Torbay Pride - The Trip

Hey Everyone! I'm back, did you miss me?
I've just got back from my trip back "home" to Torquay for the first ever Torbay Pride and I had a really great time. Here's how it went:
I stuffed my bag with as much clothing as I could (on top of the videos and books I was taking down for Francis and Alexis). By the time I got to Paddington I already had a mark on my shoulder from the strap of the bag (a mark which is only just fading today!!). I was stupidly early (which is often the case with me, I hate being late) and so I had to wait almost an hour for my train. I'd booked my tickets though and so I had a guaranteed seat and found it very easily. Luckily for me, the seat next to me was also booked for the entire duration of my journey, but no one came along to claim it so I had lots of space to myself.
Francis kindly collected me from Newton Abbot train station and after a relaxing couple of hours we got ready and made our way to the Princess Theatre where we met up with others' for a boat trip. The weather was dreadful and it looked like there were not going to be many people turning up, and to top it all a group of Christian "protesters" had turned up to see us off. We were all very disappointed that they didn't actually come and say anything to anyone, but apparently they refer to themselves as "Silent Witnesses."
After my initial reservations because of the weather, the small size of the boat, and the fact that it was 80% full of lesbians, we had a really good time. The weather cleared up slightly and we managed to spend most of the trip out the back of the boat in the open air (when we weren't queuing for the loo or the bar, a queue which merged into one because of the lack of space!). There was a distinct lack of talent in the party crowd, but two of the crew were very nice.
While standing out the back of the boat talking to Francis and two guys he sort of knows (though couldn't remember the names of), I felt someone rubbing up against my arse. Initially I took it for being because of the cramped conditions. As time went on though I came to realise that this guy behind me was rubbing his hand on my arse on purpose. This guy, who was South African, had a nice athletic body, but was slightly duck-faced, but I let him continue as the attention was nice (I blame the alcohol that I had consumed by that point!). We had a little snog later and I (stupidly) exchanged phone numbers with him before managing to escape him once we hit dry land again.
Francis and I went on to the Meadfoot Inn for a couple more drinks. When we got in there I saw an old friend, but initially didn't recognise him. Derek, obviously used to people not recognising him, came right up to me and said:
"Alex! How are you? I used to be Derek and now I'm old and fat." He had put on a lot of weight, but was still the lovely guy I knew before.

The next day, Friday, on the local news program (I think it was Spotlight), there were interviews from the boat and there I was standing in the background, my first time on television (that I am aware of anyway, I've not seen every episode of Crimewatch). The South African guy was also seen in the footage and Francis "kindly" kept playing the footage of this guy saying, "Ooh look! There's YOUR South African!" He had also managed to tell everyone I know in Torquay about this guy too! The South African had sent me four separate texts throughout the 24 hours following the Boat Trip as well! I didn't reply to any. Does that make me a bad person?

Francis and I had a wander around the Torquay shops then had lunch by the marina. We then met up with Alexis, who had not told us that he was off work, the silly old queen, otherwise we would have invited him too.
After going around a few more shops we decided to go for a walk somewhere nice and Francis took us up Daddyhole! What a fantastic name eh?
I am embarrassed to say that I it is a place that I hadn't heard of before, as I used to live in Torquay for a few years. We had a nice little walk around Daddyhole before the rain set in again.
We then went for a couple of drinks at Key West and then one more at the Meadfoot again (a place that Francis finds difficult to tear Alexis and Chris ,et al, away from!).
Francis and I had planned to go and see the outdoor showing of the film Milk on Torre Abbey, but the on-and-off rain for the last week had put us off. We didn't really fancy braving the rain, knowing that even if it wasn't raining while the film was on the grass would still be soaking wet. We stayed in and, to be perfectly honest, I am glad we did as the next day was a bit full on, alcohol-wise!!

