Piara Strainge
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All Things Writing Travel Photography

My final 30 Things update

11/11/2012

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So here we are, the final update - and I made it - albeit with a hybrid list! Just the Alanis concert to go at the end of this month...

1.   Fly First Class long haul from anywhere to anywhere
        COMPLETED JANUARY 2012
2.   Take a photography course
        COMPLETED JUNE 2012
3.   Experience the Caledonian sleeper train to Scotland & ride around Edinburgh in a funky Billy Connolly trike
        COMPLETED MAY 2012
4.   Visit 1 of the countries in my Top 3 “before it changes forever” list - Cuba
        COMPLETED MAY 2012
5.   See more of the UK
        COMPLETED AUGUST 2012
6.   Try 3 new variations of foods
        COMPLETED JANUARY 2012
7.   Mega eBaying
        COMPLETED AUGUST 2012
8.   Complete a family tree with at least 50 people on it
        COMPLETED APRIL 2012
9.   Fun family photo shoot
        COMPLETED APRIL 2012
10. Fly in a Tiger Moth
        COMPLETED JULY 2012
11. Tandem sky dive
        COMPLETED AUGUST 2012
12. Bake a marble cake just like my mum’s
        COMPLETED MARCH 2012
13. Make a decent curry
        COMPLETED MARCH 2012
14. Clear out office
        COMPLETED OCTOBER 2012
15. Garden re-design
        COMPLETED JULY 2012
16. Make an iMovie
        COMPLETED SEPTEMBER 2012
17. Get some real life interview practice
        COMPLETED JULY 2012
18. Experience an England Wembley International footie match
        COMPLETED JUNE 2012
19. Lose 14 lbs
        COMPLETED OCTOBER 2012
20. Climb the Rainforest Lookout at The Eden Project
        COMPLETED JUNE 2012
21. Visit the British Music Experience
        COMPLETED AUGUST 2012
22. Do 1 presentation to an audience
        COMPLETED JULY 2012
23. Ride the London Eye
        COMPLETED JUNE 2012
24. Take a trip to New York
        COMPLETED OCTOBER 2012
25. Climb Up at The O2
        COMPLETED AUGUST 2012
26. Take the new Emirates Thames cable car
        COMPLETED AUGUST 2012
27. Achieve 3000 unique visitor hits on my website in a month (Feb 2012 was 2816)
        COMPLETED MARCH 2012
28. Work on my photography
        COMPLETED JULY 2012
29. Go to a long awaited concert – Alanis Morissette
        BOOKED FOR NOVEMBER 2012
30. Walk parts of the Thames Trail
        COMPLETED SEPTEMBER 2012
1 Comment

Skydive video

11/9/2012

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Finally got my Skydive video loaded up! Check it out below:

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New York New York

11/9/2012

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Wish I could say I created this! Enjoy...

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Toiner & Stronge do New York

11/9/2012

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This is a poem I wrote to capture the AWESOME 4 days Wendy and I had in New York.

Every line hides a story (mostly funny) and I've included some pics as well.

Our trip of a lifetime was a late edition to the 30 Things project coming in at number 24.

ALL I CAN SAY IS... WHAT A CITY !!!!!


You always hope a destination like this will live up to the hype - and it certainly delivered. NYC has an energy like I've never felt before.


So in 39 stanzas, here's "Toiner & Stronge do New York"

Toiner & Stronge do New York

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Cocktails in T5’s Giraffe
Chatting and having a laugh
Boris look-a-likey behind us
NYC planning with minimal fuss

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Toiner mixing it up
G&T in a cup
What! No inflight stuff!
This has got to be a bluff…

Reset x7 not cool
BA you are so cruel
8 hours transatlantic drag
This flight ain’t got no swag

Circling round and round
Captain makes a sound
A “VIP moment” at JFK has occurred
Almost diverted to Boston… that’s absurd!

