HLB

What does H stand for, apart from being the last letter in the name of my best female friend?



Does it stand for Holiday? I'm definitely on that. I'm staying in a YMCA. It's fun to stay here. I'm with 47, who also has an H in his name, and his German girlfriend, whose name... doesn't contain an H. And a friend of hers, who - I suppose - was brought along to prevent me from being a third wheel. But in all fairness, she is genuinely lovely, and I don't mind being a third wheel if it's along with Her. So all is good.



We have had a good few H outings on our Holiday. On our nine-hour drive here, we had a brief FUCK YEAH STONEHENGE! moment, where 47 uttered the immortal lines in his typical restrained, relaxed style: "THERE'S ONLY FUCKING STONEHENGE, RIGHT THERE!". We also visited Hound Tor, which is basically a collection of rocks, and the Minack Theatre, at which we saw Cyrano de Bergerac, which is French. We saw Land's End, and got our picture taken outside the First and Last House. We also visited some gardens today, naturally called the Heligan, causing me to utter, of course:



Gone! Gone, O form of man! And rise the demon, Heligan!



They didn't get it.



I am of the opinion, however, that H also stands for Hale, Hearty, Happy and Healthy. Am I all of those? Well, I certainly think so. It seems so.



I am less exhausted than usual; my trusty BlackBerry - which has recovered well from its temporary half-life - is getting me up early enough to take advantage of the complimentary breakfast, although I'm not raping everything available (or even scoffing a coffee and Snickers)... I'm having muesli, toast and some orange juice of a morning. Lunch has become more of a brief affair, rather than gorging myself on the nearest cheese available, and dinner - caramel slices notwithstanding, natch - has become good, wholesome, home-made stuff, couretesy of a local Morrison's and the culinary "skills" of yours truly - so by that I am also fulfilling Helpful. And hey, my friends enjoy the food, so that's something at least.



And unlike at Woodcraft Camp, which I am forsaking for this, the side of things that relate to Hygiene are going well too. There's a shared bathroom, which I don't like BUT I have taken a shower on time AND AM PLANNING A SECOND... I'm applying sunscreen and balm for the after-effects of forgetting my sunscreen. I'm wearing a hat that makes me look cool, shades that make me look like douche, and shorts that make me cold. I'm going on long, strenuous walks that take twenty-plus minutes to complete, helping with the whole "dammit ILB lose weight" continuum. And I feel healthy. Healthier than I have felt so far at home this year. I feel... in health.



Do I miss people? Of course I do. I miss everyone. I miss all of you, and that's why I'm borrowing 47's netbook to write this post. I miss Catharine, and am keeping in touch every morning and evening, again through 'phone-related marvels. I miss Lady P, even though I am closer to her homeland than I think I've ever been before. I miss everyone I read or talk to. I miss Robinson, Hairy Friend, Mane, WoodieBBW and all of the others who are doing the mad camp thing that I'm missing in order to do this. I miss you if you are reading this. I really do. I even miss my sister, in small doses.



But am I having fun? Am I writing this post to tell you I'm having fun? Am I happy, hale and hearty, helpful, humorous, and healthy? Am I fully hyped-up on H?



I am. Oh, I am. Oh yes oh yes oh yes.