Shorter posts, links, or thoughts. No schedule, not heavily considered.
-
Life continues
We are having a baby. It’s not the ONLY thing we talk about but it’s a constant, an ever-growing reminder that our lives are about to change in a wonderful, scary, exciting way. There are maternity clothes being bought, nursery furniture to build, baby clothes are being provided (all the neutral stuff we can get…
-
B-A-B-Y
We aren’t the kind of couple who do grandiose events for such things, my recent proposal would’ve been much the same as it was despite COVID restrictions (in fact it would’ve been exactly the same except we’d have been in a different place and likely had the dogs with us). And so it was when…
-
Moving forward
The end of lockdown looms, and life as we knew it will start to re-emerge, like a wonky butterfly from a cocoon. I know that things won’t be exactly the same again, a new normal will be established and that will take a little time to settle in and I’m ok with that, I welcome…
-
n+1
As with most of my hobbies, I tend to fling myself into them wholeheartedly from the get go. I’m the guy who signs up to the forums, does copious research on the internet, takes notes as he goes, learns as much as he can as fast as possible, and then goes and buys the gear.…
-
6 weeks later
6 weeks = 42 days = 1,008 hours = 60,480 minutes = 3,628,800 seconds. That’s how long it was from the 18th of January to the 28th of February. I mention this with purpose as I set myself a little challenge which lasted for – can you guess? – 6 weeks, but I confess it…
-
And the keys go clack
Blocked. Stuck. Static. Nothing. OK, that’s four very similar words, that’s a start. Let’s build on that. There must be something I can write about. Somewhere. Come on brain, let’s do this. There is something in there somewhere. You know how this works. Starting writing. The words will come. Won’t they? I read an article…
-
She said yes
Isn’t life a funny thing. If you’d bumped into me 3 years ago and asked me what I thought the next few years would hold for me I most definitely would NOT have predicted any of the things that have since transpired although, to be fair, I don’t think most people would have picked ‘global…
-
Dear Dad
It’s been six months since my Dad suddenly passed away. Since then I’ve been working through my grief and, somehow, stumbled across an Instagram account by Dr Laura Williams who shares writing prompts as one way to help people process their grief. It immediately struck a chord with me as my go-to method for dealing…
-
Welcoming Daisy
Hello Daisy, Welcome to the world, a world that just got a little bit better because you arrived. We’ve known your name for a while now and I have to say it suits you so well. So in a similar vein, as I have been doing for your big sister Lucy, I thought I’d introduce…
-
Lucy is 5
Right you, first things first, at what point are you going to stop growing up so damn fast?! Every time I see you, you’ve changed. Long gone is the adorable toddler who would bumble over and hold my hand and laugh and giggle, and now here you are, an inquisitive, funny, girl who is just…
-
Another New Year
The new year rolls around and as the Weightwatchers adverts start appearing I find myself looking back over my aims from 2020 and wondering what to do next. I try not to fall into the ‘New Year New Me’ thinking but I think it’s natural to have a sense of looking ahead. That said given…
-
2020 was ok
2020 was a year, a year like no other but still just a year. For many it was a struggle just to get through each day, the toil of lockdown on the mental health of many is something we won’t fully appreciate for some time, and tragically many didn’t survive at all. I don’t think…
-
On Clutter
Our clutter isn’t relegated only to material things.We clutter our lives with destructive relationships, careers, obligations, rituals, busyness, minutiae, news, media, politics, gossip, drama, rumours. We clutter our attention with glowing screens.We clutter our creativity with distractions.We clutter our free time with trivialities.We clutter our desires with attachments. Our lives are brimming with existential clutter,…
-
Christmas colours
The nights are fair drawin’ in, eh! Walking a black dog at night can be a little tricky, and while he doesn’t get off the lead we do have a light-up collar for him, just in case he makes a bid for freedom (to chase a cat, or a bird, or a leaf …). And…
-
Staying Positive
I’m staying positive. I’m fighting the fear. I’ve been telling myself this for a while now, repeating it like a mantra. It’s not a command (stay positive!) but a statement of how I’m feeling, even when I’m not feeling it; I’m staying positive. I’m very much of the belief that you can fake it until…
-
Hope trumps hate
Trump loses. That’s the headline. Biden will be President. That’s the REAL headline, the one to focus on. Yet I find myself less than elated. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad that America will no longer have a fascist as a President, and I’m clinging desperately to the notion that the hope that triumphed over…
-
Life continues
Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. Ain’t that the truth. It seems like no time at all since the start of August, and in the wake of my Dad’s passing – actually can I pause here, my Dad died, he is dead,…
-
Happily Mediocre
It’s World Mental Health Day, which falls at the end of a rather crap week for me, but which weirdly has re-enforced some of things I’ve developed throughout the last few months, and reminded me why I did them in the first place. What are you good at? What have you learned and practiced? I…
-
Lockdown purchases
I think, on the whole, I’ve been pretty good at sticking to my minimal principles (replace or improve!) through lockdown with only one or two impulse buys amongst the variety of things I’ve bought, and only one item I regret although that’s more about the company than said purchase. I’ve bought somethings that are definitely…
-
Crying
You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life.