My inability to rest

Throughout my exams, I just couldn't wait for them to finish so that I could have time to "do nothing". Sure enough, that day came, and the day after exams I did nothing. During that day I realised that there was no way I would be able to do the same for two and a half months.

Although I didn't clock it at the time, I have never been able to perform unproductive tasks for long periods of time. I feel guilty. Unbelievably guilty that I'm not using that time wisely at all. I have to find something productive to do, even if it means I suffer for the sake of it. A great example has just occurred this past week. Having been on back-to-back holidays, finished last Friday, I was down to play cricket all day Saturday. I desperately wanted a rest but decided that I would "rest while asleep" and went to play. I didn't go out with friends on Saturday, claiming that I "needed rest" whilst I planned a bike ride the next day with a friend. All of this has left me a little tired today, but I've been to play tennis because there's no way I could sit on the sofa for the day.

It takes a lot of mental strength to be able to "do nothing".

Oli
Twitter: @Chowerz

The friends you keep forever

So I'm back from the Lake District and, naturally, I was thinking again...here's what I thought about today:

Many people come and go in life. You'll meet new faces that may contribute to your life, either positively, negatively or both. No matter their effect on you, some people you may see for only a minute, or even a few seconds, and there are others who may hang around for a lifetime. However, there are only a handful that you will share endless moments of joy with, dotted with occasional mishaps, but will ultimately remain in touch with each other after all you've been through together.

As I found out today, sometimes we'll never say to each other, or to anyone we meet, that we're good friends. I don't believe in a 'best' friend - if you're my friend, you're a good one, because we wouldn't be friends if you weren't. It may be a gesture, an adventure, an experience or a facial expression that tells you everything you need to know. Today, for me, it was a slight pause, the making of eye contact, before laughing and throwing our arms around each other. Nothing more needed to be said.

I hope you're as lucky to have some people in your life as I have.

Oli
Twitter: @Chowerz

It's not the best photo but it's all I've got:

A Small Confession...

Missed yesterday because of a severe lack of Internet connection. Today, we enjoyed gorge walking, getting extremely wet in the process. We're off out for an Indian to celebrate the end of our stay here. I did prepare a blog last night, so here it is:

Last night, for some reason, I decided to look back on our monstrous walk that missed the "coveted Roman Road" (see Monday's blog). I realised that on our massive uphill climb, we turned left too early (this I knew at the time) and were only 150m from the Roman Road, which would have eliminated any struggles we had on the return leg. Why I made this decision can be explained by a number of factors, but I am not willing to go into detail at this moment in time. Harry, Shieuerz, my dad and my brother were "DISGUSTED" (dad's text to me), and Harry, politely, only called me a "scumbag".

Other things that happened today: I took the mickey out of my dad's receding hairline, which almost cost me the country's best fish and chips. Shieuerz took 20 minutes to make the letter 'T' out of four wooden blocks, to his own embarrassment only. And we visited a circle of stones that had no historic significance compared to Stonehenge, where I duly won "Best Picture" for my original indie snap (see below).

Unlucky Shieuerz, competition restarts tomorrow.

Oli

Twitter: @Chowerz