So here we go...

I've planned to start a blog for a number of years, but life has always seemed to get in the way. So I've decided to dive in, inspired by a friend who has kept a blog of his amazing travels for a number of years. The name, 'The Brit in Brussels', was born from a tipsy conversation with a lovely person that I met through friends in a bar in Brixton a few months ago. Sadly it has taken this long for me to put e-pen to e-paper.

I intended for my first post to be witty yet informative in a way that would at least have you coming back for a 2nd dose, however I actually find myself sitting here in the ironic calm of Brussels, 5 days after the tragic events at the Manchester Arena. Those that know me well will know that I lived in Manchester for 6 years and that I have fond memories of spending 4 of those working at the Manchester Arena as part of the security team whilst at University, and also that my brother currently holds a senior role at the Cardiff Arena.

I watched the events in Manchester unfold on BBC World News whilst sat in a hotel room in Zurich, and was up until 4am that night just trying to take it all in. The fact that I had meetings at 9am seemed completely irrelevant. Despite being so far away, my heart is still very much part of the city. Ex colleagues, and indeed friends, were working at the Arena on Monday and I'm thankful that none were harmed, though mournful for the 22 lives that were needlessly lost and the many others who were injured.

It also allows for a moment of selfish reflection. During my years with Showsec, the security company contracted to the Arena, I would often find myself at the end of an event in the area where the explosion happened, which is known by both employees and locals as City Rooms. Friends working on Monday were in that area this time, checking it was safe for people to leave, and some were blown off their feet by the force of the blast. These same people got up and, instead of running to safety, turned to provide aid to those who were less fortunate. Please remember that the next time you are arguing with a steward or doorman at a venue when you've had a few too many pints.

No matter where your political affiliations lie, the past 12 months have turned normality on its head - Brexit, Trump, (almost) Wilders, (almost) Hofer, (almost) Le Pen, and now Manchester. Of course, the atrocity in Manchester is on a completely different level to those political changes and even a single loss of life, let alone 22, cannot be put in the same light. However, I worry about interruptions of judicial information sharing in a post-Brexit world for both the remaining EU27 and the UK. But that's a discussion for another time.

I wish you all an enjoyable weekend with family and friends. Keep those close to you close, and reach out to those you haven't spoken to in a while. Take some quiet time for yourself as well to collect your thoughts. As John Muir once said, "... and into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul".