World of Chig   

1.5.06
A Day At The Races/A Night At The Opera Restaurant

It's May - let the birthday celebrations begin (early)!

We're off to Warwick races today, which was actually the second place I ever earned any money. My Dad has had a part-time job there on racedays for as long as I can remember - more than 35 years - and he still has. I worked there once when I was about eleven or twelve and earnt £5 as a runner. My job was to stand underneath the crane which filmed the race from beyond the finish line and catch the film canister when the photographer threw it down. I then had to run like hell around the course to the stewards' office, in case they needed to look at the photos to adjudicate on any disputed races. Well, it beat my other one-day childhood job, which was washing the meat trays in my uncle's butcher's shop. Actually, it was outside in the back alley and it was cold and revolting. It's no wonder I became a vegetarian!

Today, my Dad has aquired freebie tickets for another three of us, so we'll be taking in the racing before going for a family meal (including the aforementioned butcher uncle) in a Warwickshire village in the evening. Despite the weather on May Bank Holiday usually being pretty good, the forecast today is for rain in Warwick, so we might just have to watch the racing from the bar!

Back tomorrow, with a day off work. Off work on Friday too, to prepare for my party (and birthday). Next Friday (12th) I'm off to Athens for Eurovision. All of which means that, with ten days in Greece and the late May Bank Holiday to come (which is also Birmingham Pride weekend), there are now FIVE consecutive weeks where I'm not working a full five day week (until w/c 5th June). Hoo-bloody-ray! I love May, I do.


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