CHECK-IN-SLOVAKIA

Hello, you lot. Just checking in.

I’m in the midst of editing the third of the Poland videos. It’s very different to the other two – though has the same cutaway animation style. It’s more serious than some we’ve done – there are some funny bits, but in all honesty... fewer laughs than I’d have liked – but we do take you to some interesting locations, including the border with Kaliningrad (basically, Russia). Frozen sea! The first battle of WW2! A spooky abandoned factory! The mystery of Mr Centimetre! The "Slit"!

Part of the issue is that we ended up changing our plans because of the burst tire, so the original narrative I’d worked out before we left had to be abandoned and reworked on the fly. When we were filming I'd had to hastily research where we'd ended up, abandoning all the information I'd kind of absorbed in the months leading up to our trip.

On the one hand, this was good – because I think we ended up going to better locations, with richer history, than we were originally. On the other hand, it’s one of the trickiest edits I’ve done, because I'm having to figure out how all the pieces fit together after the fact. I know this is what most documentaries do - and I love the challenge - but it’s a right pain in the cracksie at the minute. Not least because I'm having to rework all the animations I'd spent weeks on.

It’s getting there though. I'm trying really hard not to make it too political or heavy, but... exploring these places and topics in the current climate makes that's difficult. I'm aiming to find a balance, though.

We still have the full interview with Igor Witkowski and the Polski Sklep Corner after that – which should be a welcome relief after the heaviness - and a load of exclusive bonus stuff. I decided to get the main videos out first though, and this one should be with you next week. Also includes – for reasons that’ll be revealed – photos of Sanja and I as a baby, and pictures of my grandparents. So, worth tuning in just for that.

We did ask Sanja's dad if he'd be interviewed for it, but he politely declined. Which is a shame, because he'd have been brilliant.

Just for giggles, there's a new piece of music above that I've written for this ep. Here's a fun fact: I woke up at 4am this morning, and wrote it then.

Anyway. Back at it! More soon.