The husband and I will be on an airplane to the old country for a bit of a seaside holiday a bit later this week. We are looking forward to the beach and the sunshine, but we are a little less than excited to be dealing with the South African issues. It will be good to see family and friends though, and there are a few foods we are looking forward to tasting again. And, of course, travelling back while earning pounds changes our spending ability a bit.
This month, it is two years since I moved over to the UK. The husband celebrates the same in November. This month, it is also a year since we both quit smoking. This is fairly significant for both of us, as we were both long-term smokers and it is the first time we have both been successful at quitting the stinky habit.
My child, my one and only offspring, fruit of my body, is twenty one years old. Twenty one. I have produced and managed to aid a full human to grow to this ripe age and everything. And, strangely, one gets rather attached to a human living in your space like this. So it is with some dismay that I have recently realised that this human will not remain in our space forever.
It has been even more pronounced recently as they have been travelling to Norway fairly frequently to visit their partner. The last trip was the one that really drove home this realisation. And so I have started preparing myself for the empty nest syndrome.
The husband and I luckily enjoy each others company, and have spent a fair bit of time together so we won’t find ourselves suddenly living with a stranger as so many do, but our house always feels a little emptier when the young one is away and the emptiness will take some time to get used to. I am sure it, as all other feelings, will eventually fade.
I will just need to plan my travels carefully, to ensure we can continue the one real tradition we have, which is me waking them up at 5:45am on the morning of their birthday with pancakes (or crepes as the rest of the world apparently calls them).
Growing up in South Africa, September was always the month of spring. It may not always be warm, but the signs of spring would be everywhere – sun rising earlier, trees in full bloom, air full of promise. September also meant I had a lot more energy and a head full of ideas, which I later realised was a cyclical bout of hypomania.
When we moved to the northern hemisphere, I believed this would end, as September is the beginning of autumn, and I expected I would see a slight downturn in mood.
And last year, my first September here, I didn’t really notice a mood swing either way.
But, this year, the mood I associate with September is back. Less sleep, more excitement, more exuberance, more energy. And thanks to my lovely friend Mandy’s research skills, I have now learnt that this is expected behaviour. And with some additional research, it turns out this is expected two weeks on either side of both the Autumn and Spring equinox. I must be honest, I have not really tracked my mood that actively for the last few years, and I have become a little complacent. I can feel the hypo coming on, and try and manage as much as possible with diet, sleep, exercise and sheer stubborness, but this means I am probably overdue a full episode and should keep track of things slightly better again.
It is hard to believe that a short two years ago, we were rushing around madly trying to sell our home and belongings, arrange our visas and planning for the biggest adventure we could imagine. It feels like we have been in the UK for a lifetime already.
We have been talking about our next steps recently, as our visas only allow us to be in the UK for five years, and we don’t want to leave it for the last minute and get caught with our pants down. And while we have a few options we are mulling over, the one thing we know for certain is that we simply do not want to return to South Africa. We rather enjoy being so close to the things we enjoy, and cannot imagine living in that constant state of fear again.
But really, for us it is about the lifestyle that we’ve always wanted. Going to Wacken now means a quick 1.5 hour flight to Hamburg, rather than the 10-18 hour flights from the Southern Hemisphere, which means we can now attend every year. We can also go to gigs and events all around the UK without having to apply for a visa and saving for a year or two. And while we are here, we are going to do this as much as possible. Which is why we have already lined up tickets for the following:
Powerwolf and Amaranthe in November
The Unnoficial Stargate Convention in November
Nightwish in December
Peter Murphy in December
And the husband is going to see Dimmu Borgir and Kreator in December as well.
We’re also planning to see Turisas and Korpiklaani in February, and I am going to try and see George Ezra in March. And then there is also the opportunity to see great minds like Professor Brian Cox share the wonders of science with vast audiences.
We took a wander through London again yesterday, and my bestie Mandy introduced us to a wonder that’s been hidden right under our noses, the Graffiti Tunnel located under Waterloo Station. It’s actually called the Leake Street Tunnel and was first turned into a street art gallery by the famous Banksy. It is now a legal space for street artists to show off their skills, and it truly is a magnificent sight. I took some photos, but they really don’t do the space justice.
We’ve been watching Once Upon a Time recently, and it has had me thinking about Heroes and Villains quite a bit.
In stories, typically the heroes and villains are quite well defined, it is the way the story is constructed typically. In real life, it is not quite as simple. And with the way words can be twisted and opinion manipulated with media, it is easy to lose sight of the heroes and villains in real life.
