July 2023 - Drinks, Games & Concert

 I was getting more and more excited about my trip to Hadrian's Wall, and looking forward to spending some alone time walking, and just being able to figure out what was going on in my head a bit more. I'd got the guidebook, new walking trainers and was starting to book places to stay in while I did the walk.

I had a leaving do with work at the local pub, it was lovely to be able to see everyone for one final time and say goodbye properly. I did have a rather sore head in the morning though!

I also had a meet up with some friends at Gunwharf Quays, where we had an afternoon with some drinks at the Alchemist there. It was a very nice bar, with some interesting & delicious cocktails, like this amazing Parma Violet flavoured one!

I was also spending some quality time just doing nothing. Days just sat about reading or playing computer games, just really doing the absolute minimum. Normally I'm not like this, I'm usually always doing something. But spending that time just being quiet and still was rather helpful. I needed to get better at managing my stress and emotions, and I needed to find a better outlet for my frustrations.

I was building bigger and bigger on Cities Skylines, really investing some time and frustrated energy into building something nice, like this nice residential neighbourhood on the top of the hill overlooking downtown & the sea. I was resisting the urge to put a monorail in everything I built! 

July also brought news about another incident at the BBC, with a well known television presenter being accused of sending inappropriate & sexual messages to a 17 year old. Huw Edwards, known within the UK as a highly respected news anchor, often tasked with breaking difficult news to the country, such as with the death of the Queen, had been cleared of wrongdoing by the police. However, I think the BBC, mindful of previous times where they had failed to do the right thing when it came to possible child & sexual abuse, suspended him quickly, and he vanished from our screens. Interestingly, one of the people involved later stated that what had happened did not actually happen in the way it had been reported, and accused family members of misinformation.

I was spending more time in the garden again and with the plants, and the almost dead orchid I had been given from work had not only revived, but was covered in buds, I can't wait to see it in bloom!

Other things in the news were Rishi Sunak offering an apology to LGBTQ+ who were banned or dismissed from serving in the armed forces. The apology came at a time where Homophobia & Transphobia have been on the increase recently, particularly with regards to an increase in the amount of hate crimes being reported. I was a lovely thing to hear, that our government finally accepted it's role & has taken a step to remedy it. I can only hope this continues, while we live in a country where on the whole LGBTQ+ people are accepted, I don't always feel that we are celebrated.

Here's my meatloaf dinner, with the turkey/chicken mixed meatloaf Biddy gave me (was very nice) with my first ever attempt at cooking a risotto. It was horrible. The rice just never seemed to cook fully, it was so bland I ended up adding a lot of seasoning to it, and then it just tasted nasty. I think I need to practice that a bit more!

And the night before I was due to catch the train to Manchester to start my Northern journey, James took me up to London to see Texas. Now mine and James's music taste's do not match up at all, yet I think the only artists we both like and listen to regularly are Texas and System of a Down. He got tickets for an intimate acoustic show in Pryzm London, where we got to see & hear a couple of new songs, and a couple of old favourites, while the charismatic Sharleen Spiteri gave us some hilarious life stories in between! She's one of those fascinating people you can't help but adore and want to be friends with! We listened to their greatest hits on the way and back home again from London!

I'd already packed my rucksack, and in the morning, I gave James a hug goodbye and walked down to the train station. I was planning on being away for about 3 weeks or so, and I didn't yet have a definite date to return home. We'd not been apart for this long since I went travelling, but he knew why I needed to take the time out to do this. He made me promise to send him a picture every day. And I dutifully promised I would send hundreds!

I jumped on the train to Manchester Piccadilly, and well, that's coming up in the next post!