Back at the start of the month I headed back to Brighton...
...so much of my heart still resides by the sea.
It was my boss’s 50th birthday, and because he’s lovely, everyone from work was invited to his lovely big party. I travelled back down for this especially, but also managed to cram in a lovely lunch, a visit to the Rodhus open studios and a short zine fair at the Rose Hill Tavern before his party. Got to see LOADS of lovely people I’d missed in just one day, which was intense and wonderful.
Back home with a bump though I guess.
And then an even bigger bump, in which, having been ignoring the ever increasing smell of gas for over a week after Alex and Justin both insisted they couldn’t smell anything (the smell was hitting me every time I walked into the house), finally called the hotline. They have a meter to read these leaks, and anything over ‘0’ is worthy of investigation. They evacuate at a reading of 20… The reading in our kitchen was 98. Apparently I was lucky not to have blown the place up just by sparking up the hob or turning on electrical devices (which I had obliviously been doing all week.)
After nearly a month without hot water in August (remember that?) and repeated boiler trouble before and after that, this was apparently finally enough to scare the letting agent/landlord into action, and we now have a brand new boiler, but seriously, I am so done with renting. SO DONE
It did a big snow. Quite into it, tbh.
Had a lovely time at the Egg Factory’s Eggsmas extravaganza, I was among lots of wonderful local makers selling our wares ready for Christmas gifting (or self gifting). Rather than another picture of me tabling, I decided to draw every dog that visited the fair, because Hebden Bridge loves dogs.
And then I went back down to Brighton again. I wanted to get in a week’s work at the office (rather than my usual remote working) before the end of the year, but mainly I wanted to make sure I didn’t miss the work Christmas do. Jonny and Kris very Kindly let me stay at their lovely new place, and I squeezed in a traditional post-work Wagamama with my post-work-Wagamama buddies Hannah and Gemma, to catch up on all the hot goss.
Bits and bobs of nice Brighton things. I just quite enjoyed drawing this one.
CLEARLY the inevitable sitation here is that I would come down with a horrendous cold on the day of the work Christmas party I'd been so excited about. Powered through to the best of my ability.
For the first time visiting Brighton this year, albeit probably cold induced, was really excited to come home, and by home, home means Hebden Bridge. This is probably a good thing.
Still can’t draw myself/people, but damn it I will persist
I remember when I was a kid, my mum once told me that a cold lasts 3 days. For some reason I really took this to heart despite EVERY COLD EVER proving this to be an absolute lie, and meaning I have spent every cold since then filled with resentment about how much I am suffering when in fact a week or more is entirely normal (right?)
Sprouts grow on this kind of aggressive looking mace like construction and I’m not generally a violent person but if I had to fend off an aggressor with a vegetable, I think it would be either this or a really large, firm butternut squash. Or wait maybe a sliced chilli straight to the eyes. Now I'm thinking about this too much.
Being vegan is generally great, but there are a few very specific Christmas things (that aren’t even that irreplaceable or even good) that I do miss…
I’m still running, but I had to stop for like a fortnight as I was too busy in Brighton and then ill with the cold. Climbing back up that literal and metaphorical hill. I wish vanity wasn’t such a powerful motivator, but there’s no doubt that it’s one of the main things that keeps me going when I don’t want to run, I wish I could just love my body no matter what shape it was, but the fact of the matter was that I never did despite years of trying, and for the first time in my life I feel content with both the shape of my body and what it can achieve. So I will persist. Even though running is horrible. But also great. But mainly horrible.
Happy anniversarymas to us!
Christmaaaaaaassss…. Was quite nice actually. Chill, cosy, and there were ducks. Just how I like it.
Time for some Justin-based body horror! Sorry not sorry Justin.
I still miss living in the city where I can just go window shopping all the time — whenever I get the chance to go shopping now it always feels rushed and stressful because I’m trying to squeeze too much in, and this was so exception, but I had fun spending my Christmas money in Leeds on silly trsouers and a dress so summery that I absolutely MUST get to warmer climes in 2018 at some point.
This is a not very good drawing but PEOPLE CAME TO CHRISTMAS II (Northern edition). Loads of people had to drop out at the last moment because a) unexpected very heavy snow, and b) it’s winter so everyone is ill, but there were still 10 of us, and it was very lovely.
Rolling into 2018 just now. I hope your New Years are all filled with warmth and optimism for what's to come...
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