June 2018

To say that I'd been waiting for June to come along is probably the understatement of the year for me, and not just because of the start of summer. There was one occasion that happened this June that I'd been looking forward to for months.

Before that however, I have to get the bad stuff out of the way, most of which was the issues that I mentioned in last month's blog, stress at work and feeling disillusioned/frustrated with social media. However me and my wife also lost a member of our family - our pet turtle Chief, who had been with my wife and her family for 22 years. It was very unexpected, and while we're sad that he's gone, he did have a good long life, and he will be missed.

Now onto the absolute highlight of June - from the 18th to the 26th, myself and my wife flew across the Atlantic to visit my family back in the UK. While we were there, we revisited many of the places I remember, including my hometown of Crook, plus Durham, Newcastle, Tynemouth, Scarborough and Whitby. Getting to see my family in person again after 2 years was what it was all about though - I can't put into words just how good it was to see them all again and hang out just like old times. Just like it was 2 and a half years ago, leaving them behind again was hard, but knowing that we'd had the chance to get together again and make new memories helped to soften the blow. I really hope I don't have to wait too long to see them again in the not too distant future.

My artwork took a bit of a backseat this month, especially during the trip, however I did come up with this camping themed pic as part of an art jam, hosted by LaptopGeek92, over on DeviantArt. I highly doubt that there'll be camping involved in July, but hopefully there'll be some warmer days to enjoy. I'l let you know if there is, of course.

June 2017

From highs to lows this month - I think that may as well be the tagline for all of my blog posts, as that seems to happen every month.

I think June was a bit of a comedown from the high of the honeymoon in May. Unfortunately I still don't have a regular job, though I did manage to get a couple of interviews. Still waiting on the second one, but the first one I obviously didn't get, and it may have been because of my location (it would've been a 2 hour commute). Back to the job search.
As many of you will know, there were some horrible events that happened this month. Such events seem to happen every day unfortunately, but these two hit home on a personal level because they both happened in my home country. What kind of monster walks into a packed arena and causes so much destruction and cold-blooded murder? The same for those who walked into a London street and started knifing people to death.
My family live nowhere near where those attacks happened - but it chills my blood to think that it could easily have been their lives lost. And I can't begin to imagine what must be going through the minds of those who did lose a loved one in those tragedies. I find myself thinking, "where does all this madness end?" I just hope that those who lost their lives can find some peace now.

Life goes on though - on a brighter note, the warmer weather has meant that I've been biking more, as well as getting some beach time too. I've also been busy on the art front, scripting a new Bob & Flyer story comic as well as starting colouring Fyfe & Sparkplug #1. I've also had an influx of commissions this month thanks to holding a half price sale, I've been pleasantly surprised by that, and I'd like to give a huge thank you to everyone who commissioned me, it really does mean a lot.
There was also a very important milestone for me and my wife this month - while our legal wedding anniversary is February 20, our wedding ceremony anniversary is June 12, and this month it was a year since that special day. We marked the occasion with a romantic meal and a revisit of the place where it all happened, the indoor carousel at Lighthouse Park in East Haven. It was bittersweet to go there and see the hall empty and lifeless instead of bustling and lively as it was on June 12, 2016, but we were able to relive it through all the videos and photos from that day.
It meant so much to us both, even more so because of my family flying over from the UK just to be there. It's now been a whole year since I last saw them in person, and I really hope it won't be much longer until I'm able to see them again.

As always, I'll leave you with some artwork, and what may be a future scene from the Fyfe & Sparkplug story, the dragon duo taking on a troll (no, not that sort of troll). 

Wishing everyone a safe and sunny July.

June 2016

Well, I can say without a doubt that June was certainly not a boring month.

On the normal side of things, I've been realising that Connecticut usually gets a lot more nicer weather than the UK, and as I've mentioned before I've been taking advantage of it by bike riding, and lately I feel as if the more I ride, the more I get used to it, the more energy I have to ride up hills and whatnot - it's far better than just being stuck in the house vegetating in front of a computer screen, and it makes me feel good just to get outside and keep active.

