Brewing a Bach Pad

Waved goodbye to Rebecca early this evening, she's heading off to London to see her parents which means that I am in charge of a bona fide bachelor pad. That means I'm gonna let the dirty dishes pile up, I'm gonna let all the musty, manly odors ferment and I'm gonna play video games all night... at least I would if I didn't have to wake up super early for the opening shift tomorrow. In fact, I'm going to bed at a hilariously early hour for a Friday night. I'll get a chance to resume my bloke duties tomorrow afternoon, might even see if I can meet up with Louis to play a round of games or two.

Wheelie Good Driver

My confidence in driving grew after having one of the best driving lessons I've had in recent memory. My test is in about 2 weeks now and its comforting to know that I truly feel 'ready' for the test.

I had that lesson bright and early in the day so I had the rest of my day off to crack on with whatever I fancied. I has a quick job hunt but came up unusually shorthanded in available vacancies so I did some more writing instead. A horror game caught my eye recently and it was such a neat and tidy experience I felt compelled to write up a super brief video recommendation - another one for my ever expanding online portfolio.

Books Brighten Days

Getting up early to read is one of life's simple pleasures. This morning I got up about an hour earlier than I needed to just so I could read a few extra pages of The Cider House Rules. About this time last year I started A Prayer for Owen Meany and I didn't realise how much I missed John Irving's facility for language until I started reading more of his work. I'm already just under halfway through Cider House and I'm loving every moment of it, so much so that I carried that feeling throughout my day at work.

In other news, Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall walked up and down in front of our cafe a few times this afternoon. The BBC were doing a some filming for an anti-plastics project of his so they closed off most of the roads on North Street and which elicited several nosey onlookers (myself included) Sadly, he didn't come into the shop, I'm about due to pose with another celeb at work I reckon though. 

Take That

I wanted a nice, easy day to gently coax me back into work, but apparently Gary Barlow and 2 of his mates had other plans. Take That were performing at the stadium a short distance from the cafe and it felt like any fan that ever owned one of their albums came into Coffee #1 Bedminster about 30 minutes before we closed. The rush was unwelcome but I let it wash over me, no use making a fuss about doing a bit of overtime if that's exactly what's going to happen, I approached the glut of people with a zen-like attitude. I saw the universe shouting 'Take That!' as they sent 50 boy band fans my way, but I didn't let is phase me.

Terraforming Mark

Treated this Bank Holiday Monday as a 'day of rest', took the whole day very slow and aside from popping to the shops to get a nice breakfast I didn't really eave the house which was fine by me. I did get up rather early though so I could finish off a game I started one my recent travels so I could bookend the whole holiday appropriately.

I arranged to meet up with Mark for most of the day for a good old fashioned hang-out/catch-up session. He brought a nifty little co-op board game called Forbidden Island where Rebecca Mark and I all worked together to recover lost treasure before the island sunk, it was pretty refreshing to play a game where we all worked as a team and our collective puzzle solving prowess meant that we just barely won the game. I also handed over Mark's Birthday present from me and the boys, another board game for his collection: Terraforming Mars. (I endearingly covered the 'S' in Mars with a post-it note labelled 'K' for extra bro-points) he seemed chuffed to pieces with it - I already can't wait to get an opportunity to play it with him.

Rebecca and I are suffering from the Sunday blues and are both dreading the concept of going to work tomorrow. I've basically had 3 weeks off somehow and I'm a little anxious about diving back into the fray, with any luck I'll land on my feet like I usually do.

Interrailling Day 16 - Homecoming

Enjoyed the many delights of an all you can eat hotel breakfast to line my stomach for the busy travel day we had ahead. The final hours in Munich were spent guzzling down bottomless cups of coffee and checking under the bed to see if any socks went astray. Hopping on the S-Bahn we rode to the airport without drama and caught our flights back home without any fuss. Little sad to think that our last day away contained no big thrills, our one objective was to get home safe and sound. I did internally debate about getting 'one last beer' but the last thing I wanted was a hard drink before midday so I let it slide. Returning home felt like stepping into another Air B&B at first but the familiar bits of furniture slowly grounded me. First thing I did was get in my pajamas and sink into the sofa.

Some of the obvious highlights for me were Krakow's Contemporary Art Museum, too many restaurants to name here and Ljubljana in it's entirety. The one standout of the entire trip however was the chance to hang out with Rebecca and go on a fantastic adventure around Europe with her. By sharing all the food, drink, sights and culture of our destinations made the journey feel that much more special, I'm truly lucky to have someone to experience all that with.

