Unfortunately, Kevin was very unlucky and lost his Lucky Penny after only a couple of days of carrying it around. He has kept a journal of the few days the coin was in his possession, which you can see here.

I will be finding another coin and passing this on to Sarah Doyle very shortly.

Opening a package at 5.17pm on Sunday 11 July 2004, I could tell was from Hazel and Michael and was intrigued to find the ‘Lucky Penny’, which in this instance is a two pence piece.

We had just driven back from Marlborough Jazz Festival, where The Fat Cats were headlining on Saturday night. (photos on their web site www.thefatcats.net). We had had a great time and no traffic jams on the M5 or the M6. -a rarity for us. Was this the work of the lucky coin already in operation, even though I was unaware of its delivery? The test will be when I drive to London later in the week. (We recently sat in a traffic queue for over 2 hours on the A50 missing our flight to Barcelona.)

I’m looking forward to testing the luck of the coin. Should it be taken out of its case to reveal its full power to mingle with the contents of my pocket?
Does it bring luck, or do I bestow it with lucky powers? Is it a lucky coin because Adele found it?

Monday 12 July 9.00am.

The coin is in my right hand pocket, in its case, taking its chances with some other object I would not like to be without. I am thinking I must finish the work I have to do before Wednesday. I will take the coin out of the case to see what happens. Here goes! It’s quite a rough coin to touch, Hazel has stuck a little cryptic sticker on it ‘3.35 pm’.
I will have to undertake some simple experiments with the coin this week and repeat them next week without the coin.
Re-reading The Dice Man (coincidentally), I will throw a number of dice seeking maximum score. Here goes, I have 6 dice. I threw a total of 18 comprising: 1X6, 3X3, 1X2 and 1X1, that was with the ‘Lucky Two Pence’ in my pocket.
I will try now whilst holding the coin in my left hand: 2X6, 3X5, 1X3 totalling 30. What a result!

Tuesday 13.um? July

Decided last night to drive to London to drop Noz’ off at Josh’s and then to Southend-on-Sea today, to see my Dad for a few days. (I finished my work at 1.15am and e’mailed it)
Will the journey be another opportunity for the 2P to offer its good fortune? Will it keep me free from traffic jams? Should I be expecting this coin, just because I have it for a week, to lessen my potential problems?
We left home at 9.15am (having made some sandwiches) and drove to TESCO to get some diesel for the big car. That was fine, no waiting and very straight forward. We decided to get some shopping while we were there, that was also a dream, no waiting, very friendly check out assistant.
We left and decided to drive back a to go down the M6 and M1 route rather than the A50 that had been so problematic recently. We left TESCO about 10.15am and had a good journey along the M6. We decided to try the new M6 toll road, which cuts out the Birmingham slog. It was very fast, a very smooth road surface. At the barrier where we had to pay it said, ‘cars were £2 and vans £5’. When we arrived at the auto’ booth, I put my £2 in the bin and nothing happened. A man immediately jumped out from behind the booth and said, ‘it says it needs more money’. We ended up paying £5, not so lucky? Or very lucky to be able to throw more money in the machine and see the numbers come up on the display.
Arrived in London after about 3hours 20 minutes. Excellent, the best journey time in ages!
Had a nice cup of tea and chat with Josh before leaving for Southend.
Left Hackney about 3pm into a traffic jam, which continued to Gants Hill. It took 2hours 30 minutes for what should normally be a 1 hour journey, I eventually arrived safely at my Dad’s house, that was lucky?

I threw some more dice:
Dice with coin in pocket 1X6 1X5 1X3 2X2 1X1=19
Dice, with coin in hand, 1X6 1X5 2X3 2X2 not so convincing=21 um!

Wednesday 14 July

I spent all day cutting up a quite large tree (about 20 foot high) that had blown over in last week’s gales, (in the South East).
Having filled 11 bags with pieces of tree cut into 6inch pieces, without cutting or injuring myself (that was lucky). At 4 pm we found out where the tip was and took it all to the tip, 6 miles away. My Dad and I went for a late lunch in a pub that happened to do all day lunches. That was also lucky.
On the way home I bought 3 Lottery Tickets, 1 random numbers, selected by the machine, the other two made up of birthdays and significant numbers. I held the lucky coin whilst filling in the numbers and thought no more of it until next day.

I threw some more dice: see pic’s

Dice with coin in pocket=16-holding coin =20

Thursday 15 July

-Woke up at 6.45am and suddenly remembered the Lottery tickets. I checked on ‘text and found that only 1 number was apparent, from those I had selected, and none from the random selection. I was quite surprised??????

