No Autumn Anxiety: 2012, 2013 & 2014!

Summer has gone and autumn now stands before us, the month of September has continued to be a treat. Those September days from 2012 to 2014 have been eventful yet relaxed so for your entertainment I'm going to throwback past months because I can! From Wolverhampton to Amsterdam via NYC are you ready for this? Autumn is my favourite season! Did you love yours? 

Allow me to rewind back to Autumn 2012, it was a time that seems a world away! Yes, a world away! Throughout my eighth month working in Newark, New Jersey, I got up to quite a lot of exciting things indeed! I showed my love for the theatre when I saw 'Evita' on Broadway at the Marquis Theatre in the heart of Manhattan! There's nothing quite like the bright city lights of New York City's Times Square! Pop sensation Ricky Martin played the part of Che but I wasn't bothered what part he played because he was in the show. Madonna called me to the Yankee Stadium to 'Get Into The Groove' for her MDNA 2012 World Tour, she sung 'Holiday' and 'Like A Prayer' amongst her new material but her original hits made the night unforgettable! Apart from my fun times I want to look back at my time working at Newark Airport when I was a Passenger Services Agent for Virgin Atlantic, I hated the hours but I loved the drama. Those morning wake up calls were not welcomed! Oh Brit, those Autumnal moments all rocked! Yes!

America's own Northeast coast can get mighty cold in during the Autumn, so I packed my carry on bag, trading the autumn chill for the sunshine of Old San Juan, Puerto Rico! I missed the birth of my two youngest cousins that summer, so I wanted a little holiday to recharge and to take the stress away from having no sleep whatsoever! Discovering the old forts of San Juan's colonial past, finding out the 'rich port' was fought over viciously I appreciated the time capsule atmosphere of the Spanish architecture that has been preserved. Taking a trip to Escambron beach I encountered some San Juan Realness, I was in the hood for sure but I loved it really! My placement year in New Jersey afforded me the chance to experience some sketchy neighbourhoods, it meant I didn't have a problem upon my arrival back to Birmingham for the new university term. I know in my heart I'll return to Newark and NYC in when the time is right, I have other continents to explore! Thank you so much, USA! Muchas gracias mi Puerto Rico! 

What difference does a year really make? Telling the truth, the Autumn of 2013 took me to the greener side! Getting our lives together me and my younger Brother spent a mint weekend in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. We spent time at the Coffee Shops and even took a river cruise through the winding canals of the Dam! We saw what wanted from the Red Light District, don't be no fool! It was it all just an illusion? Maybe? Wolverhampton served some serious fashion faux pas but I'll let it off the hook only this time! Back to reality, back to Birmingham for the final year of my university studies was a sobering moment, I had peace to make with my student city. I wanted to be back in the Dam! Starting a fresh me and a friend took a chance on Cannon Hill Park for the afternoon to catch up after the break. The Indian summer vibe washed all over Birmingham that Sunday afternoon, in time I would realise that friendship would expire but not through any fault of my own. Getting my life, Birmingham life meant that I had a blog to craft! 

I said 'hello' to my final year at University College Birmingham, I had the chance to be a Fresher one more time! My younger brother had started his studies and was out on the student scene so I had to join the brotherhood out on a few nights out! Autumn 2013 gave me the boost to see a new side of Birmingham, after trusting a Google Map, I managed to reach Birmingham's famous 'Balti Triangle' that took me to 'Sparkbrook'. Choosing Shabab Balti Restaurant for a Kashmiri food experience. Being a frugal soul I dined on a sumptuous Balti three course extravaganza for next to nothing spent! Getting back to the Village Inn from that Autumnal 2013 starting point gave me the chance to serve some fierceness on the dance-floor to my favourite music! Back to Wolverhampton for one moment, I had a mooch around the town in between changing the Euros up for Amsterdam. I found out for myself that WV needed some love! Amsterdam loved us and Birmingham embraced me for my final year of Uni. Yes, I was down for every single thing!

Autumn 2014 couldn't comeback round fast enough! All I wanted was that graduation to happen, I needed that paper to make those next moves a reality! Bringing some royal highness to my life I discovered Warwick and its Medieval Castle, I had to see what my inner Queen thought about it! Ethelfelda's mound stood as the original barrier for Warwick, that Mercian Princess began the fight against the Vikings! Slay! Warwick had several endearing qualities with its market square small town feel, I was impressed! Trying not break any dishes I chose Stoke-on-Trent for the day to see the Pottery legacy of the Industrial Age getting to know the Gladstone Pottery Museum suited me just fine. You know I was craving a Staffordshire oatcake with bacon and cheese! Hanley served me with a whopper of an oatcake that I fell in love with! I'm easily pleased! Concluding my day at Trentham Gardens, I appreciated the grandeur of the gardens but hadn't I seen you Trentham? I appreciated my post-University period of confusion. But did I?

Stepping back in time to experience the Back To Backs in Birmingham's Southside showed me how Hurst Street's finest used to live. I was astonished by what had been bought back to life by the National Trust! Memory, I wasn't alone in the moonlight because I had booked a ticket to see 'Cats' the musical at Birmingham's 'Hippodrome Theatre'. The feline themed show didn't impress me much, I had seen it better done in the West End when I was a boy. Donning my graduation cap and gown on the 22nd September it was time to graduate from University College Birmingham with a 2:1 Honours Degree, I worked! I said 'Sissy That Graduate' as I made my way to the stage to accept my degree certificate, I had waited for that mother for a long time! The Summer of 2014 took a lot of waiting but Autumn made an appearance eventually, the house down! Wolves Pride concluded my Autumn 2014, it was a day to celebrate LGBT power! I'm sure that a China connection might take me out of England! UK, I need to fly away! Yesss! 

Autumn ... Not Just Any Season! 

Joseph Harrison