We all awoke on time, actually thats a lie, I lay on the floor listening to Graham's mobile alarm mode ring over & over, waiting for someone other than me to arise first and silence the ruddy thing.  The getting up & getting ready didnt take too much time, the going downstairs, chatting & leaving the house took up the time.

We said our goodbyes & thanks to Dave before getting into the van, Dan waving us off like the young wife of a soldier off to war, the van pulled away tho Dave didnt run after us, he simply waved.  I couldnt believe that my five days of fun were just about over & that I would be back in the real world working tomorrow.

In the van I smiled to myself, the thought of my bed, a shower and my beloved pc delighting my tiny lil mind, my smile broadened further when on the outskirts of Manchester, a mini bus similiar make to ours rode alongside us, I looked across and all I could see was a van full of cute young women chatting away and giggling, my dreams qere crsuhed immediately when we pulled away at the next turning.

The service station, your best friend and your worst enemy all in one, today the arcades were alright, long gone are the days of Operation Wolf, oh what I wouldnt give to hold that oversized plastic mould automatic with the lil red button, neways food was all we could think of & well the choices today werent bad, not bad at all.

Opting for one of them identikit coffeeshops I settled for a cheese-mushroom melt whilst Ben being the ladyboy that he is ordered a fin looking pastry along with a cappuccino, Alex & Graham joined us a few minutes later, Leo I think had wandered into the fruitmachine area.

Sitting down with the three of them, I had to pinch myself, (several times until I realised the pain was real), I wasnt at work, I was on tour with Miocene, a band I encountered three years ago, a band I watched grow from start to this, their first headline tour, there was little time for me to get teary eyed over the band since it was time to get back in the van, upfront I sat, aiding & abeitting Tony on the journey that lay ahead of us.

The motorway is the dullest of placest to be on, miles & miles of straight boring roads, no twists, no turns, its the open road but it feels more like one gian conveyor belt, you look into the distance and the cars seem motionless, travelling without moving so it was no surpirse that I along with the others fell asleep at some point in the van, I dont know how long I was out for, all I know is that when I awoke, Ben had his glasses on since he & Leo were tackling the boring but important financial situation, working out what was spent, what was made, what is owed and what is needed.

Alex on the other hand was asleep whilst Graham had that same look in his eye when we were on the beach the morning before the Dundee gig, lost in his own little world, he looked so peaceful, his mind somewhere beautfiul jjudging by the look in his eyes, he face lit up when his phone rang, his girlfriend was calling, asking how long it would be until she saw him again.

Well on the money front, things were looking better than predicted, when the money from tshirts was added on to what was earned from playing it made for a birghter picutre than the band had painted earlier though before the plans for world domination were made we made one last stop off at a service station, our last stop before reaching home.

The arcades I have to say were pretty good, well I had managed to find a decent brainless shoot em up, it was a Time Crisis spin off that involved a big blue plastic machine gun instead of the usual tiny blue gun, it was rapid fire all the way, Ben shook his head at the noise the machine was amking as well signing over the lack of skill it required, he opted for "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?", the finest details about that game was that to fast forwards the moments when Chris Tarrant spoke you slapped his face.

No more coins on us and no desire to spend anymore, we headed back to the van, Tony was standing outside having a smoke whilst Alex & Graham sat inside eating on some snacks they just bought, we were all ready to go except for the fact that Leo was on a fruit machine, I went in to see how he was getting on as well as attempting to entice him back, as it happened he actually won some money this time, so when we left he had extra money in his pocket.

It didnt take that much time to get onto the outskirts of London, I helped Tony plot our route through the city, we werent going back to the studio immediately, the band had decided to use the money made on tshirts to buy some more tshirts for the remaining gigs as well as some drumming accessories, when we did get there, Tony & I stayed in the van, chatted about hardcore, listened to some, it was hot in the van but so much hotter outside.

Ben sat upfront for the remaining few miles, his knowledge of the roads to the studio better than mine, maps are always inaccurate, roads change constantly, might as well have him upfront knowing where he is going rather than me flicking through the map, guiding solely on the knowledge in the book.

Leo had bought himself a brand new skin for his snare as well as some new sticks, we looked on as he began to tape up the drumsticks, tired & hot I just wanted to sleep, so in the space of a few minutes my eyes shut and my mind starting thinking about all that had gone on in the past few days and when I did wake, I did so with a little smile.

The van stopped, this time it was for good, we were back in the car park opposite the rehearsal rooms where the journey began six days ago, it was cool outside and the painful process of getting out and unloading the equipment over the wall began, when it was over with, I dont know why but I was feeling adventurous and decided to try and climb the wall which for someone built like me is hard.

Leo told me to run up, grab the top of the wall and hurl myself up and over, my first attempt was laughable, the second time less so, I nearly made it but wasnt strong enough but on the third attempt I made it over, Tony smiled, Leo gave me a thumbs up, not one to sit back, I practised some more, my arms sore and bruised I went into the studio.

All had been packed away, it was hometime, they all got into the van, I did my goodbyes, which I hate, feel so stupid waitiing for the right moment to shake hands, they thanked me for my help, I grinned back, thanked them them for taking me, the pleasure all mine, to be able to spend five nights with your favourtie band on the road, to see them from angles I hadnt seen them before.

The doors of the van shut, they waved, I waved, I started to walk to the tube, the van pulled away, they waved, I waved and then entered the tube station, thinking about all that had happened the past few days and what lay ahead for me when I got home before drifting off to sleep on the tube ride home.