Is it the end of 2014 already?

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!

Rest In Peace, Peter Stapleton

I have been spurred to write this blog post tonight after hearing of the sad death of a friend, Peter Stapleton.

It was perhaps one of the more unusual and brief friendships I have had. Peter was a regular caller to BBC Radio Lincolnshire, where I started my radio career playing a few songs on the Howard Leader show. Given that it was a Sunday afternoon, I had time to chat to the regular callers, and I spoke to Peter every week.

He would often talk about his close friendship with jazz trumpeter Nat Gonella, and I would enjoy asking him questions about Nat and the adventures they got up to together.

Eventually university came to an end, and there was no prospect of paid work at Radio Lincolnshire, so I moved back home to York. I agreed to keep Peter's number so we could keep on communicating. Peter was extremely eager to share details about his experiences of music in the 1930s and 40s, having lived through them first hand - and I was only too keen to hear as much as possible. 

Looking back, I dearly regret not being able to meet him - but Mablethorpe and Lincoln may as well have been at the other end of the world given how poor public transport is in Lincolnshire.

Often when I rang, I would get tantalising details of what he got up to during the war. I understand he was part of the tanks who went to Normandy on D-Day, and liberated the Hague whilst there! He was a very proud man, but as soon as we came to talk about that, he would quickly make his apologies and say goodbye. I get the sense they were painful memories for him.

And so I left Radio York, and onwards to Radio Bristol - and we still kept in touch. I rang once a month or so, and he even sent me memorabilia relating to the jazz age: photos of Nat Gonella, Ivy Benson's All Girl Band. They are all contained in a folder in my drawer, along with the only photo I have of him.

So here I am, mourning the loss of a man who I never met, but one who dearly valued the phone conversations we had. What started out as "just another regular caller" turned into one I really enjoyed hearing from, and I will miss his reminiscences. Despite his poor health in recent months, I know the jazz music kept him happy, and I know he talked about me and my career a lot to his friends. He wanted me to go far in life.

I've even been offered his entire 78rpm record collection, and I don't know what to say to his widow. Peter expressly said that myself and another friend should have his collection when he died, but there just isn't space in my house - yet I feel I should do his last wishes justice in some way.

Peter Stapleton - rest in peace. Though we never met, I'm happy I was able to bring some cheer into your final years, and I'm thankful for the reminiscences shared.

"With cut beard! 2009"

"Easy going, seeks a laid-back housemate..."

In just 36 days I will be homeless. Not that I need reminding of that - it's something I think about every day from the moment I wake up, to the moment I go to bed again. For the second time in a year I am looking for somewhere to live, and once again I'm reminded just what a peculiar and frustrating process this is.

Since I am looking alone, I've been searching on Spare Room, and Gumtree - without much luck at all. Part of me wonders if I'm selling myself correctly, or whether I'm simply not compatible for the 15 or so places that have said no to me so far. Here's some of the "reasons" why I haven't found somewhere yet

• "We really liked you, and thought you'd fit in, but I gave the room to a friend of mine who asked about it"
• "I really liked you, but I decided to give it to somebody I had mutual friends with, as I thought it would be easier"
• "Something has come up on the survey, so I don't think I'll be leaving now. Get back to me in October"
• "The room has gone, sorry" (This was within 6 hours of it being listed online)

And the only place that has said yes to me so far, I turned down after this comment came out during the viewing

• "Yes, about the mouse traps - we've been free of mice for 4 months now, so I'd like to find someone who can keep the place clean so that they don't return".

Yes, that's literally it. A whole month of looking and still nothing, and now I'm really feeling the heat. Part of my frustration in this process comes from the ridiculousness of Gumtree and other sites. You have to sell yourself to extreme levels, make out you're something that you're not. You tell them what an amazing job you do, how you're always up for trips to the pub, or to the cinema. You conveniently neglect to mention that you'd much rather relax on the sofa after being at work. Pretty much every advert I've read has asked for somebody who is "laid back and easygoing". 

Cliché alert...

This is the bane of my life right now

Then comes the viewing, a quick show round the rooms, noting the dimensions and trying to gauge the people you'll be potentially living with in 5 minutes. Most people are quite casual about this, I once heard somebody having rather loud sex in the room next door whilst we were looking round. After most viewings comes the polite interrogation.

• What do you like to do in the evenings?
• What sort of music do you listen to?
• Do you cook for yourself or for others?
• Are you a presenter? - I always get asked this when I tell people I work for the BBC.
• What sort of TV do you watch?

Whilst I appreciate questions like this increase the chances of finding that perfect person, I can't help but think that most of them are trying to find a new friend, rather than a new housemate. Fall foul of one, and there are easily 30 others waiting in line behind you.

And so the search continues, sending out idealised aspirations of what I'd like to be, in the hope that somebody sees through it all and says yes.