This year has a lot of photos, but next year has barely any, so I guess that evens it out a little bit. Though, in saying that, posts from this year start… in May. So with that being said, let’s start.

May

Though, there are only two photos from May- a meal I had at Nando’s and some blossom on a tree near my home. Nando’s really isn’t my favourite place to go, but it’s… edible.

June

A bit late- but here was that year’s annual photo as well as the year prior’s. I don’t know, but I seem so much happier, and my wall was already covered in my adventures.

On the 6th June, I went to watch Dean Lewis in concert. Now, I wasn’t going to go but I found out, rather last minute that his support was a small (and very local) artist called Michael Aldag who I had really grown to love in the months leading up to the concert, so for him to be Deans support was nothing short of a miracle and in turn, I just HAD to go. I’ll post the videos below but I stayed in a hotel in Manchester and went to Pizza Hut before the concert!

*I’ve had to remove a lot of videos as my website has ran out of storage haha I’ll upload videos to my second YouTube and link them here… eventually *

Micheal is so local that I see him frequently around the city- he went to the same Grammar school as a lot of my primary school peers, and he even made a TikTok about my tiny little home town. The fact he was touring with an artist from literally the other side of the world is so funny to me. It was really like my two worlds collided, Dean is Australian, after all.

In mid June I went on a Blackpool trip with my mum, it was meant to be three days but we extended it to five. All the pictures weren’t in order as this was in a time before I made coherent blog posts in day-by-day order. So, I’ll do a rotation of five pictures from what I did each day, and then five pictures of my food etc, there will be the odd few videos too.

The first picture is me (obviously), the morning of my trip, you can see my beautiful travel backpack in the corner of my mirror. Oh, how I miss that bag. Then the second picture is a Coke at Liverpool Lime Street station. Photos three and four and when I arrived at the hotel- hence the same outfit. And the fifth picture was a sunset over Blackpool pier. I remember captioning this picture as “I wish I was watching the sunset with her”, how cuteee. The first food picture was of a place called the Wild West Diner where we waited FORTY MINUTES for our food! The second picture was a Pizza Hut we found, the third picture was a long tango ice blast! It was from Blackpool pleasure beach. The fourth picture was a random ice cream from one of the very many ice cream shops and the fifth picture was a place my mums coworker recommended we go to for fish and chips called Lily’s Traditional Fish & Chip Cafe, it was very nice indeed!

Oh the Blackpool tower. I hated that more than I thought I would. I have a video of going up in the lift/elevator which I’ll post below. All the above photos were of the Blackpool Tower.

The first photo is the breakfast I had at the first hotel I stayed at that week. I changed hotels for the second half of the trip as I extended the trip but there was no room as the original hotel! The second, third and fourth photo were some of the ice creams and tango ice blasts I go that week haha! And the fifth picture was the breakfast at the second hotel I stayed at.

Photo one is the first hotel I stayed at. As a note, I do go in two trips to the same place in a few weeks of each other and because back then I was terrible at live posting (posting as and when it happened) I don’t know what photo was from what trip so they’re all being merged into one trip for this post. I stayed in the same hotel both trips (except at the end of the first trip when I stayed at a different place entirely) so if the room looks different, that’s why. The second photo is the front of the first hotel I stayed at, there is a blog post about it… somewhere on my website. Photos three and four are me, the first of the two being taken by my mum. And the fifth picture was a sunset on the way home from the bingo.. I love bingo lol.

All this food is making me hungry haha! The first picture was my J2O at Coral Island Buccaneers Bar & Grill, the second photo was my favourite ice cream at my favourite bingo hall, Bingo3000! They have a whole ice cream bar there when you can choose anything you want! The third photo is my meal at that same bingo, and the fourth picture is the meal I had at  Coral Island Buccaneers Bar & Grill, which I think was on the last night of my trip. The fifth photo was another random ice cream, obviously. The sixth picture was fish and chips at a cool place, I think it was called Papas Fish & Chips, their menu was an actual newspaper! I can post the pictures of that below.

The first two photos are from that fish and chips place I mentioned, the menu was so cool haha. The third photo was me in the first hotel… I really miss my long hair. The fourth photo was of the Blackpool Tower and the fifth one was of me in Blackpool Tower! The sixth and seventh pictures are views from central pier.

My doctor: Alex your cholesterol is super high! Me: Gee whizz I don’t have a clue why! Also me: *eats all the above food in one week alone* haha! Anyway, the first and fourth pictures are from Pizza Hut during my Blackpool trip. Photos three and six are more random ice creams. The second picture is cake and ice cream from the bingo and the fifth picture was one of my breakfasts at the second hotel on my first trip.

These were most of the photos from Blackpool Pleasure Beach. It’s a theme park and I am not the biggest fan of theme parks. But, I had extended my trip and I needed something to do to fill my newfound days with. But, there was an Alice in wonderland ride where I was able to take a photo with that rabbit thingy. The first photo was before I went, but after my McDonald’s lunch!

