A Belated Happy New Year

Well Hello, so sorry its taken me ages to get back to blogging. I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and New Year.

Ive actually been in trouble for having yet another leisurely break from blogging, seems life just gets in the way, but its nice people are waiting for me to get back to it.

So whats been happening? So so much, Ill tell all over the next few days (is this Hello! or Ok!) but right now here's Christmas and New Year.

Christmas was lovely but very brief. I finished work very late on Christmas eve and drove home Christmas morning. It was actually kinda beautiful driving home then. All the countryside was white with snow and it was the stillest and quietest drive I've ever done. Only me and Radio 1 and 5Live all the way home.

I got home and went to my parents where my sister had been waiting for me cause Santa had been. After we opened our presents we had a yummy Christmas dinner made by my Mam. Even though the magic isn't the same as when you're a kid, I love that Christmas day is still the same as when I was small.

After lunch I had to have a little kippsy cause I was shattered then I went to see my family and play cards and consequences. Other people think we are a strange family cause we don't watch telly and eat chocolate all afternoon but I secretly love the card games.

The rest of Christmas was spent with family and friends before I came back to work on the 29th.

What about New Year? Well this year was an interesting one, I was at work very early on both New Years Eve and New Years Day (boo) but my family are fab and drove down to Birmingham and staying in a hotel (even booked me a room) just so we could all spend a few hours together to see in the New Year.

When they arrived we went for a little bit shopping then to the Burlington Hotel bar (that's a whole other post), we went for dinner at the Tapas place next to work which I walk past everyday but Id never been. It was fabulous (maybe the Sangria helped). We had drinks in Penny Blacks and Bar Room Bar in the Mailbox before going to Centenary Square for midnight. In the square was the Birmingham Christmas wheel, which I wanted to go on just cause it was lit up. Michael took this photo, isn't it pretty? At midnight there was lovely fireworks to mark 2010 and round off an excellent New Years Eve.

I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas and New Year and it doesn't feel like forever ago. I cant believe its February already, isn't 2010 flying!

A Year as the Armchair Backpacker

Well, were nearly there, a whole year has passed since I was sitting on the sofa willing up the courage to start the blog I'd been thinking about for a long time.



And its certainly been a year and a half....



Despite no holidays abroad a lot of things have happened to this little traveller. She feels a bit more grown up, and a bit more child-like all at the same time. Shes ticked some stuff off the list and added some more. Shes learnt that really she knows nothing but sometimes you have to think things are true until you're ready to accept they are not (this is why teenagers think they know everything).



Probably the most important thing for this blog is that Ive realised that the Armchair Backpacker is a whole other personality, shes little and cute and she lives her own little life exploring everything and is always desperate to learn more. This is the reason that Ive not always been consistent with the posts, theres been a lot of thought explosions and even more quiet periods while the real Angela has been dealing with big girl grown up life stuff.



But fear not, the Armchair Backpacker is slowly re-emerging and in the new year she'll be back with big 2010 plans, holidays, triathlons and lots more drumming. And of course theres the 2009 resolutions to revisit and the 2010 ones to make (Better get a thinking cap on).

In the meantime I'd just like to thank everyone who has been reading this blog, you've really made the first year as the Armchair Backpacker fab.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas (if you're celebrating) or Holiday Season (if you're not).

See you all in 2010.

Ang x

Travel Telly

Woohoo, finally some proper Armchair Backpacking, gosh, hasn't it been forever*.

This week I am living in a hotel, not for the first time either. Don't worry though the houses are just fine but this week I'm working in Stoke and that means hotel.

Now people like me (professionally not personally) spend a lot of time in hotels and the pattern goes something like this.

Arrive back in room, misplace work ID badge and room key, watch Weakest Link (often on a very snowy telly, Wood Norton, you know who you are), Eat sometimes alone (pub food, restaurant food, hotel bar food, or room service), Drink, Watch Telly, Sleep, Wake Up, forget where you are, get a shock, remember where you are, go to work.

Luckily this time I have swimming, cycling and running to fit into that routine, and the drinkings had to go but that ain't a bad thing.

But I'm still watching plenty of telly.

This week has been a lighthearted travel telly kinda week, no serious stuff involving real strife, just some jolly fun. Here's my top 2 that you must watch asap (on the internet or next week)

1. Round the World in 80 Days

BBC 1, Tuesday 9pm.

