Well, January certainly was eventful, with it being my first full month living in the US - but this month was also very eventful, and I don't just mean because of experiencing the crazy New England weather of snow followed by pretty much everything else.
I thought things had already come full circle when I made the big move from the UK to the US, however there was one more very important part of the puzzle that needed to be put into place, and it was something that me and my fiancee Nicole had been waiting for for well over a year.
On February 20, at Branford Point - a place that holds so much memories for us both, not least because it was also the place where I proposed to Nicole back in 2014 - in front of Nicole's family and friends (plus my grandma, who was able to tune in from back in the UK, thanks to the wonders of modern technology), me and Nicole became husband and wife. I can't put into words how it felt, but every minute was special, and I am so over the moon to now be able to call that lovely American lass, who I first met in an internet group over 15 years ago, my wife. It also won't be the first time we get married, either, because this was a legal wedding (my visa required us to be married within 90 days of my move), so it was very low-key, however we plan to hold a second ceremony in the summer, with the traditional ceremony and reception - but our wedding this month was the official joining together, and in no way will we ever forget it. It was one of those moments that you just don't forget.
On another note, I got to experience one of the American traditions for the first time this month - the Super Bowl. Aye, I'm talking about the big American football final which is basically the American equivalent of the FA Cup Final back in the UK, which is famous for its half-time musical number (it was Coldplay this year, which was great since I'm a fan of their music) and the special adverts that air during the game. To be brutally honest, American football is not a sport I really have any interest in, and the whole pomp and circumstance of the game just grated on me, much like most similar events. For me, the best part about watching the Super Bowl was getting to spend time with my lovely wife and our friends, chatting the night away. Forget the game, that's what it's all about, in my opinion.
Just before I get onto my usual slice of artwork for this month, I want to give a shoutout to one of my artist friends on DeviantArt, Josh aka Jowybean - I've been following his work since 2008 and I can't put into words how amazingly talented he is, he is a master of many different art styles and frequently puts insane amounts of detail in his work too, both in his fanart and his original works - please go and check his artworks out right here: Jowybean on DeviantArt
I'll leave you with this picture I made to commemmorate my wedding to my lovely Nicole - and I should also mention that this Valentine's Day was the very first one that we got to spend together, which pretty much made it the best Valentine's Day I've ever had. Just remember that love is for every day, not just for Valentine's, and that applies even if you're single - and on that note, it's ciao for now.
P.S. I can't believe one of my favourite metal songs is 20 years old: "Roots Bloody Roots" - Sepultura
29/02/2016
31/01/2016
January 2016
It's safe to say that I never thought I'd be celebrating my 30th birthday living in a different country - but that's exactly what happened this month.
January '16 has been a time of major adjustment - I would say I'm pretty much used to being Stateside now, mine and Nicole's flat feels like home now. I would say the only part of living in the US that I'm still getting to grips with is the getting around, most of my travel has been Nicole driving me places, I've barely dared to venture out on my own. The cold weather hasn't really helped either, especially the winter storm Jonas that hit in the middle of this month - me and Nicole had a very memorable trip to Rhode Island to escape the worst of it (we ended up spending an extra night there because of car trouble).
So I'm sure some of you are wondering, "how does it feel to be 30?" I can say that it feels pretty much the same as my 20s so far. Some say that turning 30 is when the rot sets in, but others say that life begins at 30 - I would say that it's different for everyone.
It was a little strange not getting to celebrate my birthday with taking on my brother in a bowling match, but I was still able to wish him well via Skype - I also ended up getting a couple of half-unexpeected birthday presents from Nicole and her family, for the first time in years I have a bike of my own once again, and also I got a top-of-the-range Canon camera, so expect to see a lot of photography.
Me and Nicole also celebrated the occasion with a trip to Rhode Island and to Foxwoods Casino, where we had that game of slightly-sloshed birthday bowling - it was a blast, and I can't thank Nicole and her family enough for everything.
Keeping with the birthday theme, on the art front I hosted an art jam on DeviantArt - I was born in the 80s, so it was only fitting to host a jam themed around everything from that crazy decade, "Back To The 80s". I have very vague memories of living in the 80s as I was only a baby at the time, but I do remember some of the music, and 1980s music is something I enjoy listening to as well.
Unrelated to the jam, I've also been experimenting a little with my artwork - I recently purchased some Copic markers, and while they're expensive, they're really high quality, the ink doesn't bleed through the paper, and it also enables me to make pictures at much higher resolution. I'm hoping making my drawings this way will also reduce the amount of time I spend working on a drawing, while still keeping it high quality.
That was my January, and quite a way to start the new year it was - and by the time of the next blog, I'll be a married man, all being well.
I'll leave you with some artwork as always, one of my own entries to the 80s art jam, my homage to the classic animation "The Snowman".
In fact, I'll leave some music this time, too - one of my favourite songs from the 80s, and also the song that was the UK no. 1 when I was born : "West End Girls" by the Pet Shop Boys.
