![\"abandoned-house\"](\"//images.ctfassets.net/uvlx0f9w0mlv/3LJjhge7iIYTAfnbblypjw/97008dd4894d5091f969408e3de52bd4/abandoned-house.jpg\")
“See you tomorrow!” Oliver shouts back to his mate as he runs to catch his bus.
\nAfter they both finish work at the shopping centre near Greg’s house, they usually hang out there, playing video games for a few hours. The pair have been best friends since the first day at secondary school when Greg had offered Oliver the empty seat next to him.
\nGasping for breath, Oliver glances at his watch and lets out a sigh of relief. “I haven’t missed the bus”, he tells himself. He takes a seat and waits for the bus to arrive. As Oliver waits, he hears the voices of a couple of lads in the distance. From the amount of noise they are making, it sounds like they have just been kicked out of a pub. Oliver glances back down at his watch. “Come on, hurry up!”, he urges the bus.
\nThe group of lads appear from around the corner, their voices becoming more audible. Oliver instantly recognises one as a lad he knew at school. It has only been a few years since Oliver left school, but he can still remember that voice distinctly. Oliver has never forgotten the taunting and bullying he had received from Shaun and his gang.
\nOliver sits very still, closes his eyes and whispers to himself. “Not tonight, let them pass me. Not tonight”.
\nOliver walked down the corridor with Greg, heading off to their second lesson of the day: Science.
\nShaun shoulder-barged Oliver, knocking him to the ground. Shaun’s gang and other passing students laughed at Oliver being pushed to the floor.
\n“Oh, Oliver is that you? What are you doing on the floor?”, he paused to laugh. “I’m so glad I ‘bumped’ into you. Don’t you owe me your lunch money this week?”
\nOliver had hoped Shaun had forgotten. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a couple of coins. As he handed the money over, he glanced at Greg, who was looking away from the scene, trying to ignore what was happening. This filled Oliver with a new wave of embarrassment.
\n“Hang on… The agreement was for a week’s worth. This looks more like two days, at most.”
\n“That’s all I have on me, please don’t. I’ll get you the rest”
\n“It’s too late now, I’ll be seeing you later” Shaun glared at Oliver, then indicated for his mates to follow him as they walked away, sniggering. The bell rang, signalling the start of the next lesson.
\nOliver nervously got up, picked up his bag, and continued along to his lesson.
\nOliver opens his eyes, chancing a glance in the direction of the lads. They are not there.
\nOliver turns his head and sees the lads walking away from him. They had walked past without noticing him.
","excerpt":"“See you tomorrow!” Oliver shouts back to his mate as he runs to catch his bus. After they both finish work at the shopping centre near Greg’s house, they usually hang out there, playing video games for a few hours. The pair have been best friends…"}}}},{"node":{"id":"340f2950-207e-548f-96af-6179dcf749df","title":"Inktober 2018","slug":"inktober-2018","type":"blog","date":"October 31st, 2018","featuredImage":{"fixed":{"src":"//images.ctfassets.net/uvlx0f9w0mlv/5UhhLDd8wUuMngcDkUzUbH/96d4287cea262e3bd613f7efca96bf03/inktober.jpg?w=300&q=50"}},"body":{"childMarkdownRemark":{"html":"While visiting my local art supply shop Cass Art, one of the employees GingerDan asked me if I would be participating in Inktober, which prompted me to ask ‘What is Inktober?’
\nI did a quick Google search and found the Inktober website. I looked over the rules and searched for some artwork from previous years on Instagram, I decided to give it a bash.
\nI had a full month with the list of prompts because I registered to the mailing list, so I started to plan a few of the pieces.
\nThen October hit…
\nThe first couple of day went smoothly, then I started to feel the pressure. I was only able to commit two hours in the evenings for that days prompt. So was also cramming a few in during the weekends to give myself a break in the evenings.
\nI do feel that this was a difficult challenge but I am proud that I was able to do this, and believe I will attempt it again in the future.
