Pride - Questions Answered!

Have you heard of 30 days of Pride? 

In case you missed that June is Pride month you will have seen plenty of rainbows appearing all over the place to remind you. From brands avatars going rainbow to shops putting out 'Pride' ranges, companies decorating their windows with Pride decor to employees sporting rainbow lanyards you should have spotted a rainbow or two.

Well everyday is Pride in our house and we do what we can to to show how proud we are to be part of LGBT community as often as we can. It's a big part of why we share our lives online, we want to show our lives are normal. That love is possible whoever you are. That families are not exclusively for heterosexual couples. That we exist every month not just in Pride month. 

However for Pride month we decided to record a quick video answering the questions being shared on Instagram over this month. 

Check the video out here. 

Guest Post: Why Is Dating Harder For LGBT People Today?

With our 5th wedding anniversary coming up and June being Pride month, what better time to spread some love! When we a received an email from Jenny at LezBeGay with a solution for single LGBT people we thought it was an amazing idea and that now would be a great time to share it with you.

Why Is Dating Harder For LGBT People Today?

A 2011 report by the Williams Institute states that gay people make up 1.7 percent of the population. Separate those 1.7 percent down to gender preference, attraction and similar mindsets and what’s left for us gay folk? The pickings are slim as the numbers are not in our favour, with gay people outside of cities having the most challenging time meeting someone. Whilst we don’t have control over percentages of our existence, there are a few things that complicate things even further….

 Go to any gay bar or social function and you’ll either see people standing alone sipping their drinks hoping for someone to come up to them or packs protectively surrounding themselves with their group of friends. What’s the result? You become invisible from contact with people outside your friendship circle.

I’ve discussed this with my own friends and the majority state that they take a passive approach when it comes to flirting in public and wait to be approached by someone else. Shyness and fear of rejection are the number one reason behind my female friends lack of initiative at introducing themselves to someone they find attractive and interesting. In my experience, this doesn’t appear to be as big an issue in heterosexual circles as straight men are more likely to take the initiative.

10 years ago this kind of behaviour would have been a problem but not anymore! Today we have texting and other online platforms that allow for hiding behind a screen instead of having in-person communication. We’re okay with our shyness and fear of rejection, we don’t try to get past it anymore because technology allows us to hide; our social skills and flirting abilities have weakened.

Gone are the days of meeting the love of your life by chance at Starbucks. Nah, today we’re all about Tinder. Good thing we’ve got Tinder you say? Nope. This problem can be applied to all millennials, whether you’re gay or straight.

Technology has made are lives so much easier, whether it comes down to looking up a new recipe or texting our flatmates to bring back a pack of beer from work. I’m typing this from my smartphone, ironic or what?

BUT my experience with Tinder and other dating apps shows that millennials have lost the ability to appreciate what’s in front of them because we have so much choice, literally seconds away.

Everyone who we swipe through is supposed to look like a model, be super successful, like everything we like, and fit the molds we’ve created that no one can ever actually live up to.

We all expect to have perfect tens for partners even if we aren’t a ten, which no one is, and the quest for this mythical creature ruins our ability to see how amazing the person in front of our screen truly is; we don’t give them the chance to show their quirks in person. This, in my experience, is when a person’s personality shines through, when you let go of prejudices that you may have been fed from a picture and a few lines; you simply let go and interact with the person face-to-face.

I got sick of swiping so decided to go old school. I wanted lots of dates all in one night, I didn’t want to get ghosted nor did I fancy sticking around if I didn’t like the person. How do you manage that you ask? Speed dating. Speed dating is something that has never really held much appeal in the past. Maybe it’s down to a preconception of it being a grown-up mix of musical chairs and snap. So the trick is to make a good impression, make a connection and make an assessment on the reality of what is in front of you, not a preconceived idea. Despite wanting to speed date, when I did a Google search I noticed that there weren’t any websites dedicated to gay people. This is why I decided to start a website for the LGBT community. If the points above perhaps apply to you, then you can check the site out at www.lezbegay.co.uk. We are currently holding events in London but hope to  eventually roll out through the rest of the UK.

I’m still trying to find the woman of my dreams but when I find her at the next speed dating event, I'll be sure to let you know.