I went into town with my Aunt to buy a Birthday present for my big brother. Traffic was light and we readily found a parking place near Southend High Street. My sister in law had asked me to buy him a towelling dressing gown and specified the colour. Dutifully I went to M&S and found that there were no towelling dressing gowns, only velour or fleece. We went to BHS and found, not only a choice of colours in towelling but they were £10 off in the sale. This was beginning to be lucky. I bought one and then felt I should buy another present as I had got it relatively cheaply. We went into Debenhams, which also had a sale on. I bought him a thick bath sheet which I hope will go with his refurbished bathroom. Well that was all very lucky and fairly painless. We had a coffee and returned home for late lunch.

I decided I would leave Southend and go back to London today instead of tomorrow, to avoid early morning traffic jams and what might result in a 5 or 6 hour drive back to Cheshire. I left at 3.30pm and found lots of traffic jams at Rayleigh, by the M25 Turn Off, and most of the way along the A127. Eventually I arrived in Hackney at about 5.30pm and was welcomed with a chilled beer. We chatted and looked around the garden at the devastation the slugs and snails had caused to the plants put in at the weekend. (bought freshly from Columbia Road Market).
Josh had arranged for the neighbours to meet Bree who had moved into his flat and we went off to the Pub on the Park at London Fields. Had a great evening, met lots of friendly people and a not so friendly, snappy, dog called Scudder. Josh and Laoidhe went off to catch a train, we went back to the flat and Bree made a lovely meal and then I went off to sleep. What a lucky day.
In the morning I discovered Josh and Laoidhe were in the flat as their train hadn’t arrived.

Forgot to throw the dice. Wonder why???

Friday 16 July

We left London at 8.30am instead of 5.00am as we had intended. Apart from pouring rain, the journey was without incident. Made the decision to use the A50, no problems until we reached the A500 towards the M6. We had to call in at Stoke so it was unavoidable anyway. 4 hours door to door.
In the evening, back down the motorway to see the Fat Cats play in Stafford. Great gig, drove home, without any problems, to bed.

Saturday 17 July

Decided not to buy a lottery ticket, it is obviously not a coin lucky for winning money, perhaps there are specialist lucky coins and this one is lucky for journeying on motorways, for me anyway.

Threw the dice:
Coin in pocket: 1X6, 1X5, 2X4, 2X2 = 23
Holding coin: 2X6, 1X5, 2X3, 1X1 = 24 Conclusive evidence!

Found a Dragonfly loitering in the garden today, that was lucky.

Click on the thumbnails to see images of Archie’s lucky seven days.

LUCYLUCKYLUCKYLUCKYLUCYLUCKY.

DAY 1

Luck of placement
Interview for some funding. Every detail leading up to the interview is analysed by my fellow artist - Andrew - for its indication of potential luck or unluck. This begins when Andrew sneaks up behind me on the escalators at Euston. ‘What’s the probability of that?’ he exclaims. And we laugh. Feeling lucky that we met so easily. We bump into the third member of our group on the street. ‘That’s lucky’ he says. ‘I was just beginning to wonder where you were’. Our interview is just before lunch. Is that lucky – or would it have been better after lunch? Or first thing in the morning?

Day 2

Luck-you-make.
Early morning grumpiness results in an exchange of cross words between me and my flatmate, Nicholas. As a way out of the situation he asks me how it’s going with my lucky coin. I smile and say – ‘well yes, it seems to be having an effect’.

Day 3

Luck of timing.
Completely unprompted by me, my work colleagues, talk about luck all day. Jonathan feels unlucky because he didn’t manage to get to Sainsbury’s in time to get his favourite cheap sandwich (cheese and celery). Sangita feels lucky that her cousin works in Dickens and Jones – so she can get extra clothes discount, but when she returns from the sale – she feels unlucky because there was nothing there that she wanted to buy.

Day 4

Luck of weather
The heavy rain showers of the day, naturally turn the conversation once again to luck. ‘Were you lucky?’ asks Jonathan. I ponder a moment and wonder whether Britain’s unpredictable weather helps to create a cultural obsession with luck. When you start looking for it, it does seem that we’re a nation quite taken with the idea.

I tell Jonathan I’m moving and he tells me about the, ‘luckiest person he knows’ a friend who rents a flat on Wardour street in Soho. It is a housing association flat and apparently it’s possible to pass ha flats down through a family - his father lived there before him. He pays £50 a week rent. We look at each other for a moment and contemplate the hazards of finding somewhere to live in London. This prompts me to think that, like unpredictability, scarcity and difficulty also contribute to opinions about luck and unluck.