January '16 has been a time of major adjustment - I would say I'm pretty much used to being Stateside now, mine and Nicole's flat feels like home now. I would say the only part of living in the US that I'm still getting to grips with is the getting around, most of my travel has been Nicole driving me places, I've barely dared to venture out on my own. The cold weather hasn't really helped either, especially the winter storm Jonas that hit in the middle of this month - me and Nicole had a very memorable trip to Rhode Island to escape the worst of it (we ended up spending an extra night there because of car trouble).
So I'm sure some of you are wondering, "how does it feel to be 30?" I can say that it feels pretty much the same as my 20s so far. Some say that turning 30 is when the rot sets in, but others say that life begins at 30 - I would say that it's different for everyone.
It was a little strange not getting to celebrate my birthday with taking on my brother in a bowling match, but I was still able to wish him well via Skype - I also ended up getting a couple of half-unexpeected birthday presents from Nicole and her family, for the first time in years I have a bike of my own once again, and also I got a top-of-the-range Canon camera, so expect to see a lot of photography.
Me and Nicole also celebrated the occasion with a trip to Rhode Island and to Foxwoods Casino, where we had that game of slightly-sloshed birthday bowling - it was a blast, and I can't thank Nicole and her family enough for everything.
Keeping with the birthday theme, on the art front I hosted an art jam on DeviantArt - I was born in the 80s, so it was only fitting to host a jam themed around everything from that crazy decade, "Back To The 80s". I have very vague memories of living in the 80s as I was only a baby at the time, but I do remember some of the music, and 1980s music is something I enjoy listening to as well.
Unrelated to the jam, I've also been experimenting a little with my artwork - I recently purchased some Copic markers, and while they're expensive, they're really high quality, the ink doesn't bleed through the paper, and it also enables me to make pictures at much higher resolution. I'm hoping making my drawings this way will also reduce the amount of time I spend working on a drawing, while still keeping it high quality.
That was my January, and quite a way to start the new year it was - and by the time of the next blog, I'll be a married man, all being well.
I'll leave you with some artwork as always, one of my own entries to the 80s art jam, my homage to the classic animation "The Snowman".
In fact, I'll leave some music this time, too - one of my favourite songs from the 80s, and also the song that was the UK no. 1 when I was born : "West End Girls" by the Pet Shop Boys.
31/12/2015
December 2015
Where do I begin?
To say that December has been a month of mixed emotions doesn't begin to cover it. There comes a time in everyone's lives where something has to change, and on 28 December 2015, such a moment happened to me - I said goodbye to my family and my life in my home country of the UK that I've known for the past 29 years, and took a one way flight across the pond to start a new life in the USA with my soon-to-be wife Nicole. This was something that had been in the works for this whole year, and while the waiting and the whole process of applying for the visa got a little bit frustrating at times, it all came together in the end.
I always knew that saying goodbye to my family, especially my twin brother, would be one of the hardest things that I would ever have to do, and as emotional as it was, it needed to be done. At the end of the day, they all want me to be happy, no matter where I am in the world. And making this move doesn't mean that I intend on losing touch with any of my family or friends back in the UK, if anything it makes my connection with them stronger. As a good friend said to me, "you can take the lad out of County Durham but you can't take County Durham out of the lad."
My flights over to the US were absolutely fine, and to my surprise I had no trouble at US customs either - the only problem that happened was that British Airways left one of my bags in London, but that all got sorted thankfully. And when I was reunited with my lovely Nicole, I was finally able to say "I did it!"
We got moved into our own place, a very spacious apartment - it took a couple of days to adjust to it, there were a few moments where we both thought "pinch me, is this real?", but it already feels like home now. There's still much for me to get used to, but I'm sure in time that I will, and I know that Nicole will help me to do so.
With all that's been happening, Christmas has almost been an afterthought - however I'm glad that I was able to spend Christmas with my family before the move, as well as apending the New Year with Nicole and her family and friends - the best of both worlds, really.
As 2015 draws to a close, I can only wonder what 2016 is going to bring, not just for myself but for everyone. To this I say, it will bring what it will bring, let's just see what happens.
I'll leave you with my final artwork selection of this year, a festive group shot for my DeviantArt friends. Which leaves me to say just this: wherever you are in the world, whoever you're with, I wish you all the best for 2016 and beyond. :)
To say that December has been a month of mixed emotions doesn't begin to cover it. There comes a time in everyone's lives where something has to change, and on 28 December 2015, such a moment happened to me - I said goodbye to my family and my life in my home country of the UK that I've known for the past 29 years, and took a one way flight across the pond to start a new life in the USA with my soon-to-be wife Nicole. This was something that had been in the works for this whole year, and while the waiting and the whole process of applying for the visa got a little bit frustrating at times, it all came together in the end.
I always knew that saying goodbye to my family, especially my twin brother, would be one of the hardest things that I would ever have to do, and as emotional as it was, it needed to be done. At the end of the day, they all want me to be happy, no matter where I am in the world. And making this move doesn't mean that I intend on losing touch with any of my family or friends back in the UK, if anything it makes my connection with them stronger. As a good friend said to me, "you can take the lad out of County Durham but you can't take County Durham out of the lad."
My flights over to the US were absolutely fine, and to my surprise I had no trouble at US customs either - the only problem that happened was that British Airways left one of my bags in London, but that all got sorted thankfully. And when I was reunited with my lovely Nicole, I was finally able to say "I did it!"
