As you’ll have seen, I’ve had about a month or so off of blogging. Quite frankly, life just happened and my blog became a low priority. However, I’m determined to get back into the swing of things. So let’s start off with my Q3 2024 in review. Buckle yourselves in, this is a long one!
COME FROM AWAY
I travelled to Sheffield for a day in July to see my favourite stage musical of all time, Come From Away. I’d already seen it in June at the Hull press night. However, I knew that if it was touring elsewhere in Yorkshire, I’d snap up a ticket and have a day out of town.
Most of you know that I did my Masters in Sheffield so lived there for about a year. The Lyceum is one of my favourite venues too because the tickets are cheaper than average. Also, I’ve never had a bad view from any seat.
Come From Away is one of those musicals that I’d recommend to just about anyone, even if they claim that they hate musicals. In fact, I’ve overheard audience members saying they just tagged along and ended up loving the show. Although it’s a very emotional show, I love the infusion of humour throughout too.
MAKING FRIENDSHIP BRACELETS
It became my hobby throughout July and August! Of course, I predominately made them for The Eras tour but I’ve found myself making one for each theatre show I’ve been to. This is something I might continue with but I’ll need to buy another pack of letters! Why don’t they include double the amount of E’s and get rid of most of the X’s and Z’s? I was trying to make a bracelet for every Taylor Swift song. However, when you need a lot of greys/browns, it becomes harder to get through Reputation, folklore, evermore and TTPD!
THE OLYMPICS AND PARALYMPICS
I pretty much got addicted to watching, I had it on every single day all day long. Whilst I do watch a lot of sports, many of them don’t feature on the telly until Olympics/Paralympics time.
Obviously, I watch as much cycling (track and road) and gymnastics as I can but other sports only get TV time every four years. It was great to see Team GB win so many medals. Regardless of the sport and if I knew the athlete or not, I’ve never felt so patriotic in my life. In fact, it’s the only time I ever feel proud to be British!
THE ERAS TOUR
Seeing Taylor Swift for the second time (with a 12 year wait in between) is something I don’t think I’ll ever quite believe. Of course, the concert was amazing, despite being disappointed by my surprise songs (I’m not an Ed Sheeran, reputation or TTPD girlie) but I had one of the best nights of my life.
Above all, the atmosphere was so lovely, every fan was nice and I also have to point out the security and staff at Wembley Stadium. We had general standing and plonked ourselves near the right-back lighting rig. We were handed water frequently and didn’t feel too squished in at all. Taylor, her band, her dancers and her team were just phenomenal. Whilst I couldn’t see much of the stage, the big screens at the back of the stage were ideal for me!
However, the post-Eras hangover is real, even for us non-drinkers. I feel like I don’t know what to do with my life now! We spent around a year planning it all and now it’s all over! Guess I’ll just have to watch it on Disney+ frequently!
OUR LONDON TRIP
We decided that for our stress levels, it would be best to go down a day early so we travelled down on the Wednesday and came back on the Friday. I was incredibly lucky to get a room at the Premier Inn at Wembley Stadium, especially on the night of the concert. We were in our room within 15 minutes of the concert finishing and that included queuing for a pizza at a food truck.
We didn’t really explore a lot of London as we were so tired. However, we did go to Westfield and the designer outlet next door as well as see Fantastically Great Women at The Other Palace. I love London but now that I live in the countryside, it’s very draining to visit. We planned ahead and grabbed merch as soon as we checked into our hotel. I grabbed the white tour tee, the blue crewneck sweatshirt and the grey tote bag. I find merch incredibly overpriced but considering I paid £30 for a T-shirt at the Red tour, the prices haven’t actually changed too much!
POST-ERAS LURGY
London must be disease-central because as soon as I got back, I had the worst cold/flu that I’ve had in ages. It’s definitely not Covid, thank goodness, but I spent a week blowing my nose and coughing consistently. I don’t know if it’s the pollution that’s got into my system or an actual person has passed on their cold! It’s been nearly two months and I still feel a bit clogged up. Maybe it’s just my allergies!