Day 5

Am I lucky?
Today I spend a lot of time on my own. So I have the chance to ask myself whether I think I’m lucky. And what do I think it means to be lucky. I think about Kylie Minogue and ishouldbesolucky – which is one of those songs that, if you’re feeling cheerful helps you to feel lucky and if you’re not feeling cheerful, makes you feel unlucky…..If I’m honest I feel neither lucky or unlucky. Or rather I think I’m in a kind of luckneutral state. I feel that good things have happened to me (some very good things – which I take to be lucky (these include – being born – the odds against which were becoming more and more unlikely; being able to spend at least some of my life creating things and sharing these things with other people; and being able to make a decent meal out of almost anything left over in a kitchen cupboard). I feel that these good things have been counterweighted by some quite spectacularly bad things (including my parents divorcing and my grandfather dying all in the same year, being hit by a car and therefore not training as a dancer, and being unable to remember people’s phone numbers unless I write them down). These bad things leave me with a slight aftertaste of ‘bad luck’. (which I don’t like admitting, but I will just this once). Having said this, one thing I feel completely certain about: I am supremely lucky in the friends I have.

Day 6

Luck as contentment
I thought about yesterday and then I thought about today. It occurred to me that sometimes I think about luckiness as isolated events and sometimes I think about it as just a general feeling of contentment. Today, I feel soothed by the gentle rhythm of a weekend of time - and therefore I feel lucky. I realise that if I could carry this sense of contentment through every minute of every day I would feel lucky regardless of whatever happened. Because I would of course be living in the moment and not seeing my life as a series of events or outcomes. I know somewhere in my bones that this would inevitably lead to more ‘examples’ of particular ‘good luck’ which would further reinforce my general sense of luckiness. This makes me think about another conversation I had on Day One of my lucky coin, which was that, apparently, muscles can grow minutely bigger just by the process of thinking about them – without actual usage.

Day 7

Luck is a muscle

Carrying on from yesterday’s thoughts, I think that perhaps I should imagine luck residing somewhere in my body. A kind of luck muscle. Or perhaps a whole organ? What would be the luckiest shaped organ? The kidneys?, the liver?, the lungs? (I ignore the heart – it’s already culturally overburdened). Then I realise the answer sort of invisibly there: it’s not actually a part of my body – it’s my name. If I add a ‘k’ to ‘lucy’ it becomes…’lucky’. There that’s what I’ll do. I’ll just remember that there’s an invisible ‘k’ in my name which noone but me can see. Thank you. I have now become Luc(k)y.

Luck, Luck, Luck

I received the lucky penny on Wednesday 16th June 2004. It was presented to me by the finder, Adele Prince, herself. I was working on the Lucky World website at the time. Before I received the coin that day, I had baked some muffins: red cherry and almond flavour. They turned out to be a bit too sweet and didn’t rise that well, but muffins are generally lucky; I enjoyed eating them all the same. Our friend, Nicholas Watton visited and I shared them with him; that was lucky for him.

I didn’t actually get my lucky coin out of its envelope until Thursday, so I think that is when my luck should begin. I placed the coin in my pocket: I think this must be the best way to keep a lucky coin to receive optimum luck exposure. On Thursday morning I was aware of the coin stowed in my pocket as I went about my usual daily routine. Inevitably, I began to contemplate how or if it would actually bring me any luck. I had my usual morning pee and I was pleased that none went onto the floor. Was this down to the lucky coin?

It is easy to be sceptical about luck. I am a big football fan and, in the evening, there was a big match between England and Switzerland in the Euro 2004 Championships. I was supporting England, who needed to win after unluckily losing to France in their opening game, in extra time (Zidane scored twice within a couple of minutes, after England led for most of the game). On this occasion England did actually beat the Swiss 3-0, and I should be really happy. I did have the penny nestling in my pocket throughout the game and they did win the match, but was it luck (and if it was luck, was it my luck or England‘s collective luck)? You could say that the Swiss were crap and remove any luck from the equation completely. I prefer to say that this result was not down to luck, but came about because of the team’s skill and determination (but I would say that, because I want to make my team seem brilliant) In fact, there was a bit of luck involved when the ball ricocheted into the Swiss net off the back of the Swiss goalkeeper’s head, after Rooney’s driving shot rebounded off the goal post.

Friday

Still working on the Lucky World website and I have not had a chance to stop for lunch. Adele makes me some beans on toast. Mmmmm…I am lucky…followed by a Twix and a cup of tea. Double lucky!

