Skip to main content
Tag

photos

A General Life Update (with Photos)

By Amazon, Books & Authors, Friends & Family, Life, TechnologyNo Comments
Mental-Health-Wisdom-Printed-Paperbacks-0

My first batch of 13 paperback copies. They have all been signed and sent out to people.. More have been ordered.

This is a general life update. As most of you will be aware my new book Mental Health Wisdom has been released. It was due to be released in May, but was moved forward due to the way Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing Works. I realised that it is also available on Amazon internationally. You can learn more here here.

The whole process of writing, editing and publishing the book has been a huge learning curve. It’s awesome to see my own work in print. I feel really happy and very proud of myself.

I’ve managed to get my book on Goodreads. I’ve reached out to some bloggers who have agreed to review my book. I now need to get some reviews on Amazon and Goodreads.

As I spent the end of last year and the beginning of this year working on my book, I’ve used the time since to catch up with family and friends. I’ve met with my mum and she’s shared her excitement about going to Thailand and Cambodia. My brother Shaun and his girlfriend are adding to our family. My brother Neil and his fiancee are excited about a move.

My friend Kay has shared her experiences from a recent trip to Australia. A family I’m close to (they have all but practically adopted me!) have shared stories of their children and grandchildren. My friend Sye shared that he has passed his theory driving test.

There’s been so much going on for the people that I love and it’s all positive. It is wonderful to hear.

My iPhone 6 Plus had fingerprints on the camera that no amount of lens cleaning would remove. The battery was beginning to die. This is the second iPhone I’ve had in two years and I really look after my stuff. So I decided to upgrade to the Samsung Galaxy S10+:

galaxy-samsung-10+-front-and-back

Samsung Galaxy S10+ SmartPhone.

This phone is superb. The only annoyance is that often the fingerprint scanner doesn’t recognise my fingers. Here are some features on the phone:

  • A massive screen.
  • A long-lasting battery and fast charging.
  • Three camera lenses on the back and two on the front.
  • A sensor that can detect you heart rate, the oxygen saturation in your tissue and levels of stress.
  • It was quick and easy to transfer my data (contacts, photos, music, calendars) from my iPhone to the S10+. In fact Samsung has an app that does it all for you.
  • The settings make the phone highly customisable. You can download full themes, or just wallpapers and icons.
  • All Apps available on iPhones are available in either the Google Play Store or Galaxy Store.
  • It has plenty of RAM.
  • A huge amount of storage, the amount customisation on order. It can also be extended by Micro SD.
  • It can be wirelessly charged and can be used to wirelessly charge other devices.
  • Has a headphone jack.
  • Dual speakers that are really loud.
  • Affordable accessories made by third parties.
  • The list could go on.

I’ve planned and booked my annual leave off work until the end of January. I am in the process of make plans for my time off.

After-Life-Ricky-Gervais

After Life by Ricky Gervais is on Netflix and a must watch.

I’ve been enjoying Star Trek Discovery on Netflix. I also watched After Life written by and staring Ricky Gervais.

After Life is a must watch. It’s about a man (Gervais) whose wife dies due to cancer. It is about how he deals with the loss and gets on the path to contentedness.

After Life is funny, pulls at your heart strings and is overall brilliant. The ending felt rushed, but the reasons for this are understandable.

Here’s a trailer:

Click here to display content from YouTube.
Learn more in YouTube’s privacy policy.

Finally, I’ve recently had feedback from a 360° online anonymised questionnaire as part of a Leadership Programme at work. This questionnaire was sent to a wide range of people that I work with. I don’t discuss work on my blog. But I will say that it was hugely positive, with only a few minor areas for improvement. This affirms my beliefs that I am good at my job and perform well.

Blog soon,

Antony

mental-health-wisdom-banner

Share on Social Media:

My Latest Pagan Wall Artwork – Art on Slate by Kate McKenna bought on The Wonky Cauldron

By Happiness & Joy, Inspiration, Paganism, ShoppingNo Comments

Hello all!

Welcome to 2019. So far, my January has been really busy. But I wanted to share with you my latest purchase. This gorgeous slate wall artwork:

pagan-wall-artwork

Avebury Tree Goddesses by Kate McKenna.

It’s called Avebury Tree Goddesses by Kate McKenna. It’s gorgeous and I love it. High quality shaped slate with a beautiful print on it.

I discovered Kate McKenna’s artwork on The Wonky Cauldron, which I discovered through an ad on Facebook.

Kate doesn’t have her artwork on sale on her website, but The Wonky Cauldron has a wide range of her artwork available to buy.

I’ve spotted another slate with Avebury Stone Circle on. I think I might have to buy it to compliment the one above.

Blog soon,

Antony

Share on Social Media:

My 2018 Review – The Busy Year filled with the Unexpected

By Friends & Family, Gigs & Shows, Happiness & Joy, Health, LifeNo Comments

In January my mum, brother, brother’s fiancee, nephew and I watched Peter Pan’s Musical Adventure in Blackpool. I went to Leeds to spend time with Robert and Neha. Robert & Neha are two of my most dear friends and favourite humans. Here are some photos:

peter-pan-blackpool-2018-0

Blackpool Tower

peter-pan-blackpool-2018-2

Mum feeding the 2p machines and feeding her habit at the same time.

Leeds-2018-0

Left to Right: Me, Robert & Neha.

Leeds-2018-1

Monopoly!

February started with a spring clean. I thought and wrote about The Cycle of Life. I shared some lessons I’ve learned from life.