We got moved into our own place, a very spacious apartment - it took a couple of days to adjust to it, there were a few moments where we both thought "pinch me, is this real?", but it already feels like home now. There's still much for me to get used to, but I'm sure in time that I will, and I know that Nicole will help me to do so.
With all that's been happening, Christmas has almost been an afterthought - however I'm glad that I was able to spend Christmas with my family before the move, as well as apending the New Year with Nicole and her family and friends - the best of both worlds, really.
As 2015 draws to a close, I can only wonder what 2016 is going to bring, not just for myself but for everyone. To this I say, it will bring what it will bring, let's just see what happens.
I'll leave you with my final artwork selection of this year, a festive group shot for my DeviantArt friends. Which leaves me to say just this: wherever you are in the world, whoever you're with, I wish you all the best for 2016 and beyond. :)
30/11/2015
November 2015
I just do not have the words to say that can cover how eventful this past month has been - but I can say one thing for sure: the wait is over.
The absolute highlight of this month was the last week, when after 11 months apart, I got to see my fiancee Nicole again, she flew over to the UK to spend a week with me, both at home in the north-east and for two trips to London. This was Nicole's first time getting to visit the capital, and we had a hectic but brilliant time seeing the city's sights, including Buckingham Palace, London Zoo, Regent's Park, Baker Street, Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus, as well as also having a skate on an ice rink down on the South Bank, and seeing the night lights of the London skyline from the top of the London Eye. Both the hotels we stayed at were great too, especially the Doubletree on the second visit (minibar and iMac in the room, anyone?)
We also combined the London trip with another DeviantArt meet-up, it was great getting to hang out with Dracorum-Order, Granitoons, TopperHay and LaptopGeek again, not forgetting meeting Qwertypictures (aka Chris Signore) for the first time. There was much walking, food, chat and drawing involved, and though it flew by, it was still something neither me or Nicole will forget for a long time.
However, spending timt together in London wasn't the only reason Nicole flew over, there was another very important reason for her being here - on 23 November, I had my visa interview at the US Embassy. It was a lengthy process, which involved waiting for two hours in between being called to a booth to have documents and fingerprints taken, the staff were very pleasant however. The actual interview consisted of questions about me and Nicole's relationship, and it was very quick, but also informal, it was more like a conversation than an interview, which made us feel at ease.
And now for the big announcement - how did the interview go? I can now finally say it after all these months...the embassy told me there and then that my US visa had been approved. It is finally happening after all this time, I can scarcely believe it - but needless to say both me and Nicole were overjoyed on hearing the news.
So this means December will be my last month living in my home country, because I've decided that I will be flying out to the US in the last week of December. This is because I want to spend one more Christmas with my family, before starting the New Year and a new life with Nicole. We both have a lot to do between now and then, that goes without saying.
Changing subject, the other highlight of this month was attending the Lumiere Festival in Durham for the third time - for those needing to know, it's an outdoor art festival that's been held in Durham every 2 years, and all the exhibits are themed around light - it was very crowded, but as always the exhibits were impressive. Some of the highlights included two flying fish creatures, mist across the River Wear, a projection of a whale swimming on the Wear and a dramatic projection on Durham Cathedral. Lumiere also saw another DA meetup, I hung out with DragonRichard for the event, which was nice.
I can't even imagine how December is going to be...but it's going to be a very important and very likely an emotional time - a lot of changes are happening, and I just hope I'm ready for them.
As always, I'll leave you with some artwork - a homage/parody of the B-movies from the 1950s that I drew for CowboyCrocket's 1950s art jam this month.
Till next time.
P.S. - Click the links below if you want to see pics and videos from my visit to the Lumiere Festival.
Videos:
Durham Lumiere 2015 #1
Durham Lumiere 2015 #2
Photos:
Durham Lumiere 2015 - Photos
The absolute highlight of this month was the last week, when after 11 months apart, I got to see my fiancee Nicole again, she flew over to the UK to spend a week with me, both at home in the north-east and for two trips to London. This was Nicole's first time getting to visit the capital, and we had a hectic but brilliant time seeing the city's sights, including Buckingham Palace, London Zoo, Regent's Park, Baker Street, Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus, as well as also having a skate on an ice rink down on the South Bank, and seeing the night lights of the London skyline from the top of the London Eye. Both the hotels we stayed at were great too, especially the Doubletree on the second visit (minibar and iMac in the room, anyone?)
We also combined the London trip with another DeviantArt meet-up, it was great getting to hang out with Dracorum-Order, Granitoons, TopperHay and LaptopGeek again, not forgetting meeting Qwertypictures (aka Chris Signore) for the first time. There was much walking, food, chat and drawing involved, and though it flew by, it was still something neither me or Nicole will forget for a long time.
However, spending timt together in London wasn't the only reason Nicole flew over, there was another very important reason for her being here - on 23 November, I had my visa interview at the US Embassy. It was a lengthy process, which involved waiting for two hours in between being called to a booth to have documents and fingerprints taken, the staff were very pleasant however. The actual interview consisted of questions about me and Nicole's relationship, and it was very quick, but also informal, it was more like a conversation than an interview, which made us feel at ease.