That evening, Fingathing-a music group from Manchester-were playing at the ICA in London. Adele and I know Fingathing from when we lived in Manchester. We first met them through Chris Drury, who we used to work with in Manchester, at the UCI Central Box Office (or orifice) and, subsequently, I have been involved in designing their website. We were fortunate enough to be put on the guest list, thanks to Chris, but the most fortunate thing was that Adele and I arrived early to have a drink before the show and we bumped into Sneaky, Dan and Chris, who were having some food before they went on. With us living in London, and them being on tour, we had not had a chance to sit down and talk with them for ages. So this was really lucky! The show was great: great atmosphere; everyone loved it! I loved Dan and Sneaky’s duelling on the sampler and bass; my ears were ringing after. Byron, Fingathing’s promoter, gave me a copy of their new album, ‘Fingathing and the Big Red Nebula Band’, which is fantastic!! Good night all round!

Saturday

Curry, wine and football; what could be better? Holland v Czech Republic; great match.

Sunday

Visited Walthamstow. I think Walthamstow is a lucky place: it is Adele and my new town-to-be. Recently we decided that we are going to move house because our current tenancy expires on the 18th July and we don’t want to renew it because it is too small and cold. Initially we wanted to find somewhere close to where we are currently living. However, Islington is very expensive for a bigger space, so we decided to broaden our search. We looked at quite a few places and we were interested in a place in Highbury, but were still looking. By chance, I saw and advert in the Evening Standard, for a two bedroom place for a good price in North London. Unusually for me, I impulsively got out my mobile phone on the bus and made arrangements to see the place the next day. When I got home to tell Adele about the appointment, I realised I had made a mistake. The flat was in Walthamstow, six miles from Islington, and I had got this confused with Stoke Newington, which is only about a mile from Islington. We thought we may as well see it anyway; it was a good job too because we loved it straight away and decided to take it. I think we were impressed with how welcoming the place seemed. The owner’s partner and his daughter showed us around and they were really friendly and warm; they even gave us a quick tour of the area.

Our visit on this day was to meet the owner and pay our deposit. Again, she was really friendly and warm, and she introduced us to her friends and family. She asked us why we were moving to Walthamstow, and laughed when I told her it was a lucky accident. After that, we went down to the Nag’s Head-soon to be our local pub-and we had a drink and listened to the live jazz music.

Monday

I forwarded references from my former work colleagues to our new landlady. The references were very positive. I worked on the Lucky World website for most of the day. In the evening, England played Croatia, and they won.

Tuesday

Worked at Upstage.

Wednesday

More Lucky World website designing. Adele won an art commission that she had applied for; this was great news. Is luck contagious?

Thursday

Wednesday was the final day of my lucky coin ownership, and today I had to forward it on to the next Lucky Coin owners. Jackie and Ben are Adele and my good friends, who live in South Wales. Between them, I couldn’t choose who to send it to: they live together, so I thought that they could share the penny, and therefore share the luck. This was, after all, not a lucky penny, but a lucky TWO penny, so there would be enough luck to go around. Jackie is currently writing a thesis for her MA studies, so I thought any luck may be useful right now.

Spent most of the day working on the Lucky World website, so it was after 7pm before I sent it. I just caught the postman as he was collecting the post. Lucky, huh? Well, NO actually! That evening, England played against Portugal and got knocked out. After leading for most of the match, they lost in a penalty shoot-out. Damn! I might have given the lucky penny away too early; if only I’d kept it for one more night. Has the luck now deserted me?

Conclusion

Over the past seven and a bit days, I wouldn’t say that this coin has changed my life, but it has changed the way I look at my life, and made me appreciate all the good things. And one benefit of minding the penny is that focussing on all these little good things has possibly made me a little happier.

So, what is luck? I think that luck is very personal. To me, I think luck is something pleasant which comes about in an unexpected manner. I like walking out of my house to go somewhere (usually in a hurry because I tend to leave things until the very last minute) and the bus that I need to catch arrives just as I get to the bus stop. This, to me, is lucky. I don’t think this coin has increased this ratio of pleasant surprises. However, there is one lucky talisman that I would be lost without, without it, my potential for lucky experiences would almost definitely be reduced. Most of my treasured experiences over the past seven and a bit days and over the past seven and a bit years have all been shared with my lucky gem, Adele. She is lucky for me and makes me feel lucky!

Nina W’s luck journal

I’d like to preface my weeklong lucky penny journal, by saying that I do believe that some people are inherently lucky. Unfortunately, I’m not one of them. When I was little, I believed that when you found a penny, you picked it up and that all day long you’d have good luck. Then one day (I remember it clearly), a cynical adult forever changed my interpretation of finding a penny. The jaded version is: “Find a penny, pick it up, and all day long you have a penny.” Therefore, depending on my mood I vacillate between the lucky and cynical versions of finding a penny. And so begins my “lucky” penny journal…

Monday June 21, 2004

I’m presently looking for a job. However, no luck on the job front today.
Didn’t get a ticket for my overdue parking meter.