I saw someone share this on social media recently, and it made a bit of a dent in my head:
It is easy to forget that everyone is the hero of their own story. It is even easier to forget that we may be the villains in someone else’s story.
Everyone deserves a happy ending, even villains, but no-one’s happy ending should come at the expense of another’s.
I think that is where the clearest distinction between heroes and villains is seen. If you are willing to knowingly sacrifice someone else’s happiness for your own, you may not be the hero of the story.
I am quite a fan of city building games. From Caesar III to SimCity, I have been playing city builders for the past 20 years, but it has always been PC-based. Over the last few years I have migrated to console gaming, where the city builders have been sparse, until recently.
Because, recently, I discovered the joys of Cities: Skylines. It means hours and hours in front of my console, which has given me a wonderful break from the current political and human climate of ugliness. I worked through all the scenarios and started building some really lovely cities, until I watched some community videos, like this one:
And while this city was created with the PC version of the game, which gives you a lot more tools, I thought I would attempt something similar, especially with the new road tools that came with the Mass Transit DLC.
I used one of the flattest maps I could find, and did this in sandbox mode – there is no way you can do this in a standard for achievements city, considering the costs of the highways.
I expanded the map to all 9 tiles, proving a lovely large canvas. I then cleared the map, leaving the highway connections at the edge of the map, and used the 6 lane highway to connect corner to corner and then cross section the map. This allowed me to easily create the first circles.
I took some time to plan out the highway connections, trams and busses, and then got to work.I forgot to do some captures before I started populating the zones, unfortunately, and I am not quite happy with the rounding of the highway around the tower in the middle of the city, but it is a fair first attempt.
I did build a few industrial areas outside of the circle area towards the edge of the map, as well as the supporting utilities and lots of garbage incineration stations. I’ve also now stated on a second, smaller circle off to the side of the big one.
The smaller circle suburbs turned out a lot better, I learned a few things about the road building tools that I will apply in the next attempt in doing something like this.
So far, the city has a population of 60k, with little visible traffic issues and a very low unemployment rate.And the city is now, finally, stating to run with a green balance – about 3 years in.So definitely not something you can do with a achievements city, unless you build it up with a fabulous bank balance and then annihilate it to rebuild, but I estimate it probably cost in the region of 4 million to get started, if not more. Six lane roads are expensive
But it has provided me with some lovely views, and escape from a world filled with Nazis.
"Why, Sir, you find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford."
The offspring and I visited Paris over the last weekend. It was both our first time visiting Paris, and we had a great time. We saw as many of the traditional touristy spots as possible in the short time we had available, and attended Lollapalooza Paris on Sunday.
Because, of course, the two are a little related
I caught the end of the anti-Orange One protests in London on Friday. It was great to see so many people turn out to raise their voices against racism and other kinds of isms, but it was also clear to me that the protest was against more than the big Cheeto.
It was against the entire system that allowed the Fart to raise to power in the first place. Against old rich white dudes in power.
The last protest I attended was the Zuma must fall march in South Africa, and remembering this, I was struck by some differences. But it is not what my racist fellow Saffers assume it to be.
Protests in South Africa are a lot more violent, but it is because the people have been angry for a lot longer, and have more reason to be. As they have been affected by this system of old white rich men for a lot longer. So it is easy to make comments about the violent nature of the protests if you’ve not been affected by oppression or on the receiving end of racism.
Protestors in South Africa are also, legitimately, afraid of the police. They do not get to pose for selfies with the police, or ask them for directions. Police in SA come to protests with rubber bullets and tear gas.
It is important to understand the difference before passing judgement.
But speaking of rich white dudes…
Rich white dudes have a few role-models that they can look up to, and strive to emulate. But I like to think that, mostly, they have a choice of becoming either Tony Stark or Lex Luthor.
Both come from rich families, both start off as spoilt brats, both are amazingly smart humans and have great technologies at their disposal. Tony Stark, however, does become a better person and tries to protect the world. Lex Luthor, on the other hand, remains a spoilt entitled brat and tries to destroy the world.
I can think of a few rich white dudes that have pursued the Tony Stark path, but it seems most of them end up on the Lex Luthor path, while thinking they’re Tony Stark. I know it is hard to be a rich white dude these days, because, you know, the world is against you and stuff, but damnit, E***, you should try harder. Be more Tony.