This series follows in the footsteps of both Fact and Fiction as Michael Palin challenges 6 celebrity couples to repeat his round the world trip, relay style.

Very light hearted fun mixed with real travel adventures and troubles. Each hour long episode covers a whole leg of the relay so its really condensed but still includes wonderful experiences and shows more than one couple overcoming obstacles very quickly in order to keep on schedule.

The last episode is next week but all the previous are on BBC iPlayer until 24th November.

This one is raising money for Children in Need and the treasures from the travels are on Pudseys Auction Website.

P.S. I must mention that during the Countryfile episode Matt Baker has his nose broken by a Mongolian Wrestler. But being the pro he is he just carries on. I love Matt.

2. John Sergeant on the Tourist Trail

Tuesdays, ITV1

In this show John accompanies tourists to Britain to find out what they were expecting, what they think and then he takes them to some proper British places including the vicarage where he grew up and a village pub for a roast dinner (complete with Yorkshire Puds).

I like the idea of challenging stereotypes, getting the visitors out of the city centres to see the places of real beauty and changing their minds. But then they did visit in the first place so are they the minds we need to change.

The format is interesting and familiar at the same time and I'm going to have to let you make up your own mind but do check it out for the fantastic aerial shots of proper British countryside and villages. Beautiful, and graceful, and absolutely the stage for my midlife crisis when I get there (village florist, now you didn't expect me to fancy that did you).

So, as the rainy weekend they predicted begins, get cosy and watch a few of these.

And while were talking telly, a big Get Well Soon to Brucie, we will miss you very much on Strictly this weekend.

*yes I do believe I live in the Famous Five.

Little Post for My Mam

My Mam is one of the most regular readers of the blog. She even reminds me to write it.


So when browsing the Guardian the other day I couldn't help but notice this article she would like.

Top 10 Best UK Coffee Shops

And if I were allowed to add a number 11 I would add The Snow Goose, on Roker Marina, Sunderland. Lovely lunches, Minchellas Ice-Cream and the best Sea Front (but you know I think that already). Ill take a photo of it when I go home at the end of the month.

A Week for Remembering

This pic was taken by my friend/penpal Greg.

As regular readers will know, The Armchair Backpacker is usually excitable and innocent in a playing out on my bike, saving pennies for camping trips, kind of way.

But this week its impossible not to comment on the harsh grey adult world that Ive officially been part of for longer than I like to consider (Yes, newspapers regularly comment on "women of 24", usually in fertility studies, but I just want to cycle and drum).

This week has been the 20th Anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the 91st Anniversary of Armistice Day.

While both these events themselves were days which signified the end of war, of hope and freedom. It is, and always will be, important to remember those who died. Not only so these events could take place, but also in the other wars of the last century.

Recently we have also experienced news of tragic loss in Afghanistan, again reminding us that the wars our forces currently fight are real and dangerous and an end must be found.

Now this isn't meant to be a sad or political post. I just wanted to say that all of these events must remind us that life is precious and can be taken away when we least expect it. It is so important that we all live it the best that we can.

Ive been contemplating my own advice here, to 'live the best that we can'. This isn't something that's just rolled off the tongue without a second thought.

This week 9 EuroMillions winners also announced their new fortune. Now people correct me if Im wrong but I believe that going public is a choice of the winner? Is this not the case? If it was a choice then was their timing that brilliant?

I'm not for one second complaining that they won, no doubt they are over the moon, and I would be too. But at such a sensitive time seeing these people be paraded in the news just left me cold. As the families of the fallen will tell you (and many many millionaires will confirm) money cannot buy the most important things in life.

And I just wanted to remind you of that, be happy for the winners but don't ever be jealous.

Recently I heard the saying,

"Since when was life something we bought, instead of something we live"

I'm sorry, I forget who said it, but I couldn't help thinking about it this week. Even with the onset of winter and the continuing recession, please continue to find things to be happy about.

Playing the O2

Today I'm in London at the British Music Experience.

This photo is me drumming in the Gibson Interactive Studio.

Now I'm off to check out the radios.

I'll write all about it properly next week.

Hope you're all having a lovely weekend.

X

Sneaky Sparklers...

I hope everyone had a lovely bonfire night.
Here in Stoke it was a total washout, didnt see even a little one while I was out.
So to cheer us all up heres some photos I took last year.
My camera can do fireworks very well, shame the rest of my photography is rubbish.