Tuesday June 22, 2004

Lovely day outside. Went for a jog without wearing my glasses or contact lenses (which I normally wear), figuring that I wouldn’t run into anyone that I knew or that anyone would stop me on the street. But as Murphy’s law dictates, a car pulled up alongside me and the person inside asked for directions… And a guy at a construction site attempted to make conversation as I was jogging by. Made polite small talk with the blurry figure as I jogged away.

Wednesday June 23, 2004

Went to the hardware store to make a second copy of a house key. After getting the copy made, I lost the original key in my car. After a few expletives of frustration, I eventually found the original. (Not sure if it was due to the lucky penny or the expletives.)

Thursday June 24, 2004

A friend that I’ve been playing telephone tag with for months and who I haven’t spoken to in 6 months called today! He called me in the middle of the day so it was “lucky” that I was home. Unfortunately, our interesting and humourous exchange had to be cut short because my mother’s dog, Coco, decided to escape from the back garden and run off to god-knows-where. With visions of her being hit by a truck, I drove around the neigbourhood to see if could find Coco, an oversized Jack Russell terrier on greyhound legs. The drive around the neighbourhood proved fruitless, but the call to the local animal shelter proved fruitful. A conscientious citizen had taken Coco to the shelter. So all within a 30 minute period Coco was lost and then she was found. Tragedy and disaster averted. Was it the lucky penny? I wonder…

Friday, June 25, 2004

Had the house to myself this weekend. Unfortunately, the TV was on the fritz and the tv remote wouldn’t change the channels.
Was lucky enough to be offered part-time work.

Saturday June 26, 2004

Made a conscientious effort to do some housecleaning. However, this effort resulted in a smoking and disabled hoover – as a consequence of a carpet strand which got caught in the inner workings of the hoover.

Sunday June 27, 2004

Had a blast from my recent past. A friend from my recent home of Prince Edward Island was visiting the Niagara area and called me up. Met for a couple hours and reminisced about the carefree life in Prince Edward Island.

Click on the images to see the detail on Michael’s daily postcards, and have a look at Michael’s blog here.

Report on day one
Thursday 17th June 2004

The post came late.
We have a new postal system starting and the post arrives at all manner
of times now.
So when to start this journal could prove difficult.
I opened the letter after arriving back from taking my sister to
town…the letter arrived just after I left the house.
The luck may have started when I was in town as there was a disabled
parking space free (My sister is on crutches) and the weather, despite
threatening rain, stayed quite pleasant.
So perhaps the moment the envelope hit the mat my luck began!
Also I had gone to town to get Michael his birthday present from
Argos. When I checked the availability there was only one left. So that
was lucky too.
My luck increased further…well not so much luck I suppose!
Archie had been away for 3 nights on a school trip, and I had missed him
so much…we went to collect him at 4pm and he had already got back, it
was so good to see him again…I did indeed feel very lucky at that
moment.
He brought me a lovely silly plastic snail that sticks out his tongue
and a chocky mouse….how good can it get?
I am not a football fan, but England won 3 - O to Switzerland
so that was exciting.
A fry up for tea….yummy.
A meeting at Archie’s new school…he starts there in September…. my
order for the uniform had gone to the right person and it was all
organised……We had a nice hot cup of tea …….and a biscuit…..!!!
So all in all a very successful day.
most of this I expect I wouldn’t consider luck usually….
some of it is planning…..or is it?
Archie found a lucky tuppence in the school yard, which he has decided
to test out too.
All in all there was quite a lot of luck…I too consider myself to be a
lucky person….this week could prove it.
Off for a lovely hot bath and an early night ready for a long day
tomorrow (that is lucky having such luxury).

My luck rating for today on a scale of
1 = bad 10 = great
RATING for day one 10

Report on day two (early on)
Friday 18th June 2004

Wrote a list on the train at 7.30am of the lucky things so far
Alarm went off
It isn’t raining
good choice of clothes (its chilly and I am warm)
Hot water working
Earrings went in first time
I had the car so I could drive to the station.
Ticket office open
Train came on time
Regulars got on and sat with me
Nice chat.
Still not raining in Manchester.
Then my luck ran out….couldn’t get in the studio…Cen had loud music
on and I felt really irritated……finally got the code off Laura so I
could get in.
Time for breakfast to revive me…I need a cup of tea.
the studio was tidy when I left it on Tuesday…today it looks like a
bomb has hit it…the opening is tonight!!!
so much for a quiet day planning next year!!!!.
This luck thing is odd when you try and look at your life as lucky
bits….
hope they have some tea bags downstairs…that would be lucky.