Summer in England is truly a glorious time, but this year is especially summery. The northern hemisphere has been wrapped in a bit of a heatwave, if you haven’t noticed, which has meant long, hot, sunny days that remind me of my childhood, and of the descriptions of summer days from Good Omens.
The warmer weather has allowed us to do more activities away from home, cycle through the forest in the evening and attend events in London more happily. We’ve had lunch with good friends, attended London Pride and a Star Wars party (of which, sadly, I took no pictures)
My favourite picture from the last two weeks that I am happy to share is this one:
I’ve been missing in action for a few weeks. It’s not that I haven’t had anything to write about, I’ve just struggled to get the words to line up right. I still don’t feel like I have full control over them yet, but I think I can convince them to string a sentence or two together.
I went to Africa! Actually, I had a lovely trip for work to Uganda, a country I’ve never visited before. I had some concerns about visiting, as the country’s legislation around LGBTQI rights is atrocious, but I had a great visit. I met up with a colleague one evening in the hotel for a glass of coke, and took this picture from the 10th floor of the hotel. This is Kampala at night.
It is important to me to portray Africa in a different light. It is too easy to post pictures of poverty and rural Africa, but it’s not really accurate. While I hate the generalization, it is important to note that typically African cities are great hubs of activity with a lot of new developments happening. It is also important to remember that Africa is a continent made up for 54 countries, each with its own culture and traits that make it unique. The common theme in Africa is the lasting effects of colonialism.
I’ve recently found myself in the world of Mad Men. I somehow missed watching it when it aired, but as it is on Netflix, thought I would give it a try. What a ride it has been. I have found myself consistently angry while watching it, mostly at the blatant misogyny and racism of the time. I also realise that this is the time that the Orange One and his deplorables talk about when they talk about the golden days of the US, and the times they want to return to. It was a time that only worked for straight white men, so as someone who isn’t a straight white man, it is easy to see why we don’t want to return to those days.
I leave you with this glorious picture. This is Summer in England
I’ve been doing a lot of introspection recently. And, by recently, I actually mean the last six months or so. I have felt some perceived pressure to change direction, and it really is perceived because, for some reason, I have made myself believe it is there, even though it isn’t.
And while thinking about this in great depth, I have noticed how easy it is to lull oneself into a false sense of growth, just because one is ticking all the boxes. And doing things simply because it checks all the boxes does not really allow for growth.
And looking back over the last few months, I have wasted a lot of time anguishing about this perceived pressure, rather than doing things as I would have in the past. And by doing this, I have killed off a bit of my mojo.
Time to return to that space outside my comfort zone, where I create things rather than consume and chase dragons rather than cuddle kittens.
Just one question: where did I hide the gummy berry juice?
I have always loved stories, and have read widely since I could read, but few genres have captured me as much as Science Fiction, especially if it involves space.
The first Sci-Fi I remember capturing my attention was E.T. I was all of 8 years old, almost 9, when it was released, and I made my long-suffering family take me to the cinema several times to watch it. I know they took turns, and I ended up seeing it 9 times in the cinema. By the last time, I could just about recite every word, and started crying when the yellow flowers drooped.
There have been many many stories since then, from Starman to Star Trek, Stargate and, of course, Star Wars. My love for everything with the word Star in it is no secret, really.
But even if there wasn’t Star in the name, if it was Science Fiction and set in space, you can pretty much guarantee that I watched it, and loved it quite a bit. I’m looking at you, Farscape, but not forgetting Andromeda, Battelstar Galactica, Lexx, and so many more.
Here is my confession. I have never really been big on reading SciFi. Sure, I read some of it – Dune mostly – but have, for the most part, not really included space operas in my reading, often because I steered clear of reading series of any kind, and preferred stand-alone stories.
Then, two years ago, I discovered The Expanse. A colleague told me about the books, but I had a fair bit going on in my life at the time (like planning moving my family to a new continent) that I didn’t quite pay attention. When the series was released on Netflix, I thought I would give a go. And I was hooked. In the two weeks that I was alone in the UK waiting for my family to arrive, I watched season 1 another two times through, and when season 2 was made available on Netflix, I devoured it (and rewatched). And then broke down and started buying the books, which just cemented my love for this series.
I woke up on Friday morning to the news that SyFy has decided effectively cancel the TV series. My heart has been broken since. But we, the fans, have been campaigning Amazon and Netflix since then to pick up the show, and maybe, just maybe, there is hope for future seasons.
Summer finally arrived towards the end of last week, with temperatures soaring into the high 20s, and we had 3 beautiful sunny days over the week-end. I really hope it continues, and that this wasn’t the summer of 2018.
