On future planning, upcoming events and hidden art

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.

On London

"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."

Samuel Johnson

A Parisienne interlude

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.

On Sword Bearers

I got to see my favourite vikings, Ensiferum, live in London last night. It is the first time in 7 years I’ve seen them live, and it was simply perfect.

On Outings and New Loves

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.

Glimpses of wealth and colour

It is quite a thing, this blogging regularly again. Because I have specifically made it a goal this year, and booked time in my calendar for it, my brain has kicked back into gear and I start thinking about content for my next blog post halfway through the week already.

Because I travel a fair bit for work, I get to stay in hotels fairly often, and, because I have learned the value of loyalty points, I try and stay with the same chain wherever I go. As a result, I recently hit gold status with this hotel chain. The result is that I now get breakfast for free, access to the executive lounge where I can eat and drink for free and loads of other benefits.

And I realised that this is a small glimpse into the world of the wealthy, and this is just how it works. When you have and do not need, you get. The wealthy receive free gifts and food and many things they do not need, simply because they are wealthy. And those who really need rarely receive. I know this is a simplistic take on it, and I may expand on it in future in a more eloquent way.

I travelled to Leeds for work this week, which is one of my favourite places to travel to in England. I also like the journey because I travel via London King’s Cross, which is one of my favourite stations in London, and it is quite photogenic.

Forty Six

I had my last business trip this past week and another spectacular week in Cape Town. I will miss visiting here so often.

Forty Three

While we still have some serious work to do to get the garden back, the view from my kitchen is really starting to come together. I love how the Jacaranda trees complement our wall, and the colours all pull through.

Forty One

Our renovations are nearing the end, finally. Our beautiful new gate was installed and painted this week, and it truly is a thing of beauty. Our previous gate did not allow any privacy, which meant we were reluctant to use the front garden much.

Now I am just waiting for my new bookshelves to be installed, which should be some time in November.

Forty

We went to the open day at the Animation School today, and this beauty was visible from the balcony at the front door.

My daughter is considering a future in animation, and the open day was very informative. I think it is an exciting career option for any creative person, and definitely the future of the visual art industry.

Thirty

I’ve been incredibly fortunate to be able to spend so much time in Cape Town for work. It allows me quick little holidays with scenes like this.

Twenty Two

Another terrible trip to Cape Town

I love Houtbaai. I love the beach here, and the feel of the area. One day, when I grow up, I would like to live here. Well, either here or in Germany. But here would be good. I would love to be able to see that beach, that view, every day.

After this visit, I started writing on my current WIP again, which is never a bad thing.

Twenty One

And now, my kitchen has been completed

We will, at a later stage, add a splash back over the basin area, and start decorating the walls, etc but it is so nice to be able to cook again.

Twenty

I love the Sandton skyline, especially as visible from Delta park.

Winter is creeping in very quickly now, and I suspect that we are in for a long, cold winter (for a change)

Nineteen

I was fortunate enough to have a hotel room with a balcony this week while in East London, and this was the view from my room every morning.

My kitchen was also installed this week while I was gone, and now looks like this:

It is not complete – there are still many things to finish, including the plumbing, but the feel is there. I cannot wait to start using this beautiful space.

Eighteen

I had another lovely week in Cape Town, and again, the scenery played along.

As much as I love the travelling, it can also be very challenging, especially when travelling three weeks in a row. It also gets quite lonely, as you are really removed from your ‘normal’ life, and don’t really have a point of normal during that time.

But just look at that view!

Seventeen

This week was the first of three weeks in a row of travelling for me. Fortunately, the scenery tries to make up for me being away from home.

Fifteen

We were fortunate enough to share in the wedding celebrations of two lovely friends this week-end. This is the cake topper, which was a hoot.

The wedding was particularly special because the bride’s father passed away two weeks before the wedding, and this was his last gift to the family. It was a beautiful ceremony and day.

Thirteen

My daughter has been drawing beautiful things again.

Her art teacher recently said that her art style would suit book illustrations, and I agree. I would love to see her art in some of my favourite books one day.

Seven

The daughter’s art prep work.

I love her style. One of her teachers recently suggested thinking about book illustrations as one career option, which I think would be lovely.