\nSee all 31 pieces in My Inktober Instagram Story
","excerpt":"While visiting my local art supply shop Cass Art, one of the employees GingerDan asked me if I would be participating in Inktober, which prompted me to ask ‘What is Inktober?’ I did a quick Google search and found the Inktober website. I looked over…"}}}},{"node":{"id":"86a371ce-35f9-56d3-a7f8-216b557e8524","title":"Behind the Black Door","slug":"behind-the-black-door","type":"story","date":"March 31st, 2017","featuredImage":{"fixed":{"src":"//images.ctfassets.net/uvlx0f9w0mlv/3LJjhge7iIYTAfnbblypjw/97008dd4894d5091f969408e3de52bd4/abandoned-house.jpg?w=300&q=50"}},"body":{"childMarkdownRemark":{"html":"
Michael is leaning against the fence of Callum’s front garden. He’s been waiting here for about 20 minutes, as Callum had to eat dinner with his family before he is allowed out. During their last lesson of the day, Michael had suggested that the two of them head over to the playing fields close to where they both live.
\nThe front door opens and Callum steps outside. “Sorry, mom’s being a bit of a pain again” Callum offers up, hoping his friend isn’t annoyed with him.
\n“No problem”, Michael replies, “I didn’t realise you live next to Sophie, I spotted her in the window up there.” He motions up to a window with light streaming out of it.
\n“Oh yeah, I don’t really talk to her”, Callum explains, “She’s a bit weird; sits in the garden reading and talking to the flowers”.
\n“Really? She seems normal enough to me. She smiled at me, when she realised I had spotted her.”
\nThe two boys started to walk down the road and cross over to the playing fields. There are a few football pitches, a skate-park and a children’s playground. As the two friends walk on to the grounds, they hear the sound of boys laughing and talking very loudly.
\nWhen Callum notices the source of the chatter he stops and turns to Michael; “I don’t want a run-in with Thomas and his gang, let’s leave”.
\n“Don’t be silly”, Michael scoffs, “they’re all the way over there”.
\nCallum pauses, looking around, thinking of a way to avoid the boys that bully him at school.
\n“Come on scaredy pants, lets go into the woods. See if we can find a good spot to show the girls.” Michael winks.
\nThe two boys head for the woods that border the playing fields and almost surround the housing estate. As they progress deeper into the trees, the sounds of the bullies along with the light starts to fade.
\n“You know, you really need to stand-up for yourself”, says Michael; “We’re in our second year now. You can’t be hiding from Thomas for 3 more years.”
\n“I think I could probably deal with Thomas by himself” Callum replies defensively, “But he’s never alone, he always has his gang of heavies doing his dirty work.”
\n“Come on, You’ve been doing his homework from the first day of secondary school”, says Michael.
\n“I know”, admits Callum, sombrely, “It’s either that or his gang beat me up.”, “Remember what they did to David during gym class? I don’t want anything like that to happen to me.”
\nMichael nods, deciding to end the conversation before his friend becomes too upset. He bends down and picks up two sticks, then throws one over to Callum. Not expecting this, Callum catches the stick surprisingly well, prompting the two boys to lunge at each other making high-pitched noises as if wielding light-sabres.
\nAfter a few duels with dramatic death scenes – one of which Callum wins – the boys throw their imaginary weapons to the ground and continue to walk along the beaten path.
\n“You know, I think you’ve got it wrong about Sophie” Michael offers. “I reckon she’s into me”.
\n“What makes you think that?” Callum asks.
\n“Well… When I was waiting for you, I noticed the light turn on, so I looked up.” Michael pauses “She appeared in the window, looking a bit sad. as she looked around she noticed me looking up at her, she smiled, and blew a kiss at me.” Michael smiles slightly embarrassed about what he just shared.
\n“So thats why you want to come over here, your gonna ask her to come for a ‘walk’” Callum winked.
\nMichael turned away looking for a reason to not respond, and notices an overgrown track winding off the main path and stops abruptly, making Callum bump into him. Without saying a word, he changes direction towards the mysterious off-shoot and quickens his pace.
\n“Erm… Michael. Where are you going? The path goes the other way.” There is an unmistakeable anxiety in Callum’s voice.
\n“Come on!” replies Michael. “We’re going exploring, remember? And it looks pretty cool down this way.”
\nLooking ahead of where Michael is pacing. The trees seemed increasingly dense and it’s very dark. “Shouldn’t we be heading back? It’s getting dark”.