Now for the less normal side of things - on June 9, my brother Chris, my mam and my grandma made the 3000+ miles trip across the Atlantic to visit me and my wife Nicole in the US - this was not my brother's first US visit, but it was very special for my mam and grandma as this was their very first time setting foot on American soil. Words can't describe how over the moon I was to see them all again after almost 6 months apart. As with anyone visiting the US for the first time, it took my family a little time to get used to all the cultural and physical differences, but they adjusted canny quickly. 
Myself and Nicole made sure that they made the most of their time here, taking them to as many places as we could, and where better to start off with than the Big Apple? Aye, it was an English family in New York, and my family got to see it in style with an open top bus tour around many of New York's famous sights including the Empire State Building, Battery Park and One World Trade. Following that we set foot in the famous Times Square and had dinner at the Hard Rock Café, needless to say my mam and grandma were a little taken aback by just how busy New York can be - but one quick subway ride later and they also got to see how more peaceful it could be too, in Central Park, despite my grandma's unwanted encounter with a stray rat! It was all an experience though, and they were all glad that they got to see one of the most famous cities in the world.
The following day was more chilled out, showing my family around the block of flats where me and Nicole live, and we did a lot of catching up too. One sleep later, and then it was the main event, the main reason my family flew over - me and Nicole's wedding ceremony, or part two of our wedding. (For those who don't know: we were officially married in February, but because of my move there wasn't time to plan a proper ceremony, hence the separate ceremony)
I spent the morning chilling with my family before putting on my tux and getting ready to go to the ceremony, two of my good friends Shane (who I asked to be one of my groomsmen) and Paula drove over from Long Island to attend the ceremony, they got to meet my family, and Shane was kind enough to drive us all to the wedding venue, and despite some hiccups with the directions on my part, we got there in the end.
The wedding ceremony was held at Lighthouse Park in New Haven, inside a building right next to the beach - we had originally planned to hold the ceremony outside on the beach, however because of high winds we had to move inside, but that didn't make it any less special. Everything just came together - Nicole's family, the staff, the caterers, the photobooth people, the photographers and the DJ all did an amazing job - but most of all, our families and friends were there to see me and Nicole cement our marriage. It was one of those moments that you just have no words for, and it was certainly a moment and a day that none of us will ever forget.
After a relaxing wedding night in a hotel room going over all the wedding photos, we were on the trail again, this time taking my family to our go-to holiday place, Newport in Rhode Island for a couple of days, where we took a trolley tour around the city, showing my family the old-style streets, the scenic Narragansett Bay, the famous mansions and the beautiful Ocean Avenue. There was one moment while driving around we ended up at a nature reserve, and right in front of us was one of the most beautiful sunsets any of us had ever seen - if one moment made the whole trip, then that was it.
I was dreading the inevitable goodbye - but we still made the most of that day too, showing my family around me and Nicole's favourite local places, namely East Rock, Stony Creek, and of course Branford Point. Eventually we had to make that long drive to JFK Airport in New York, where we made sure that my family got checked into their hotel (they had an early morning flight). Their journey home wasn't quite plain sailing - the hotel wasn't the greatest, and they ended up having to sleep in the terminal at Heathrow Airport overnight, because their flight out of JFK was delayed, and they missed their connecting flight to Newcastle  - but thankfully they made it back safely. Saying goodbye to them was just as hard as it was back in December, and it will never get any easier - but I was also just beyond grateful that they were able to make the journey to the US and to see me and Nicole get married, and I know that they were glad to have made the trip too.
There were a couple of other firsts this month too, as Nicole brought me to two popular events around her hometown of Branford - the Branford Festival, which is a series of events including live bands, fairground rides and various stalls held on the town green; plus the Branford Fireworks, which is basically the Connecticut equivalent of the Bonfire Night fireworks back in the UK - the fireworks were set off from Branford Point, with some of our friends me and Nicole got to see the whole display from the shore opposite, and it was very enjoyable.

So that was my June, and without a doubt it's month that will hopefully stay in memory until the end - moments like that, you just can't put a price on.
I'll be generous this time and leave you with not one, but two artworks from this month - a tennis-themed comic (it's Wimbledon month), plus a little something I made to mark the wedding ceremony.

Until next time.

June 2015

This June has certainly been a flaming one for me, but not just with the warmer temperatures - things are happening.

Myself and my fiancee Nicole finally got the word we were waiting for, my visa application has been approved - I will be getting an email before July 8 with instructions on what I need to do next, which will involve getting a medical and going down to London for a visa interview at the US Embassy. Also, the application has been processed quicker than we anticipated, which means I could now be moving to the US as soon as August rather than October as we originally thought. Honestly, words can't describe just how huge this is, and it's making it all the more real.
Unfortunately, there is a negative side to this - the original plan was that I would move there in October, then me and Nicole would come back to the UK and spend Christmas, New Year and my birthday with my family, however we've been advised that it wouldn't be a good idea to do so because of conditions with my visa. I'm not gonna lie, I was canny gutted about learning that, because now with the earlier date it means I have less time to spend with my family than I thought, and it's only going to make leaving them even more difficult, I am honestly dreading that day.
However, as disappointing as that is, I have to look at the positives too - I get to be with Nicole sooner, we get to spend Christmas and New Year with her family again, and it gives us more time to get settled in and for me to get used to the surroundings and the routine. And the fact that we get to be together is the most important part of all, and that's what my family told me.

On a completely different note, I've been hosting an art jam this month that's been all to do with dragons. I've liked dragons for a long time, I've always been fascinated by their mythical and legendary status, as well as their distinctive appearances - and it was because of a certain animated series involving dragons that  first met Nicole, so they mean a lot to me on a personal level too. So please, spread the dragon love. 