Here's hoping they'll be many more adventures to be shared together in the future!

Interrailling Day 15 - Meat and Munich

Lucky us. For about 80% of our night train we shared a carriage with zero other passengers, this gave is free license to just spread out, lie down and sleep without anyone else barging in or snoring. As a result I woke up feeling rather rested and was ready to explore Munich. This is the only place on the trip I'd actually visited before, but it was 10 years ago and only for a handful of hours so it felt like brand new.

One thing I do remember seeing a decade ago was the beer hall and it was incredibly vindicating knowing I was of ages this time round and could enjoy a beer. After a litre of beer, I left as a man.

We saw the gardens and the town hall's enchanting glockenspiel before the lack of sleep from the night of travel finally caught up to us both so we retired to our hotel room for a cat nap, heading out only for another beer/meat heavy dinner. One thing is for sure, I certainly consumed my weight in beer and sausage over the holiday and Munich only served to galvanise that fact.

Feels bizarre that we're heading on a plane home tomorrow. Its all gone by so fast yet it feels like years since we were in Berlin or Prague and the thought of facing work again feels like sleepwalking. We've both come to terms with the holiday's end and in some ways we are both looking forward to returning home to settle back down and to see our friends and tell the stories of our journey.

Interrailling Day 14 - Leaving Ljubljana

For our final day in Ljubljana we decided to take it super slow. After a leisurely breakfast we took a stroll along the canals and tiny shops along the old town, conscious of the fact we didn't have any physical souvenirs of our time away we went on the hunt for a tasteful keepsake. Luckily we found an adorable design shop where we spied some minimalist prints on postcards, we brought several with the intention of making a small collage once we get back home. I brought a small cup with an exposed granite exterior (not unlike the cups you get green tea in at Wagamamas) can't wait to try it out once I get back.

Otherwise we shifted down to first gear and just cruised through the day. Sat down for a nice coffee by the canal, visited the cathedral and sat and read for a bit in the city park. Spotted a Slovenian sausage and soup street food place for a hearty lunch and had a fine dining experience in the old town just before the weekend crowd begun to swamp the place. In our last few hours in the city we enjoyed the night time vibe of the streets, all the while a heavyness was brewing in my heart. I was already getting homesick for Ljubljana. Its been such a wonderful place to visit, after a few days the cobble streets felt like home and the residents my neighbours. Every time I drink from my trendy cup I'll look back fondly on the city that stole my heart.

Interrailling Day 13 - Lake Bled

Tripped out of Ljubljana and into Lake Bled, one of the prettiest places on this good Earth. Basically, you have a huge prefect blue lake, a tiny island which a chapel in the centre of the water and snowcapped mountains all the way around you - its kinda like the front of an Alpen cereal box in real life. We took the ferry boat into the middle of the lake and it felt like living in Moomin Valley since it was so idyllic.

Back in the city we went out for another ice cream (yes we are monsters) and headed up a building creatively named 'The Skyscraper'. There's a small bar at the top where you can enjoy an actually modestly priced drink while enjoying a birdseye view of Ljubljana. Props to Rebecca for finding that treat, we arrived in the early evening and saw the city transition from day to night from on-high. Can't get enough of this place.

Interrailling Day 12 - In Love with Ljubljana

We've been to a lot of cities over the holiday, but Ljubljana was love at first sight. Got nothing but good vibes from the place, gorgeous scenery, friendly people and a totally manageable size. Its hard to describe just how cool the city is but when you're walking along the canals you'll feel it.

Got the touristy bits out the way first, headed up to the main castle at the heart of the city to drink in the history and the panoramic views. Once our feet where back on the ground we visited an ice cream place that Dad recommended, which was curious because Dad isn't really an ice cream man, but goddamn, this was the best ice cream I've ever had. Hats off to Vigo, they don't have an extensive list of flavours (about 12 in total) but they focus in and nail the classics.

Lastly we went out for a little night stroll to get dinner, this time at a trendy looking  burger place where I had my meat as rare as humanly possible (check is in the mail about food poisoning but I think I'm good). Then we just enjoyed the nightlife and scenery of a lovely city in the night time - we even saw a coypu (a rat/otter hybrid, Google at your leisure) just chilling under a bridge. Already can't wait to spend the next few days here to experience more of this great city.