We did try and make the most of the sunshine by taking our favourite short human (friends’ offspring) to Legoland Windsor.
The husband and I last visited in 2013, and it was a very different experience, as we were two adults visiting without a short human. I didn’t really take many pictures, as I was continuously occupied
This week, the sun came out in full swing, and there was much rejoicing in the land.
I took some holiday days this week, which I spent with my youngling out in the garden soaking up the rays. Sometimes, we just need some downtime. My next holidays will be spent in Paris, hopefully, as the youngling and I are planning a quick week-end trip to Paris for Lollapalooza in July.
I have had many thoughts this week that I planned on blogging, but I am still working through them and structuring them in my head. But it is all about best moments and nostalgia. We so often look back and glorify the past that we forget to live now, but I feel like this right here is the best moments of my life so far.
And I leave you with this lovely picture of our neighbour’s cat, Jazzy, who visits on sunny days and allows us to pet him and love him and give him belly rubs. Almost all of the benefits of being a cat slave without the responsibility.
On Friday, the husband and I headed out into London for a bit of a celebration, as it was our anniversary recently and his birthday next week. He wanted to go see Epica, so we headed off to the O2 Forum in Kentish Town for a night of good metal.
While Epica have filtered into my playlists here and there, I have to admit that I was not overly familiar with their music and could not really call myself a fan. I had also not heard of the two supporting acts before.
When we walked in, Oceans of Slumber were on stage already and well into their set. Unfortunately, it was not a sound that grabbed me. The lead singer had an amazing voice, but, to me, it seemed like the rest of the music did not support her voice – instead, it seemed to be a bit of a competitive situation on stage, as if three different bands were trying to play at the same time. I was surprised to discover they have been going since 2011 and have 3 albums under their belt already.
I will try and listen to their studio albums before passing final judgement some time, but it will take some convincing for them to make it into any of my playlists on a full time basis.
Next up was Myrkur. I’d never heard of them, unfortunately, but within 10 seconds of their first song, I declared my undying love, and immediately followed them on Spotify.
I would offer up my soul or a bowl of lentils for more of this, and look forward to listening to Myrkur a LOT more in future.
Epica put on a fantastic show. They are engaging and entertaining, and really know how to get the crowd involved in the show. Simone Simons has a lovely voice and a fantastic energy, and they are certainly fabulous musicians too, and will also definitely become a more regular feature of my playlists. But, for me, the show was stolen by the synth/piano player, Coen Janssen, who rolled the synth around like a scooter when not playing, and acting out the songs in the most comedic ways. He had me in stiches at time, and it was wonderful. It is great to see a metal band who, while playing fairly serious music, doesn’t take things too seriously.
All in all, a great night out, and the O2 Forum is definitely a great venue – small enough to be intimate while big enough to fit big sound without feeling crowded and claustrophobic.
One of the perks of travelling as much for work as I do is that I get to rake up hotel loyalty points, which allows us to stay in places that may not always be possible. For my birthday, we visited Cardiff and stayed in a hotel there using loyalty points, so for the husband’s birthday, I decided we would do the same. We were fortunate enough to get a great room at a hotel in Islington with a lovely view of the London skyline.
On Saturday, we went for a walk-around Greenwich, which I think is one of my favourite areas of London. The husband had not been there before, so I had to go show him around the Old Royal Naval College, which was also the set for a famous scene in Thor: The Dark World and makes for gorgeous photos too.
Spring finally decided to arrive in England yesterday, and, when the sun shines, this is truly a glorious place to be.
Our next big outing will be going to see Ensiferum and Ex Deo at the O2 Academy in Islington on 1 May, and the ability to do these things is one of the main reasons we wanted to live in the UK and so close to London. I am ridiculously exited for this concert, because Ensiferum has been one of my favourite bands for the last 8 years or so, and I have recently fallen a little bit in love with Ex Deo.
I have always loved stories, and have read widely since I could read, but few genres have captured me as much as Science Fiction, especially if it involves space.
Then, two years ago, I discovered The Expanse. A colleague told me about the books, but I had a fair bit going on in my life at the time (like planning moving my family to a new continent) that I didn’t quite pay attention. When the series was released on Netflix, I thought I would give a go. And I was hooked. In the two weeks that I was alone in the UK waiting for my family to arrive, I watched season 1 another two times through, and when season 2 was made available on Netflix, I devoured it (and rewatched). And then broke down and started buying the books, which just cemented my love for this series. 
