Blood of the Kings

So Cliffey's birthday is finally over. Don't fret, however - if for some reason you've particularly enjoyed the birthday-related bloggery, my brother's turning 15 (!) tomorrow, so we might be able to squeeze a couple of entries out of that.

However, today I'd like to take a break from the fun to talk about something serious - the art of saving lives.

That's right, Tom and I gave blood yesterday, and we're making sure everyone knows about it. For example, I am currently wearing a sticker that reads:

"I saved a life today
Achubais fywyd heddiw"

I can only assume that the second line is Welsh for, "I saved a life today".

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me tell you about our sacrifice in more detail.

The blood drive was taking place in Highfields Church, just down the road. The hall had a basketball court etched on the floor, but when you were lying on the bed you could just see the high wooden church ceiling. It was pretty gothic - if any of you have played Peter Jacob's level in Eternal Darkness, the one in the WWI field hospital, then you'll know what I mean.

And therein we were pricked and punctured with all manner of pins and needles. It's a miracle we survived, really.

Which, put-on pomposity aside, brings me to the real lifesaver of the day - Sarah Macleod, who bought us jelly babies and Rowntree's Randoms to ensure that we didn't collapse from...lack of sugar, I guess.

I mean the seventy bajillion Penguins we ate at the church probably helped too, but that's just par for the course.

Joel.