Well, made it home from Mum & Dads eventually and was feeling better. Then i went up to Edinburgh for a few days as planned and caught a chill and got a bit worse, but enjoyed myself. Stopped at the Alnwick Garden on the way home as well.

Have uploaded the photos I took to a Flickr account is anyone is interest in taking a look

Edinburgh & Alnwick

I was supposed to be coming home to Mum & Dads for a nice weekend with the family as my brother and nephew were coming as well, as my Dad was 60 on Friday.

Unfortunately, my body decided against that idea and I started with tonsillitis on Thursday and have felt crappy all weekend. Subsequently, am staying at Mum & Dads for a few more days until I am well again.

I've had a bit of a mad weekend. Much fun was had, loads of driving and loads of photos.

Took some promo shots of my mates band last night in Grantham and am pretty pleased with them.
( Oi! Photos )

Having a very lazy Sunday watching back episodes of Doctor Who, doing word searches and watching the rain and suddenly realised there was this awesome rainbow outside.



Life has been seriously quiet during June with hardly any gigs and life not being so great. So, start of a new month and a shed load of gigs to go to and here's hoping life will start to get a little better!!

Am sat at work at the moment with about an hour to waste before I am due to meet some work mates in the local Italian for a meal. We've only been trying to arrange this for about 12 months or more, but have finally got about 10 or us together. So that should be nice.

Other than that life has been pretty quiet of late. Few gigs and not very exciting ones. Saw Failsafe last Tuesday, which is always nice and was buzzing for the rest of last week. But then felt a bit crappy this weekend and came home early Saturday and Sunday nights. Then had a nosebleed when I got to the office yesterday morning. So not the greatest of starts to the week!!

Don't know why June is so quiet for gigs. Only got 8 for the whole of the month, whereas July I have at least 12 already booked in. Suppose it will be a nice rest and have found a shiny new site to watch, stream and download tv programs and films. Have watched a good load of the Dresden Files episodes and am really liking them. So that will keep me occupied whilst not gigging.

Anyone got any other really good programs I should check out??

Started the week on a bit of a low, but it got better, then worse and then loads better!!

Tuesday night was at the Cockpit as my mates were playing and some other mates were actually putting the gig on. Got my first ever official 'Access All Areas' pass. Normally at the kind of venues we got to I just wander around anyway and there aren't any proper backstage areas. But the Cockpit in Leeds is a bit different and the security get funny about random folks just wandering around. Seeing as though I was doing merch for my mates band, I got sorted with an Access All Areas pass and that was giddy in itself.

Wednesday at work was a bit shite and then Thursday was parent's evening, so did a 12 hour day from 8am to 8pm. Then, because it's what I do, I drove to Scunthorpe to see Freefall Felix play because I wasn't going to let a 12 hour day stop me from having my fun!!

Skip forward to Saturday night and it was Random Hand's album launch at the club in Bradford and Pickled Dick were playing as well, which was ace as don't see them that often.

Then the really giddy thing happened on Sunday. Was on the guest list for the Slam Dunk Festival in Leeds and was supposed to get Access All Areas, but they hadn't sorted it. So Laila got me a Photo/Press pass instead!! My first ever official photographers pass. How cool is that!! So not only did it mean I got to go up on the balcony above the crowds, which I was very grateful for as it was mental. But it also meant I got to go down in that sacred space in front of the stage. Didn't like being down there with the other photographers though, as they all kind of put me to shame with their big professional looking cameras, but it's just the fact I could have if I wanted to.

So after all that excitement I just chilled yesterday and then today went and got tattoo'd again. 5th one in less than a year - think I'm addicted yet?? Well, maybe when I tell you I've booked in for my 6th in August!!

But now, after all that giddiness, I feel crap. Think I have started with a cold. Haven't felt right since I woke up Wednesday morning to be honest, but it's kind of been there in the background. But now my throat feels like someone has had at it with a sheet of sandpaper and I can't seem to get warm. Actually slept with a hoodie on last night. But am off to bed now and see if I can sleep through without my mobile going off!!

I had my little fantasy of leaving working at the school, becoming a temp to work the hours I needed to work, to earn enough to pay my bills, so the rest of the month I could drive round in an ex-Royal Mail van and be with my boys. Well, it ain't gonna happen!! Asked the question last night and was told they are looking for more of a tour manager/driver.

So looks like I'll be staying here instead. Ah well, was a nice dream for a while.

Another photo of me with another band!! This time it's an American band called The Receiving End of Sirens who I saw on Tuesday night
( Nice one!! )

Spent a really good 4 days going to see You Me & the Atom Bomb, North Lincoln & Shermer in 4 different cities. Here are some random band photos I took.
( Merch Girl!! )

I went to Milton Keynes yesterday, for those of you that didn't know!! It was kind of weird. When I think back to how nervous I was standing in the Cavern Club in Liverpool 2 years ago waiting just to see James on stage for the first time, to how I was feeling standing in the queue to actually meet him, albeit very briefly, to have my photo taken, it was all very surreal.

The main purpose of me going to Milton Keynes, was to meet James and say 'Thank You' to him for sparking of a change of events that has pretty much lead my life to where it is today. And whilst I got to say the words, he won't have gotten the meaning behind them.

The whole day ended up being a bit of a bust for me. In it's defense I think it wasn't helped by the fact that I didn't get in until quarter past 3 in the morning and then had to go to bed, to be up at 7am to drive all the way down to Milton Keynes. So by the time I got there I was proper wasted and spent most of the day walking around in a daze through lack of sleep.

The best bit of the day was seeing familiar faces and meeting up with people that I have met on previous outings. You guys know who you are and it was good to see y'all again. I kind of legged it after the Q&A to drive back to Mum & Dads, so sorry I didn't get to say bye to you.