Jenny

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So there you have it! If you're LGBT, single and London based (currently!) check out Jenny's dating site, www.lezbegay.co.uk - get dating!

Review: Warwick Castle, UK!

In the 5 years that we have lived in Birmingham we have driven past signs for Warwick Castle frequently and added it to our to do list. Sadly time has never allowed a visit and then when Annabelle arrived we pushed it down the list thinking it wasn't going to be baby friendly. 

We were wrong!

On Saturday we were invited to check out everything Warwick Castle had to offer, as a family,  including The Falconers Quest - the new birds of prey show for Summer 2019. 

As summer had finally arrived in the UK we decided to head to the castle after Annabelle's nap so that we weren't out in the hot sun all day. We had headed to my parents in Stratford-Upon-Avon so Annabelle could nap there and we were only 15 minutes from the castle. 

It worked perfectly, Annabelle woke up at 1.30pm and we were at the Castle check in at 2pm. With map in hand we headed off to explore. We had taken the baby carrier as we knew that there was going to be walking involved, it ended up being a great decision - although Annabelle was happy to enjoy the grounds when the opportunity allowed. 

We started with the towers and ramparts, it involved 500 steps, most of these were inside the towers so were steep and small - they really built castles for a purpose back in the day :) The views at the top were well worth the work out though. Annabelle was entertained with the climb and we had remembered water so I was able to stay hydrated, so all in all it went well. 

The rampart walk wasn't all about the steps though. Along the route were rooms jam-packed full of displays, one thing Warwick does really well is bring history to life. The displays included life-size models, plenty of pictures and stories, interactive guides and surround sound to make you really feel part of the past. As a history buff I LOVED IT! Thankfully Annabelle was also into it.

It took us around an hour to complete the walk and after we finished we headed straight to the Kingmaker - a journey through preparations for war with sights, sounds and scenes that would have happened back in 1471. Being inside allowed us to cool down and have some respite from the sun.

As we finished it was almost 3.30pm, time for the afternoon show of The Falconers Quest. We headed to the riverside arena and took our seats on the grass verge. There was seating available but with Annabelle ready to stretch her legs we decided the grass would give her more space to roam.

As soon as the show started we didn't have worry about Annabelle wandering, she was mesmerized. We all were. From the beautiful barn owl to the gigantic Bald Eagle, the sprightly harris hawks and the huge condor it was amazing. The trainers had the birds flying low over the crowd and the story being told kept us all engaged. It was the first time we have ever taken Annabelle to anything like this and based on this experience we would definitely do it again. 

To continue the bird theme we headed to the peacock garden to check out the beautiful flowers. What we discovered was numerous peacocks hiding in the bushes and wandering the gardens, we were able to get up close and even get a selfie! It was a lovely experience. 

The walk back to the main castle ground gave us a real perspective of the size of the castle. There were so many places to sit and enjoy a picnic or let children run wild. We strolled past the archery area where people were learning the skill and set up a blanket so Laura and Annabelle could relax while I headed up the Conquers Fortress - the oldest part of the castle. 

The walk up the mound was on an incline but it was made easier with the distraction of signs packed with interesting facts. Warwick was chosen as a strategic castle due to its central location and was visited by plenty of royal family members previously. It's proximity to the spa town at Leamington also helped. Or so I found out! At the top the reconstruction is impressive and is another castle. 

After making it back to my girls we finished the trip at the Time Tower. This for me was another highlight. Taking you back to the very start of the castle an walking through the ages you got to meet people who had played a part in the history. From battles to restoration, from family relations to family squabbles you get it all. I particularly liked the talking pictures that really bought it to life. 

With the ground closing at 5pm we made our way out towards our car with smiles on our faces and so much to talk about. There were still things we wanted to see so we will be back. We may even looking into doing the overnight stay there - it sounds like quite the experience! 

As I say we were wrong about how family friendly the castle was - it is the perfect place to take kids of any age. There are things for every age and so much to do that you can really make your own day. I loved the history, I loved the way the history was bought to life, I loved the effort that Warwick Castle put into everything and couldn't recommended it enough as a day out. 

We'd like to thank Warwick Castle for the gift of tickets, the review is entirely our own words and thoughts. 

Have you been? What did you think?

Review: Fake Festival - Birmingham!

