Emmalene | A Brummie Home & Abroad

Perimenopausal Travel, Theatre & Lifestyle blogger. Brummie living in North Warwickshire. Loves gin, travelling, reading and music. Supports local independents

[Emmalene | A Brummie Home & Abroad @emfletche]

Two fully-grown adults acting like small children at a theme park - what's not to love? Here's my guide to visiting Universal Studios Japan!

https://t.co/wtT568PCbw

[Emmalene | A Brummie Home & Abroad @emfletche]

We discovered the Best of Madeira’s West during our January visit on a guided tour with Lido Tours. There were dramatic cliffs, tumbling waterfalls, charming coastal villages, spectacular scenery and picturesque panoramas 😍 https://t.co/89fOv8V2DY via @emfletche

[Emmalene | A Brummie Home & Abroad @emfletche]

PRESS NIGHT INVITE 🎭I have some top-level clearance intel for you...@mincemeatlive at the @thealexbham is a brilliantly bonkers and hilarious spectacle ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

https://t.co/iAKEGj2PFK

[Emmalene | A Brummie Home & Abroad @emfletche]

https://t.co/MTswgW1Tjd

[Emmalene | A Brummie Home & Abroad @emfletche]

Nara's proximity to Osaka and Kyoto make it an ideal day trip from either city. Pop along and meet the politely bowing sika deer! Or in my case, the more impatient deer... 🦌

https://t.co/MTswgW1Tjd

[Emmalene | A Brummie Home & Abroad @emfletche]

A guided sake tasting is a perfect way to spend an afternoon in Kyoto! We got to know more about the Japanese beverage thanks to Insider Sake Experience 🍶

https://t.co/U6xcU12quU

[Emmalene | A Brummie Home & Abroad @emfletche]

@mozi78 Black Star. Sulk. Street Spirit. Doesn't get better to close off an album

[Emmalene | A Brummie Home & Abroad @emfletche]

NEW BLOG POST: The Sagano bamboo forest may be one of the most-photographed spots in Kyoto but we planned a day in Arashiyama which tried to avoid the crowds 🎍🏯🎌
https://t.co/lOvL8wLhTa

[Emmalene | A Brummie Home & Abroad @emfletche]

PRESS NIGHT INVITE: "The Battle" takes us back to the summer of 1995, and the heated rivalry between Britpop heavyweights Blur and Oasis. "Some Might Say" this is the hottest ticket in town from the beginning "To The End" 😉

@BirminghamRep

https://t.co/Z3rVeXQlKU

[Emmalene | A Brummie Home & Abroad @emfletche]

Tokyo Travel Diaries Day 2: Cats. Gotokuji Temple, birthplace of the lucky beckoning cat. Browsing the vintage and thrift stores in Shimokitazawa. Our First 7/11 experience. Digital rabbits at teamLab Borderless which gave us nightmares. Blackpool Tower https://t.co/Bt6IiCHEkP

[Emmalene | A Brummie Home & Abroad @emfletche]

If you visit Japan and don’t experience Sumo Wrestling, you’re missing out! Asakusa Sumo Club may not be tournament sumo, but its a whole lot of fun! https://t.co/inHiv2tqOg

[Emmalene | A Brummie Home & Abroad @emfletche]

AD/PRESS NIGHT REVIEW: Shout it from the rooftops: Fiddler on the Roof is thought-provoking, thoroughly entertaining and absolutely unmissable. It’s a 5-star production. @thealexbham

https://t.co/1KYwKdZs6u

[Emmalene | A Brummie Home & Abroad @emfletche]

FIRST JAPAN BLOG POST! Our 9 day trip along Japan's Golden Route of Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka barely scratched the surface of all that Japan offers. But we still managed history, culture, nature, food, drink and most importantly, fun 🏯
https://t.co/hIApZ8cOgy

[Emmalene | A Brummie Home & Abroad @emfletche]

NEW BLOG POST: Nice really is… well, nice.

https://t.co/NXjBPWTeWX

[Emmalene | A Brummie Home & Abroad @emfletche]

AD PRESS NIGHT REVIEW: Fingers on buzzers! The feel-good musical Starter for Ten is big-hearted, fun, witty and nostalgic, and is playing at @BirminghamRep now! https://t.co/nzMhpWY7an via @emfletche

[Stan Collymore @StanCollymore]

Suicide.