I always live the purple light above the beds in Premier Inn hotels! One day I want to figure out how to get one of those lights for my bed at home. The second photo is the Blackpool tower at night as it’s all lit up, and I do not remember taking the third picture but it’s in a Premier Inn in June so I guess it’s from the second hotel on the first trip. The fourth and fifth pictures are while I was out and about on my trip. The fourth picture was taken exactly 10 years after the same picture I took, which will be in a post about my teenage photography one day.

The first of the above photos is very aesthetically pleasing, but those bottles were very… leaky. The second picture was of the Blackpool lights while waiting for the tram. The third picture is the sign at the bingo for the fantastic ice cream bar. The fourth picture was the view from the hotel view on the second trip. The fifth picture was of the wheel I am still too scared to go on haha! And then the sixth photo is me, obviously.

These pictures were from when I went to Madame Tussaud’s while on my trip- complete with the queen, and even Boris Johnson! And that cat that lives at 10 Downing Street who’s classed as a paid member of staff as he’s the “mouse catcher” lmao.

I had captioned the first photo as “you like up my life like Blackpool lights” and I still stand by that. The second and third pictures were what I won at arcades- with the seagull being aptly named Glenn. The fourth and fifth pictures were photos I had taken from around my hotel, the rain always makes the streets look so beautiful. The sixth picture was the view from up on the Blackpool tower!

More random pictures from the same trip, these are from my Instagram Stories so I’m sorry if there’s some duplicates, I am trying to avoid that though. The first, third and fourth pictures are of Blackpool tower and the fifth picture is the coloured version of the black and white photo I posted earlier, with the sixth picture being very similar. The second photo was of my medal! After that whole ordeal I thought I deserved it haha!

Very almost done with this one trip now I promise! I was positive I had already posted the sunset on the first photo but apparently not. And I’m sure I posted the second photo too but it may be disguising itself under a filter… The third photo is the sunset… or the sunrise, from my hotel room. The fifth and sixth photos are from the theme park!

Speaking of the theme park, this was the… dancing fountains or something like that. It was rather mesmerising to watch, it was on like once an hour I think!

Finally, they’re the last pictures from my trip, and from June as a whole. The second picture has a photobomb from the real Glenn! Grey gull Glenn! I think that was from the first day, by looking at my outfit.

I tell a big fat lie, there’s still more photos from June, just not from that trip thankfully! The first photo is me in a fun outfit about to go to my parleys house, the second picture is me at my parents house, the tattoos are fake, but they legit lasted months! And the third picture is the things I got from the arcade from my trip.

Ah, the many little envelopes I made. I saw some cute floral paper in a store while I was in Manchester for a concert the year prior and it had cute watercolour prints on the flip side and I knew they would make wonderful envelopes! They were meant to be a gift, specifically “open when” envelopes but I never managed to finish them. I think I made far too many and I bit off far more than I can chew.

July

These are the only four photos from July, the first photo are hydrangeas outside the front door of my parents house, they are still my wallpaper in my phone to this day, they’re so pretty. Did you know: the colour of the flower on a hydrangea plant is determined by the type of soil it is planted in. The second photo was my outfit I wore to a summer fate at my mums work. The third picture was my beautiful new camera that my dad surprised me with! I was so shocked they got the right one as I had only mentioned that I wanted that camera ONCE to my mum, and then the next day they came home from the shops (I was staying there for a while at the time due to my very bad mental health) and they had bought two new pillows for me, but little did I know my dad had unzipped the bag the pillows came in and hide the camera between the two pillows. Needless to say he always died when I unknowingly plonked my head down in the pillows. Such a core memory! The fourth photo was a thin beach towel I got, I never thought I would use it, but anyone who read my blog from my Spain trip would know I used it everyday there! It not only quick-dries you but also itself and hardly took up any space or weight in my bag! I’m thinking of getting a second one is less… bright colours, if I do I’m sure I’ll add it to a recent blog!

August

These were literally the only two photos from the whole of August. Needless to say, it was a rather quiet month by the looks of it. I miss that hoodie, I think that was another victim of bleach, which I got in the sleeve. The store I got it from has stopped making it now so you best believe I’ve been pursuing second hand apps looking for it again. the second photo was from when I was making the maps for the back of all Australia paintings, I have a blog post and a YouTube video about it linked into said blog post.

September

In mid September I went on a trip with my parents to a holiday park I used to go to every summer when I was a kid. I didn’t stay in the same place as my parents, neither of us stayed in lodges ran by the camp, instead we both stayed in Airbnb’s in the camp, who knew they did those? I made a blog post about it HERE and a vlog on YouTube HERE. I don’t think younger Alex appreciated these mountains though, but most of my camera roll was indeed these mountains that surrounded the camp in North Wales.

