )

See ya for now!

Highs and Lows

This week is proving to be one of good and bad developments in the run-up to the Globetrotter's Grand Australian Get-Away.
On the plus side, I've made some GREAT purchases for my trip! I got my rucksack the other day (for a bargain price of £30!). I didn't get the one I originally had my eye on, as when I tried it on it was hanging over my bottom cos I'm such a midget. I therefore had to opt for a smaller one, which disheartened me at first as I thought I would have to cut down on the clothes I was planning to take! However, it fit me perfectly, and once I'd got it home and tested it out with the stuff I want to take, I found I had more than enough room and it didn't feel nearly as heavy as I anticipated. Given of course that it will feel heavier once it's been on my back for a few hours and, of course, it will feel worse in the heat, I am immensely proud of it and admire it for at least an hour everyday. I also bought a "Jack in a Pack" (after dragging Louisa, Tony, Dee and Charlotte around Glossop on the hunt for a "Kag in a Bag" and not finding one), a Kagoul that zips up the front and packs really small, for if I am caught in an impromptu rain-storm Down Under. My final, and most unusual purchase was encouraged by the kindly, non-pushy assistant in the camping shop, and is a towel, made out of a weird, thin felty-fleece sort of material. You may scoff, but it is apparently a wonder-towel, which will soak up as much water as you can drown it in and will dry in about 30 mins. All this and it packs about 4 times smaller than a normal towel and comes in its own handy pouch. Mum was so impressed it was sold on the spot, and she offered to pay for that and the rucksack for my upcoming 19th birthday. Excellent.
However, the week has not been without its trauma, as although I managed to secure a debit account for the trip which does not charge for foreign transactions, I was refused a credit card today. So now I'm feeling a little less confident on the money front and will have to start looking for another one, so if anyone has any advice or ideas please help!

That's all for now!

Youth Hostel Pictures!

Family Portrait! The Page Family Youth Hostel Trip November 2004 - Crowden in Longdendale *see the November 2004 Archive for more pictures!*

Christina wows the crowd with her sober singing (and empties the room!)

Louisa: "I know this one!"

Who's is that hand?

Mum and Patrick are playing the Apollo next year by the way...

Dunc and Edders get their instruments out... ... while Celia's ready to rock!

The sleepiness sets in...

Family Buffet on Saturday Night

The pressure gets to much for Maff...

The cameraman manages to snatch a rare pic of Jennifer!

Grandma with Grandmaster-Breakdancer Conan!

Anthony and Carol!

Tony, Louisa and Clare looking embarrassed with Charlotte!

Mum stands no chance of winning Trivial Pursuit on that amount of wine...

The Youth Hostel!

Well I'm back from the Youth Hostel and, as I'm sure everyone will agree, it was another grand success! I arrived at Crowden-in-Longdendale YHA about 6:45pm (after stopping for petrol and beer, and after trying to convince Dad that we hadn't missed the turn-off) and everyone else arrived soon after. The hostel was spacious but cosy, and I was quite surprised by how close to the main road we were (ie. ON it!) . Anyway, Friday evening was spent by the majority indulging in a 'magnificent' firework display policed by Patrick, Bob and Gerard 'Safety Ged' Riley, (which included mine and Mum's renditions of 'Light my Fire' during the intermissions) and - if on no one else's then definitely on my part - consuming an abundant amount of alcohol including the Rileys' excellent Arizona beer on tap. Oh yeh, and beating Tony at pretty much every game going - a theme for the weekend it materialised! We finally turned in around 2am after a hearty round of guitars and singing and trivial pursuit (poor Tony, and after it looked like me and Charlotte were going to lose as well!).
I awoke on Saturday morning at about ten to 11, feeling like I really needed to stay in bed yet the temptation of a potential fry-up from downstairs overcame me. After we were fed and showered Me, Louisa, Tony, Charlotte and David took a trip in my car to the nearby town of Glossop, and considering we didn't know where it was and only skidded once on the wet country lanes I think we did quite well! We had a pub lunch on the cheap and I had about 3 pints of 'Hangover Recovery' pepsi, and we had a few games of pool, in which I narrowly lost to David, Tony lost to David by potting the black, and Tony lost to me by potting the white as he potted the black. He was ready to go and lie down in front of a tree! Anyway, shopping was nothing to be boasted about in Glossop, as it left us with a copy of 'Bing Crosby at Christmas' on CD as the only purchase made. And how worth the £5.99 it was.
Anyway, Saturday night was more of the same; boozing, gaming and singing, only this year was really good as we had performances that we have never had the pleasure of before, such as Grandma's great version of 'You'll Never Walk Alone', the talented Celia singing and playing the guitar, Estelle and Bob on keyboard, Conan's cool dance routines and mine, Louisa's and Charlotte's excessive use of Claire's musical backing tracks after much badgering from everyone else to sing! It was a great night, and after yet more fireworks from Julia it was a great way to end the weekend, even if we were absolutely BLOATED to the MAX on buffet food and tiddly from playing drinking games. I didn't get much sleep that night due to feeling sniffly and wheezy but nothing could put a dampener on the weekend. Especially when you get your breakfast made for you two mornings in a row! You don't get that at home!
Anyway, I really hope everyone else enjoyed the weekend as much as I did, it was great to see everyone and I hope Grandma has one of her world famous New Year's Day partys again so I can see everyone again before I go!
Let's do it again next year too - watch this space!
And for more info on renting a youth hostel, see www.yha.org.uk

Ta-Ta for now, Campers!

Trouble at th' Mill

Well I’m feeling slightly peeved today because, as I’m sure you’ll all be horrified to learn, things are going a bit pear-shaped in the finances dept of Operation Christina-Does-Oz-and-a-bit-of-Japan. Thing is, I’ve found (or rather Claire’s found) a really good credit card that gives you 0% interest on purchases for 6 months and doesn’t charge you for foreign transactions. Great, I hear you say. Only this certain Building Society, who shall as yet remain nameless, is proving to be HIGHLY IRRITATING! You have to have them call you back at a “convenient” time for you (though no time for me is convenient due to my hectic work life now!) to apply for this card (they don’t do it any other way cos they seem to like to be awkward). So TWICE I have arranged for them to call me back, and TWICE they have neglected to phone! 'Outrageous!' I hear you shout. Outrageous indeed. But this really is a great card so I’m now going to have to use my day off (which I had originally set aside for some much needed shopping) to march to the nearest branch and demand that they give me a card. Which won’t be until Tuesday. And I need it NOW! Grr!
Also, to water the already waning bonfire of the Globetrotter’s planning, I’m having trouble within my new job. Don’t get me wrong the work is great (and the tips are better!) but I’m supposed to be transferring this week to another premises but I’ve not heard anything about it yet and I’ve already done my last night in the Nightclub. It suits me fine for now because I don’t want to work this weekend anyway, but after that I’m going to need the extra cash! So there you go. These things are sent to try us eh!
Anyway, ont bright side, it’s the 'Youth Hostel' this bonfire weekend! For those of you who are new to this concept, the 'Youth Hostel' is a branch of the “Page Family Tours” franchise; an annual get-together of everyone on my dad’s side of the family, where we usually sing along to the musical renditions of my brother Dee, cousin Dunc and Uncle Edders, and just get generally merry. Only this time we’ll have fireworks! Ace! We’re only going as far as Crowden-in-Longdendale (near Glossop - so hardly out in the wilderness!) but I’ll be sure to give you an account of goings-on on this mini trip upon my return!

Cheerio for now!