And now for the big announcement - how did the interview go? I can now finally say it after all these months...the embassy told me there and then that my US visa had been approved. It is finally happening after all this time, I can scarcely believe it - but needless to say both me and Nicole were overjoyed on hearing the news.
So this means December will be my last month living in my home country, because I've decided that I will be flying out to the US in the last week of December. This is because I want to spend one more Christmas with my family, before starting the New Year and a new life with Nicole. We both have a lot to do between now and then, that goes without saying.
Changing subject, the other highlight of this month was attending the Lumiere Festival in Durham for the third time - for those needing to know, it's an outdoor art festival that's been held in Durham every 2 years, and all the exhibits are themed around light - it was very crowded, but as always the exhibits were impressive. Some of the highlights included two flying fish creatures, mist across the River Wear, a projection of a whale swimming on the Wear and a dramatic projection on Durham Cathedral. Lumiere also saw another DA meetup, I hung out with DragonRichard for the event, which was nice.
I can't even imagine how December is going to be...but it's going to be a very important and very likely an emotional time - a lot of changes are happening, and I just hope I'm ready for them.
As always, I'll leave you with some artwork - a homage/parody of the B-movies from the 1950s that I drew for CowboyCrocket's 1950s art jam this month.
Till next time.
P.S. - Click the links below if you want to see pics and videos from my visit to the Lumiere Festival.
Videos:
Durham Lumiere 2015 #1
Durham Lumiere 2015 #2
Photos:
Durham Lumiere 2015 - Photos
31/10/2015
October 2015
The clocks have gone back, the days are shorter, the nights are longer, and the temperature's dropping - Autumn is well and truly here, and October has been very up and down for me - as well as very, very quick.
I'm still waiting for things to happen on a certain front, and the wait is getting to me a bit, but I'm just hoping that it will all happen eventually, as I have been doing for most of this year. I also had some very sad news in the last half of this month - I'm not going to go into detail about it here.
There has been one clear highlight this October - I went to a gig for the first time in 6 years, to Northumbria University in Newcastle, to see the band Fightstar for the third time, I previously saw them twice back in 2006. To be honest, I felt like I was the only person there who didn't have any company, but that was all forgotten once the bands started playing. Supporting Fightstar were Making Monsters, a female-fronted metal band from Ireland, whose singer Emma had one hell of a scream/growl on her; and Arcane Roots, an alternative metal band from the south, who had a very distinctive sound, not least because of their singer Andrew's high vocal range - both bands were terrific. There was an awful moment during Arcane Roots' set however - as they started playing, a lass in front of me fainted, and she had to be taken to one side by the event staff. I'd never seen someone faint before, it was canny distressing - I hope the girl's recovered since.
Now onto the main event - Fightstar were absolutely stellar the first two times I saw them, and they were exactly that this time, too, it was like they'd never been away (they'd been on hiatus for the last 5 years and only recently reunited). They played a mix of songs from all their albums, including some from their new album "Behind The Devil's Back". It also came full circle for me, as Fightstar's singer Charlie's brother Will joined them on stage to play guitar on some of the songs - Will was the singer in his own band Brigade, who I saw supporting Fightstar the first time I saw them.
For me personally, the highlight was probably when they played "Deathcar", the place pretty much erupted - but each and every song was brilliant, and I could tell the band were just having a blast on that stage.
It got better too - after the gig, I bought Making Monsters' EP "Attention" (which is excellent), and briefly spoke to their singer Emma who was at the merch table. I'd actually waited outside the venue to meet up with Fightstar after the previous gigs to get pictures and autographs, and I originally wasn't going to this time, but as they say, old habits die hard, so I waited with a bunch of other eager fans outside in the cold, and about an hour and a half later, they popped out, and I was able to get a photo with Charlie and Fightstar's bassist Dan (if either of you see this, many thanks again for that, and your set was absolute killer).
It was great getting to see Fightstar again, and experiencing live music again after so long - you really can't appreciate just how much work goes into putting on a gig and undertaking a tour unless you participate or you're either in a band or part of their road crew.
I'll leave you with some Halloween themed artwork featuring a couple of "polter-pests" - whether you're celebrating Halloween or not, hope you've had a good October.
PS: Click here to see my pics from the Fightstar gig.
I'm still waiting for things to happen on a certain front, and the wait is getting to me a bit, but I'm just hoping that it will all happen eventually, as I have been doing for most of this year. I also had some very sad news in the last half of this month - I'm not going to go into detail about it here.
There has been one clear highlight this October - I went to a gig for the first time in 6 years, to Northumbria University in Newcastle, to see the band Fightstar for the third time, I previously saw them twice back in 2006. To be honest, I felt like I was the only person there who didn't have any company, but that was all forgotten once the bands started playing. Supporting Fightstar were Making Monsters, a female-fronted metal band from Ireland, whose singer Emma had one hell of a scream/growl on her; and Arcane Roots, an alternative metal band from the south, who had a very distinctive sound, not least because of their singer Andrew's high vocal range - both bands were terrific. There was an awful moment during Arcane Roots' set however - as they started playing, a lass in front of me fainted, and she had to be taken to one side by the event staff. I'd never seen someone faint before, it was canny distressing - I hope the girl's recovered since.
