Nicky Bond's Blog, page 5

No Money For Lobster...

I'm at it again. I can only apologise. You thought my home-improvement woes were done and dusted with January's cess pit upgrade? Wrong! Turns out, living in the same place for sixteen years without really maintaining it, can be a recipe for... well not disaster. That's far too strong a term. More like, a recipe for lots of jobs needing attention at the same time. And once you begin on one thing, loads more issues crop up. 
As I speak there's a pile of bricks outside my garage. They're from a wal...

Small Stuff, Wanky Words, and Hyperbole...

Time's flying!It doesn't seem five minutes since Christmas. Or is that just me? The aftermath's over so quickly, while the build up lasts for months. It's almost two months after the event and the shebang's become a distant memory.
I had a thought this week. It was when I opened the fridge and was reminded of one of my many December food stresses. In order to ensure the Christmas Night Cheese had plenty of date left by the time it got eaten, I had to buy it fairly close to Christmas. It was the s...

Feeling the Love?..

It's Valentine's day on Friday. Are you feeling the love? I'm lucky to have reached both an age, and a reasonable level of self-esteem, where I don't need to be showered with shiny red tat in order to feel valued. Hurrah for me! Obviously, if Valentine's presents are your thing, crack on! You do you. But it does mean that while the rest of the world is engaging in en masse romantic gestures, I get to scan the horizon and find something marvellous to do for myself. 
In other news (that'll become r...

Too Many Snoozes...

It's taken a month but 2025 is finally on track. The diggers have left, the pit in my garden's been filled, and my own personal sewage is whizzing through a shiny new tank as we speak. 
Deadlines schmeadlinesIt's all systems go for the rest of the year. I've got deadlines schmeadlines littered throughout, and a book to birth by the start of 2026. It's doable, for sure. The trouble is, if I float around in a creative bubble without actually doing the graft, the year will go nowhere. Nothing will g...

See Some Good? Believe it!..

Last Tuesday, after giving the news a swerve for twenty-four hours, I saw the clip. You know the one. It's where the current owner of Twitter does a... well let's call it an 'arm gesture'. It wasn't just an arm gesture, of course. I'm simply unsure whether certain words get blocked on here. (The ones that rhyme with the popular dice game, Yahtzee, for example.) Regardless, we all know what we saw. And right away, a quote popped into my brain. It wasn't just me. I've since seen it used all over t...

Distraction, Escape, and Flushable Toilets...

I'm treating today exactly as I did the Queen's funeral. The TV is staying off and my day will be filled with distraction. 
Back in September 2022, I was just bored. Bored with the one-note TV coverage and the desire to escape the hushed tones and forced solemnity that had taken over everything. Today? I wish it were that simple. I'll be doing everything I can to avoid witnessing the horrendous event taking place in the US. 
It's still a dilemma. I'm a news junkie. I want to know everything from e...

Snow, Drains, and Sheer Good Luck...

Let's begin with the important stuff. 
Congratulations to every child that enjoyed an unexpected snow day last week. I feel your joy and am ecstatic for you. Did you used your free time wisely? Did you have snow ball fights, make snowpeople, then get into PJs and have warming drinks in front of the telly? That's the dream right there. Round my neck of the woods, the snow fell for several days, then iced over. It's skiddy and slidey but oh so beautiful. If you read my blog last week, you'll rememb...

Ideas... Yes! Resolutions... No!..

Resolutions? Waste of space! I refuse to set myself up to fail, as I did on repeated Januarys in my twenties and thirties. It's freeing to rid yourself of that expectation. 
Not to bring the menopause into absolutely everything (WHAT? You got a PROBLEM with that?) I'd say that having your body behave in surprising and uncontrollable ways once you hit forty, makes you view arbitrary resolutions with a world-weary LOLZZZZ. Let's accept who we are, what we've got, and what we can do. Making the best...

And That's A Wrap...

Can it be? Can three hundred and sixty five days have passed since the start of the 2024? Well not quite but almost! It's nearly done; about to be consigned to the history books in the same way that past favourites like 1985, or 1994, have been. The day after tomorrow, 2024 will be in... the PAST.
But stop right there! Before we say a final goodbye, let's linger a moment on the highlights of the year. And what better way to commemorate an entire year than a look back at this blog's Long Rambles. ...

Here's to Wednesday...

Sooo this is Christmas. And what have I done? Failed in my mission, that's what. 
You remember how we left things last week? I was going to head into my photo chest and dig out a childhood/teen photo of myself, to put on this week's Christmas post? Previous years have included toddler and small child versions of me, looking excitedly up at the tree, or posing with my presents on Christmas morning - all digital copies I had on my desktop. Testament to the persistence - some might say, unnecessary ...