If you’ve been posting comments recently and got some really random computer error text coming up - it’s all sorted.

If you haven’t been posting comments, you really should - it’s always nice to say hi.

No… not those ones, we meant the big inflatable bouncy ones! Allow us to elaborate… the game of ‘balls’ is one best played when drunk…

- The game of Balls is ideally suited to the corridor of the LowerFlat
- You need 2 players, each with their own ball
- The 2 players throw the balls to each other:
- 1 throwing up, and 1 throwing down
or
- 1 colour ball being up, and 1 colour ball being down

It’s a very simple game - yet Rich is still to learn to play it well… A demonstration is given in this video (you’ll need QuickTime or RealPlayer to view)

All that said, Phil’s the only one to break the lightbub so far…

Q: What do you call a Spanish streaker?
A: Senor Balls.

Wednesday saw us do something we’d rather not admit. We went to Southampton. Now, in most cases the aim of being in Southampton is to get out as quick as possible, it’s the best thing to do really. But this time it really did have a purpose… we’d gone to collect Al who usually lives down in Falmouth (this is going to confuse things a bit as we actually know two Al’s, both of whom live in Falmouth. Don’t ask how or why, it just happens like that).

Arriving in the glorious masterpiece that is the multi-storey car park of West Quay Shopping Centre (Gunwharf is so much nicer…) we set about searching for Al who was apparently in Costa Coffee, near Waterstones. Was it not for the fact it seemed there were 2 Waterstones and an abundance of Costa Coffee branches about the place, it might have taken less than half an hour to find him, but ah well, at the end of it all we piled into Yates’ for a beverage and some lunch. Well, it took a little longer than expected since it took an hour to get food - but on the plus side, we had changed the order just after making it, and as some kind of bonus the very friendly Waitress gave us what we ordered, and a chicken and bacon baguette. Rock on.

Once done, the next aim was rather simple. Get the hell out of Southampton, get home, shower to de-toxify ourselves, and get down the pub. The first public house of choice being the Spice Island where Al and Rich both indulged in Real Ale, whilst Jim who was suffering from a rather immense cold/flu sat in the corner slowly drinking a lager.

Spice Island was evacuated in favour of the Still and West where Rich could puff away on some cancer sticks, and Mr Gubbsy Gubbins joined us for a pint before he was going out to a night at the theatre avec his lady. By this point it was getting a little dark and we moved to Osborne Road and the Owtback bar for a game or two of pool. It’s also interesting to note we actually looked at the rules - and intentionally jumping over a ball is a foul - take note Mr Mark Holley - we’ve got your number, and it’s not 118 118.

Next stop was a trip to HKC’s Vodka Bar… before kicking ourselves for never going there before… Vodka - in every confectionary flavour you can think of… Milky Bar… Wine Gum… Skittles… Pear Drop… Rhubarb and Custard. Owing to Rich and Al’s obsession with the barmaid (Jim staying out the way to avoid coughing all over her), we ended up in there for several rounds - including meeting the Chinese (?) owner of the place, who when we asked how he made the drinks answered ‘Sorry, me no speak English’ - the blatant cheek!

We toddled back towards Old Portsmouth after this to the Duke Of Buckingham to go meet Penny for a couple of beverages since she hadn’t seen Al for coming on 2 years and so there was a bit of catching up to be done. After a few more games of Pool, Al and Rich were in the mood for dancing and as we called a Taxi, and intended on heading home then onto the ‘Ulster’ Union to do some dancin.

Taxi Man was a bit of a legend that evening, and when we got near the LowerFlat and it’s one-way street, he decided to save us a bit of money by reversing up it - probably for the best since there was a car parked blocking the street so we wouldn’t have been able to do it going forward anyway. The only problem was this car wasn’t another taxi. Because Taxi’s don’t have large numbers of lights on the roof, or the word ‘POLICE’ on the bonnet. Taxi Man was a little alarmed: “Oh Shit, it’s the Old Bill!”. Before you could say ‘Hello Hello Hello’ and offer a beating with a truncheon down ‘Letsbe Avenue’, money was swiftly deposited into Taxi Man’s lap as we all dived out and back into the house with our newly adopted favourite Cabbie speeding off.

Alas after some phone research, the Union was heaving, so Al and Rich decided to give it a miss, instead opting for the Bolognese which had been cooked by Jim earlier. We would have had a beer with it - but some bugger has nobbled the corkscrew. It’s just not cricket… after which, there was nothing left to do, but go to bed and wait for the hangovers to kick in.

This weekend, Rich went home and had fun in a nightclub…
Jim went to Cardiff… find more here

In the meantime, here’s some humour for you… Click here to see it

Ross went out last night… and after arriving home at 4am he’s not feeling that great today. Infact, he’s decided to go our lecture in beachwear. Why? We’ve got no idea. Not a sausage.

Gone out to see a quality movie…. and possibly a few beers afterwards….

Watch this space for more info….

Well… what an absolutely hilarious movie. Seriously, bloody brilliant, laugh a minute. Cheeeeese Gromit! Went out after for a drink with Penny before sampling the Owtback Bar in Southsea - good beer and very cheap Gin!

Well well, the Spinnaker Tower’s finally open, so to celebrate the Lower Flat decided to have a little field trip along to the tower, and then take a ride in the lift up to the top… and it was goooooood, views aren’t bad, and it’s all new and shiny.

The Upper Flat and ex-Lower Flat resident Gubbs came along too - and despite the best intentions of urinating from the top, nobody managed…

So yeah, um, we’ve got a website, there just isn’t much on it at the moment. Won’t be a particularly eventful weekend either as Rich has gone up to the Lake District with the intention I believe of getting thoroughly wrecked, and I’m actually quite clueless about what to do.

Anyway, the year kicked off this week with me and Rich diving across to Weymouth on Monday evening to go and see Adele at work and have a few pints - well, one shandy since I was driving, but anyway, it’s the thought that counts. The drive took a little longer than normal, since firstly for some strange reason I was sticking to the speed limits (strange or what!), and a diversion around Poole, meaning we got back around 1am, just in time to wake Ross up to give him the Ice Cream he’d text to demand since we were visiting the seaside - evidently oblivious to the fact he lives on the coast anyway.

Tuesay saw the arrival of Vince, for no doubt the first of many visits. I joined Rich and Vince for a bit of munch and a few games of pool down the pub, before ending up in the local for a couple of Bloody Mary’s - not quite sure where they went after but apparently there may have been a hangover Wednesday morning.

Wednesday afternoon ended up with Rich, Vince, Mark and yours truly going down Gunwharf for a spot of bowling - which, admittedly, I was immensely crap at to start, until for some reason changing to a pink ball made all the difference. Bit strange really. After finding out the average bowling pin weighs about 2lb 10oz we headed over to Vue to go see Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo which was all rather hilarious…

…and that really is a quick sum up of the first week… er, pubs, beers, pubs, beers… anyone noticing a trend?

TTFN - Jim

Hello there… Welcome to www.lowerflat.com, the home of the Lower Flat online! This is our new online blog of what exactly goes on with life in and out of the Lower Flat. There isn’t much here at the moment, hey, this is the first post, but as our exciting year in Uni progresses there’ll no doubt be some pretty amusing stuff appearing on here. So sit back, relax, crack open a six pack, and enjoy… we’re off to the pub!

Jim/Rich