tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89689942026142437702011-11-28T00:46:44.666ZA little wager with the old Oxbridge school chums resulted in me agreeing to a tactical retreat from the milieu of hereditary riches in favour of living like the 'common people' as the song goes. Johnty, Benjy, Ginger, I WILL get you back for this. Anyway I am determined to enjoy my new life in the gutter for however long it may last and here are some articles i've penned to keep you upto speed, so Tallyho!Drake Van Pattenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13231602017283434573noreply@blogger.comBlogger21100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8968994202614243770.post-79573453236904685912010-04-08T14:21:00.000+01:002010-04-08T14:21:21.055+01:00<style><!--A:link {text-decoration: none; color: #0000ff}A:visited {text-decoration: none; color: #0000ff}A:hover { text-decoration: none; color: #ff0000 }//--></style> <br />Hello one and all,<br />I've had a very pleasurable morning, on the way to the Job Centre I passed a boating lake. A couple of the chaps there seemed to be reinacting the Cambridge and Oxford boat race but with, obviously, the kind of gritty metropolitan joie de vivre I came here to experience. Suffice to say I just had to join in the frivolity. They needed to see exactly how a three-time runner-up for the Sussex rowing squad does it!<br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jEsjMldmbzc/S72_syNqqoI/AAAAAAAAAVg/KJ8U6AtF42o/s1600/PedaloLake.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jEsjMldmbzc/S72_syNqqoI/AAAAAAAAAVg/KJ8U6AtF42o/s320/PedaloLake.JPG" width="320" /></a>The Boatmaster only charged me £50 as well, bargain!<br /><br />This is my sturdy vessel here on the right, ready to take its first voyage upon the high seas of the boating lake. I decided to name him after the mythical sea beast, Encantato. <br /><br />A group of locals kitted out in the obligatory urban wardrobe of 'hoodies' gave me some boisterous and manly advice from the sidelines, some of which I couldn't quite understand. It was definatley an experience, I mean, I've never had things thrown at during training! It was a good technique and gave me a real good workout. I was thinking of suggesting some of these training tactics to the boat captain back at the club, perhaps a little initiative would help my membership application this year.<br />The good-times were unfortunately cut short though when my boat seized up, apparently some sort of bird, perhaps a seagull, was caught under my vessel, I'm not sure how it got there. Anyway, aweful mess but all in all I had a fabulous time.<br /><br /><br />Anyway, love you and leave you all, yah<br />DVP<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8968994202614243770-7957345323690468591?l=drakevanpatten.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Drake Van Pattenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13231602017283434573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8968994202614243770.post-56419024450035269292010-04-05T20:59:00.007+01:002010-04-07T11:34:34.373+01:00<style><!--A:link {text-decoration: none; color: #0000ff}A:visited {text-decoration: none; color: #0000ff}A:hover { text-decoration: none; color: #ff0000 }//--></style> <br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jEsjMldmbzc/S7o8bFM3s6I/AAAAAAAAAVU/oZ9_tnovVeM/s1600/quaint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jEsjMldmbzc/S7o8bFM3s6I/AAAAAAAAAVU/oZ9_tnovVeM/s200/quaint.jpg" width="200" /></a>Here is my house! Its the third from the left, isn't it quaint. The warden, or should I say, proprietor, showed me to my room and who I must say was an absolutely top notch fellow. He introduced me to the pet squirrels living here, taught me the tricks of the 'microwave oven' and even asked me if I had my innoculations recently, how caring indeed! Thats far more than nanny Van Patten ever did! I feel positively brimming with the electricity in the air here. In fact I've been warned against holding any metal for too long here as the sparks from the power substation, just behind the house, apparently like to jump. I guess that fishing is out of the question but I'll see how it goes.<br /><br />No sightings as of yet concerning Joe Bloggs.<br />Though i seem to remember a young count of spain having that very same surname so I dont expect this Joe fellow to have any real acquaintence with the everyday man.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jEsjMldmbzc/S7o8R0ca7II/AAAAAAAAAVM/QUh9J902w10/s1600/beachhutfire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jEsjMldmbzc/S7o8R0ca7II/AAAAAAAAAVM/QUh9J902w10/s320/beachhutfire.jpg" width="320" /></a>In search of another quintessentially common cliche I've been on the lookout for a collared shirt of some type and it was just my luck that a small fire broke out almost immediately after my arrival, so I did the touristy thing and took some photos, here are the Firemen putting it out. I dont think the fire had anything to do with my arrival but Camella Eton-Hogg always did say that I had a spark about me! HawHaw.<br /><br /><br />Anyway, love you and leave you all, yah<br />DVP<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8968994202614243770-5641902445003526929?l=drakevanpatten.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Drake Van Pattenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13231602017283434573noreply@blogger.com0