\n“No”, says Michael, frustratedly, “It’s only because the trees are blocking the light, it’s not that late.”
\nThe two boys head deeper into the woods. Despite Michael’s assertions, time is also moving on. It’s later than the boys think.
\n“Aren’t you glad that we came looking in the woods instead of having a run in with Thomas?” says Michael.
\n“Yeah”, replies Callum, momentarily distracted from his surroundings, “But I can’t wait ’til the tables turn and someone teaches him a lesson”.
\n“You know, Thomas isn’t as liked as he thinks he is” adds Michael.
\n“What do you mean?” replies Callum.
\n“Well, I was talking to Jessica during lunch, and she was saying that the girl’s don’t like him and hate the way he is treating you.”
\n\n“Hey, what’s that?” Michael stops suddenly. Hidden in the darkness, amongst the dense trees, stands a lonely stone building. The two move closer to the building, Michael in the lead, and Callum following cautiously behind. The structure looks abandoned. The area around it is overgrown, all the windows are boarded-up, and a pitch-black door marking the entrance. “Let’s go see if the door opens” the excitement was obvious in his voice.
\n“No, don’t!” shouts Callum, “An axe murderer could be in there waiting to kill us.”
\n“An ‘axe murderer’? Really?” Michael shakes his head. “I don’t think so…” Michael pauses and looks over to the building, “but I do have an idea.”
\n“What?” Callum asks nervously.
\n“Let’s sit down over there”. Michael walks over to a spot a few steps away from the front door, then sits on the floor. “Well? come on!” patting the floor next to him.
\nCallum moves slowly over to sit next to his best friend.
\nMichael turns to him “You know when we walk to school every morning and we pass the bus stop by Ermingwood drive?“.
\n“Yes?” Callum replies curiously.
\n“Well, you know that old woman with that large maroon handbag and the hat with the dying flowers on top? I bet she lives here”.
\n“I don’t know,” Callum replies, thoughtfully, “That’s pretty far for her to walk to catch the bus, and it doesn’t look like someone actually lives here.”.
\n“That’s what so perfect about it,” Michael replies, “a ‘witch’ wouldn’t want to live in populated area”.
\n“A witch? You’re having a laugh!” Callum shakes his head in disbelief.
\n“No I’m not,” insists Michael, “Remember Johnny? I heard that he bumped into her one day, knocking one of those horrid looking bags off her shoulder. The next day, Johnny fell from his skate-board and broke his leg. Just before it happened, he told Eric that he noticed that the old woman’s eyes turn red as she looked back at him while muttering something”.
\n“Johnny wasn’t that good on that skateboard anyway” says Callum. Although he was sure Michael’s story was made-up, there was still something about their surroundings that unnerved him.
\nGlancing around, Callum’s attention is draw to the black door. He notices strange marks around the handle. Deep claw marks, as if a wild animal had tried to get inside. “Hey, I have an idea of who would need to occupy a place like this.”
\n“Yeah, who would that be?” Michael asked.
\nCallum whispers, “I think that Mr Fenris would use this place.”
\n“Fenris! The gym teacher?” asks Michael, somewhat confused.
\n“Yeah, have you ever noticed that he takes time off each month around the full moon? I reckon he is a werewolf.”
\nMichael laughs, “Fenris? a ‘werewolf’?, what have you been smoking?!“.
\n“Seriously,” Callum continues, “remember when he took off his shirt? hairy as hell! He’s also got that mean temper”. Callum looks his friend directly in the eyes, “I reckon when it gets close to the full moon he comes here to lock himself inside, trying to keep the werewolf secure”. Seeing that Michael still does looks convinced, he added “Explain the wolf howls? wolves aren’t indigenous to Wolverhampton”.
\nA cold breeze startles the boys as it blows the fallen leaves gathered around the building. Callum edges closer to his friend, suddenly realising that they are pretty far away from home and help. “Calm down, its only the wind” Micheal
\nLooking back at the house, Michael notices a sign for land development.
\n“I’ve got one that you’ll really loooove.” Michael “its a man that went insane and killed his family and buried them were we are sitting right now.” Michael.