Day 2 (late on)

Well the morning went well.
There were tea bags downstairs…and a reviving tea cheered me up.
this luck thing seems more and more connected with me getting nice cups
of hot tea…only into day 2 and the trend is there already…so long as
there is tea I feel things are going well.
or so it seems.
This might be why the afternoon seemed a real struggle.
trying to tidy up yet again. (I went through that last week for the
external examiner) and it all seemed a bit deja vu…
wet paint and stuff everywhere and no catalogue…it is on line so that’s
a blessing
I don’t enjoy private views much….never have…so I left early.
The trains weren’t much fun either….the lucky coin was taken out and
shaken….but to no avail.
Luck must be a state of mind…..when you feel tired and cold and
stressed even a cup of tea can’t change the luck…or your perception
of feeling lucky…
Time to grab the plastic snail and realise what a lucky girl I am.
Alex from 3-D has asked me to put my work in the show case in
September….now that is good…..
I had lots of lovely cuddles off Archie.
A very nice macaroni cheese.
and here I am moaning about having no luck today…
I teach on the best course in the college (I know I am biased)
If this journal is too long and rambling please say now…
it could get worse if you don’t stop me!!!

Report on day two (very late on)

I forgot the luck rating for today……7

Report on day three
Saturday 19th June 2004

The Lucky penny worked very well today.
Had a bit of a lie in….lucky me
then up for hot tea and hot buttered toast (you can’t beat it)
A quick clean and tidy ready for a visit from an old college friend and
her family.
So a very lucky day….she has a little girl called Bethan who is the
cutest sweety you will ever meet. She is only 5 but launched into
monologues that Alan Bennett would be proud of. It was so lovely seeing
her, the last time I saw her she was only 3….
Arch and Beth got on well…so more luck there…
Michael made a veggy lasagne that had that lovely burnt cheesy crispy
bit that is so lovely….is this luck?
The tuppence has made up for its failings yesterday and I award today
another 10 in the ratings.

Report on day four
Sunday 20th June 2004

Raining…..so no boot fair…not lucky
Michael’s birthday
Fathers Day
We all went out for a pub lunch with my mom and sister.
Food good…mom happy…VERY LUCKY.
we had the snug all to ourselves which was also very lucky.
Raining very heavily driving back…awful..
But as luck would have it was stopped when we got home.
So all dry and lucky.
Read the papers.
read a stray first year journal..
Did a bit more tidying in Katie’s garden…the rain held off.
All in all the luck today came down, yet again, to food and not getting
wet…and being warm and hot tea when needed.

Rating 9. Lost a point for no boot fair
This coin must be working.

Report on day five
Monday 21st June 2004

Another lucky day
The trains are stopping at Stockport and I had to get off at Altrincham
and get a tram…which went okay…I got a seat and got into college
around 8.30..about the same time as usual.
So very Lucky.
Tea when needed.
looked around the shows.
Good meeting with first years
okay getting home.
and the rain held off..
always a sign of luck that.

Rating 10.
hope this coin does the same tomorrow.

Report on day six
Tuesday 22nd June 2004

Evening
It can’t be day 6 already…I will soon have to pass on my Lucky coin.
Yes The football match was great…and I don’t normally watch it…it
helped the ironing go quicker.
The Journey in went well…very lucky…as the trains were stopping at
Stockport.
Tea when needed.
Quite a long day of meetings…hard work and not lucky.
Met the train regulars at the tram stop…which was extremely lucky , it
would be hard to do even if you arranged it!!!.
Got a seat on the tram…astoundingly lucky.
Another day that I can award a rating of 9.
I have tried to take a photo every day…a summing up one which I can
email all together on day 7.
Time for a lovely cuppa now I think.

Report on day seven
Wednesday 23rd June 2004

The last day with my lucky tuppence
It was lucky, as I didn’t have to go into work and do the open day!
PHEW.
The weather was awful but I didn’t have to go out…LUCKY.
Caught up with a number of household and other chores.
Terrible ear ache which had knocked a few points off the rating.
I wonder if I will be lucky without my lucky tuppence?
I will pass it on to Michael to test it out for a week.
Thank you for letting me test out the luck.
I will e mail the photos soon.

