I originally decided that I wouldn’t go to The Bears Nuts weekend, because of lack of funds. At one stage, I thought my financial circumstances would change in time for the weekend meaning that I may be able to go, however this wasn’t to be so the decision was not to go. Luckily, I hadn’t told anyone that I was having a change of plan!!! However, after a shitty week at work, and being on a proper downer, Chris and I spoke and agreed that it would be okay for me to pop down for the Saturday night. Still keeping it quiet, I contacted Sam on Thursday to see if there were any rooms available at the hotel. Turned out there was one room left, and I booked it on the Friday.
As I woke up nice and early, well early for me on Saturday, I headed to Scarborough. At one stage of the train journey, I did get totally confused on what day it was as the train was full of people in shirt and tie and dresses. At first I thought it was Friday and I was a day early. It then clocked that they were all going to the races, as they all disembarked at York!!!
Now considering that I chat to all these people on virtually a daily basis, and I have met a load of them previous, as soon as I got to Scarborough, I started to get nervous. And the nerves got worse when I got to the hotel. I just wanted to get to the room and hide for a while.
As I worked through the maze of hotel corridors to get to my room, I noticed that Dawn Underhill, the creator’s wife, was just coming out of her room. Just as I got to my room, Dawn clocked me and started running down the corridor shouting my name!!! After 5 minutes of hugging and disbelief that I turned up, I threw my bags into the room and headed downstairs to finally meet the others.
After an hour of people coming back from their day out around Scarborough, and finally noticing that I was here and asking 101 questions on where I popped from, I decided it was time that I spoke to Gemma, who runs The Bears Nuts.
I gave her a call with a story that one of the members of the website was worried that he didn’t get the correct amount of raffle tickets. After 5 minutes I casually went on to how Friday night was, and are they recovering from a hangover. After a while, I then asked how everyone was doing, before slightly adding that Dawn seems to look well, something I wouldn’t know unless I was at the hotel as it was never publicised that Pete and Dawn would be there. It took a while, but then it clicked that I was actually in Scarborough!!!
Once Gem and Chris got themselves ready, we went and got something to eat and then had a gander around town before going down the beach front to try and win some Bad Taste Bears plush from the grabber machines. Now, I have to be honest I am shit with the grabber machines, but I had to come away with at least one. I tried every single machine, but to no luck. Those machines are fixed I tell you. However on the way home, I decided to have one last go on a grabber, and I ended up winning a plush. Pleased as I was, I dread to think how much it cost me in the end!!!
By the time we got back to the hotel, I had just enough time to go up to my room and get a shower before the night started. To be honest, I actually prolonged the shower as long as I could, because the nerves started to kick in again!!!
The night itself was really good. I am not the type of person that likes to sit down at parties or events like this; I would rather be active and helping out wherever possible. I agreed earlier that I would help with the raffle tickets, but this was because it would get me meeting everyone and saying hello to all. At first I was doing really well, and got half way around the room, but then the buffet appeared and that was where I lost it!!!
As the night went on, Gemma had decided I would become the foghorn for announcements. I don’t know what she was trying to say; that I have a big mouth?
The raffle prizes were really good, but thankfully I didn’t win the 50” Turd. The thought of carrying that home on the train really scared me. I did win a large bottle of VHF, which was gone within 2 minutes of being open. Would have preferred the original watercolour sketch, but it wasn’t meant to be.
Come 1 O’clock we were being kicked out of the conference room and asked to go to the hotel bar, which we incidentally had to share with a group from Tesco singing Sweet Chariot, albeit out of tune. Plus, by then I had already increased my alcohol level and was making a tit of myself good and proper. But then again, I am sure someone will say I always do that, so nothing new there.
As the hours passed, the group dwindled leaving me on my own. As I didn’t want to go to bed yet, I ended up gate crashing some people from Tesco’s conversation until going 6am in the morning, before I had to give up and collapse on the bed until the knock on the door from the cleaners at 10am.
No sooner had it started, it had finished again, and then I had to head off home, which I was hoping would have been as quick as the journey down. However, it turned into the journey from hell, with trains being late and then stopping halfway meaning I had to change. I wouldn’t have minded really, but it added 1½ hours onto the journey!!!