We now live in the town of West Bromwich in the West Midlands (handily I support the local football team from my armchair).
The move was reasonably painless, except for not being completely packed when the removal men turned up – even though we got up to finish packing at 3am that morning! We had to make quite a few trips with the car full of belongings from our old home to the new, but that was all finished by Monday.

We are spending our days now unpacking (well, my wife is as I’m busy with my day job). She starts back at school on Tuesday of next week.
The house feels like home now and is starting to look like we live there (less boxes and full shelves). 

Our 3 cats are settling well (sadly one of our cats, Poppie, died while we were away on holiday at the end of July) and will be allowed outside again within 7 more days or so. A good friend of ours is installing a catflap for our 3 furry friends, so they have more independence.

So we’re now moved and living in organised chaos, but we love our new home and are already very happy here.

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Myself with my wife, her mum and brother have rented a cottage in Leaton about 4 miles outside Shrewsbury in Shropshire.

It is a lovely peaceful little village and we are staying in the grounds of a church.

Tomorrow we will begin exploring an area that I know of but hardly well enough. We will visit landmarks that I haven’t seen since I was a child and that the party have never seen. 

I shall bring more news so keep your eyes out!

Our Garden

So the sunshine has arrived in England!
The past few days have been glorious, warm and sunny. It’s hard to think it’s still only March.

I have been enjoying ths sunshine, either from my studio window while I work, or sitting outside on our small patio during my free time.

The nice weather is set to continue in the UK for the next few days and long may it last!

Thank you Little Miss Sunshine xxx

The house was called Paddock Barn and it was located in the village of Shipton Oileffe, not far from the small town of Northleech.

Paddock barn

The barn was beautiful and very luxurious, with a glorious garden too.

Paddock Barn's living room

Paddock Barn's dining room

Me in the garden

To the right hand side of the garden, through a gap in the fence, you could see a little stream that ran the length of the house and garden. It was very picturesque and beautiful (AND relaxing!).

The stream

If you looked up at the roof at the side of the barn, you can make out little holes in the stone work. In these holes, dowves had built nests and could be seen flocking to and from their home in the barn. It was a beautiful sight and sound too. The doves kept themselves busy!

Paddock Barn's side roof

Doves

Paddock Barn was a great base from which we explored the surrounding area over the 5 days.

I shall tell you more….

Paddock barn

We rented a converted barn and had a lovely time. The whole are, which we explored over the 5 days, was so picturesque and pretty – just like you imagine England to look. Nearly every building was built from the yellow Cotswold stone, and new and old blended perfectly.

Paddock Barn

I shall be posting pictures and telling you about our holiday over the next few posts, so I hope you are inspired to explore this lovely area of England for yourselves, if you are able to.

Me in a hat

No, on a serious note, I loathe reality TV shows – especially those with a ‘talent’ content. They are a pet hate of mine. I understand they are popular, but I feel they undermine the effort that struggling musicians, dancers, actors, etc make to create success in their chosen field.

However, I have a few exceptions…
I like So You Think You Can Dance, The Apprentice and Strictly come dancing. I can’t get enough of these shows. So what makes these the exceptions?
Well, this is only my opinion, but So You Think You Can Dance showcases real talent. Most of the dancers on this show amaze me with their skill and talent. They combine amateur dancers with some pro’s too. They just haven’t had their big break yet. I don’t mind giving them a break as they entertain me.

The Apprentice’s appeal is simple. Alan Sugar is so grumpy he is funny. What will his latest one-liner be? His aide, Nick, is a comedy genius and master of the dead-pan. All of the contestants are despicable people with a desire for money that worries and disappoints me. However, the overall show is good and Lord Sugar, Nick and Karen reign supreme.

Strictly come dancing takes already familiar faces and takes them completely out of their comfort zone, teaching them Ballroom and Latin dances. I like watching their growth (no I didn’t say journey!) From novice to better skilled dancers. It’s all good entertainment.

So you can keep X-Factor and Britain’s Got Talent and let me see the real talent (and have you noticed? They’re all BBC shows).

Whatever you watch, enjoy!

I love Glee!

There, I said it. Cool image gone, out of the window totally. My wife kept telling me about Glee, a program that she watched on TV while I worked evening shifts at bingo. When Season 2 aired in the UK, I decided to humour her and watch the first couple of episodes with her. To my complete surprise I loved it! It was packed with music, including many songs I liked from the past. It also had a lot of humour, perfect for 30-something’s.

If you still think Glee is all ‘High School Musical’ and no substance, please think again and watch an episode. It honestly is good entertainment. Last night’s episode featured music from Fleetwood mac’s seminal album ‘Rumours’, which lead me to fire up Napster this morning (as I always do as soon as I start my day) and search for the above album. It really is a classic, and something I hadn’t heard in quite a while. Check out ‘Go Your Own Way’, one of my all time favourite songs and packed with emotion, and you can’t discount ‘The Chain’ with it’s thunderous bassline that was used for many years for British TV coverage of Forumla 1.

If you are a fellow Napster user (yes, I ditched Spotify after a year of loyalty), you can listen here:

Listen to this album on Napster: Rumours by Fleetwood Mac

You can also here the Glee cast singing modern day classics by clicking below:

Listen to this playlist Glee Cast Playlist on Napster

Enjoy, and don’t be afraid of liking things that are mainstream and popular. If you worry too much about your image, your life will be devoid of substance.