Rating for today 7

Have a look at Hazel’s Blog here

Monday June 7, 2004

On my way back from my ‘Spinning’ class at the gym, I fancied something fresh and juicy to add to my usual porridge (it does keep you going for the whole morning, but can be so dull) so popped in to the shop downstairs to buy some raspberries. I looked in my purse and realised I didn’t have enough money. Instead of putting the berries back, I thought I would ask the shopkeeper if I could give him the rest of the money later; he said that was fine. It’s quite unusual for a shopkeeper to let you do that these days, but he does know me and I think he likes me: he once commented that I have a complexion ‘like peaches and cream’ (that is a compliment, isn‘t it?). I blended the raspberries with some strawberries that I had already and poured the mixture over the porridge; it was delicious.

I was flicking through ‘Art Review’ in Borders and saw an article about Gilbert and George. It was lucky I saw this because it reminded me that I had dreamt about them last night: I dreamt I was interviewing them; I was then able to put this into my DreamDiary.

I just had a phone call from Tate Modern: I have an interview on Friday morning for a part-time job! That would be great because I could make some money, but still have plenty of time to make my own work. Better take my lucky penny with me.

Edward has really got into making muffins recently. He bought a recipe book and a tin and away he goes! The only problem is (erm, is it really a problem?!) that we’re eating loads and loads of muffins. He has just made some strawberry and white chocolate muffins. Now, I really am a lucky girl!

Tuesday June 8, 2004

Oh my goodness, how hot is it?! Edward and I set off on the bus towards Marble Arch, to catch a coach to Oxford. It was so hot on the bus that I had to sit really still and not touch anything, thankfully the coach part of the journey was air-conditioned so we could stop pretending to be statues. Oxford is absolutely gorgeous: when we got off the coach, we just kind of sighed and felt instantly relaxed-so different from stuffy, fast-paced London Town. We spent some time soaking up the fresh air and sunshine, then went to ‘Modern Art Oxford’ to see the Mike Nelson exhibition. Neither of us had been to MAO before, so we were able to appreciate the exhibition totally, not knowing how the space is normally laid out. Mike Nelson’s installation was amazing: we ventured into an old cinema corridor which eventually led us to a wooden shaft buried deep in some sand. It was all quite disorientating and I kept having moments of realisation as I linked the spaces together. It was very tempting to wade into the sand, but it was a good job I didn’t, as it wasn’t as deep as it appeared, but was actually a huge theatrical type construction. Amazing.

The main reason we had gone to Oxford was to go to the Garsington Opera. The company had been rehearsing at Jerwood Space when I worked there, and I had been able to get tickets to the dress rehearsal. Garsington is outside Oxford, but Lizzy and her Mum were going too, so we were able to catch a lift with them. The opera is performed on a stage in the grounds of a beautiful house, and the set is kind of built around the house, so it feels like a part of the performance; we were there to see Cosi Fan Tutti. Neither Edward or I had been to the opera before, so what a lovely first opera experience to have! During the interval, everyone piled out into the grounds and had a picnic: some people even had tables and chairs! I was amazed at how powerful the singers’ voices were: they make it all seem so effortless.

Wednesday June 9, 2004

After yesterday’s excitement and glamour, today seemed very dull and uneventful! I did, however, spend some time thinking about my friend Annette, who was getting married at 11am; we were unable to make it to the wedding, but I thought about her really hard.

I gave the flat a bit of a tidy; the crap really mounts up. I decided to take the over-flowing coin jar (not lucky coins, just coins that won’t fit in my purse or Edward’s pockets and are therefore put in a jar) to the special machine at Sainsburys: you put all your coins in a tray, tip them in and it counts them all up for you and gives a token which you can use to buy your shopping. The bag of coins was really heavy and weighed me down in the heat. When I got to Sainsburys, there were two men with boxes full of coins, I guessed they must be emptying the machine, so decided to come back later. When I came back, they were still there, so I asked what they were doing. I noticed they had McDonalds shirts on, and it turns out they were putting the change into the machine, not taking it out. This meant they would be another hour or so, and I had to carry the big bag of coins back home! Damn McDonalds, can’t they go to the bank with their change?!

Thursday June 10, 2004

I went for a really good, hard run this morning. Recently I have been suffering from hay fever on my runs, and frequently end up with flies lodged in my throat too: I’m happily cruising along, when I feel an immense tickling, I try and cough it up and end up spluttering all over the place and covered in spit and snot; this didn’t happen today.