\n“This was that holiday cottage site, that jenny robins dad was trying to start up”
\n“He got this house built and the family moved in, but when it was being developed the builders uncover a mass burial site. knowing that this would mess up his plans jenny’s dad made them continue.” “after they moved in crazy shit started to happen and jenny when insane. They final moved out but the ghost are still here.”
\n“Wait, isn’t that the plot of poltergeist movie?” Callum.
\nA load click echoes from behind the door and startled the two boys, with a creak the door begins to open. The boys immediately jump to their feet and run, back the way they came.
","excerpt":"abandoned-house Michael is leaning against the fence of Callum’s front garden. He’s been waiting here for about 20 minutes, as Callum had to eat dinner with his family before he is allowed out. During their last lesson of the day, Michael had…"}}}},{"node":{"id":"cfcf7c20-a931-5fa7-8517-0def230b5f69","title":"Love a bit of cheese","slug":"love-a-bit-of-cheese","type":"blog","date":"January 15th, 2017","featuredImage":{"fixed":{"src":"//images.ctfassets.net/uvlx0f9w0mlv/3nIEc0owanBXQQQp7UAt6w/f1b5ddbe393442d21201a2a6c787dd7a/cheese_thumb.jpg?w=300&q=50"}},"body":{"childMarkdownRemark":{"html":"I was pleasantly surprised when my girlfriend bought me ‘The ULTIMATE Cheese Making Kit’ for Christmas. We’re very partial to a wedge of cheddar on a cracker, so why not push the boat out and make something a bit more exotic ourselves?
\n![\"cheese1\"](\"//images.ctfassets.net/uvlx0f9w0mlv/6VCSAV2iiTdVybXkZOYnXU/ae89c47ed3604eb97e09c7e8c4b4846a/cheese1.jpg\")
The kit contains ingredients and moulds to make eight types of cheese: Mozzarella, Ricotta, Halloumi, Goats Cheese, Scottish Crowdie, Queso Blanco, Labner, and Paneer.
\nFor my first attempt I chose to try to make Goats Cheese, mainly because it’s one I particularly like so i know how the finished product should look and taste.
\n![\"cheese2\"](\"//images.ctfassets.net/uvlx0f9w0mlv/59ZpOXIw8o0zs4Ua79wUbb/0a8afef79ec945f3b2222ba2f683e7e9/cheese2.jpg\")
![\"cheese3\"](\"//images.ctfassets.net/uvlx0f9w0mlv/1TvbxgcS8xM7OTwLXy9XRk/c6d2f9dbbba594838cb82a61b169969c/cheese3.jpg\")
![\"cheese4\"](\"//images.ctfassets.net/uvlx0f9w0mlv/fbtP5QeIPz4l1DmYagFEz/c0da324d38849c08bd7428631a0bb15c/cheese4.jpg\")
Now to enjoy the finished product with some crackers - yum!
","excerpt":"I was pleasantly surprised when my girlfriend bought me ‘The ULTIMATE Cheese Making Kit’ for Christmas. We’re very partial to a wedge of cheddar on a cracker, so why not push the boat out and make something a bit more exotic ourselves? cheese1 The…"}}}},{"node":{"id":"1fea4b9a-1743-55f8-9330-fd5a0a22d5e6","title":"Liverpool Dayout","slug":"liverpool-dayout","type":"blog","date":"November 16th, 2016","featuredImage":{"fixed":{"src":"//images.ctfassets.net/uvlx0f9w0mlv/27dmsSSF3iD6k7a9rYkdho/508194d8bb90d93ed99c8758a68d10b5/noimage.png?w=300&q=50"}},"body":{"childMarkdownRemark":{"html":"For my birthday this year Francesca had suggested we go to Liverpool.
\nFirst thing we went to was The Beatle Story, as a Beatles fan this was a must. We checked out some modern art at Tate Liverpool, some history at the Museum of Liverpool and found some interesting books in the Nation Museums Liverpool and the Central Library.