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Yellow cab
This is fab!
To the Metro
Wow, so retro

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“Paris” across the street
Beads and beads, ha what a treat!
Macy’s round the corner
Brilliant for a foreigner

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Feels like our Capital
People, vibrancy, noise an’ all
Home from home
Tomorrow we shall roam

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Waking up to rain
This is such a pain
Muffins take the edge off
Mmmmmm scoff scoff scoff

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Watching Good Morning A-mer-i-ca
Tom Hanks accidentally swore on there
Yankees lost the base-ball
No game for us, no game at all

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Walk and walk the streets of Manhattan
Up and down the easy, grid pattern
Booking the things we want to see and do
And suddenly woo hoo the sky turns to blue!

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Our concierge Jeff came in handy
Introducing Duane Reade for candy
He also booked us a show
Chicago wow wee here we go

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Cocktails and Asian fusion
Times Square and Broadway inclusion
New York New York we love you
You are definitely an awesome de-but

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Eating pretzels and hot dogs from the street deli
New Yorkers are the same as on tele
Watching Friends in actual NYC
Is pretty darn cool to me

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Toiner starts a t-shirt mission
It’s always been her ambition
To see how many she can buy
Deary deary me, I sigh

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Mind you, I’m just as bad
Pointing my foam finger in public makes me look mad
Buying the PJ “pants” we see a man wearing
Would you believe me if I said I’m beyond caring?

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Hyped up for the next few days
NBC studio tour is well amaze
Random photo taken
Toiner’s American mum if we’re not much mistaken…!

Standing in Dr Oz’s studio
Still not sure why it’s called the Big Apple tho’
Must look up this reference to fruit…
Now back to the map and the route


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Racing to our next stop
Pink people all over the shop
Race for Life is most definitely on
From dawn to dusk… and be-yond

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Jump on the subway
No one to ask
Rather impersonal
Just like a mask

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Finally get to the meat packing joint
So hungry, “beef” dogs do not disappoint
Time for the 911 museum work-shop
Where the tears won’t be able to stop

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Holding parts of the World Trade
One man and his meticulous crusade
An emotional rollercoaster ride
A journey with headset to guide

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Almost catch the path train to New Jersey
This subway system is cra-zy!
Mad rickshaw dash across town
As the sun begins to set down

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We make it in time

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Sailing down the Hudson is sublime

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Cookie Monster in Times Square

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Empire State at midnight on a wing and a prayer…

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Mega insanely wonderful play
As we plop into bed in the wee hours of Sun-day
American diner for brekky awaits
We’ll keep eating until hunger abates

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TV and movie tour through Central Park
A glorious afternoon gives it a spark
Families and couples spending time together
A peaceful setting that could last forever

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Racing across town once more
To get to the Manhattan shore
Catching our cruise is most amusing
The ticket handlers almost came in for a bruisin’

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No matter, we’re headed to the Statue of Liberty
The sights along the way are things of beau-ty
She’s awesome up close
And that skyline and coast !!!

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Oreo cookie ice cream
Late night shopping a scream
Times Square and flashing bright light
A nice restaurant to spend our last night

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Pumpkin cheesecake is divine
We could make ourselves sick in next to no time
And with more cocktails to try
The fact we’re flying tomorrow is by the by

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Finally we stumble back to pack
Macy’s shopping we still need to crack
Next morning we do
And the 911 memorial too

Our first American Maccy Ds
A little more Friends just to tease
And some According to Jim
Just on a whim

Wow, what a trip it has been!
We came. We conquered. We’ve seen
All of the sights and the sounds
Defo get more to the dollar than the pounds

Help from unexpected quarters
The subway engineer and the porters
The random lady on the plat-form
The NYPD cop amongst the swarm

Skyscrapers every-where
The wind whistles through there
Recycling in evidence
A healthy eating precedence

Morgan Freeman set in wax
A healthy eating shop called PAX
Wendy found her own diner
Plus a flashy Maccy Ds, a right shiner!


But, what’s up with the loos?
You always see lots of shoes
And the sides don’t quite fit
No good for a ….