Interrailling Day 11 - Moody Mountains

Not as much to say today since it was a pure travel day. We left Vienna bright and early and pulled into Ljubljana in the early evening. Spent most of the journey reading and now I can happily say I've finished 2 books since starting the holiday. I turned the last page on The Midwich Cuckoos as we pulled out of Salzburg and proceeded along what they say is the loveliest rail journey in Europe, after seeing the views of the Austrian hills and snowcapped mountains it's hard to disagree.

Our latest Air B&B is a bit quirky too, you need to ascend a tiny staircase so you can crawl into the bed space, no standing room up their so its pretty cosy. Also tried my very best to cook a small meal using only two hobs and some tiny kitchen utensils, bit of a mission but can now say I've prepped a meal in a tiny, tiny kitchen. A kitchenette-ette if you please.

Interrailling Day 10 - Before Sunrise

A stiff neck was the worst of my night train worries, we pulled into Vienna at 7am on the dot and I was already planning what I wanted to see in the city. Specifically I wanted to follow in the footsteps of the characters from Before Sunrise, I found a great blog about someone who mapped out all the spots the visited and decided to make a few stops to some of the more interesting destinations. The best of which being this monument towards the end of the film, think we got a near 1:1 likeness here too. It's one of my all time favourite movies and it was incredibly cool to stand in some of the same spots as the characters.

It rained all morning but that didn't stop us from touring most of the city, from the square to the river. In the afternoon we hopped on the metro to see Schonbrunn Palace and its gardens which were beautiful. Trekking up a hill in the gardens offered a near panoramic view of the whole city which was well worth seeing.

Just like in Before Sunrise, our time in Vienna was fleeting. Just over 24 hours to be exact since we'll be on a train to Ljubljana in the morning tomorrow. Despite the short stay I feel like we really made the most of the day, seeing plenty of sights and making best use of our time.

Interrailling Day 9 - Storms and Surrealism

Taking heed of our Polish friend's advice we headed to Krakow's museum of contemporary art. It was a hell of a recommendation because it's probably the best art museum I've been too. Started off pretty innocuously, few nice pictures if nature, maybe a cute way of presenting it, but it quickly ramped up to sculptures of pigs on exercise bikes and yawning beds of chaos and decay. Every single piece felt original, had something interesting to say and didn't feel self important. After touring several castles and galleries focusing on occasionally dry history, this surreal gallery was the perfect antidote.

We dodged not one, but two thunderstorms by ducking into some trendy cafes. To Rebecca's delight, one of them was a cat cafe so she spent the early evening chasing down cats to stroke but they were mostly unimpressed with out presence.

We are sat in the train station now ready to catch the first night train of the trip. Not too sure what to expect really, I'm used to sleeping on a MegaBus so this should be paradise. We spent the last of our petty change on cheap chocolate and cereal bars, silently thanking the pound to zloty exchange rate for the final time. Leaving Krakow feels a little bit hard, but I know Vienna will be just as cool.

Interrailling Day 8 - Nuit et Brouillard

Rebecca and I woke up at the crack of dawn to ride a bus across the foggy landscape of Poland to reach Auschwitz. Getting up early turned out to be a wise decision as it allowed us to bypass a large number of tourists so we could experience certain exhibits by ourselves. Visiting the camp put the scale of the extermination and the terror into perspective, even more so once we visited the vast expanse of Birkenau.

Returning to Krakow we arranged to meet up with a Polish friend from Youth for Europe who loves in the city. He took us to the decidedly cool parts of the town and he had a real knack for suggesting some great bars. We ended up getting a few drinks and even playing a few board games with him. Sadly he won't be free during this years Youth for Europe but I feel like we already made up for all the lost time.

Funny to think that on the same day I visit a site of such devastation for the Jewish population I also bore witness to Israel hosting the Eurovision song contest. Seeing that cemented the feeling of good triumphing over evil from the camps, what better celebration of diversity and worldliness is there outside of Eurovision?

The contest also served as a good opportunity to get back in touch with a fellow Eurovision fan I met at university. For the past few years we catch up while passing judgement on the songs and dress sense of the show. Always nice to catch up with her and old friend in general.

Interrailling Day 7 - Pinball Wizard

Not sure what we dodged more of today, pigeons or tourists. I know its a little hard to moan about a group I'm technically a part of but the sheer amount of people around Krakow's main square and its castle was vast. But it was worth pushing through the masses to appreciate the gorgeous gardens and open space atop Krakow Castle. We paid to go around the state rooms too but found them to be a little underwhelming. Every room was adorned with tapestries depicting Noah's Flood or various Greek myths, I was much more interested in seeing Poland's own history and culture being celebrated, guess the previous owners had different ideas though.