Now onto the main event - Fightstar were absolutely stellar the first two times I saw them, and they were exactly that this time, too, it was like they'd never been away (they'd been on hiatus for the last 5 years and only recently reunited). They played a mix of songs from all their albums, including some from their new album "Behind The Devil's Back". It also came full circle for me, as Fightstar's singer Charlie's brother Will joined them on stage to play guitar on some of the songs - Will was the singer in his own band Brigade, who I saw supporting Fightstar the first time I saw them.
For me personally, the highlight was probably when they played "Deathcar", the place pretty much erupted - but each and every song was brilliant, and I could tell the band were just having a blast on that stage.
It got better too - after the gig, I bought Making Monsters' EP "Attention" (which is excellent), and briefly spoke to their singer Emma who was at the merch table. I'd actually waited outside the venue to meet up with Fightstar after the previous gigs to get pictures and autographs, and I originally wasn't going to this time, but as they say, old habits die hard, so I waited with a bunch of other eager fans outside in the cold, and about an hour and a half later, they popped out, and I was able to get a photo with Charlie and Fightstar's bassist Dan (if either of you see this, many thanks again for that, and your set was absolute killer).
It was great getting to see Fightstar again, and experiencing live music again after so long - you really can't appreciate just how much work goes into putting on a gig and undertaking a tour unless you participate or you're either in a band or part of their road crew.
I'll leave you with some Halloween themed artwork featuring a couple of "polter-pests" - whether you're celebrating Halloween or not, hope you've had a good October.
PS: Click here to see my pics from the Fightstar gig.
30/09/2015
September 2015
I have an announcement to make before I carry on with this blog - I've decided that from now on, my video blogs on YouTube will be private, and only viewable to my friends, and while I will not be making this text blog private, I will be more careful as to what I post in it. My reason for this is because I don't think displaying my personal life for the world to see is appropriate, because at the end of the day I don't know just who's watching my videos or viewing this blog. This is really how it should've been from the start, but of course I didn't know any better. Thanks for understanding.
I had a feeling that September would be an eventful month, and it certainly was - on the downbeat side of things, the lack of job situation remains the same, and I've also found myself becoming less motivated to do artwork. This is something I mentioned a few blogs back, and I think the main reason for it is everything going on in my life at this moment in time, but also because of the also previously mentioned gripes with DeviantArt - honestly, going there and just seeing pages of fanart, fanart, fetish art, fanart is enough to wonder what the point is anymore. There is no way I will ever leave DA though, I've been there too long and made too many friends through it for that to happen. At the end of the day, we all have our opinions and a choice to either acknowledge all the fanart etc, or to simply ignore it and carry on doing what you do. I know which option I'm choosing.
On the plus side of things, the change of season from Summer to Autumn isn't the only thing that's been happening this month. On the 8th, I took a 2 day trip down to London, my second visit there, met up with my good friend Mike (aka Dracorum-Order) and saw the city's sights and sounds, revisiting places we'd seen before and exploring new ones too. The trip was both for fun and business however, as I was also down there to have my medical checkup as part of the application for my US visa. It went very well indeed, and I very much enjoyed visiting London once again.
But wait, there's more - the London doctors wanted some extra information from me, which I had to get from my local doctors, and it ended up taking a week and a half longer than I'd have liked, but the US Embassy now has my documentation, and they will be contacting me within the next month and a half to schedule a visa interview, so it's all happening - exciting times.
My videos from the London trip are right here - and I'll leave you with this bit of cosmic artwork - my alien characters feeling right at home in Tomorrowland.
I had a feeling that September would be an eventful month, and it certainly was - on the downbeat side of things, the lack of job situation remains the same, and I've also found myself becoming less motivated to do artwork. This is something I mentioned a few blogs back, and I think the main reason for it is everything going on in my life at this moment in time, but also because of the also previously mentioned gripes with DeviantArt - honestly, going there and just seeing pages of fanart, fanart, fetish art, fanart is enough to wonder what the point is anymore. There is no way I will ever leave DA though, I've been there too long and made too many friends through it for that to happen. At the end of the day, we all have our opinions and a choice to either acknowledge all the fanart etc, or to simply ignore it and carry on doing what you do. I know which option I'm choosing.
On the plus side of things, the change of season from Summer to Autumn isn't the only thing that's been happening this month. On the 8th, I took a 2 day trip down to London, my second visit there, met up with my good friend Mike (aka Dracorum-Order) and saw the city's sights and sounds, revisiting places we'd seen before and exploring new ones too. The trip was both for fun and business however, as I was also down there to have my medical checkup as part of the application for my US visa. It went very well indeed, and I very much enjoyed visiting London once again.
But wait, there's more - the London doctors wanted some extra information from me, which I had to get from my local doctors, and it ended up taking a week and a half longer than I'd have liked, but the US Embassy now has my documentation, and they will be contacting me within the next month and a half to schedule a visa interview, so it's all happening - exciting times.
My videos from the London trip are right here - and I'll leave you with this bit of cosmic artwork - my alien characters feeling right at home in Tomorrowland.
