Setting out

We went on a school trip to the Isle of Wight in 1991. Things I remember about the trip:

Carrisbrooke Castle

My first castle and one of the best, huge, magical. The brutality of the oil-pouring stories stayed with me.

Blackgang Chine

Massive plastic dinosaurs; a hedge maze; smugglers; cliffs.

Living in a hotel

Well, more like a hostel, but it was amazing then. It was the most luxurious holidaying my eleven-year-old eyes had ever seen.

My room-mates

Shaun Ansell
Michael Mullaney
David Colletta

I’m friends with Michael and Shaun on Facebook, but not David. Michael is involved in politics now, Lib Dem, I think, and Shaun looks like he’s in Oasis. I wonder what David is up to…

And Kerry Lister

…didn’t come on the trip, and spent the money on clothes instead.


The family near me on the train are hilarious. The dad looks like Morrissey, all horn-rimmed glasses and 50s high shaved quaff hairdo. They’re proper northern, and the kids are just old enough to be witty. They watch Question Time in their house. Marvellous.


Things to think about on my holiday

Work – how to get out of the shit and into something better. Do I need to do volunteering? What kind of work?

Hobbies – do I want a new interest? Yes? What kind of things?

Friends – WHO needs more effort?

My relationship with booze – and smoking and all that jazz.

Travelling / Driving – doing it or not?

Just about to leave Southampton

Ferry sees off. It’s 4pm and I’m taken back to looking over the side of the boat, holding my glasses so they don’t fall off, and in. 1991. I bet the Portsmouth skyline was different back then. Is this where Jupiter Point is? 1996? My memory plays tricks. The sea. Boats. It’s exciting. Not sure why.

After noodles and bacon for tea, we went to watch cabaret at the chalet site. Lots of singing along to silly songs, like Caister and Yarmouth holidays of my youth. And then back to the tent.

We're here, just by the giant's finger

Not a great night’s sleep, sloped, jutting and restless. My mind wandered to some dark places in relation to last Wednesday and my detective work. To male it worse my tooth really started to play up. I think I might have to see the emergency dentist. Is it okay to text Lucinda after all this beef with Ryan?

Tomorrow it’s the zoo and the model village. God I’m tired.