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Wonderful Websites – Gay Culture and Society

By Gay, The Web8 Comments
wonderful-websites-image This is the seventh blog post in a series titled Wonderful Websites. The first focused on general health and can be read here. The second focused on mental health and mental illness and can be read here. The third post focused on shopping and can be read here.

The fourth focused on money and can be read here. The fifth focused on gigs, shows and theatres and can be read here. The sixth focused on paganism and can be read here.

Here’s Wonderful Websites about gay culture and society:

1. The Gay UK – My number one source of gay news.

2. Gay Star News – My close second source of gay news.

3. Gaydio – A gay radio station that can be listened to in London and Manchester and online.

4. Stonewall – A national charity that campaigns for LGBT rights.

5. The Albert Kennedy Trust – A charity that supports LGBT homeless young people.

6. RUComingOut is a brilliant resource for anyone struggling to come to terms with their sexuality, coming out or thinking about it.

7. GMFA – A gay men’s health charity.

8. LGBT @ BuzzFeed – A news site that has an LGBT section. Has the odd interesting article.

Are there any gay culture and society websites that you think are useful that aren’t on the list? If so leave a comment below and let me know.

In the next post in my Wonderful Websites I will list great TV, Online Streaming & Films websites.

Blog soon,

Antony



I aim for posts on this blog to be informative, educational and entertaining. If you have found this post useful or enjoyable, please consider making a contribution by Paypal:


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Saturday 30 June 2018

Harry Potter Studio Tour and London with Mum

By Adventures, Friends & Family, Happiness & Joy, LifeNo Comments

This week mum and I went on a coach trip with National Holidays. We went to the Harry Potter Studio Tour and spent some time in London city centre.

Here are some collages of photos from the Harry Potter Studio Tour, click on any photo for full size image:

HPST-Goblet-of-Fire-May-18-0

The Goblet of Fire Photos.
HPST-Forbidden-Forest-May-18-1

Forbidden Forest Photos.
HPST-Hogwarts-Express-May-18-2

Hogwarts Express Photos.
HPST-Props-May-18-3

Props Photos.
HPST-Weasley-Shop-Props-May-18-4

Weasley Shop Props.
HPST-Knight-Bus-May-18-5

Knight Bus Photos.
HPST-Privet-Drive-May-18-6

Inside Privet Drive Photos.
HPST-Other-Cool-Stuff-May-2018-7

Other Cool Stuff Photos.

Even though mum and I had been before, there were plenty of things we hadn’t seen on our last visit. I’ve only included photos things we didn’t see last time in this blog post. Things we didn’t see last time included: The Goblet of Fire, The Forbidden Forest, The Hogwarts Express and inside Privet Drive.

There were plenty of things that we saw last time. I was great to see that they had significantly increased the interactive activities for visitors.

It was brilliant to see that they are building an extension to include things from the new Fantastic Beasts films series (of which there will be 5 films).

Here’s one final photo of Mum with a Hedwig puppet. We took a similar photo last time, how many times do you have to do something before it becomes a tradition?

HPST-Mum-with-Hedwig-Puppet-May-18-8

Mum with Hedwig Puppet.

The next day mum and I were released into the wild of London city centre. We saw the Houses of Parliament, the scaffolding-covered Big Ben, the High Courts and my favourite St. James Park.

St. James Park is a lovely park that is like a natural oasis within one of the world’s most busy cities. There’s a bit of a family story to St. James Park.

When my mum was a little girl, she lived in London with her mum and dad (my grandma and granddad). Every Sunday, while her mum was making the Sunday dinner, her dad would take her to watch the changing of the Guard and then into St. James Park to feed the ducks.

Here are some photo collages from photos I took in St. James Park:

St-James-Park-London-collage-May-18-9

St. James Park, London. Photo collage by me (1).
St-James-Park-London-collage-May-18-10

St. James Park, London. Photo collage by me (2).

Mum and I had a fantastic time and will no doubt do the trip again in a couple of years.

Mum and I did a similar trip at the end of 2014. You can read and see pictures here: London Trip, Part 1 and London Trip, Part 2.

