Pre-season blues.

The Havant & Waterlooville Hawks posted this photo on their Twitter account earlier & they've improved the pitch so much, it's barely recognisable. It's just made my excitement for the upcoming season skyrocket, & there's only about a month to go now.

New players, new sponsor, new kit, new pitch & a whole load of football to look forward to with some of my favourite people, at one of my favourite places. There is just something so much more entertaining about seeing your local team play, especially at their home ground. The atmosphere is usually incredible, there's plenty of banter & referee abuse.

West Leigh park & the beautiful game brings out the monster in me.

Eclectic at best.

It’s not until I flick through my “recently played” list, that I realise quite how varied my music taste can be.

Tales from the crypt of a self-confessed bookworm.

Ever since finishing university & having spare time again, I’ve been struck down with intense urges to read for leisure again. The past academic year I just didn’t get to read in my own time at all, but spent the majority of my time trawling through innumerable textbooks & websites for research purposes. It’s nice to indulge & actually read what I want for once.

So this is my “to read” pile:

Private - James Patterson.

Hide And Seek - James Patterson.

Sail - James Patterson.

Without Prejudice - Andrew Rosenheim.

God Is A Bullet - Boston Teran.

Spiral - Koji Suzuki.

The Brutal Art - Jesse Kellerman.

Precious Blood - Jonathan Hayes.

My mum has been taking full advantage of the “£1 for a carrier bag full of books” from our local library. Books are a staple mental food for me in everyday life, stimulating, entertaining, absorbing, engaging & sometimes emotionally disarming.

And I find this is even more relevant on holiday. There is nothing more satisfying, relaxing, or utterly blissful than laying in the sun with a beer & a good book. In September I’m going away to Spain to see my dad, & I have three whole weeks of that to look forward to. I’ll also be re-reading Junk by Melvin Burgess for the umpteenth time, various issues of ONM (Official Nintendo Magazine) I can get my hands on & any books my dad & grandad have hoarded.

I honestly struggle to comprehend how some people just don’t read, at all.

The end of an era?

When I started this blog I told myself I’d keep the personal posts to a minimum, but I’m going to make an exception. Yesterday deserves to be documented.

So. Yesterday I moved out of Southampton, for good. What a monumental day for me, I don’t think there is any other way to describe it. I have to admit, I'm still feeling pretty down right now. That city has been home for my friends & I, for three long years. It just feels slightly surreal that I won’t be heading back up there after the weekend, that I’m home for good.

We all fell in love with it, & everyone that visited did too. It's been good to us & I'll miss it, a lot. It's provided me with amazing people & places, memories I'll remember till the day I die, & some I wish I could forget. Oh & a messed up nose. But hey; without wanting to sound clichéd, that's all part of growing up right? Making your own mistakes & fighting your own battles. I honestly wouldn't change a second of it, I’ve had the time of my life (as the song goes).

On a slightly different (yet equally mentally straining) vein, my grandparents very kindly offered to help move the last of my junk out of my room. It was a surprise, but an incredibly pleasant & most welcome surprise. For four years I only ever saw them over the Christmas holidays & around my birthday, but lately I've seen them twice in two weeks. Which is just lovely, and it's probably for the best.

I'll be spending three weeks with them during September & October, I really want to dispel any potential awkwardness between us by then. Especially as there's going to be a whole other lot of bitterness & awkwardness to contend with when we touch down. But, I digress. I have missed them & I super appreciate the gesture. It has been emotional & to be honest, I really wanted them there to share it with me (for reasons quite beyond my comprehension).

So long Southampton, it’s been a hell of a ride.