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Limp biscuit jokes
Where’s Wendy? Our funny hoax
Pumpkin beers
And my 30 “Cheers”

Oh what fun we had
Saying goodbye was mighty sad
Mesmerising skyline whatever time of day
We don’t want to leave this city, no way

So here it is, the “Other side of New York”
ONY tour code for short
With meat packing optional extra
And the bead extension etc etc

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iMovie preview: 30 Things thus far

11/9/2012

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So here we go then... I wanted to make an iMovie for one of my 30 Things and it seemed fitting to use this opportunity to celebrate my incredible year thus far. With so much still to look forward to, there will be a longer video coming soon, but for now, enjoy some of my highlights written into a poem called "My Conversation With Life" and using the musical accompaniment of Such Good Luck.


MY CONVERSATION WITH LIFE

Thanks for the fun we’ve had this year
Doing the things I always wanted to do
Running and skipping through the seasons
Wasting no seconds
Living in your moment
Have I finally embraced you at last?

The expectation was still there
The rules I didn’t want to follow
All the things that needed to be done
People never see the pressure I see
But you and I, we grasped the rope
And held on tight to make it happen

You know I love the city in you
But I enjoy the country too
So together we mixed it up
Racing, walking, soaring or simply passing through
Pushing the boundaries
To enhance my experience with you

Searching out my ancestors
And spending time with loved ones
Indulging to my heart’s content
You would never judge
Smoking, drinking and partying
And calmer moments of writing too

Only you know whether I’ll be famous or thin
You allow me to wallow, to dream and scheme
They are your little pleasures
And sometimes you throw in a shock
Or a blast from the past
To keep me on my feet

I thought I was going to lose you
As I hurtled down to earth
Crazy and miraculous in one breath
And then there was the open top cruising
Flying through my worries and concerns
Seeing the beauty of you

You untied my tongue
And helped me face my darkest fears
Testing and teasing
Pushing me on
At one point I felt like the most important person
You’d ever know

The Champagne at altitude
Was wonderfully indulgent and delicious
Letting me delight
Simply in you
That was you at your finest
And I promise never to forget

I wanted to take the time
To sort us out
Some of the jobs were just too big
But I crammed in so much more
Designing, climbing, exploring
And photographing your many faces

It wasn’t without trial and tribulation
Moments of guilt and worry
Depressing weather
And my first grey hair
One day I will understand your need
To mix the pleasure with the pain

Passing through more Shires than a Hobbit
Sticking to the roots you gave me
Giving something back
Slowing you right down
Taking notice of the simple things
And treasuring your time

I tried to run away from you once
I will try not to do it again
I hope you come back to me
You know, some day
It won’t always be easy
I will stumble a lot
Falter on your map, on your journey
Because you and I, we’re up and down
Sometimes carefree
Sometimes alone
Sometimes overwhelmed
Laughing our way through the pain

I won’t forget what you did
I’ll reflect and ponder and relive in my mind’s eye
Now it’s time to leave and let me be
I’ll be all right now it’s finally over
You can let me be
Until we get to talk again

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    Author

    Blogging is an amazing concept so here I am giving it a whirl. You'll get words. You'll get pics. Sometimes a vid or two. You'll get tongue in cheek, the odd humble opinion and an honest insight into my travels and writing life. Maybe even a few gems along the way. I'll be musing on home turf as I see more and more of the UK and sharing my experiences further afield on holidays and adventurous trips across the globe. 

    Things you need to know about me: I love music. I love books. I love laughter. I love comedy, theatre and the opera. And mixed with all of that, I LOVE to travel, write and take photos.

    And, as of the 3rd April 2017, I'm on another journey, very different to my travel adventures. This is a journey of recovery. From grief, from depression and from Fibromyalgia. I will also be sharing the impacts these things have on my life now;  how I don't want them to change me, but they will, and already have, and yes, it's a rollercoaster.

    I hope you enjoy All Things WTP.

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  • Home
  • All About P
    • Recovery
    • The Writer
    • The Photographer
    • The Traveller
  • Books
    • Getting Ready to Freelance and Write
    • The Workings Of My Mind
    • An Introduction to the Publishing Industry today
  • Published Portfolio
    • Articles & Features
    • Guest Blog Posts
    • Web Copywriting
    • Poetry
    • Photos & Snippets
  • All Things WTP Blog
  • Contribute
    • DROP YOUR VERSE
  • Media Pack
  • DESTINATIONS