13/09/2015
London: September 2015
Travel time again - and it was at very short notice, I have to say. On 8 September I paid only my second visit to my home country's capital city - London, of course. There was a twist with this trip however, it wasn't all for pleasure, there was a spot of business involved - I'll get to that later on.
Day 1
With only a slight delay, I took the 3 hour train ride from Durham down to London King's Cross. I'd only been in London about a couple of weeks previously, travelling through to get to the Isle of Wight, however this was the first time I'd visited London for the purpose of visiting London since December 2013, and as mentioned before, only the second time I'd done so. Just like last time, I met up with my good friend Mike, aka Dracorum-Order from DeviantArt, who was letting fly with his puns pretty much as soon as we said hello, and speaking of flying, before we headed into the city, we met with King's Cross' resident rat-catcher, a hawk named Harris.
One quick Tube train ride later and we were revisiting the London Eye, the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben and the Abbey in Westminster, before making our way along to the picturesque St. James's Park, a favourite spot from last time around - no squirrels jumping on me this time though, but there were plenty of wildfowl including various types of ducks, swans, and a heron. We then made our way to the Household Cavalry Museum, the home of the Royal Horse Guards, where we walked on the large courtyard and saw the classic architecture of the place, as well as getting some photos of the two Horse Guards on duty.
Before long, we were back in another familiar place, London's famous Trafalgar Square, where we stopped for some dinner while checking out the Square's fountains and bustling atmosphere, complete with a skeleton of what looked like a dinosaur or a bird, we weren't sure. Following that, we made our way along London's famous Strand street, where we came across the historic Somerset House, with its paved courtyard, plus one of London's many abandoned Tube stations, but this one was the most well-known of them all, the former Aldwych/Strand station, well-known because it has been used many times as a filming location. We weren't able to go inside, but it was cool to see the entrance all the same. Just across the road was the Australian Embassy, which reminded me of my pending visit to the US Embassy (more on that whole process a little later).
We then jumped on the Tube once again to Wood Lane, to get a quick look at an iconic London building, the closed BBC Television Centre, however it was in the process of getting demolished - still, at least I can say I got to see it anyway. Then it was another ride on the Tube to probably one of the most famous streets in the world, not just London - Baker Street, where we found a museum dedicated to who else but Sherlock Holmes, along with the door to his house, complete with a plaque saying that he'd lived there, or rather "lived" there. Me and Mike also ended up on something of a wild goose chase, thanks to a comment we overheard from a passer-by, we thought it would be a good idea to try and find Dangermouse's postbox (anyone who's seen Dangermouse will know what I'm talking about), and while we did find a couple of postboxes on Baker Street, none of them made any mention of a certain secret agent mouse - ah well, we tried.
We then jumped on a bus up to the very picturesque and sprawling Regent's Park, and once we got there it was easy to see why it's such a well-loved beauty spot, it was definitely a welcome breath of fresh air from the bustling city centre, with its playing fields, gardens and boating lake. Also located in the park was the famous London Zoo, which was closed for the day - more on that later, too. Just across the road from the park was Primrose Hill, and it was a hefty climb up to the top, however it was well worth it, because from the top of the hill was an awesome view of the London skyline, and it was certainly a very popular spot.
From Primrose Hill we took a lengthy walk back through Regent's Park to the busy London borough of Camden, which was of course very busy, complete with street dancers doing their thing outside the Tube station, where we once again took the Tube through to London Bridge, to revisit the London riverside, which included dancing fountains, the HMS Belfast frigate, London's tallest skyscraper The Shard, and another of London's most iconic landmarks, Tower Bridge. Last time round we saw the bridge from a distance, however this time we decided to take a walk on the bridge and check out the views across the River Thames, as well as briefly checking out the Tower of London also.
At this point it was dark, so we jumped on a train from London Bridge through to Mike's home town of Croydon, in south London, where I got to experience a London pub for the first time with a meal of burger, chips and pineapple juice at the Green Dragon pub. Then it was a quick bus ride to the block of flats that Mike called home - he very kindly put me up for the night at his place, which I appreciated greatly (thanks again, I owe you one). This wasn't the first time I'd stayed overnight in London, so it wasn't really a huge departure for me, and I managed to sleep just fine. Of course, me and Mike had to get some late night doodles in there, too.
Day 2
It was time for the business side of the trip - after some breakfast including a very delicious apple-flavoured green tea that I'd never tried before, we headed back to the train station via a quick tram ride, taking the train back into the centre of London and jumping on a Tube train to Bond Street, where I made my way to a very fancy looking place called Bentinck Mansions, the home of Knightsbridge Doctors. The reason I was there was to undergo a medical check-up, which was a requirement for applying for my US visa, and it was also the reason that this London trip was short notice. Mike headed off elsewhere while I went inside, and after a little bit of a wait, I saw three different doctors who assessed me and performed a check-up on me - I won't go into detail, but the long and short of it was that everything was fine. I'd been nervous about the medical, however it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be - the only bad thing was the fee I had to pay for it, it wasn't cheap!
Me and Mike reconvened after a brief wander around trying to find the meeting place we'd arranged, before jumping on a bus at Oxford Street down to the historic district of Soho, where we wandered around its narrow streets (which reminded me a lot of similar streets in Durham and York) until we found a place to grab some dinner, a busy but quaint café called Honest Burgers - no surprises for guessing what we had, very good burgers and chips too.
