2014 – A Round Up – Architects Ride Bicycles

Two Thousand and Fourteen eh? What the hell was all that about then? Well, I’ll tell you!

It’s been an incredibly schizophrenic year, in which so much seems to have happened, and yet a lot has remained the same… I guess there is only so much change someone can make in the space of a year.

It’s been a year (well, summer) that seems to have been dominated by some very good friends getting married.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m really happy for them, and it’s an amazing excuse to see people who I wouldn’t usually see that often. But there was a couple of months over the summer where where every other weekend was a stag do or Wedding! I mean, there is only so much red table wine I can drink!!

So the first Stag do was my only foreign trip this year. To Krakow, Poland, the week before Easter. A beautiful city, lovely people, and a great place to get to know the Groom’s other friends and family. It was a great few days away, and the wedding was fantastic!

I shot an AK47… I Was Okay at it.

Stags in Krakow

Then through August and September I had a weekend on a canal boat in the Midlands, followed by the wedding in Lord Byron’s Ancestral home, for a best friend from secondary school. It is so good to see my friends so happy!!

Then a fortnight later, a tour of the micro pubs of Thanet and Canterbury staying under canvas, for a best friend from Uni. The latter is easily in the running for THE most drunk I think I have ever been… (a fact I am not proud of)

Messing about in Boats!

Micro Pubs in Thanet!

One more enjoyable ‘big day’ and hungover train journey later and the result of all this over exertion was a real desire to hibernate until the New Year.

January brought the start of an unexpected, and important six months “companioning” with a woman who I’m still very fond of. It was a complicated situation and there was never going to be the long haul, but the time we spent in each others company are some of the happiest memories I’ll take from this year. Over these months I got to know parts of Birmingham I have never been to (and probably unlikely to go back to), we took trips to London, and the Malverns, we ate some great food and had more than our fair share of real ale.

These were good times.

In June, there was Glatonbury Festival which was as good as ever, and introduced me my No 1 artist of the Year…

Aaaand in at No 1 – St Vincent with her self titled record, And Glasto Performance.
No 2 – Aphex Twin with Syro.
No 3 – Tod Terje… Its Album Time.
No 4 – The Juan MacLean, with In a Dream
No 5 – Royal Blood for their Glasto set

Royal Blood at Glasto

Honourable mentions go to Public Service Broadcasting who have a new record out early 2015. Also Liars, Alt-J, Daniel Avery, Museum of Love, and Shit Robot who’s albums I’ve really enjoyed this year.

I also saw two of my favourite bands this year, Factory Floor upstairs in the Hare and Hounds in May, and Moderat at the Albert Hall in Manchester in February. Both gigs are big highlights of the year!

Selfie at Moderat

In July, after a painful and protracted, almost year long process, I finally bought out the ex from my house. I couldn’t have done it without the help and support of my family. I am very grateful to them for their help. I have no idea what I would have done without them. This is without doubt the biggest achievement of the year.

Over the summer I found a new love for Cricket, and I’ve really got into the domestic T20 competition. Admittedly, its not the same as test cricket, but it is a great spectacle, and I got to see Notts Outlaws beat “Birmingham” Bears at Edgbaston on the coldest day of summer. I’m pretty sure I was the only Notts fan in the ground…

Even better than my team beating the local guys, was finding a love for the Bears… who I have adopted as my second team. It was great that they made it to the T20 finals day at their home ground.

I went to my first T20 finals day with a few of the lads, and we had an incredible day of warm beer and “banter”. The atmosphere was amazing and we got to see three excellent games, with the Bears coming out victorious!! It was probably my non Glasto highlight of the summer!

Yooooooooooo Bears!

Its been the year I’ve managed to think about Architecture and design for the first time in a while. looking at projects real and hypothetical for friends and family, gave me something to do to keep me out of trouble.

2014 has certainly had its ups and downs, but without fail my friends have been the constant throughout it. So “big up” to them! I feel like I’ve seen a lot of them this year, even the ones spread out all over the country…

Best early Christmas ever.

Hipster times in Manchester.

A motley crew.

Work chums!

Cricket Bantz!

So this is something I said in July this year…

To everyone who has shared a pint with me this last year.

To everyone who has had me cry on your shoulder, both literally and figuratively.

To everyone who has told me things get better.

To everyone who has hugged me in the middle of the night.

To my parents who have never hesitated in their support for me, I cannot thank you enough.

So,

Yes,

Thanks!

There is nothing quite like good mates and family is there?!

Here is to 2015 and whatever it brings!

Happy New Year everyone!

Post by modulorMAN

Share this:

Like this:

Related

Leave a Reply Cancel reply