Write soon,

Antony

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Sunday 20 May 2018

Book Review: The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert

By Amazon, Books & Authors, ReviewsNo Comments
the-signature-of-all-things-elizabeth-gilbert-book-cover
View on Amazon.co.uk
 The Signature of All Things is the magnificent novel by the delightful writer Elizabeth Gilbert.

The Signature of All Things is set over the lifetime of Alma Whittaker, a woman of means in the early eighteenth century, who is obsessed with the study of moss, unlucky in love, boggled by the altruism of her adopted sister and always on the search for answers in the natural world.

Alma’s journey is wonderful, fascinating and captivating. Alma’s journey and that of her father before her takes the reader around the globe transporting them to: London, Philidelphia, Tahiti, Peru, Tenerife, Hawaii and many places in-between.

Gilbert should be praised for her superb factual research within this novel and her ability to weave it subtly into her work of fiction.

Everything about The Signature of All Things is exquisite and exotic, yet bound together in familiarity by the experience of emotions that all human beings share.

Gilbert’s writing voice is engaging, warm and at times exciting. Gibert’s description brings the readers imagination fully to life. The reader can actually imagine being there alongside their new friend Alma.

The plot is intriguing, brilliantly plotted and has lots of very clever twists. The reader wont have read such cleverly plotted novel as The Signature of All Things in a number of years (I certainly hadn’t!). The expert unravelling of the plot and twists makes readers find it tough to put the book down.

Gilbert’s pacing is suitable for the plot and The Signature of All Things has 580 pages, so is slightly longer than the average novel.

The Signature of All Things is a priviliage to read, nothing less than exceptional and life enhancing.

The Signature of All Things is available to buy on Amazon and at all good book shops.

Blog soon,

Antony

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Friday 11 May 2018

Book Review: A Street Cat Named Bob by James Bowen

By Amazon, Books & Authors, ReviewsNo Comments
a-street-cat-named-bob-james-bowen-book-cover
View on Amazon.co.uk
 A Street Cat Named Bob is the uplifting and inspirational story about James, a man who is vulnerably housed and a recovering drug addict who discovers a rather remarkable cat.

The ginger tom, which James names Bob, is in a sorry state when he finds him. Bob has bald patches, is thin and has an infected abscess on his back leg.

As James nurses Bob back to health (with a little help) they develop a close relationship, becoming dependent upon one another. Readers will fall in love with Bob and James in equal measure.

James assumes that once Bob is well, he will leave. But Bob doesn’t. In fact he does quite the opposite.

James is working the streets of London. First busking and later selling The Big Issue magazines. Bob starts following him to work in the mornings, crossing busy roads and jumping on buses. So James ends up buying him a lead. But Bob often prefers to travel on James’ shoulder.

Bob is smart, inquisitive and a good judge of people. Many people take a liking to Bob and that helps to humanise James to them. James also learns to trust other people because of Bob. But the streets of London can be tough at times and not everyone acts out of kindness or compassion. In A Street Cat Named Bob Bowen tells the story of the tribulations and triumphs Bob and he face on the streets.

Astute readers will be left with some concern for Bowen when they finish reading A Street Cat Named Bob. Bowen values his friendship with Bob greatly. It comes across as the only significant relationship Bowen has. But the average indoor cat only lives for around 15 years (human years). So how is Bowen going to respond to the eventual death of his close friend? And will he be at risk of relapsing on to drugs or alcohol to manage his feelings of grief? I sincerely hope not.

A Street Cat Named Bob is a easy and enjoyable read, made so by Bowen’s warm and friendly tone. It’s a relatively short book at just 279 pages. It will leave readers feeling all warm and fuzzy on the inside. It is a must read for any animal lovers or anyone into sociology.

A Street Cat Named Bob is available to buy on Amazon and at all good bookshops. A Street Cat Named Bob has also been made into a film and is out on DVD now, available to buy on Amazon and at other good retailers.

Review soon,

Antony

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I aim for posts on this blog to be informative, educational and entertaining. If you have found this post useful or enjoyable, please consider making a contribution by Paypal:


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Saturday 25 March 2017
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