\n[map center="-2.985900,53.404660" zoom="14" type="streets"]
![\"guitar\"](\"//images.ctfassets.net/uvlx0f9w0mlv/6JQF8rNxSt0ckyTu6MMJXL/2ef08af624143b856bd8c16a697137cb/guitar.jpg\")
Back in something like 2004, I purchased an acoustic guitar from Argos, a cheap one, mainly because I wasn’t sure that I would stick to practicing. After a short while I realised that I wanted an electric guitar because the sounds that I was creating were not the face-melting sounds from my favorite rock songs, so I gave it away to a friend, then went to a music store and bought a starter pack, that included a black Fender Showmaster and amp.
\nNow with an instrument that gave me the sound I wanted, I was starting to pick up a few riffs. I found it tricky to work out the strumming patterns, and as a beginner my fingers were not ready for some of the chords. I slowly became bored of finding simple tab sheets and only learning a tiny part of a song. So the guitar got packed in its case and put aside.
\nA few years later an Xbox 360 game was release Rocksmith, it allows the user to plug in a real guitar and play along to songs in a guitar hero fashion, along with learning exercises and games to help speed up the learning process. I couldn’t wait I thought that this was it I was finally going to learn to play better, so I bought the game.
\nThe game was really good, I was playing (badly) along with some songs, however it is a game, and I have many games, new ones are always being released, and so I stopped playing Rocksmith to play more anticipated games, the guitar got packed away again. Every once in a while I would have nothing to do and remember that I have a guitar, start playing some riffs and remember I suck then store it away again.
\nDuring a clear out I decided enough is enough I’m never going to play this stupid guitar, I’m throwing it away… I didn’t, instead I found it a new home with an enthusiastic guitar friend of mine.
\nRecently while looking through charity shops searching for vinyl’s I noticed some cheap acoustic guitars, which prompted me to think about learning for the third time. I asked my friend to pick out a few acoustics in a price range that I wouldn’t miss if I failed again.
\nAfter a few hours in a music store I bought my third guitar, for slightly more that I was expecting to pay. I found that the Ibanez AEG10II-BK Black was the best guitar for me as it has a thinner body than most acoustics, which makes me feel more comfortable playing it which I’m hoping will mean I will be willing to play more often.
\nI’m still planning on using Rocksmith to help me learn, and I have already started learning a few easy songs. However one of the songs that I want to learn is not included on the game: ‘Here Comes the Sun’ by The Beatles, I’ll have to pick that up from an online tab…
\n![\"recordstoreday\"](\"//images.ctfassets.net/uvlx0f9w0mlv/6iGLWfksfkOkfCONaF838l/211164e6faf73bfebf435e63ed93d448/recordstoreday.jpg\")
Record Store Day started in America in 2007. It wasn’t long before the record stores in the UK adopted the day. On this day every year some artists release unique, limited editions or re-releases, most on Vinyl occasionally on Cassette Tape.
\nThis time last year my girlfriend and I had decided to attend our first Record Store Day, we were hoping to get our hands on the 10” glow in the dark single of Ghostbusters. Sadly my car broken-down which resulted in us missing the day – later that year my girlfriend gave me the vinyl as a present.
\nThis year we had our sights on a few of the limited releases, however not all of them were in stock, we still managed to pick up a good haul:
\nSome of the records we missed out on:
\n![\"college-music\"](\"//images.ctfassets.net/uvlx0f9w0mlv/43NW58zlbDA3D2VhDgzKnN/913bc302f788f4690a0480e59e2a47a5/college-music.jpg\")
Today I remembered a band Lit that I first heard when I was in college between 2000-2002, and this inspired me to take a trip down memory lane.
\nBack then I didn’t really own many CDs (I was still using cassette tapes).
\nIt was during this time that I started to fine-tune my music tastes, preferring Rock, Metal and Punk over the Pop and Dance music I favoured during my secondary school years.
\nThe group of people that I was socialising with at college had different tastes to the group of friends I had grown up with. My college friends were always happy to share their CDs and introduce me to new/old bands I had never heard of.
\nI remember spending most of my time and money in shops like HMV and MVC, both went into administration, however HMV managed to claw its way out.
\nSome of the albums I remember owning during my college years:
\nI never did build up an impressive CD collection. I quickly moved to the digital format of Apple’s iTunes, and I’ve now started collecting vinyl records - check out my ever-growing LP hoard.
