Christmas 2017 Favourites

Happy New Year everybody! I hope you all had a lovely Christmas, and that 2018 is a joyful and prosperous year for you. 🙂

This Christmas marked my first anniversary of moving to London. It’s hard to believe it’s been that long already. And 2017 has been an amazing year! Although I was already used to getting around the city from my previous visits, it was still a leap into the unknown in many respects to actually live here. I had no idea how well it would work out, how safe or comfortable I would feel, how accessible events and attractions would be, and how easy it would be to make friends.

But it’s been more than worth the effort, and I’m extremely happy with how well it’s gone, given all the friends I’ve made, places I’ve explored, new things I’ve tried, and the opportunities I’ve taken up. A year ago I never imagined that I would be doing many of the things that have transpired in the months since.

I’m also pleased that my blog, Youtube, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter pages have had a steady increase in followers over the year. Sure, I don’t have big numbers compared to the bigger bloggers out there, but relative to where I was a year ago it’s been a substantial leap. And my goals for this haven’t been about the numbers anyway. Making connections, sharing my experiences and spreading a bit of awareness was always my aim, and I’ve been achieving that. It’s resulted in numerous opportunities and new experiences, including guest posts, a public speech (with another planned for next year), participating in a research study (which is continuing next year), being interviewed by a journalist, and more. My efforts have been paying off more than I could ever have imagined, and I’m loving it.

But above all, thank you so much to everyone I’ve met and interacted with during the year, whether it be in person or online. By reading, liking and sharing my content, leaving comments, asking questions, sending me private messages and emails, giving me opportunities for guest posts and public talks, and even meeting up in person, you’ve helped to make this year a very special one for me. Especially Aniridia Network UK, Nystagmus Network, London Vision, Thinking Bob, VocalEyesRNIB, Scope, Fashioneyesta, Life Of A Blind Girl, My Blurred World, Luke Sam Sowden & All The Stations, but also everyone else that I’ve had any kind of contact with during the year.

Everyone has been very positive and supportive, and your involvement has enabled me to start this new chapter in my life with confidence and comfort, and fun and friendship. And for that I’ll always be very grateful. 2017 will forever be one of the most significant and happy of my life, nothing will take that away.

And I’ve had a lovely Christmas to finish it off in style, so I wanted to bring you up to date with how it went and the various things I enjoyed. This is quite an epic post as a result, and I’ve also filmed a video that mentions some of the stuff here along with my general reflections on 2017 as a whole. So I hope you enjoy!

Continue reading “Christmas 2017 Favourites”

November 2017 Favourites

Hello again, welcome to my latest Favourites roundup. Once again it’s a varied package, with some disability blog posts and events, a museum tour, no less than three musicals, another outing with Fashioneyesta, my first trip to a Lush store, the delights of the Lord Mayor’s Show, and more. So I hope you enjoy looking through it al!

Continue reading “November 2017 Favourites”

September 2017 Favourites

Hello again, nice to have you back for my next roundup. It’s been my most significant and eventful month of the year so far, with my first ever public speech, a holiday overseas, a walking tour and a meal with a fellow blogger, audio described tours of an art exhibition and a few special buildings, a day trip to another town, and a music and drama workshop. So I hope you enjoy!

Continue reading “September 2017 Favourites”

Journal – October-November 2016 (London Visit)

Welcome back to my latest journal posts. There wasn’t anything worth writing about in September, but recent weeks have been pretty eventful.

Down in Devon I’ve been to a stand-up comedy show with some work colleagues, and there are updates on our house sale too. I’ve also paid another visit to our new place in London, where my Aunt gave me a little tour of the local area, I went to the Sight Village exhibition and an aniridia meetup, I oversaw the installation of a broadband line for homeworking, and I made contact with a fellow blogger I’ve been following for a while. So I hope you enjoy it all!

Continue reading “Journal – October-November 2016 (London Visit)”

Journal – January-February 2015 (Guernsey Holiday)

Here we go once again into another year. This looks set to be significantly busier than the last one, in particular because my best mate from Guernsey is getting married, and I’m going to be one of the two best men at his wedding, alongside his cousin.

So these lengthy, detailed entries to start the year are all about my recent trip to see my friend on the island, where I got to meet some of his family members and relatives, had nice walks, ate lots of nice things, watched various TV shows and films, played video games, and even had my first experience of getting properly drunk. And I’ll be travelling over there again a couple more times in the months ahead. So I hope you enjoy reading about it all!

Continue reading “Journal – January-February 2015 (Guernsey Holiday)”

Journal – July 2012 – Jimmy Carr

This is another special entry, as I’ve had the surprise opportunity to not only watch, but also meet, one of my favourite stand-up comedians – the consistently hilarious joke machine that is Jimmy Carr, who is on his Gagging Order tour. And it’s all the more interesting to see him right now, as he’s recently been headline news for his tax avoidance.

I bought a signed tour programme and poster as well, so I’ve shared some images throughout this post (you can click to enlarge them). Naturally some of the jokes in his show and tour programme reflect the more edgy side of his humour, so there may be material here that some people find isn’t to their personal taste. We can’t all like and laugh about the same things. But I enjoyed myself, it was a fantastic night. Jimmy is a genuinely nice guy, his show was very funny, and I hope you enjoy reading about my experience!

Continue reading “Journal – July 2012 – Jimmy Carr”

Journal – September 2008

Here we go with another set of journal entries, featuring more socialising, DVDs, the new album by Queen + Paul Rodgers, and the Paralympics, among other things. So I hope you enjoy!

Continue reading “Journal – September 2008”

Journal – August 2008

It’s once again time for more posts from my journal. It was my birthday this month of course, and we’ve had the Beijing Olympics on TV, plus there are the usual mentions of things like DVDs and news stories as well. So I hope you enjoy!

Continue reading “Journal – August 2008”

Journal – June 2008

Time for another batch of my journal entries. I went out and about to do some more socialising and shopping this month, and we had a few technical issues at work. Plus I’ve mentioned things like DVDs and news stories as usual. So I hope you enjoy!

Continue reading “Journal – June 2008”

Journal – May 2005

Welcome to the next instalment of my journal posts. There’s plenty packed in here, including career updates, entertainment highlights, top 20 lists, little bits of news and sport, and the start of a fun little getaway. So I hope you enjoy!

Continue reading “Journal – May 2005”