The weather's also been getting warmer as summer has well and truly kicked in, and needless to say I've been trying to have days out around my area as much as possible - and on the subject of travel, everything is all booked for me and my brother's July getaway to Scarborough, definitely looking forward to it.

So - my next blog may well be my last blog as a resident of my home country, so it'll be a memorable one one way or another. I'll keep you posted, and as always I'll leave you with a little bit of artwork, with a dragon theme of course.

June 2014

What a difference a year makes...

Last June, I was feeling excited and happy for my 6 week trip to the US, getting to see Nicole again and seeing all the sights that we did. 
This June, however, I've been feeling pretty much the opposite. I've been feeling just a bit overwhelmed and stressed, and it's all to do with the ongoing jobsearch. I mentioned in my last blog that I had two interviews lined up - the one for the security steward, I went to it, however I quickly realised that it wasn't the right job for me, with it being a zero hour contract, meaning no stable income, so I had to turn it down - plus, it's not a career I wish to pursue, as I've mentioned.
The interview for the assembly operative didn't happen, because it was being held through an agency to have a reputation for putting people through pointless training courses for money, and the job suddenly failing to materialise. However, it was also because something else came up - the work programme that I'm on arranged for me to attend a 2 week "pre-employment" course, to do with the company TK Maxx, who are opening a new store in my area and are looking for staff. I did the course, which involved going over customer service skills, interview techniques and even having to visit a TK Maxx store, plus a mock interview which went really well. I am supposed to get a real interview at some point in the next week or so, so I'll keep you posted on that. I am concerned about the job though, I'm worried that 16-24 hours' worth of wages isn't enough. I want a job, but I don't want to be working just to have every penny I earn be spent on bills. I actually want to have a life too, is it too much to ask?

On a brighter note, it's now my favourite time of year - summer of course, although I'm hoping the heat won't be as unbearable as it was this time last year. And as much as I love summer, I'm still looking forward to flying back over to the US in December to see Nicole again - at least, I hope I will be.
There's also been quite a bit of sport going on - I used to be into it as a kid, but nowadays I couldn't care less about the football. I'm talking about the World Cup - teams from every country kicking a ball around a field for 90 minutes just to win a glorified tin cup? We know it's all just about the bottom line really. I know the same thing could be said for the Wimbledon tennis, but I'd much rather watch that than the football, any day.

Anyway, as always I'll end this with a bit of artwork - inspired by a livestream request from Granitoons, here's Bob & Flyer looking a bit elementary.

From UK to US

Well, in my last blog I did mention that in June I would be heading over to the US for the fourth time - as I type this, that's right where I am. I'm in Connecticut for the second time, staying with and visiting my girlfriend of 9 months ago today, Nicole. So far I'm having a great time, hoping to meet up with a few friends and see a few places, but most of all I get to spend time with Nicole. My first week of 6 is almost over, but there's still lots to come.

As for the rest of the month before I flew over, spent some of it going out walking as there was a bit of a heatwave back home (not as warm as in Connecticut though!), as well as preparing for the US trip, which involved a bit of worrying over nothing. I was a bit reluctant to say bye to my family, anyone who goes on holiday for a while, especially if they're going abroad, will know how that is, but I just had to remember it wasn't a goodbye, more like a "see you later".

Now for the getting there - I stayed overnight at the Doubletree hotel at Newcastle airport, it was spot on, had a nice room and bathroom, and I also had a good meal at the hotel's Italian restaurant, though I went and overdid it a little but I having a margherita pizza and a garlic bread pizza (I didn't realise it would be big!). Unfortunately, because of some noise outside and my excitement for the trip, I didn't get very much sleep at all.
Checked in just fine at the airport the next day, however my flight down to London Heathrow was delayed by about 20-30 minutes because of the sucky weather. The flight itself was a little choppy, but nice and quick all the same, and despite the delay I still got down to Heathrow with plenty of time to make my connecting flight to New York JFK, which was a canny long flight at 7 hours, and again that also was a bit choppy in places, but the seat-back entertainment and views of the sky, sea and land were worth it.

 The view from my seat on the Newcastle-Heathrow flight

 The view from my seat on the Heathrow-JFK flight

And then, the part I was dreading most of all, US customs - as far as the actual interrogation goes, it went better than last time, I showed the officer my documents to prove I had enough money to cover my time in the US, and she let me through, though not without barking at me for putting my fingers on the fingerprint scanner the wrong way. The only part that was worse than last time was the insanely long queue, because my flight arrived at the same time as two others, so you can imagine how chock-a-block it was. None of that mattered once I met up with Nicole in the terminal lobby though.
In short, it's great to be back in the US with Nicole, and hopefully in July's blog I'll have a lot of stories to tell about my time here, so stay tuned.

To finish things off, because the Wimbledon tennis has started, here's some tennis-themed artwork:

 "Bob & Flyer - Anyone for Tennis VI"