Today was my 29th birthday. I took the day off work and went to Sheffield with M****. We got the train and the plan was to meet Sam and Tom at the Devonshire Cat at 2pm. As the train didn't get to Sheffield until about, erm, 13:35, we just went straight there. I had been to the Devonshire Cat before, with Rob, but that was a while ago. So, yeah . . . we went there, had a few drinks, then I bought a load of records at FOPP, then we met Jenny at the university, then she drove us all back to their place, where we hung around for a while. Sam came back (this time with Jackie), as they had a viewing of a house a couple doors up from Jenny's house. Rob appeared at some point. Tom showed us around his house (as M**** had never been there) and, eventually, Rob drove M**** and myself back to Leeds (Rob was staying overnight). I stayed in that night, conscious that the following day would be a 'heavy one'.

15:12:06. I don't know what it is about glasses but I seem to have this thing about taking pictures of them. That's Tom in the background once again, mid-motion. This pub is The Devonshire Cat, Sheffield, where M**** and I met Sam and then Tom. I was amazed at the selection of beers here. The food was okay . . . nothing special, but then my Thai green curry had a lot to live up to.

15:14:04. A couple of minutes later . . . same story. We've drunk a few pints of beer and there's still loads of empty glass on our table. P'raps it's time to go to FOPP and get some LPs.

15:52:01. And then a nice bit of sepia action . . . M**** probably in the middle of berating me for something.

16:38:04. I've deleted lots of images but for some reason this one stays. I think I find it odd that that girl (next to the bicycle) can now be seen by anyone with a computer and an internet connection. I wonder if she knows or cares? It's kinda weird, isn't it? I was talking to Liz about this and basically saying that, legally, and whilst I'm loathe to use this term, I know that, yes, legally, I own the copyright for all these images and that, technically, I'm probably doing nothing wrong, the pictures having been taken in public places or else the privacy of my home. But, erm, if any one of these people pictured were ever to say to me, "I don't like my likeness being available on the internet like that," then I would have no qualms about removing the image concerned or changing to conceal/remove their identity. So, erm . . . I hope she doesn't mind.

16:39:03. Not quite sure what's going on here (for a change). That's obviously M**** to my right and, looking at the photo (apparently) taken a couple of seconds later, I would assume that to be Jenny to the right. But due to all the blurring . . . well, she certainly doesn't look like Jenny. I find it kind of ghostly how these strange people appear. Who are they? Ghosts of the camera. It's as if my camera contains spirits who are just waiting for the right mode to be selected before they can make themselves apparent in the image taken. Odd.

16:39:05. So this is when me, M**** and Tom went to the university to meet Jenny. This was some kind of cafe thing and there where many doors leading to this place. Too many doors, you might say. I think I just had an espresso here. I had a belly full of beer so I thought p'raps time to sober up. It was a damn fine espresso too.

22:13:07. As per the entry below. Another angle. That's Tania in the background there.

22:17:00. Here we have the birthday present from Rob - ABSINTHE! No, sorry, not Absinthe. What am I saying? A bottle of specially devised 'Drink Me!' But, yes . . . I think that was the first time I had had absinthe . . . I wonder if . . . naaaaah. Yes . . . but very, very nice. You've probably heard of the method of preparing this drink, involving sugar, water, a flame, blah, blah, blah . . . that is what Rob did, and I ended up with a glass of a strange, cloudy drink tasting a bit like Ouzo. Mmmmmm. Very good. I seem to have received so many excellent presents this year around. This picture I have picked as one can make out the wording on the label.