Swimming Home

In just under 3 weeks time, I will be saying goodbye to Edinburgh and hello (again) to Shetland. And no, I won't be swimming home, unless the boat sinks which it probably will since I'll have all my stuff on it!

After living in Edinburgh for close to 2 years it's going to be strange and somewhat difficult for me to get used to living in Shetland again. Everything I've got used to here will be gone. The constant sounds of the sirens and cars and the bright lights surrounding Edinburgh will be replaced with silence and somewhat dimmer lights. Despite all of that, I'm happy to go back home.

From this...

My decision to move back to Shetland was a quick one. Something I didn't see coming. But I feel it's the right one. After having a month from hell with things slowly going tits up in my social, work and home life I decided maybe I needed a break from everything and go back to familiar surroundings and have a chance to reboot and start my life from scratch. Granted it seems a little bit dramatic just dropping everything last minute and packing off back home. But living in Edinburgh slowly began to feel less fun and more hard work. It was exhausting. Even though I had tonnes of friends living here who I spoke to almost daily, I felt lonely. 

...back to this.

Having no family in a place as big as Edinburgh can be a little lonely. Yes we have skype and can text, email, facebook, call each other, but it wasn't the same as actually being in the same room as them. Also the thought of spending a 3rd Christmas down here alone didn't exactly spread joy.

As the day I move gets closer, I'm getting more and more excited to go. But the prospect of packing everything and taking it back is a little daunting. Even thinking about it is hard work!

But I know, when the day comes that its my last shift at the hotel, and the last time I see my friends for a while (I will be back) there will be tears. Mostly from me. What can I say, I'm happy not to see them again (haha joking!)

Back From The Dead

A talent I once thought I had lost is finally sneaking back into my life, I now have a hobby that I actually do, and that talent is art.

During my school days, art was my life. I was always drawing, painting, colouring almost every day. When I got to high school, it became more of a pain having to do all this art work and I slowly lost my passion for it. I think it was because I was being forced to do all of this art work and in the end, I began to resent it. 

So once school and exams were over (and after getting an A on my art work!) I completely lost the will to draw, it didn't interest me anymore. Fast forward a few years and after discovering alcohol, moving from home and having to pay bills and working constantly or going out with friends, I never got around to drawing anything. 

When I did try to sit down to draw, it looked awful. I could see perfectly in my head what I wanted to draw, but getting it from my head to paper was challenging. After a few more attempts, I said to myself that the talent I once had was long dead and so I gave up completely.

Then, last year in preparation for a friend's birthday, a Nintendo themed party, we drew, painted and coloured tonnes of things, including my pixel Yoshi. But of course, it was all rushed and I felt like I was back at school and stopped. 

A few days ago, while sitting in my room bored, I decided to give draw something. After I had finished that drawing, I started another and then another and I was actually enjoying it more and more. I think it was because I wasn't being forced to draw in a specific time frame, I was doing it for fun. 

This year my plan is to start getting as good as I was and try experimenting with different paints, oils and try painting on a canvas for the first time. But in the mean time, all I have is a pencil & a pad, something I'm quite comfortable using.

Here's a drawing I managed to do in just over an hour. Hope you like it! Inspired from Evanescence's album cover "Anywhere But Home".