Wherever I lay my hat....

..that's my home. Or so I thought. Ever since I was tiny I've been good at feeling at home straight away. Whenever we'd go on holiday I'd always say, "mommy, are we going home soon?" when I was on the beach and the sun got too much for my ginger self. I meant back to wherever we were staying, not actual home, but it just seemed natural that where I was living at any point in time was "home."

Now though, I do actually have two homes. I've lived in Leeds for nearly 2 years , and it is my home. The (not so?) weird thing is, I think a part of me will always feel like I really belong in Stourbridge.

I went back last weekend for the birthdays of two of my best boys, and it was like I was properly myself again. Everyone talked the same way I did, they all knew me inside out and it was just comfortable. We went camping and on the Saturday our friends who have chidren came for the day. It scared me that Dal's son Josh is 3 months old and it was the first time I'd seen him in the flesh. It made me sad that I can't be there next weekend for Danielle's daughter Grace's 1st birthday party.

There's always a flip side with me, and coming back to my Northern home gave me one. It was Katie's birthday yesterday and some people went out for a curry to celebrate. The man who owns the restaurant (big up Javeed!) recognised us (Katie and Josh have been going there for years, but I do think he remembered me too) and laughing and drinking with nice people who I genuinely care about gave me my flip side - I love being in Leeds and I don't want to leave. I couldn't leave now, because despite how Stourbridge makes me feel, this is my home.

It seems like I'm destined to always feel torn, to want to be in Stourbridge when I'm in Leeds, and to want to be in Leeds when I'm back in The 'Bridge. I did this to myself though, because I left. I still stand by the fact that coming to Leeds was the best thing I could've done and I don't regret it for a second, but I didn't realise I'd signed up to this permanent tug of love game I play with myself!

Wherever I lay my hat that's my home? Maybe, but it seems more appropriate to say home is where the heart is, and my heart is now in two places. What a cheater...

Foo Frenzy

So it seems that my second ever blog is going to be about the Foo Fighters which is all good because they ROCK! I've been a huge Foos fan since 1997... I borrowed their second album The Colour And The Shape from Dudley Library and was immidiately hooked. The reason that I borrowed the album originally was actually because I fancied a boy who was a fan, but I owe him a debt of gratitude for introducing me - my affections for him are long gone, but my love for Mr. Grohl and friends lives on! SH, I thank you :)

Anyway, the reason why I'm blogging about the Foos today is because I saw them play in Milton Keynes this Saturday just gone. It was the 5th time I've seen them live and they blow me away every time. It was the first time I'd been to the Milton Keynes Bowl and I'll be honest and say I wasn't impressed. It's huge (which is always good when you have a massive band like the Foos who could've filled that venue ten times over) but there weren't enough toilets (pee in the bush time) or bars, and the giant rig in the middle of the stadium blocked the view for a lot of people. Plus, it's in the middle of bloody nowhere. We'd booked a campsite which included a bus to and from the Bowl, which we paid an extortionate amount of money for considering it was a campsite, and then the bus took over an hour to arrive after the gig! Nothing could have ruined that day for me, but that did leave a sour taste in my mouth after an amazing show.

I'm still buzzing from the gig, and before I'll even have time to come down I'll be seeing the Foos AGAIN, this time in London at the Camden Roundhouse, which is going to be out of this world... the smallest venue I've ever seen the Foos in is Brum NIA and that's hardly small! To see my all time favourite band (one of the biggest bands in the world) in such an intimate setting is just going to blow my mind... I still can't believe I actually won tickets either! It was a competition through the band's facebook page and I did a little dance around my bedroom when I got my winners email!

So, my train tickets are reserved, my hostel is booked and I'm good to go! 7 more sleeps...

That's my man Mr. Dave Grohl doing his thing <3