Nicky Bond's Blog, page 11

Welcome, Blank Slate...

Hello 2024! Is it true? Are you real? Do we really get a blank slate? 
That's what the New Year is. A blank slate. Whether you've been binging your arse off for the past fortnight, or been full-on at work; whether you're someone who doesn't celebrate Christmas, or someone going through a difficult time so partying isn't a priority, we've all been gifted a new start. How lucky we are! The turning of a corner, a new leaf, a clean page! The flip chart has been whipped over the stand. The Etch-A-Sket...

God Rest Ye Merry, Blog Readers...

Then step right in, young man.A few years ago I was chatting to a friend who's Muslim. She was telling me how she didn't celebrate Christmas but still loved this time of year.' Why?' I asked. 'Because...' she said, '...it's when the shops have all the good cheese. So here we are. Christmas day has arrived. And if you celebrate, glad tidings of comfort and joy to you! If you don't, then please, whatever you do, make sure you enjoy all the good cheese. 
This is the first time that the Monday blog c...

A Five Year Roller-Coaster...

It's the last Long Ramble of 2023! Well done for making it this far. Whether you've been charting the year in Long Rambles or alternative units of measurement, it all adds to the reflective nature of this time of year, doesn't it? It could be the last Long Ramble, the last month, the last week before Christmas, or the last of all sorts of things. Either way, the final days of the year tend to prompt retrospection and contemplation.

For me, that sense of reflection is amplified times five. Why? We...

Empty Heads and Spicy WhatsApps...

Anyone seen some WhatsApps?It could happen to any of us. Just when we want to revisit an old WhatsApp convo – perhaps to check plans we’ve made, or remind ourself of the date something happened - we realise 5000 of our messages are missing. What could have happened? Who knows? Perhaps it’s ‘something to do with the app going down and then coming back up again, but somehow automatically erasing all the things between that date when it went down and the moment when it was last backed up.’ Lolz.

 

Ye...

Too Much To Say, As Per...

TOO much to say.Welcome to the latest Weekly Update. That thing's happened again. The thing that occurs sometimes when I sit down to write this blog. Wanna peek behind the wizard's curtain for a minute? Excellent. 
I had a brilliant opening topic all lined up. You know the drill. I start the Weekly Update with something topical; a story from the news or maybe the seasonal times we're in. I give you one or two paragraphs, tempting you to read on, getting you comfy, offering a LOL or two. Then the ...

Hurtling, Reminiscing, Laughing...

🎵What's that coming over the hill, is it a monster? Is it a monsterrrrrr? 🎵 
Noooo, silly. It's December!
The final month in the year of our Lord, twenty  twenty-three, is imminent. Do you remember the end of January when I informed the world we'd boxed off a twelfth of the year? Now look where we are. Time flies when you're counting down the year in twelfths. Not that I actually did that, but you get the drift. With the end of the year hurtling towards us, it's always good to reflect and remember...

Consciously Hibernating...

Last week I signed off after a busy Update with, 'Next week I'm hibernating'.
And do you know what? It feels like I have. Not in the conventional sense, of course. I've not gathered moss, dragged it over to a buried nook in the garden, and got my head down for the winter. I've still gone about my week. I've been to my writing group, visited a couple of relatives, and even begun my Christmas shopping. But the rest of the time - the time when I'm not actively out and about - has been tinged with a ...

Sharing the Load and Party Tea...

Starling, the online bank, have created an online tool for couples. Called Share the Load, it invites you to input the total number of hours you and your partner spend on household chores. It then calculates whether you live in domestic harmonious balance or whether one person is having all their needs met by their knackered drudge of a spouse.  Obviously I had a go. Instead of actual hours, I guesstimated the percentage of time my partner and I spend completing the list of jobs suggested. Things...

I LOVE the Gods of the Gram...

Ah Instagram. There really is something for everyone. It's algorithmic - you KNOW this, right? - so it shows you pictures and reels based on your previous viewing. I get a lot of recipes. Food porn is real and I'm all over it. Then there's interior design porn. I follow a few accounts detailing stunning home renovations from start to finish. And then there's the regular influx of skincare and underwear. Clearly Insta thinks I'm like a seven year old boy, forever Googling bras.
See the full reel f...

Limbo, Py-Jams, and the Reacher of my Mind...

Artist's impression of me
in my py-jams*.The heating's on for a burst a day, I'm sleeping in PJ bottoms instead of my usual T-shirt/knickers combo, and as I type this, I'm looking out at thick fog. Yes, the warm weather appears to be over. I can officially confirm my head feels right again. Throw in the recent clock change and I'm positively fizzing with joie de vivre. I only hope you're enjoying it too. 
Soon - this very week, in fact - I have to start the Christmas admin. That means my family wi...