After paying literal pennies for ice cream we headed to an alternative attraction in Krakow: The Pinball Museum. It was great too! After an entrance fee we has free reign over 60 different pinball machines and classic arcade cabinets to play for free. We played on tables from the early 70's up to ones made in the last decade and each and every one had its own personality, its evident that a lot of love when into crafting each machine and it was miraculous sharing that joy.

Interrailling Day 6 - Prague to Krakow

Had a slow and lazy morning waking up and packing our stuff away so we could venture to the next city on our list. Before we headed out though we took one last look around Prague and the Old Town just so we could really appreciate it.

We hopped on our train and settled in for an 8 hour journey, lucky for me I had my kindle loaded up with several books so I got comfy and got reading. Been attacking Catch-22 for a lot of the trip so far and I can happily say I finished at the halfway point of our train trip - need to figure out what I want to read next now!

Arrived in Krakow about half 10 in the evening, weary from travelling we threw our bags down in our very swanky Air B&B and begun planning our day tomorrow.

Interrailling Day 5 - Old Town and Cobblestones

Braved the drizzle to experience the rest Prague has to offer. We walked along the cobbled streets into the Old Town where we snuck into a Synagogue while pretending to be part of a school tour. We hit up a pretty tasty bakery and marvelled at the beautiful houses as we approached the main square.

The rain picked up a bit but that didn't deter us from crossing the Charles Bridge as we headed up to Prague Castle. This area was apparently where all the tourists flock to and after seeing the Castle's cathedral it was easy to understand why. It housed some of the most impressive stained glass windows I'd ever seen, each one in a new colour scheme and designed by a different artist.

Restless and soggy we headed back into town, stopping only at Prague's Beer Museum so we could partake in some moderately priced booze. Even Rebecca jumped in on the chance to drink some great beer. While our stay in Prague was brief, I'll look back on the beer and the Old Town fondly.

Interrailling Day 4 - Pretty Prague

Though we've been Interrailling for 4 days now, today marked the first time we actually rode a railway. We bid farewell to Berlin and took a 4 hour trip over to Prague, the second stop in our trip. The journey time went in a snap, I spent a good chunk of it reading and listening to music while Rebecca took cheeky pictures of me.

Checked into our trendy 'Zero Waste' Air B&B before heading out for a cursory wander around the city. We got in fairly late so didn't commit to any major sightseeing, but we went up the Dancing House for a rooftop hot chocolate and to drink in the sights of the city. I handpicked a Czech restaurant I wanted to try out in the evening and it was a real winner. Smoked sausage, grilled deer and Czech beer all graced our table - it was a very warm welcome to Prague indeed.

We got an plan of where to head tomorrow, mostly the castle and the old town, can't wait!

Interrailing Day 3 - Berlin's East Side

Took the Metro into Alexandraplatz in the East side of Berlin. As I ascended the escalators I expected to see monuments built in Lenin's name, hammer and sickle emblems scattered around the street and a half dozen Eastern European widows mourning the fall of the USSR. Instead I saw Primark. I was initially nonplussed with how commercial the street had become but those feelings quickly subsided after we popped into H&M to get an emergency pair of sunglasses after mine broke before the holiday even started.

Once I got used to it East Berlin is a pretty cool place. Got to walk along the remains of the Berlin Wall while learning all about it at Checkpoint Charlie. I was tempted to chisel away a small bit of the wall to take home with me and my appetite for destruction increased after seeing chunks of the wall selling for €19 in the tourism shop. Could have helped myself to a free bit of history Rebecca talked me out of it.

Rounding off the East side was the Topography of Terror museum located on the site of the old Gestapo building. For better and for worse it was one of the most comprehensive museums I've ever visited, so many photographs, testimonials and documents on display but there was no flourish in its layout making touring the display feel like trawling through a humorous textbook. It was good to a point, and that point was when I notices Rebecca start to flag after all the days walking.

Finally we visited Tempelhof Airport which is now a virtually abandoned building, the old runways now converted into a public park. It was decidedly eerie there though, like nature had taken over a space that previously bustled with busy communtors and businessmen. Kinda cool though.

We rounded off our evening by cooking a small dinner and wrestling with our B&B's internet so we could catch up with Game of Thrones. Eventually we sorted something out and made a little cinama screen out of my  phone - worked rather well and took nothing away for how impressive the penultimate episode was.

