Last Friday I had to walk a ladder up 13 floors, far from ideal and obviously by the end I was sweating like a man wearing a North Face jacket - ah maybe that was the problem.
The ladder was to help get an electricity generating bike up onto a roof overlooking Battersea Power Station as part of a Video shoot with professional cyclist Nicole Cook.
The following day I was due to leave London at 9am driving to Stratford Upon Avon. Sadly the car provided didn't start so some equipment and personnel had to hop into a taxi to Paddington, for a train to Reading then a train to Banbury, finally a taxi to the Holiday Inn - Stratford Upon Avon.
After a punishingly epic edit following an afternoon/evening filming I finally checked into my hotel room at 6am. I awoke at 8am and without a shower staggered down to the best part of staying in a hotel, breakfast. Sadly my body was still eating itself with the sleep deprivation so I could only manage two hash browns some baked beans, tea and OJ. At 9am a taxi drove me with the all important video tapes to ITV Central in Birmingham. It was a 45 minute journey so I got a little shut eye.
Upon hitting the door buzzer at ITV Central I was met by a staunch senior chap in charge of the building - his name was Rod. Rod escorted me through the building and introduced me to some weekend working journos and a dude who works in the MCR (transmission room). After a few coffee's c/o the free coffee machine and an exploration of trainline.com options for my return to Colchester I played out the video tapes to various regional tv stations seeking footage from the Kellogg's Swimtastic Awards. Upon completion of the play out I walked through Birmingham to the New City train station. Considering it was a Sunday it was so busy in Birmingham, lots of Christmas themed wooden cabins everywhere. At one point I nearly purchased some hot chestnuts but oddly I just wasn't hungry.
After some directions from a friendly parking inspector-type I arrived at the train station. There were two jolly fellers selling tickets, note- everyone I had met in my time in Stratford/Birmingham were exceptionally friendly. It was £40 for a single ticket to London on Virgin trains. Fearing I wouldn't be able to sleep on the train unless I had a seat I asked about the First Class option. It was to be 120 big ones, and despite the men of tickets joking about how it wouldnt smell of drugs it was clearly not going to be a receipt I could justify to my employer so standard it was. Luckily I got a seat and it was in the quiet zone so sleep was possible. Once I hit London Euston I taxied over to Liverpool St via the office whom needed some video tapes. I then had to get a tube to Newbury Park, where a bus took me to Ingatestone, to meet a train to Colchester.
I had a suitcase on wheels so the use of the lift at Colchester station was well justified, I felt like crap but ultimately told myself to man up. Within moments of arriving back to the Villa a pizza was ordered, red wine opened and feet up to watch Countryfile and the final part of the amazing Ken Follet Piller's of the Earth drama - Epic, like my weekend.
