nathanbentley.com

I’ve left this one kinda late to be honest… If I hadn’t been so darned busy with other, less fun stuff, like work, the gym and lugging bags up and down stairs for my flatmate (we live 4 flights up – no lift – Peter owes me big time for helping him move), I’d have gotten my act together and probably have had a better chance at getting 25 comments to allow me to enter the Carsonified Golden Ticket competition.

The Golden Ticket for those of you that don’t know, is a Willy Wonka style offering from Ryan Carson over at the ever awesome Carsonified – write a blog post about why you want to win the Golden Ticket, get 25  or more comments and enter the prize draw.

Anyway, being that I’ve left it so long, I’ll cut straight to the point… Why I’m craving the Golden Ticket.

I’ve worked in the t’interweb business for 10 years now, and have managed to keep it a passion (if anything, it’s become more of a passion – I guess I’m lucky that I’ve got a job I enjoy so much). However, for as long as I can remember, I’ve been surrounded by people who, despite working in this awesome industry, just seem to lack the passion for it. When I dashed over to FOWA London last year, I felt at home in a sea of people passionate about what they do – and better still, what the possiblities that lay ahead are.

To be fair, in my time I’ve been lucky enough to work with some wonderful passionate people – but those individuals are few and far between. Maybe, just maybe, with the chance to get amongst others who feel the same way as I do, the smile on my face that I bring back at the end of the day (not to mention the photos, videos and mountains of goodies), may inspire some of the other I work with to consider this wonderful web as more than just a 9 til 5. (*ahem* 9 til 6 if you’re a Londoner like myself).

There’s a small and slightly personal note to this post – my intentions aren’t completely selfless… For the past few months I’ve been working on a side project that will hopefully one day soon blossom into a fully fledged webapp. Work has been flagging with the torrent of stuff that has taken my time up over the past 4 weeks, but I’m hoping that with a bit of inspiration, some serious networking, and of course, a few friendly faces to bounce ideas of, it may just come to fruition.

Spare a second to comment if you can. I’ll be eternally grateful!

Nath.

Roughly six months ago I decided to buy my girlfriend an afternoon of tea, champagne and finger sandwiches from the gorgeous Tea Palace on Westbourne Grove. This weekend, I finally got to sample its delights!

After making our way towards Notting Hill, and pottering around the antiques stalls on Portobello road, we finally sat ourselves down at the Tea Palace, somewhat unsure of what to expect. After looking through the list of exciting and exotic teas from around the world, we made our selections of “1st Flush Thurbo 2008″ (Kate) and “Russian Caravan” (Me), and eagerly tucked into the tiny, yet filling selection of finger sandwiches, scones (with clotted cream and jam) and cakes. Whilst our teas were being carefully brewed to order, we enjoyed a chilled glass of pink champagne – definately the best way to enjoy a non-hungover Sunday afternoon.

After much swapping of cups, we decided that Kate enjoyed the Russian Caravan (smokey, similar to Lapsang Souchong) and I prefered the Thurbo (a light fruity Darjeeling). Needless to say, my love of tea was rekindled, and before leaving I purchased a tin of both the 2008 Thurbo and the Earl Grey with Blue flowers (refreshing, and pretty with the fragrant blue tips!).

If you’ve got an afternoon free, and want to try something a little different, I’d highly recommend a visit – just be sure to book in advance as it fills up quickly! Also, if you’re like me, I’d skip breakfast – the scones and cakes are incredibly rich and filling!