Interrailling Day 2 - Beautiful Berlin

We did so much in Berlin today that its almost easier to list the things we didn't do. Took the metro into Potsdamer Platz to visit the Reichstag, I didn't know they remoulded the dome into a fancy glass walkway so I was immensely impressed before I'd even gone through the airport style security. Really gorgeous views up top and a great way to see all of the city.

Afterwards we visited a Jewish memorial site which acted as a Holocaust museum, the best feature was a modern art installation which acted at the main entrance. Over 2000 concrete plinths were laid out in a grid and the deeper you walked, the taller they became, forming an intimidating maze that towered overhead.

Then we took a trip to somewhere I was hugely excited to see: the film museum! The first handful of exhibits all centered around the silent and expressionist era of German filmmaking. All the movies I saw in 6th form were present and there were sections dedicated to The Cabinet of Dr Calagari and Metropolis - it even had the original robot suit from the film. If only my old film studies teacher could see me now.

Following that Rebecca met up with an old work college who recently moved to Berlin. He showed us the East Side Gallery and we strolled around the various hipster districts until we found somewhere cosy to nurse a pint of beer. Weary and a little drunk, we took the metro back home and got a dirty takeaway burger to commemorate the enormity of our day - think we've already done rather well.

Interrailing Day 1

'Ich bin ein Berliner' At last I can finally attribute that quote to myself as I have at long last visited Berlin. Rebecca and I touched down in the capital mid afternoon and it serves as the springboard for the rest of our interrailing trip. I've already had a pretzel and a weissbeer so I've basically got my moneys worth already! We settled into our first Air B&B nicely too, thinking of getting an early night in so we have plenty of pep to really make the most of our first full day in Berlin.

Twas the Night Before Interrailing

Was a real faff finding a place that did Czech Koruna. I was planning on a really easy morning getting in and out of town super fast, in reality I spent nearly two hours running between shops making some last-minute purchases. Finding EU to UK power adapter this time of year proved taxing too since they were sold out everywhere, apparently everyone else is going on holiday too. Though it took a little longer than expected, I'm now all packed and ready to start interrailing! Rebecca and I weighed rucksacks, to my smug delight we found I have the much lighter bag. This is a blessing and a curse though as I can already feel Rebecca scheming over what she can sneak into my bag.

 She's certainly not looking too pleased with her carry weight...



As a small side note I got a real boost of motivation for my YouTube endeavors after the studio that produced My Child Lebensborn posted my video review of their game on Twitter. In practice that only boosted my view count by half a dozen, but its the principle that counts in my eyes, so rock and roll.

Quick Currency

Wrangled some cash for our big interrailing trip and got oodles of Euros and Polish Zloty. Just need to find a place that does Czech Koruna and we are good to go - guess thats a job for tomorrow now. Even though we are in the final stages of packing and sorting everything out for our holiday, it still hasn't quite sunk in yet that I'll be going on a dream trip in just under 48 hours. I have some last minute packing to do tomorrow (is there any other kind with me?) and before I know it I'll be on a flight to Berlin. 

My Child Lebensborn

Hunkered down at my desk to push out my latest video, a review of the mobile game My Child Lebensborn. Tried to keep this one short and sweet and as a result it features some of my most concise writing which I'm pretty chuffed with. The game initially flew under my radar since it was an Iphone exclusive for a fair old while but it's just found its way onto the Google Play Store so now literally anyone can go out and get their hands on this little gem of a mobile game if they fancy.

Outside of editing, I helped Rebecca streamline her packing for our interrailing trip. The concept of packing light was once pretty foreign to her but I think she's got the measure of things now, I daresay she's even got a bit of extra room should she need it. I'm doing my packing tomorrow and with any luck it'll go just as smoothly.

Plethora of Pastry

Left work with an abundance of croissants so I thought I'd pass some pastry to Louis and Rachel. Louis was suspicious when I called him up to offer free food, but he always sounds a little trepidatious over the phone. I got home to calm the nerves of an equally anxious Rebecca as she pondered over what to write in her covering letter, she's on the hint for a new job and is having some motivational difficulties in writing applications. Between the two of us we wrote a damn good set of cover letters though and I've got my fingers crossed for her.

Had my last day of work before I go gallivanting around Europe, weirld enough I somehow rolled an extra 3 days off thanks to a lucky rota. Got some writing/video making to do tomorrow mostly, wanna get one more small one out before going away so I'm doing a quick review of a little game I played a few weeks ago, should end up being a good little video and a great portfolio piece.

