For the first few minutes of 2014 I was wet. Very wet. We had trundled up to the roof of the apartment block in Bow, to watch the fireworks, and the heavens open in equal measure. I was very drunk, and also very happy. 2013 had gone extremely well for me, but now it seems like the last 12 months have gone by in the blink of an eye. Whilst I started 2014 with plenty of optimism, 2015 seems a little more uncertain.
Bristol
Moving house, 22nd February
I can't quite believe that I moved house two times this year. In February I was finally glad to leave the awful, bullying housemates behind and move on to a lovely flat in Redland. That was a huge relief, because the negative home environment was really getting me down. I had a fun 6 months with Mark, before moving on again to my current house in Montpelier.
Just once, I would like to feel settled in a house - it all still feels quite transient. The Bristol housing market is one of the most overpriced that I've come across, and despite the fact I love living here, it comes with a bit of resentment that so much of my wages are spent on rent.
So now I've been exploring a new area - the cultural hub that is Stokes Croft. What an odd mix of affluent young professionals seeking somewhere more unconventional, combined with the artists of Montpelier and the lifelong residents of St Pauls. It's a real crossroads!
Going downhill?
The Park St. Water Slide - 4th May 2014
2014 had quite a few memorable moments. One day saw me sliding down Park Street at nearly 20 mph, another day saw me scaling the rigging of the SS Great Britain, and another day saw me meeting Sooty & Sweep, one weekend I went off to Cheshire and had a fun weekend making cocktails out of a 1930s cocktail cabinet, and yet another saw me dancing at the Café De Paris, St Pancras Station and the fabulously art-deco Camden Town Hall Ballroom.
It is experiences like these that give me something to look forward to. The work/sleep cycle can get pretty tiring - so it's big events like these that I can look forward to which make it all worthwhile. On the other hand, I barely get out in Bristol, and despite promising myself that I would try and expand my friend circle, it doesn't feel like this has happened.
Of course, I know why this is the case. I'm always falling asleep, all of the time. Bristol has a thriving nightlife, and I haven't really experienced it. I did try joining one of those meetup groups for young professionals, but they kicked me out because I didn't get to enough of their events (true story).
Work
Career aspiration - tick!
On April 1st 2015, it will be exactly two years since I joined BBC Bristol. I know this, because I wrote it in big fancy letters on the 1st April 2013. I guess I must have been really proud, or I had a bit too much time on my hands. I'm 24 next year. Yes, 24 years old! I am starting to think about how to progress onwards and upwards now. The ambition still hasn't left me just yet! So for the time being, it's back to the 4:35am starts, and a few choice swear words at 4:36am every morning.
Goodbye Grandad
65 years of marriage - 26th March 2014
This was the last picture I took of my grandad, who passed away 4 days later. I knew he was waiting for his 65th wedding anniversary - and why wouldn't he? I was immensely proud of him, and really quite happy in retrospect that I got to spend some precious time with him. I know that he ended his life knowing I had made such a good start, and I'll keep his memories precious for a long time to come.
Here's to 2015!
Something will happen to me in 2015. I don't quite know what, or how it will happen, but I feel that after getting myself so established in 2014, it will be time for a change. I know how to drive, I know Bristol relatively well now - is it time for a new challenge in life?
I'm quite sure that there will be more vintage adventures - they are always really intensive experiences. The difficulty will be to make something happen before I wake up one day and realise it's December 1st, 2015. I can't quite remember a year which has gone so quickly, so here's to making something big out of it!