I'm choosing to be deliberately blunt and provocative in this post because it's necessary. Government, charities, football clubs are all pushing water up a hill in highlighting what is undoubtedly a major health crisis.

You take a rope.
You put it up in a garage or a tree nearby or far away.
You're thinking about every loved one you'll leave behind as you put that rope around your neck.
Then you drop.

Some are decapitated.
Some aren't.
All are found by someone who has a lifetime of trauma that will never leave them.
A son.
A daughter.
A brother.
A sister.
A mother.
A father.

I know 2 men who hung themselves.

One was found by his Mom.
One was found by his brother.
Neither have recovered fully. 20 and 30 years on.

A life sentence for people who were already worrying, terrified their loved one may do something.

So just visualise the above and ask, "is there another way"?

A segway for a moment.

I do a few Q&A's every year. Tales of yesterday with a 99% male audience of my age group.

After the stories and fun, my last question back to the audience is..

"Hands up if you struggle with a mental health issue".

Nobody ever puts a hand up. Despite 1 in every 3 of 500 attendees statistically struggling.

"Ah, nobody, that's fucking brilliant! Well I do! ". I then graphically tell people, stunned into silence about how a rope around my neck in the middle of nowhere jolted me to go home and cry like a baby to my Mom.

After the Q&A has finished, something always happens. I'll be chatting to a few guys, saying bye and one by one, men will come over and whisper " I struggle".

Or my mailbox the next day will have 30 emails from guys, their partners or kids saying " Dad/Uncle /Brother was there last night and what you said hit them hard".

And that's how some people realise that it's time to speak to a pal or family member or even rant to me in an email. It works, I often get a follow up email a year or 6 later saying that they took responsibility for their suicidal feelings and are now flying.

Humans are programmed to want to live, to have families and to keep the species growing and thriving. So for a human to want to short circuit that desire isn't normal, and it should never be spoken of as normal. It's the ultimate red flag.

If you suspect your mate, Dad, Brother, Uncle is struggling mentally, they deserve your intervention.

They deserve a " are you OK, please tell me what's up".

They deserve an opportunity to get past wanting to hang a rope over a tree or in a garage and slowly struggle until they die and you find them.

If you've been there and trust me I have plenty, then you'll know that text out of the blue, or a footie mate or one of your kids asking jow you are can open the curtains to some sunshine.

Because when suicide is your only answer, the room is already dark, and you can't see a way out.

So please, fucking pretty please, ask that husband, Dad, Uncle, Cousin, footie pal TODAY how they are.

You may be shocked what comes back but extremely glad that you asked.

For those who struggle, you're not alone.

[Emmalene | A Brummie Home & Abroad @emfletche]

If Wes Anderson created a holiday destination, then Menton would be it. It’s effortlessly chic, pastel-hued and citrus-scented. Just like me. https://t.co/vvnBdZKTgf via @emfletche

[Emmalene | A Brummie Home & Abroad @emfletche]

PRESS NIGHT REVIEW (Spoiler-free!): The award-winning 2:22 A Ghost Story is keeping audiences on the edge of their seat at @thealexbham.

@222aghoststory

https://t.co/w86zqorAOy

[Emmalene | A Brummie Home & Abroad @emfletche]

If you’re planning on renting a car in Montenegro here are some handy tips from A Brummie Home and Abroad’s designated driver!

https://t.co/TJ8kH0kMz5

[Emmalene | A Brummie Home & Abroad @emfletche]

AD PRESS INVITE: War Horse is an emotional and powerful masterpiece, with outstanding puppetry and beautiful storytelling. A flawless 5 stars.

@thealexbham @WarHorseOnStage

https://t.co/37ywtq1jFG via @emfletche