I'm new (again) to the UK. I went to design school in London, which I love, but for this chapter of my life I want to be somewhere not quite so hot, but every bit as much a hot bed of creativity as the capital city.
I'm deeply devoted to the encouragement of in-person meetups and collaborations of Hive content creators. So much so, that after a year of shopping for the ideal homebase city, I've decided that from Leeds, England, I can reach soon-to-be friends or ones I've already made on the chain relatively easily because of the extensive networks of trains in this part of the world, unlike my home country.
In 2023, @bitterirony and I took a world tour of fourteen Hive & C/Creative Work Hour cities. The last stop of the year was 30 November in Fitzrova London where we tried our first @buzzparty meetup. Lovely as it was to get to know @steevc, there was some rookie confusion on my part that led to our missing friends @mcsamm and @collinz 🤦♀️ who also traveled to London to see us. Of course, I felt disappointed (*no, mortified is more accruate) and I pledged to them both, that as soon as I could get back to the "right" side of the Atlantic, we'd give it another go MUCH closer to wear they live.
Whoever said that aligning people's schedules is like herding cats made an effective analogy. So tomorrow we will hope for McSamm & Collinz sightings, but if we try again on another day, I take comfort that @steevc is coming as is @bobbyb58 who flew in from Los Angeles to meet us both. Wanna hear a crazy thing? In addition to @steevc being part of the crew of our CWH Community since 1 January, 2024, BobbyB and I have meet one another online for CWH at least some 300 live creative sessions now.
As I write, I've made my way to the @buzzparty Hive Meetup UK chosen city for May 2024, Bedford. I sit at a white marble Art Nouveau dining table alone at the Pen & Cob restaurant of The Bedford Swan hotel. As I look out over the River Ouse, I see a bevy of swans. Majestic!
I fully intend to reward to myself for overcoming this writer's resistance and get words down so that you can both read and sense in my passion to bring together Hivians, face to face (any wagers on Hivefe.st location anyone?).
As I close, I have closed in on what to order for my mains. I've decided on the well-reviewed Grilled Lamb Loin, pea puree, pancetta & pea fricassee, fondant potato, and mint jus. 😋
My cocktail has arrived. Listen to this description: "Hitchin Honey Gin, a London Dry gin, carefully distilled with classic botanicals and infused with Cardona & Son raw honey from hives with a 10 mile radius of Hitchin, Hertfordshire". So now, I toast the friends I will see tomorrow for our Saturday stroll & ending drink at the pub, which @steevc has chosen for us to enjoy. Cheers!!
Much love!
A 🥰