A short walk later, and we found ourselves in "Theatreland", aka London's West End, where we witnessed a coach trying to almost unsuccessfully reverse into a parking spot, as well as the streets lined with what were most probbaly very packed theatres, and of course teeming with people. We made our way to London's Chinatown district from there, complete with many Chinese restaurants (including one that Mike's family once owned), someone in a panda costume, and the beautifully ornate Oriental gates at the entrance and exit of the street. Before long, we found ourselves in London's equivalent of Times Square in New York City - Leicester Square, and much like Times Square it was absolutely packed. Just a short walk further along was another famous sight, the advertisment boards and striking white architecture of Piccadilly Circus.
From there, it was another Tube train ride back to Regent's Park, to pay a visit to London Zoo, one of the biggest zoos that I've been to, next to Southwick Zoo in Massachusetts in the US. There wasn't time to see absolutely everything there, but what we did see was well worth it - we got to witness a live talk on the zoo's resident Sumatran tigers, with one of the tigers getting up close and personal to the windows; a Komodo dragon named Raja who'd had a starring role in the James Bond film "Skyfall" (my first time seeing a Komodo dragon too); a quartet of Galapagos tortoises (one of which was born in 1940!); the Amphibian Ark, which was home to many different types of reptiles and amphibians, including snakes, frogs, chameleons and a crocodile; Gorilla Kingdom, with various very playful monkeys and a lone gorilla who was content playing with a sack; a colony of penguins being fed and swimming to their heart's content at Penguin Beach; a group of pelicans and flamingoes plus some colourful macaws; and last but not least, an exhibit dedicated to bugs, including a plague of locusts (!), cockroaches, spiders, a praying mantis, and to equal disgust and delight, bluebottle fly maggots!
Time was getting short at this point, however there was just enough time to revisit another landmark - and quite appropriate considering that the Queen was celebrating becoming the UK's longest reigning monarch that day - Buckingham Palace, complete with Mike's sneaky Queen and Prince Philip impression. ;)
Before we knew it, we were heading back through Green Park and back on the Tube to King's Cross, where me and Mike said our goodbyes, before I headed back up north and back home, one train to ride to Darlington, one late train to Durham and a mad dash for the bus later.
All in all, it was a great trip, I was glad to get the medical out of the way and I enjoyed getting to revisit some of London's sights as well as seeing new sights too, and I want to thank Mike again for putting me up for the night and keeping me company - London is best enjoyed when you've got a friend with you, and while I wouldn't ever wish to live in London, or any city for that matter, I definitely recommend visiting it.
To see my photos from the trip, click here.
Day 1
With only a slight delay, I took the 3 hour train ride from Durham down to London King's Cross. I'd only been in London about a couple of weeks previously, travelling through to get to the Isle of Wight, however this was the first time I'd visited London for the purpose of visiting London since December 2013, and as mentioned before, only the second time I'd done so. Just like last time, I met up with my good friend Mike, aka Dracorum-Order from DeviantArt, who was letting fly with his puns pretty much as soon as we said hello, and speaking of flying, before we headed into the city, we met with King's Cross' resident rat-catcher, a hawk named Harris.
One quick Tube train ride later and we were revisiting the London Eye, the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben and the Abbey in Westminster, before making our way along to the picturesque St. James's Park, a favourite spot from last time around - no squirrels jumping on me this time though, but there were plenty of wildfowl including various types of ducks, swans, and a heron. We then made our way to the Household Cavalry Museum, the home of the Royal Horse Guards, where we walked on the large courtyard and saw the classic architecture of the place, as well as getting some photos of the two Horse Guards on duty.
Before long, we were back in another familiar place, London's famous Trafalgar Square, where we stopped for some dinner while checking out the Square's fountains and bustling atmosphere, complete with a skeleton of what looked like a dinosaur or a bird, we weren't sure. Following that, we made our way along London's famous Strand street, where we came across the historic Somerset House, with its paved courtyard, plus one of London's many abandoned Tube stations, but this one was the most well-known of them all, the former Aldwych/Strand station, well-known because it has been used many times as a filming location. We weren't able to go inside, but it was cool to see the entrance all the same. Just across the road was the Australian Embassy, which reminded me of my pending visit to the US Embassy (more on that whole process a little later).
We then jumped on the Tube once again to Wood Lane, to get a quick look at an iconic London building, the closed BBC Television Centre, however it was in the process of getting demolished - still, at least I can say I got to see it anyway. Then it was another ride on the Tube to probably one of the most famous streets in the world, not just London - Baker Street, where we found a museum dedicated to who else but Sherlock Holmes, along with the door to his house, complete with a plaque saying that he'd lived there, or rather "lived" there. Me and Mike also ended up on something of a wild goose chase, thanks to a comment we overheard from a passer-by, we thought it would be a good idea to try and find Dangermouse's postbox (anyone who's seen Dangermouse will know what I'm talking about), and while we did find a couple of postboxes on Baker Street, none of them made any mention of a certain secret agent mouse - ah well, we tried.