","excerpt":"college-music Today I remembered a band Lit that I first heard when I was in college between 2000-2002, and this inspired me to take a trip down memory lane. Back then I didn’t really own many CDs (I was still using cassette tapes). It was during…"}}}},{"node":{"id":"9e41e010-9e99-5dec-a818-6a8bcd513c67","title":"Shakespeare wrote Star Wars?","slug":"shakespeare-wrote-star-wars","type":"article","date":"October 14th, 2014","featuredImage":{"fixed":{"src":"//images.ctfassets.net/uvlx0f9w0mlv/5KVlMVxTNV8cHrFqbCvXW8/dc5246e42076bd86b27c3df49f787072/thumb.png?w=300&q=50"}},"body":{"childMarkdownRemark":{"html":"That chap had some imagination; thinking up the idea of space, life on different planets, light-speed travel, lasers, lightsabers…you get the picture.
\nBut of course, he didn’t write Star Wars - that was George Lucas. However Ian Doescher has in fact adapted Lucas’ films in the style of Shakesperian plays - with great success.
\n![\"William](\"//images.ctfassets.net/uvlx0f9w0mlv/4My68h63O8hfTO3B8ABNc7/d237fc45db4fd76d7087d3e79abe9239/star_wars.png\")
\n![\"William](\"//images.ctfassets.net/uvlx0f9w0mlv/3DlhBR123sHkWtD8x6R2NW/2b2768c5a7ba5ad808a963615c66246c/star_wars2.png\")
\n![\"William](\"//images.ctfassets.net/uvlx0f9w0mlv/IWOYcMqqToPmL7pL3dYTj/5f472c4b58f7fbc19906dd47b5bc682f/star_wars3.png\")
I found the first book in this series - Star Wars: Verily, a New Hope - at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust gift shop, when my girlfriend treated me to weekend break in Stratford-upon-Avon.
\nBeing a fan of both Lucas’ iconic saga and the bard’s plays, I couldn’t resist buying it. I admit, it was a bit odd reading Star Wars in iambic pentameter, but I soon picked up the flow. Ian Doescher even incorporates some of the more iconic verses from Shakespeare’s plays. I picked up on: Hamlet, Julius Caesar, Romeo and Juliet and Henry V.
\nOne thing I particularly enjoyed is the way in which Ian Doescher gives R2-D2 an interior monologue, providing an insight into this quirky little droid. Throughout, Doescher is fantastic at using stage direction, asides and soliloquays to give depth and meaning to key scenes and characters.
\nI’m pleased I found these books and would recommend them to any Star Wars fan. They’re not very long and are great fun, even if you’re not the biggest bardolater.
\n\n\nDODONNA: –Go ye then, and Force be with you all!
\n
\n(William Shakespeare’s Star Wars: Verily, a New Hope Act 5. Scene 4. Line 105)
![\"beauty](\"//images.ctfassets.net/uvlx0f9w0mlv/1eEC69ONcbIkVyyZDLozcq/ebd35f6f42ee57be8043e8045fa8056d/beauty_and_the_beast.jpg\")
The Birmingham Royal Ballet version of Beauty And The Beasty is a little different from the Disney interpretation.
\nI really enjoyed this production: magical transformations, wild waltzes and soaring formations of birds.
\nI was expecting this production to be something like the Disney version, however I was pleased to see a completely different take on the story.
\nMy favourite parts were the humorous scene with the grumpy grandmother and the scene with the birds dancing/flying.
\nBallet had never been appealing to me, until my girlfriend suggested going to see the Matthew Bourne production of Cinderella, which was really good. At first I didn’t believe I would be able to follow a dialogue-free production, however the scenes and music guide you beautifully.
\nSince then we have seen Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake — it would seem that we have caught the ‘ballet bug’.
\nI can’t wait for the our next visit to the ballet.
","excerpt":"beauty and the beast The Birmingham Royal Ballet version of Beauty And The Beasty is a little different from the Disney interpretation. I really enjoyed this production: magical transformations, wild waltzes and soaring formations of birds. I was…"}}}}]}},"pageContext":{}},"staticQueryHashes":["2841359383"]}