Yesterday, Edward made an appointment to go and see some flats (the contract on our current flat runs out in the middle of July, so we’ve decided to find somewhere with more space). First of all we went to see a couple of flats near Finsbury Park. At the first one, the agent couldn’t unlock the door, so we spent ages hanging around while he tried the key at different angles, then called a colleague to come and open it for him! At the second flat, I was alarmed to see the building seemed to be held up by a piece of wood wedged between the window sills… The last flat of the day was in Walthamstow. We’d never been there before and, as we insist on taking the bus everywhere (cheaper, less cramped and you can see where you are going) it took us quite some time. We went through Tottenham on the way, and felt quite depressed, thinking ‘is this where we are going to live?!’. When we eventually found the flat, it was on a lovely little road, and we began to feel excited. The owner greeted us, and was very friendly and laid back; he let us wander around on our own. It’s lovely! There are two bedrooms, so we will be able to have a workroom, the bathroom made me whoop with joy, it’s so delicious (with a fireplace!) and there is even a little garden that is shared with the neighbour! I think the number, 66, seems like a lucky number: it looks like two ‘thumbs up’! Alan and Holly, his daughter, dropped us off in the village area of Walthamstow, so we could have a look around, and we wandered along the mile-long market, buying a whole box of giant mangoes for £1.50 along the way. We needed a break to gather our thoughts, so stopped off at the Menzies eel, pie and mash shop: it’s gorgeous, with tiles on the walls, a marble counter and little wooden booths to sit in (the ‘liquor‘ they put on your mash doesn‘t really taste of much though). Ah, the East End. We decided to take the flat, so Edward phoned back and told Alan; it seems there are other people being shown around as well as us, so it might not be ours-aaarrrgh!

I made a lovely thick mango lassi when we got home, to cool us down after a grimy day out and about, then we went to vote in the elections-you need a bit of luck to get your cross in the right column this time, it seems really complicated!

Friday June 11, 2004

A good test for my lucky coin: a job interview! I set off to Tate Britain on the Tube (it’s like a furnace down there: you might leave the house looking nice, fresh and presentable, but will be a shiny, floppy mess when you reach your destination). I got there a bit early, so read the paper for a bit, checking out the election results-looks like Tony Blair could do with some luck. My interviewers were very nice, friendly and not at all scary. I think it went well: I did ramble on a bit and had a few blank moments, but I know I could do the job no problem, so I hope they saw that too; I will find out next week.

In the evening, Edward and I went to the opening of a friend of a friend’s shop near Carnaby Street. It was in a cool little square called ‘Kingly Court’ and they had exhibitions on and Djs a-mixin’ and a-scratchin’. We had some beers and caught up with people, and Edouard very kindly gave us a t-shirt each.

UPDATE!!

I got the job at the Tate! I wonder if it was my lucky penny…

Saturday June 12, 2004

We had to get up very early and head off to Kingston: we were getting a lift with Stephen, Tom and Charlie to Wales, to celebrate my nephew, Nigel’s, 21st birthday. It takes us about an hour or so to get there, but we arrived in good time. I saw a Waitrose shopping trolley on the way to their house, so took a picture of it for my shopping trolley project; I don’t have any Waitrose ones yet. The car journey is epic: about five hours, but we listened to ‘Ladies of Letters’ with Patricia Routledge and Prunella Scales, which made the journey pass no problem. We all took Charlie for a walk in the sunshine when we got there, then set off to Llandudno to meet the others at Pizza Hut (well, Nigel loves pizza!). After eating way too much of everything, we went back to my Mum and Dad’s house for a little party-played Uno for ages, and embarrassed Nigel by dancing to cheesy music.

Sunday June 13, 2004

The return leg of the epic journey. After a lovely breakfast, we set off back down south. It was very hot, and I couldn’t help falling asleep with my head at a silly angle (and probably dribbling)-I can’t turn my head to the side now, my neck’s so stiff. On arrival in Kingston, Edward and I decided to carry on our journey back home, so another hour on the Tube. When we got to Highbury and Isington Tube station, I noticed some leaflets with information about the Olympic Torch Relay, which goes through London on June 26th. I walked over to pick one up, and noticed a crumpled £10 note on the ground; it looked like it had been through the wash, and was really crushed, with a washed bus ticket folded into it. I was very happy! I will have to work out something special to do with it, not just use it to buy vegetables or something.

The number 13 is considered unlucky by some people, well this evening it was unlucky for the England football team. We settled down to watch them playing against France in their first game of Euro 2004, me clutching my lucky coin as David Beckham placed a free kick in the back of the net, and screaming with joy at the fantastic playing of the first half…it seemed to be a certainty as, at the end of the game, England were still leading 1-0. How wrong could I be? As we went into extra time, Zinedine Zidane scored from a free kick then a penalty in the closing seconds; it’s so cruel.

There were long faces all around after what had started out as a joyous occasion, then I reminded Edward that his new computer is arriving tomorrow; things are looking up!