On Saturday we got to Key West at about 16:00 for their Pool Party. I like the style of Key West, but it would have been so much better if the weather had been good. As it was, once again, it didn't rain the whole time and we managed to stand outside for the majority of the party.
Peter Tatchell turned up too (apparently he had gone to Torquay to officially open the Pride events on Thursday and stayed for whole weekend).
Talent was a bit thin on the ground. There were a couple of guys who I thought weren't bad, but none who really caught my eye, except a guy called Troy who I eventually managed to have a short conversation with. He was from Weston Super-Mare and had slept on the (his?) boat the night before.
Francis and I left the party at about 18:00 and went on to the Meadfoot Inn where the crowd (including the resident Alexis and Chris) were already drinking, they had refused to even give Key West a try for the Pool Party! I finally got to meet Mimsy, who I had heard a lot about and was beginning to think Francis had made her up as I had not seen her at any event. She is a loud one, I'll leave it at that!! (I know Fran will tell her I said it!).
While we were in the Meadfoot, Troy turned up and I asked him to join us which he did. When Francis and I decided to head on to Candyfloss ( a nightclub that used to be Rocky's, and before that the Double Two, when I lived in Devon), and Troy accompanied us. Unfortunately, when we got there we saw that there was a long queue outside and, after ten minutes, realised that it hadn't moved. Francis and I altered our plans and went back to Key West for their "Bear" night "Come To Daddy." Troy unfortunately wanted to stay where he was, and that was the last I saw of him.
Come To Daddy was alright, nothing brilliant. It wasn't packed, but just as well as the downstairs bar, which was were their night was based, was not air conditioned and was really hot. I kept moving from there to the upstairs bar to the garden to cool down. At one point, while I was outside, I got talking to a nice guy and we quickly ended up snogging. I had been drinking for about 10 hours by this point so, once again, blame the alcohol on the fact that I took him to a secluded section of the garden and gave him a blow job too. As we were heading back to the main party he then pipes up with, "I hope my boyfriend didn't see that!" He quickly disappeared then.
Francis and I got back from there at around 03:30 and neither of us got up until late Sunday morning.

On the Sunday, we had a nice carvery at the Kents before heading on to the Street Party outside the Meadfoot Inn (again). They had shut off about 100m of the whole street for the party but we were among the first to arrive and I initially had my doubts that it would be a decent event at all. I was proved wrong though as it quickly filled out and, after some technical teething problems, the real party got going with a few acts on the stage:
There was a (very) amateur trio of lip-synching drag queens, called the Pooper Scoopers, whose choreography was very hit and miss, it was however quite entertaining, especially when they were asked to do an encore and one of them almost collapsed with a heart attack at the thought of more exertion.
A woman called Shaz M took to the stage twice, much to my chagrin as I felt that she wasn't actually very good, chose terrible songs that no one could sing along to and looked like a Muppet version of Gail Tilsly from Coronation Street (i.e. she had no chin).
The highlight of the whole event was when Topping & Butch, well known from London (although I had never seen them perform), took to the stage. They were absolutely brilliant and seemed genuinely amazed at how up-for-it and loud the whole crowd was from the get go.
The finale was a Kylie Minogue tribute singer known as Rogue Minogue. She was actually very good, not exactly sounding like Kylie, and only looking superficially like her, but she was a good performer and got the crowd going with a great selection of Kylie classics. It was a great end to the evening, especially as she is apparently a local girl too!

All in all, I think that the inaugural Torbay Pride was a fantastic success and the Christians had better beware as next year is almost certain to be bigger and better. Watch out!

I am really quite sad at being back in London though, and not just because I have to work tonight. I really liked catching up with everyone and having people recognise me and welcome me back to the Bay, even people I never knew the names of where saying hello and how they hadn't seen me for ages. One of the nicest things was when Derek said, at the Street Party:
"So how is little Alex enjoying being back in Torquay? Have you decided to come back home to us yet?" I was really touched that someone would say that, considering that I wasn't born there.
I had also been initially horrified, and then relieved when Alexis had told me that he thought I looked like a bit of a porker myself on my blog, but that I wasn't at all now that he had seen me in the flesh. I can't think what pictures he is talking about though.
I am seriously thinking about going back to Torquay permanently, though I realise it is probably not going to happen. My aim, however unlikely, is to get a home in London and Torquay by my 40th birthday in 2012 and have a big party in each house. Yeah right.

Anyway, I have to go now and prepare myself physically (because I'm not going to manage it mentally) for going to work tonight. Wish me luck.