By Richelle
Monday 11th of June 2018

We had a house party at Yew Tree road the other weekend. And at this house party I was reminded about something that both Daniel and I had picked up on in our time in Birmingham; northern British patriotism. It's the type of patriotism that pumps through your veins and send your eyes flying when a random at a party talks shit about your home town. It makes your hands shake, your senses stand on edge and your chest puff as it's repeatedly hit by a passionate fist, reminding its owner where his loyal heart lies. It's something I cant really connect with to be honest. I've never felt that way about the island I was born on. I feel fortunate, of course, but the Brummie pride is quite a phenomenon to me. 

This passion comes from a lifetime of taunts I guess. Nearly every Londoner that asked me my plans for that weekend stared at me with a confused face asking why on earth I would venture to that backwater. But, if travelling last year taught us anything, it's to ignore other peoples opinions on things and experience the world for ourselves. Our life in the UK is no exception. Plus, our good friend Will (hillsandwaves.com) was heading up for the weekend - another lesson we learnt last year - if you have the chance to experience a city with a local, do it. 

Apart from wanting to see the city, we did have another big reason to head north. 2018 marked the first Birmingham Design Festival. It was made up of the usual lineup of talks, lectures, workshops and classes, and to our delight, it was impeccably organised, super inspirational and reminded me of the importance of community. I don't think I have ever been to a design event where I felt every single event / talk was better than the last.