Plenty of Parents

Got a double whammy of parents visiting my coffee shop. First of all Mum and Dad popped in for drinks with Louis and Rachel in tow, a few hours later Rebecca and her parents dropped by for coffee too. Neither party had ever seen me at work before and now both came in on the same day! If only it wasn't so damn busy I could have had a little chat with them but every time I stepped off the line a new person joined the queue, asking for some difficult order.

A pair of running trousers arrived in the mail today too, Dad secretly sent over a pair to me, unfortunately they didn't get here in time for the run but I'm very grateful for them - really comfy too, haven't actually taken them off since trying them on. I was chopping up veggies in tracksuit bottoms to help Rebecca prep a very tasty salad for dinner, her eyes were judging my outfit but I felt like the king of everything.

Bristol 10K 2019

Filled up on a massive bowl of porridge before meeting up with Dad and Louis for the Bristol 10K run. Just as we were about to set off I got the real sense that this was the thing that I'd been training for, since February I told myself that I was going to prep myself so I could run another 10K after my five year running hiatus. I went round the course with Louis since we were both aiming for a sub one hour time - it was the perfect day for a run too so we ended up smashing our goals and I finished with a time of 58:31.

The amount of support I got from friends and family has been hugely encouraging. Even the support of total strangers from work has been invaluable towards pushing me towards my goal of running another 10K. This time last year all I could do was watch in awe as Dad and Louis ran the race, I silently vowed there and then that I'd join them for the next one and I couldn't be prouder in myself for making that dream a reality.

Thank you everyone who showed their support, either verbally or via a donation. Your encouragement kept me going and I hope I did you all proud by finishing the race.

Supporting the Runner

I've been getting an ubelievableI amount of support for my run tomorrow. Several regular customers at work all offered good luck wishes while dropping in a few pounds of donations and all my colleges gave me the thumbs up as I left today. Tomorrow is going to be a good old day I feel, nice to see all my training pay off while knowing I have the support of Rebecca and my family too. Mum, Dad, Louis and Rachel all popped round tonight for a pre-run Thai takeaway which really hit the spot, going to fill up on porridge in the morning and then I think I'll be good to go.

Revelling in Fleabag

Whipped up a really mean curry for tea tonight, really got the knack for cooking rice properly now (thank you Gordon Ramsey) Now that I'm living away from my parents I can actually enjoy mango chutney, historically I only got the dregs of the stuff whenever we had it as a family but now I could take a bath in chutney if I wanted. Slowly making our way through Fleabag too, got one more episode until we finish series 1 and the whole style and story is starting to homogenize which is very satisfying - really digging it now.

As a little side note, I set up a little Just Giving page to drum up some money for the Samaritans for my 10K run on Sunday. A handful of lovely people have already sent me bits of money in various ways and I just wanted to share the page here just so it got a little more coverage, plus its another excuse to show off the top-tier poster I made for the cause. Link is just here if you want to donate.

The Avengers: Endgame

Not that I was carrying any form of grudge against the movie but I decided to go into Endgame with tempered expectations. After pulling off a massive plot move in the previous film I knew the vast majority of this new one would be spent undoing some of the bad things that transpired, what mattered to me was how they could pull that off and I half convinced myself that the solution would be a bit phoned-in. In reality though the film was immensely satisfying, even for someone who isn't a diehard fan of the franchise. Its best summed up as a victory lap for the entire past decade of Marvel movies, taking us all back through memory lane but in a way that didn't feel like it was nostalgia pandering. It brought back memories of me watching the first Avengers film back in 2012, while this one certainly wasn't the same romp, it brought back similar thrills and laughs.

Wizzo The Wizzard

Sure as anything, the alarm sounded at 3am on the dot. I wrapped 3 very full shopping bags round my hands and got ready for a long mile to the bus stop. Picture a young man, wearing too many layers struggeling to carry too many shopping bags in the middle if the night and you'll be in the ballpark of what I looked like. Thankfully I got onto set without any issues whatsoever and everything else ran like clockwork too.

Got a chance to work alongside Tom Ska, one of the defining British YouTubers of the original generation, and I'm glad to say he was a total joy to work with, the whole day was organised choas to a degree but in the best kind if way. I even got to be on camera and say a few lines in this one! I'll link to the video once its up (should be up by Friday apparently which is mad quick) - really looking forward to seeing these ones come out. Most importantly though, the shoot day was a total blast, hard work but good fun, one of the best shoots I've been on in ages.