In March I wrote about homelessness. I aided Steve, my housemate in his hunt for a cockatiel. Here is a photo of Steve’s cockatiel:

Chakuro-the-cockatiel-March-2018-1

Another photo of the extremely cute and chirpy Chakuro.

April began with my attempt to answer some of the most difficult questions in life. Steve and I visited Beeston Castle in Cheshire. I got creative and made a number of Pumpkin Spice Scented Candles:

Beeston-Castle-Cheshire-April-18-9

Me.

Beeston-Castle-Cheshire-April-18-8

The entrance to the main ruin (2). From the bridge was a sheer drop of at least thirty feet.

handmade-pumpkin-spice-scented-candles-0

My batch of handmade Pumpkin Spiced Scented Candles.

handmade-pumpkin-spice-scented-candles-1

One of my Pumpkin Spiced Scented candles. They just need some witchy charms tying to each jar.

For my birthday in May, my good friend Simon and I visited Warkworth Castle & Tynemouth Priory and Castle. See photos below. I published a blog post about how to support someone with mental illness.

Walkworth-Castle-May-18-3

The most well preserved.

Walkworth-Castle-May-18-4

Remains of Walkworth Castle (1).

Tynemouth-Castle-May-18-3

Tynemouth Priory and Castle remains (2).

Tynemouth-Castle-May-18-6

Simon (right) and me (left) in the stone coffins. I couldn’t believe that we both fitted perfectly.

Mum and I visited Harry Potter Studio Tour and London. Mum shared a story about 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.

From My Blog Post: Harry Potter Studio Tour and London with Mum.

In June I was fortunate to unexpectedly see A-Ha with my good friend Jayne. Endless things broke including my boiler, car, new laptop and washer dryer.

July saw Jayne and I visit Chester Zoo. Here are some photos:

chester-zoo-with-jayne-July-18-8

Butterfly (2).

chester-zoo-with-jayne-July-18-1

A close up of the baby elephant.

chester-zoo-with-jayne-July-18-5

My new lover! He’s the strong, wooden, silent type.

chester-zoo-with-jayne-July-18-11

This gorgeous beauty came to say hello and flirted with me (by winking with her big eye and long eyelashes) when I said ‘Hello Gorgeous.’ to her as she passed by.

I found myself disappointed. It was unexpected, but I managed to find the positive side to disappointment.

In July I continued working hard to improve my health. This included starting on FreeStyle Libre Flash Glucose Monitoring System.

September was particularly busy. A good friend, her son, two of his friends and I got close to wild animals at Blackpool Zoo. Here are some photos:

Blackpool-Zoo-September-2018-7

This photo of a penguin is most probably the best photo I’ve ever taken. The penguin was swimming at great speed, although you wouldn’t have guested. I looked at this photo when I got home and it looks like it was taken by a professional. A total fluke.

Blackpool-Zoo-September-2018-12

Another of the beautiful tiger. Blackpool Zoo have two tigers from what we saw. The tiger is more than slightly moist because of the rain.

Blackpool-Zoo-September-2018-14

This is how close we got to a Lion. Able to look in its eye and see the intelligence, along with the hunter instinct. He appeared to be eyeing us up as a snack. Blackpool Zoo had two male Lions living in the enclosure together from what I saw. They seemed pretty well bonded and one went and groomed the other while we watched.

Blackpool-Zoo-September-2018-15

Quickly becoming my favourite animal, the giraffes. What I love about giraffes is that every time I’ve politely called over to one (in different Zoos I might add), they come over. They look at me with their big black eyes and some times, if I’m really lucky, they let me take a photo before they walk off.

Still in September I was unexpectedly (and lucky enough to be offered) a spare ticket to see the spectacular Shania Twain.

In October I self-published a poem Sometimes High, Sometimes Low:

sometimes-high-sometimes-low-by-Antony-Simpson

Click for Full Size Image.

My mum, Kelly, my mum’s friend, her daughter and myself saw Matilda.

In November I went to a wonderful wedding and I watched Fantastic Beats: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

In December I had a great Christmas, shared with loved ones.

Overall 2018 was a busy year filled with the unexpected. Hopefully 2019 will be less busy, but with many good times, shared with friends and family. I’d also like lots more creative output from myself.

Write soon,

Antony

mental-health-wisdom-banner

Share on Social Media:

Christmas 2018 – No Coal, Lots of Lovely Presents & Seeing the Magical and Musical Mary Poppins Returns

By Friends & Family, Happiness & Joy, LifeNo Comments

Christmas was great. The best thing about it is always the precious time spent with loved ones. The food, drinks and presents are just huge pluses. This year I must have been extra good because I didn’t get any coal (the traditional gift for the naughty) and instead got lots of lovely presents:

my-christmas-gifts-2018-0

Christmas presents I was fortunate to receive from friends and family (1).

my-christmas-gifts-2018-1

Christmas presents I was fortunate to receive from friends and family (2).

My good friend Jayne and I went to watch Mary Poppins Returns (MPR):

mary-poppins-returns-cinema-poster

Mary Poppins Returns Cinema Poster

MPR is magical, musical and all-round marvelous. It had a number of brilliant cameo appearances by: Julie Walters, Meryl Streep, Dick Van Dyke and Angela Lansbury.

My Christmas was finished off by seeing Adam Lambert perform Believe in tribute to Cher. A gorgeous man with an amazing voice. This performance made me cry the first time I saw it. I have watched the performance numerous times since. You can see the performance below:

Click here to display content from YouTube.
Learn more in YouTube’s privacy policy.

Blog soon,

Antony

mental-health-wisdom-banner

Share on Social Media:
×