When we were invited to a Fake Festivals as part of a birthday event for a friend we thought she was kidding. It is fair to say that we were completely unaware that Fake Festivals were a BIG thing across the UK.

Just to clarify Fake Festivals are not fake events they are festivals with acts that are tribute/fake versions of bands/artists. Check out the details here.

When we visited the day Fake Festival in Birmingham, held at Kings Heath Park - 10 mins from our home - we were lucky enough to see:

• Flash as Queen
• Vicky Jackson as Pink
• New2 as U2
• The Police Force as The Police
• Stereotonics as Stereophonics
• The Stones as The Rollings Stones

We arrived mid way through The Stones and they were brilliant. The crowd was gathered in a large tent with food vans arranged outside. Thankfully the tent was big enough to accommodate the crowd as the weather was temperamental and we avoid a downpour that started a few minutes after our arrival. 

The festival was promoted as family friendly so we took Annabelle with us. Complete with headphones and maraca our little lady danced along and seemed happy to be part of the crowd.

 

After watching Stereotonics it was then Annabelle's bedtime so we decided to head home as we were so close. We had taken the baby carrier in case we wanted to stay but with the weather, the noise and the 45 minute breaks between acts we thought it was better that she slept in the cot. 

Not before we sampled the pie, mash and mushy pea food truck. They had an AMAZING pulled pork and stuffing pie - well worth a try if you ever see it on a menu!

Thankfully Annabelle's Nanny was able to babysit in the evening so Laura and I could head back to the festival and meet up with our friend for the evening performances. By this time the weather had created a mud pit outside but inside the tent was still dry. 

We aren't U2 fans so weren't sad to miss the act and were glad to be back for Vicky - she was great as Pink. With a set list that covered old and new music the crowd was singing from start to finish. It was nice to remember just how many great songs Pink has had over the years.

Being back on our own made it feel like a date night. Seeing the acts perform made it memorable and singing the songs at full volume made for a fun night. The atmosphere was brilliant and we would definitely recommended the experience. We paid £35 per ticket which seemed like good value for the number of performances we saw. 

Fake Festivals even hold a 3 day festival bringing together plenty of well known acts with camping offered on site. Sadly it is sold out for this summer but it's a good one to note for the future!

Have you ever been to a Fake Festival?

Review: LGBT Wedding Gift Ideas!

With summer approaching and wedding season almost upon us we thought we would do a quick wrap up of some of the favourite gifts we have spotted for LGBT weddings.

Our first stop has recently become Prezzy Box.

We were recently gifted this personalised print to celebrate 10 years together but we would have loved to have received it as a wedding gift. You simply pick the 'people' from a number of designs and then add a quote. And it's only £22 - you can find it here.

We also love this scrabble board - we've seen a few friends with these!

And these cute tins of tea that you personalise, who doesn't love fancy tea right now?!

Or if you want to go with a curve ball for your cheese lover friends/family then Selfridges are now offering Dziugas cheese. We tried the 48 and 60 month versions and as cheese lovers WOW - just WOW! The taste is so strong, powerful and delicious. The cheese is lactose free and you can tell the quality in every piece. It is rich, with bite that's a bit spicy. We enjoyed it on our cheeseboard, it would definitely work with berries on a summer days! This is not any regular cheese! It's a cheese lovers must try.

Not On The High Street have also improved their offering of LGBT friendly gifts, or perfect gifts for any couple.

We spotted this gift where you can get a personalised print of the wedding venue - if the venue itself was memorable. We went to Laura's cousins recently in a stunning country house that this worked perfectly for!

Or they do a cute cut our poster you can find here.

They also do some really cute cards:

We also love Zazzle for unique ideas for gifts and for wedding favours / invites / save the dates etc

And finally Etsy....we have got lost down plenty of Etsy holes and learnt a few lessons about checking how soon delivery will be. We aren't exactly the most organised couple so 4 weeks delivery is never going to work for us. But for those of with time this is the Etsy filter we usually start with: https://www.etsy.com/uk/market/lesbian_wedding_gift

So cute

Have you got any gift shops that are a must to check out?

Disclaimer: We were gifted the personalised print and tea from PrezzyBox and the cheese from Dziugas in return from inclusion in this post. All opinions are our own!