To the Tattoo Studio! …early on Thursday morning. I was booked in for another session with my most amazing geometric dot tattoo specialist.
But first how about a trip to Lidl?
You need sustenance in order to get you through an all day tattoo session. I had given the Coop a try late in the day on Wednesday, hoping to pick up something cheap and cheerful in the Gypo Aisle.
No joy, and so Lidl it was.
Hey! How about a swan sandwich?
Blimey.
Waiting outside the doors of the Sunny Colch branch of Lidl shortly after 8 am was a massive fuck off white swan - and that wasn’t the craziest thing that I was to see all day.
I said my polite good mornings to Mr. Swan, picked up a cheapo cheapo cheese and onion sarnie, and then carried on cycling all the way to the other side of the half town, half city towards the tattoo studio.
What greeted me was the usual chaos and BANTZ at 9 am. This is how a tattoo studio should be. The chaos is, of course, managed and never gets out of hand, but it’s definitely a fun environment in which to be.
Thursday was the first of a run of five more sessions I’ve got booked in between now and Christmas.
Ouch, ouch, and bloody OUCH, etc.
The first hour or so was spent on a little planning. My tattoo man always likes to work with a blank slate, and so do I. I had a few rough ideas and then he got to work with his creative skills.
The soundtrack for most of the morning was country pop music. I wasn’t expecting that. It makes a welcome change from the usual 9 to 5 hip hop that has characterised previous sessions.
The playlist then altered in style and genre ever so slightly throughout the day. My ears pricked up when we came around to mid-70s Elvis. This seemed to suit the mood.
My tattoo man made some amazing progress throughout the entire day. He only stopped for the briefest of brief lunch breaks as he was keen to complete what he had started first thing. I wasn’t expecting that.
He went on well past the time that was expected. His attention to detail was incredible. Around 4 pm I was pretty much reaching my threshold for the day.
I cycled off sky high, as I always am after an all day ink session. My route took me back past Lidl.
The Swan had disappeared but I wasted no time in loading up my panniers with cheapo Lidl yoghourt and BOOZE.
A decent day.