Seven months in and I’m running out of ways to start these posts. Every month I can’t believe it’s gone so quickly and how fast this year is flying by. This month is no exception.
As you may recall from my last post, I ended June on holiday in Florida. I’m writing about this adventure separately, but I will mention that we were there for the 4th of July celebrations. If I had to sum that experience up in one word it would be fireworks. Disney fireworks, celebrations in Old Town at the end of the street, lots of colour explosions as we try and find our way back in the dark. In fact, I think it would be fair to say that the whole of Florida was having a fireworks display – well, everywhere except Universal Studios where we were on 4th of July (the photo below is from the Disney celebrations the day before). That said, there weren’t as many people so the queue times were a lot shorter, so I can’t really complain.
After an amazing holiday, it was time to fly back to England. We flew overnight and the plane was pretty quiet since most people were asleep. I was not one of those people. I don’t know what it was, I couldn’t seem to get comfortable and I just wasn’t exhausted enough to sleep. Instead, I watched TV show after TV show including some classic Tom and Jerry and half of an A-Z of Top Gear. I was so ready to go home and the flight was taking forever. Once we’d finally landed and collected our cases, we headed to McDonalds for food (it feels wrong calling it breakfast when I hadn’t just woken up). Eventually, I got home and crawled into my bed at 9AM. Goodbye normal sleeping pattern, you will be missed.
As I struggled with my Jet-lag, I did manage to get out of bed long enough to have dinner and a catch up with Carys. I told her all about my holiday, and she filled me in on her life since we last saw each other including getting her new car which had very much confused me when she picked me up. It was great to see her – as it always is.
A few days later, I got to see my other best friend Jess. It was surprisingly hot for the UK, so in order to enjoy the weather while it lasted, I dragged her outside for a picnic. It was a bit last minute, so we popped to the supermarket and tried to decided what counted as picnic food. With the sun shining and not a cloud in the sky, we talked about everything from the people we used to go to school with to imaging what our futures will be like. It was really nice to get away from everything for an afternoon and just enjoy each other’s company. I’ve missed that.
It wasn’t long before I found myself on a train headed back to Brighton. It’s like there’s a magnetic force pulling me there, and it was for a good reason. As part of a project that I’m working on, I had the privilege of being a part of and photographing the Trans Pride march. It was the first time I’d been to any kind of pride event, and I wasn’t sure what to expect to be honest. It was better than anything I could have imagined. There was so much support – not only from the people marching, but from the crowds of bystanders and the passengers in the cars we passed. Given all the horrific events that have happened around the globe lately, it was a nice reminder that there is still love in the world. It was absolutely amazing to see, and even better to be a part of. It’s something I will never forget. I even got to met the mayor after the march – which would have been more amazing if I wasn’t trying to eat my lunch at the time.
Towards the end of the month, Carys and I went to Bluewater for a bit of retail therapy. Although its not always what I want to hear, she gives me the best advice when it comes to just about everything in life. I won’t go into too much detail, but my heart has spent most of July and the past few months wanting something and someone that it can’t have. A day of looking round the shops and a trip to Nandos is definitely what the doctor ordered. I even made a new friend.
Keeping with the theme of friendship, Jess invited me over to hers for an evening of movies, giggles and chocolate. Again it was quite short notice, but that’s just how we roll now, and it was great. Once we’d eventually decided on a film to watch, we sat with vodka sorbets and laughed at all the things wrong with the plot. It was actually an alright movie, but you don’t just watch a film with a friend – you have to have a running commentary otherwise what’s the point? I live for the casual nights with my friends, they really make me appreciate what’s important in life. Time changes a lot of things, but not my love for them. That seems to be the only thing I’m sure of.
To end this month, I’m back in Brighton for the day (I just can’t keep away!). Remember that project I mentioned earlier? Well, we’re interviewing people at Pride next month and that takes a lot of preparation. I’m really glad that I got involved in this group because I’m meeting lots of interesting people and getting to do all sorts of things. It really is evidence that you should take as many opportunities as possible. I can’t wait to see the outcome.
And that’s July. Bring on August.
The Little Snowball 