End of an EAR-a!

17 April 2016

As of today (Monday 18th April) i no longer have stretched earlobes. I've been carrying my 30mm stretched lobes on the sides of my face for the just over the last decade or so. For the past few years i've been toying with the idea of having them cut off and stitched up but never really gone any further than just thinking about it.

That was until today... today i went under the knife and had my lobes stitched up.

Due to this type of surgery being an immediately visible one and the end result being quite a different look to what i've had since my early teens, it took me quite a while to find a surgeon who i trusted implicitly with the task of chopping my earlobes off. I found a surgeon called Mr Argawal. Mr Argawal works out of a few different places around and about but i met him at Fulwood Hall hospital in Preston. From our initial conversations, it was quite apparent that he knew exactly what i wanted and he was just on it with what i wanted to achieve with my surgery.

Due to the amount of time spent looking around for the exact surgeon that i wanted to do my ears, time was most definitely not on my side for the healing of them before our wedding. At the time of the consultation, there was just over 10 weeks till i would be tying the knot with my fiancè. I was pretty worried about this, thinking that i was going to be left with dirty, big, 'orrible wounds or scars across my earlobes for my big day but Mr Argawal was more than confident that they'd be healed in time and so, just like that, i was booked in for surgery!

Strava or it didn't happen...

15 April 2016

The statement "Strava or it didn't happen" has echoed round the cycling community for a long time now. It's one of those statements that people seem to laugh off yet still take massively seriously.

When i was in my "prime" cycling phase, i would even Strava a simple trip to the shops and then quickly rush to upload my ride to the internet, compare it with others and analyse that sprint segment or hill climb to within an inch of its life so that i could try and shave even a second off my commute or quick blast to the shops for a bottle of milk.

The only problem with doing this is that i ended up treating cycling as a sport in totally the wrong way.

I wasn't training for anything in particular, i wasn't even thinking about going into even hobbyist racing, i just had a healthy want to see a progression in my cycling and i generally just wanted to get quicker than i was at that moment. As far as i was concerned, there was no problem doing this except for when it started to take the fun out cycling for me.

For me personally, cycling had become more of a dick measuring exercise rather than the enjoyable experience that i had come to love over the years

My commutes had turned into a one man race to beat himself every day, my Sunday ride outs with friends turned into an all out assault to get to that particular days cafè stop faster than i ever had before and the very rare "relaxing ride", was heading towards a pace that i would've considered brisk a few months earlier. I mean, the more you do something the better you become at it in most cases so naturally this was going to happen.

RHS Tatton Park

1 August 2015

Gardening, landscapes, the outdoors and everything that surrounds them has always interested me. Whether it's animals, nature, exploring or just being outside; I've always strived to spend as much of my free time as possible not sat behind a screen. My career passion and lifestyle as a digital designer generally tends to be more of an indoor sport.

This is something that I can't really get around; but for that precious hour or two that I can find, I spend them outside.

I'm engaged!

6 May 2015

Earlier this year, I took the plunge and mustered up the courage to ask my amazing girlfriend to marry me. I never thought that I would meet someone that would make me feel so different about everything but since meeting Bec, my whole outlook on life has changed for the better.

#sconesnotscowns

4 May 2015

Good cake is something that i need in my life, it sounds stupid, but i can't drink a brew without some form of biscuit, cake or sweet thing to partner with it. In many ways, i'm a slave to my sweet tooth but i'm not getting into this now.

G.F Smith Collection Launch

30 April 2015

Last night I was fortunate enough to be invited to the launch of The Collection by the incredible G.F Smith. It's been far too long since I last went to an event like this. Being a designer of digital goods doesn't generally lend its hand to rubbing shoulders with paper manufacturers and printers; The thing is... I absolutely love paper. It might sound weird, but there's something about good paper.

Aeropress

28 April 2015

If someone has told me that for less than £30, I could create some of the best coffee I've ever had the pleasure of drinking within 5 minutes, every time, with no mess, no faffing and no learning curve... I don't think I would've believed it.

Enter. The Aeropress.

Having been an avid Aeropress user for a number of years now, I spent a while trying to figure out how I personally prefer my brew. If you've never had the absolute joy of using an Aeropress and if you've never had the incredible taste that comes from an Aeropress, then I'm sorry, but you honestly have been missing out.

This isn't just my coffee snobbery coming out. If the Aeropress was a technical, faffy and elitist way of brewing a coffee then I wouldn't be writing this now. The fact is, it's the exact opposite.

I'm not going to explain how an Aeropress works because there's plenty (and I mean plenty) of videos and tutorials knocking around that there internets for you to have a look-over. All I will say about it is that you need to get hold of one if you don't already.

Batfink

1 February 2015

Batfink is pretty much my all time favourite person (that's right... person). He's been by my side for the past few years and in March this year, the big guy turns 5. Since the house move, he's seemed a whole load more settled than when i lived in the conduit rental property between my old flat and our new house.

Firewatch

6 January 2015

I used to be a relatively enthusiastic "gamer", but over the past couple of years or so, I have found myself slowly falling more and more out of that circle. With regards to new releases, consoles and what's generally happening in the world of gaming, my finger is well and truly off the pulse these days. I'm not too upset about this, however, my wallet (and girlfriend) are very happy that I'm not into the big consoles anymore.

NYE

31 December 2014

Me, my good lady and her mother and father decided to brave the frosty, sub zero temperatures of the North West and venture up the big hill to the old Rivington Hall. I've not trekked over that way on foot for a number of years (since i was a wee lad) and it's amazing to see how much of the original hall's floor-plan has now been cleared.