The Fireflies Wins An Award!

I'm completely made up to say my band, The Fireflies. has won Best Band - South England - Prestige Awards 2024/2025!

It came as a huge surprise to even make the list of nominees, so when I got the call last week I was completely over the moon. It's incredible to be recognised as a small business - the late nights, hard work and blasting Mr Brightside out week after bloody week has been worth it!

About The Prestige Awards

The Corporate Livewire Prestige Awards recognise small and medium-sized businesses that have proven to be the best in their market over the past 12 months.

All shortlisted companies put forward in the prestige awards are asked to support their nomination with evidence of their work, positive feedback from their clients, information on previous accreditation and recognition as well as highlighting the most outstanding parts of their businesses.

The judging panel base their decisions upon areas such as service excellence, quality of the product/ service provided, innovative practices, value, ethical or sustainable methods of working, as well as consistency in performance.

'The passion for what you do really comes across and the judges were impressed with your personal touch and community feel. It's extra special to know all the hard work is paying off'

If you haven't checked us out, you can find out more here:

www.sussexpartyband.co.uk

📸 The Fireflies Party Band

#ianstracks #partyband #functionsband #thefirefliespartyband #travelblog #adventures #solotraveller #blog #britabroad #adhdblog

Como-Tozed 🇮🇹

The best way to concisely capture Part Two of my Lake Como adventure is:

Cappuccino aperol, pizza, pasta, cappuccino, aperol, aprerol, aperol, repeat.

I have also made a wonderful new friend Alisa from Bristol who loves aperol and festivals and has awesome hair and tattoos.

However, it would be amiss of me if I didn’t share another 'highlight' from the trip  – so let me tell you about the world’s loudest snorer, if I may.

As a seasoned backpacker, with 15 years + of staying in hostels, you quickly become accustomed to snorers in a dorm room. But on this particular trip, my Lake Como roommate on the bunk opposite is in a different league altogether, let me tell you.

When I describe the snoring as a humpback whale, dying a slow and agonising death - it is no exaggeration, believe me.

Perhaps it’s the lethal cocktail of Aperol, combined with complex carbohydrates (pizza and pasta) throw in perhaps a few extra pounds around the waist… who knows? Perhaps the extra surface area reverberates the sound better.

Firstly, I resist the temptation to deploy the popular ‘pillow over the face’ manoeuvre, as I don’t fancy spending the rest of my days in an Italian prison cell.

Bear in mind readers, it is only a mere 10pm at this stage, and my other roommate Reef and I, from LA, are hatching a Machiavellian plan to wake him from his slumber, using a more conventional method – an actual phone alarm!

When I say we try EVERY SINGLE GOD DAMN alarm and retro ringtone (including the Nokia theme) it is no exaggeration.  We attempt to stifle our fits of giggles (not exactly sure why, given it’s going to take an earthquake to wake this dude).

And funnily enough, in true earthquake style, that’s how this mini story ends - Reef grips the frame of the bunk and channels his best homemade tremor, and finally snoring man has awoken.

Finally peace is restored to Lake Como.

Five minutes pass....

LOUD SNORE

FML

📣 Top tip for stopping someone snoring in a hostel room 📣

A short sharp clap of the hands is enough to bring the snorer out of the deep level of sleep and not wake up your fellow roommates. Don’t ask me how the science works but I assume it brings them out of the deep stage of sleep, without waking them, or your fellow roomies up.

You can try this at home with your partner. Yes, you’re welcome.

📸 Here is Alisa and I with the best view in the hostel restaurant

📸 Humidity just makes my hair thirsty

📸 This is Larry the Lizard

📸 Some lovely views from my afternoon run

📸 Lovers bench somewhere in Menaggio

📸 I tried for an artistic shot

📸 Perfect combo - cappuccino and views of the lake

📸 Some outtakes from mine and Alisa's Insta snaps

#ianstracks #como #italy #travels #travelblog #adventures #solotraveller #blog #britabroad #adhdblog

Lucky Strikes 🇮🇹

It’s the usual recipe for disaster: a couple hours of sleep after a gig plus an early flight to Milan from London.

Of course, the one screaming baby on the plane is in the aisle seat opposite. I attempt to jam my foam earplugs, deep into the murky depths of my brain, in the vain hope it will somehow create an anti baby noise vacuum. As if by some sheer miracle, I drop off to sleep and wake up, just as the baby starts screaming again, as the plane comes into land.

The aisle is backed up with passengers, jammed in like sardines in a can - despite this, the woman in the seat next to me has been impatiently jabbing her cheap looking bag into me for the past five minutes, as if to send a ‘subtle’ signal to move.

As the masses move, clearing a space the aisle, bag woman attempts to force her way into my aisle seat. In a slick, somewhat military style manoeuvre, with a killer strike,I hoist my backpack onto my shoulders, feeling bag woman ricochet back into her seat. Goodness me, I’m so clumsy sometimes...

It's two trains from Milan Airport to Lake Como station, plus an hour or so bus ride to Menaggio, where I’m staying. I cross the road to the bus station and attempt to purchase a bus ticket in my finest Italianglish. The gentleman in the kiosk, replying in English, ‘sorry the buses are on strike and the one road out of Como is closed – there is a ferry that way’.

When you have travelled for as many years as I have, you learn to simply go with the flow.. when life gives you lemons, make lemoncello!

I sprint over to the one ferry I see at the dock. The boarding security woman informs me that this one is leaving and there isn’t another for 3 hours, and if I want to hop on I better ‘hurry the f* up' (more eloquently put, but I'm sure you get the jist).

Somehow, in the nick of time, I manage to throw my Euros to the clerk at the kiosk, grab the ticket and run back, with seconds to spare, as the ferry casts off into beautiful Lake Como, just as the heavens open.

All of the tables on the lower ferry deck are occupied, with presumably every other b*stard in Como who couldn’t take the bus. One of the tables has some friendly looking American girls and I charm my way into the empty seat next to them.

After getting chatting for a while, bonding over our love of travel (and certain reality TV shows.. mainly Real Hosewives and Vanderpump Rules and no I'm not sorry). We order several aperols and drink in the glorious views of the lake, as the ferry winds its way through the blue waters.

As if somehow our merriment has influenced the weather, the clouds part and the sun is beaming across the landscape as I wave farewell to my new besties – we make plans to rendezvous for food and drink, later in the week.

Has the roads out of Como been open, I'd have been stuck on a bus for an hour and half and not had the amazing views from the ferry, nor met my new pals from the US.

I make my way up to the top deck, attempting to take some pictures, whilst being thrown around and blown away (don't threaten me with a good time Lake Como).

The fog horn blares out into the harbour - next stop Mennagio and adventure awaits..

📸 'My new buddies from the US - Natasha, Olivia & Claud'

📸 Getting blown on Como.. oooh errr

📸 The sun emerging from the clouds!

📸 Coming Into Menaggio

📸 Menaggio

📸 Menaggio town

#ianstracks #como #italy #travels #travelblog #adventures #solotraveller #blog #britabroad #adhdblog