MANCHESTER CONCERT TRIP
Whenever I’m at a concert, I either have another one lined up almost immediately or I don’t have one for months. Within a month or so, I headed to Manchester to see both Little Big Town and Jonas Brothers. The rescheduled JB date actually worked in my favour as I was already seeing LBT on the Tuesday and then JB on the Thursday.
Little Big Town were a bit of a disappointment for me. Whilst I adore their music, they’re a bit flat on stage. Even their harmonies were a little off. However, the sound in the Bridgewater Hall is phenomenal! I still enjoyed my night and sang along to my favourite songs but it’s not the best concert I’ve ever seen.
Similarly, Jonas Brothers were even more disappointing. Maybe it was because the crowd around me in the cheap seats didn’t know anything from their first three albums (RIP It’s About Time) so I was the only one singing/screaming/shouting along. They also came on stage around 15 minutes late, which always annoys me. 8.30pm stage time is late enough!
In fact, after they did their solo set, I left. I don’t really know much from their last couple of albums and I just wanted to get back to my hotel. Whilst I appreciate they had five albums to fit in, I didn’t like them just singing one chorus from lots of their older stuff. Having seen clips from the rest of the tour, I’m not even sure the three of them even want to be there because they have very little stage presence anymore.
FAMILY STRUGGLES
Unfortunately, upon returning from my trip, I found out that my grandad was terminally ill and died just a few days after my Manchester trip. He was 94 years old and until recently, he’d always been in good health. He had a good run and whilst I am sad, I’m happy that he had such a good, long life.
Just days before his death, my grandma (his wife) had two falls in two days and was in hospital when he died. She’s been in there since (so a couple of weeks now) and has now moved to a care home. She thinks she’ll be fine at home alone but she’s got memory and mobility issues right now. It’s safer for her to be fully cared for so we can have peace of mind!
The main issues have been that because my dad is an only child, he’s been left to sort out a funeral and my grandma’s care needs. Luckily, they had a funeral plan in place but we’re still awaiting the death certificate and can’t proceed with much until we have that. I’m trying to sort out all of the admin things (informing utilities and his pensions) but it’s all hit a stop because of this.
A TRIP TO THE EMIRATES
I’ve finally ticked something off my bucket list for 2024: visiting the Emirates for my first Arsenal Women’s game in person! I travelled there and back in one day for a 12.30pm kick-off and it was such a great day. It was nerve-wracking to go to the stadium alone but it was such a good atmosphere and everything is so well-organised. I’d consider getting an earlier train back though as I had to hang around Kings Cross for around three hours! The game ended 2-2 so at least it wasn’t a loss to open the season with!
A LACK OF JOB APPLICATIONS + INTERVIEWS
This quarter, I’ve had multiple interviews. They’ve either taken ages to respond or haven’t responded at all. Whilst I understand the job market is crazy right now, it should be a common courtesy to at least send a “Thanks, but no thanks” email following a formal interview.
It sounds silly but I think I’m getting discriminated against as a freelancer, even though I’m open to returning to full-time work if the right role comes up. When I have had a response, it’s that I don’t have enough agency experience. Being self-employed is basically like running an agency because you’re in charge of everything!
I’m keeping my eyes open for the perfect role. I’m also giving myself Q4 to really refocus on my freelance business. That means posting more on my blog and Instagram and seeing if I can increase my income/client base again.
THE READING BUG
I’ve read 22 books across the three months, which is the most I’ve read in bloody ages! I really got the reading bug again, making sure to read most nights before bed as well as at dinner time. I’ve also been taking my Kindle out and about with me whenever I leave the house so I‘ve read a lot on trains lately.
I’ve finished the Off-Campus series by Elle Kennedy, which I loved, and read quite a few Emily Henry books. I was expecting those to be incredible but I think most of them were quite average chick lit to me! However, I’ve become obsessed with the Dream Harbor and Rebel Blue Ranch series by Laurie Gilmore and Lyla Sage respectively!
And that’s a wrap with my Q3 2024 in review! It’s been a rollercoaster couple of months as you can see. Hopefully, Q4 is looking a little brighter. I hope to get back to monthly reviews from October. Don’t forget that you can follow me on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok for more regular updates. Enjoyed my Q3 2024 in review blog post? Why not check out my other monthly reviews right here!