We then jumped on a bus up to the very picturesque and sprawling Regent's Park, and once we got there it was easy to see why it's such a well-loved beauty spot, it was definitely a welcome breath of fresh air from the bustling city centre, with its playing fields, gardens and boating lake. Also located in the park was the famous London Zoo, which was closed for the day - more on that later, too. Just across the road from the park was Primrose Hill, and it was a hefty climb up to the top, however it was well worth it, because from the top of the hill was an awesome view of the London skyline, and it was certainly a very popular spot.
From Primrose Hill we took a lengthy walk back through Regent's Park to the busy London borough of Camden, which was of course very busy, complete with street dancers doing their thing outside the Tube station, where we once again took the Tube through to London Bridge, to revisit the London riverside, which included dancing fountains, the HMS Belfast frigate, London's tallest skyscraper The Shard, and another of London's most iconic landmarks, Tower Bridge. Last time round we saw the bridge from a distance, however this time we decided to take a walk on the bridge and check out the views across the River Thames, as well as briefly checking out the Tower of London also.
At this point it was dark, so we jumped on a train from London Bridge through to Mike's home town of Croydon, in south London, where I got to experience a London pub for the first time with a meal of burger, chips and pineapple juice at the Green Dragon pub. Then it was a quick bus ride to the block of flats that Mike called home - he very kindly put me up for the night at his place, which I appreciated greatly (thanks again, I owe you one). This wasn't the first time I'd stayed overnight in London, so it wasn't really a huge departure for me, and I managed to sleep just fine. Of course, me and Mike had to get some late night doodles in there, too.
Day 2
It was time for the business side of the trip - after some breakfast including a very delicious apple-flavoured green tea that I'd never tried before, we headed back to the train station via a quick tram ride, taking the train back into the centre of London and jumping on a Tube train to Bond Street, where I made my way to a very fancy looking place called Bentinck Mansions, the home of Knightsbridge Doctors. The reason I was there was to undergo a medical check-up, which was a requirement for applying for my US visa, and it was also the reason that this London trip was short notice. Mike headed off elsewhere while I went inside, and after a little bit of a wait, I saw three different doctors who assessed me and performed a check-up on me - I won't go into detail, but the long and short of it was that everything was fine. I'd been nervous about the medical, however it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be - the only bad thing was the fee I had to pay for it, it wasn't cheap!
Me and Mike reconvened after a brief wander around trying to find the meeting place we'd arranged, before jumping on a bus at Oxford Street down to the historic district of Soho, where we wandered around its narrow streets (which reminded me a lot of similar streets in Durham and York) until we found a place to grab some dinner, a busy but quaint café called Honest Burgers - no surprises for guessing what we had, very good burgers and chips too.
A short walk later, and we found ourselves in "Theatreland", aka London's West End, where we witnessed a coach trying to almost unsuccessfully reverse into a parking spot, as well as the streets lined with what were most probbaly very packed theatres, and of course teeming with people. We made our way to London's Chinatown district from there, complete with many Chinese restaurants (including one that Mike's family once owned), someone in a panda costume, and the beautifully ornate Oriental gates at the entrance and exit of the street. Before long, we found ourselves in London's equivalent of Times Square in New York City - Leicester Square, and much like Times Square it was absolutely packed. Just a short walk further along was another famous sight, the advertisment boards and striking white architecture of Piccadilly Circus.
From there, it was another Tube train ride back to Regent's Park, to pay a visit to London Zoo, one of the biggest zoos that I've been to, next to Southwick Zoo in Massachusetts in the US. There wasn't time to see absolutely everything there, but what we did see was well worth it - we got to witness a live talk on the zoo's resident Sumatran tigers, with one of the tigers getting up close and personal to the windows; a Komodo dragon named Raja who'd had a starring role in the James Bond film "Skyfall" (my first time seeing a Komodo dragon too); a quartet of Galapagos tortoises (one of which was born in 1940!); the Amphibian Ark, which was home to many different types of reptiles and amphibians, including snakes, frogs, chameleons and a crocodile; Gorilla Kingdom, with various very playful monkeys and a lone gorilla who was content playing with a sack; a colony of penguins being fed and swimming to their heart's content at Penguin Beach; a group of pelicans and flamingoes plus some colourful macaws; and last but not least, an exhibit dedicated to bugs, including a plague of locusts (!), cockroaches, spiders, a praying mantis, and to equal disgust and delight, bluebottle fly maggots!
Time was getting short at this point, however there was just enough time to revisit another landmark - and quite appropriate considering that the Queen was celebrating becoming the UK's longest reigning monarch that day - Buckingham Palace, complete with Mike's sneaky Queen and Prince Philip impression. ;)
Before we knew it, we were heading back through Green Park and back on the Tube to King's Cross, where me and Mike said our goodbyes, before I headed back up north and back home, one train to ride to Darlington, one late train to Durham and a mad dash for the bus later.
All in all, it was a great trip, I was glad to get the medical out of the way and I enjoyed getting to revisit some of London's sights as well as seeing new sights too, and I want to thank Mike again for putting me up for the night and keeping me company - London is best enjoyed when you've got a friend with you, and while I wouldn't ever wish to live in London, or any city for that matter, I definitely recommend visiting it.
To see my photos from the trip, click here.
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