I, at this point in my life, not mastered the art of making one simple blog post which included everything- from my hour by hour itinerary, every second of every excursion, every meal, and a room tour- and I hate past Alex for that. I cannot tell when I took these photos, they were either on the way there, or they were in the drive from the holiday camp to Caernarfon, where my parents wanted to go, for a day out to… look at the castle? I’m not too sure. I did take some fun photos on that excursion though, which I will post next.

The first two photos were of Caernarfon Castle, complete with the welsh flag! The third photo is of a row of houses that reminded me of Balamory, haha. The fourth photo was actually a bench in the shape of a boat but from the angle I took the photo, it’s hard to see the bench part. The fifth photo was of… the sea..? I think. I cannot tell you what sea, because I do not know.

This is the collection of historic doors and arches that I saw while on my excursion to Caernarfon! I’ve been taking pictures of doors and arches and bridges for many years, one day I’ll make a blog all about my photography and I’ll show you all!

One day.

“Everyone wants happiness, no one wants pain, but you can’t have a rainbow without a little rain” – Dolly Parton, I think.

These are the last of the photos from my September trip! Mainly of the rainbow I saw outside my window one afternoon! And obviously a selfie of me sat next to the deck chair as I was too scared I’d get stuck if I sat in it? On it?

The last photos from September- the first being a little post I made as I was so proud that my website had made it passed 1,000 all time views! The second photo was of a meal I had for breakfast… somewhere, I just can’t remember where.

October

Early October was super quiet! I did take a cute picture of a butterfly? Moth? Outside of the nursing home my nan was at before she passed. The second photo was the last photo of my brown bath shelf as I had ordered a grey one to match my bathroom more, and I still use my grey one to this day! Then there’s a random selfie of me with Koala I got this month which I’ll post photos of next. The. The fourth photo is of new pictures I got off Etsy, for the pillar between my living room and kitchen, which I have deemed my ‘dining room’, which fit perfectly!

The first photo is me, but also my bedroom when it looked different. I got a super king bed shortly after this so now my room can only go in one very boring configuration! The second photo is a noodle thing I made, and the third picture is Koala on the day I bought him from TK Maxx. The fourth photo is ‘mount parcelmore’ aka, all the stuff I sold in order to fund my next trip lmao.

The last few photos from October- the first being the time my long black mirror fell against my wall and I fixed it with filler for the first time! The second picture were my DIY labels I made for my old dressers before I got new labels (and now new dressers!) The third photo was my wall that was near my streaming set up- I couldn’t keep the streaming set up for long as I got a much bigger bed a few months after this and I had to put my dressers were my desk was. The fourth picture is me and Koala and the fifth picture is the… burial place of my dad’s beloved mug that my mum accidentally broke while washing it. As the picture says, I did hunt down the internet to buy him not one, but two replacements!

November

May I present: Sad Amazon Box! So remember before when I said I was getting a new bed? Well I hadn’t got the new bed yet but I was preparing by buying my new pillows and duvet and they gave in a huge Amazon box! So I turned it upside down and added eyes… and this, Sad Amazon Box was born. The first and second who was the set up for the third photo, where I dabbled in photoshop to create the background haha. Y’all will never know how amused I was at that thing. For literal months.

I write Christmas cards to my neighbours every year, that’s what the first picture is- the second is lunch I got in a cafe… somewhere. And the third is me- I don’t know where I was going but I was looking very put together wasn’t I?

December

We start off December with some of my crafts- first we have a colouring page that I did, I used coloured card as well as a second colouring page to add shells and turtles to it! Then I made some bookmarks out of a colouring book, which is the video above. I was originally going to sell the bookmarks but I didn’t, so I gave them to my neighbours in the next year’s Christmas cards, but you’ll see that in 2024. I did get some bookmarks back though, which I use in my books to this day.

Koala and Snoops are good friends, as we can see from photo number one, taken some time in mid December. The second picture were these little things I won at the arcade when I went to wales with my parents back in September, they were called Sunny Bunnies apparently, it’s quite a big kids show in like, Poland I think. They fit rather nice on that shelf though. The third picture was my new dining room table, which fit nicely under the new pictures I got earlier on in the year. The fourth and fifth pictures are moi (that’s French for me haha) and the sixth photo is a meal I got close to Christmas time from Harvester.

The end of the year now! There’s something about seeing all my photos later out like this which is so satisfying to me. This was the thing I got from Duolingo at the end of the year that says I was in the top 16% of language learners, as well as my Christmas gifts from my parents!

I have, with the power of iPhone editing, removed all names but these were the Christmas cards I got back after sending mine earlier on in the month. The last one is from my parents, I don’t know why or how the whole ‘lord Alex’ and ‘peasant’ thing started, it was an inside joke from when I was a lot younger haha.

And with that, 2023 is done. This post was so long that it’s taken a few seconds to type each word and wait for it to load into view, so I will leave this here. See y’all in 2024!

– Time Traveller Alex, 2026