I left Cornwall mid-morning yesterday after a long promised visit to my parents. The journey home felt oddly detached - with no mobile signal and no data connection on the train for several hours. The “free wifi” on the train was marginally funnier than my trains to and from Cornwall running an hour late - and the crew repeatedly informing passengers how they could refund their tickets.
While rumbling across the countryside with no internet connection, I found myself thinking about this whole blogging escapade, and came to the realisation that it doesn’t really matter where your writing lives. I’m kind of done with the idiocy of “platform building” - I just want to write and share. If I can remove friction from that, I’ll do it.
What does this mean? That I’m climbing back under my rock somewhat. Back to a simple Substack account, rather than “playing the game” at Wordpress, Tumblr, or wherever else. Substack isn’t perfect, but it’s simple - anybody can read, subscribe by email, and reply if they wish.
I’ll stop writing about writing now.
It was a good break - the weekend. A couple of days with my parents, catching up on their news, and sharing some of ours.
I’m not sure I’ve shared on the blog (or anywhere, actually), but my youngest daughter is (very) pregnant. At some point in January - if the little one arrives on time - I’ll become a grandparent. It feels weird - writing that.
I gave my Mum the URL of the wish-list my other half is curating for our daughter - making sure that only useful things go onto it. My Mum started chanting all sorts of generational hoodoo about not buying anything until the baby is safely here. I kind of agree with her, but there are some things we’ll need immediately on arrival. I guess that’s what “the bank of Dad” is for.
Although my daughter and her boyfriend are trying to get their own place, it’s looking increasingly like we’ll have a baby in the house for at least a few months. Quite how that’s going to impact “life as we know it” is a complete unknown.
We’ll do our best.
Anyway.
It’s Tuesday, and I’m chewing through day two of a week away from work - using up some of the holidays I didn’t use in the summer. Yes, I worked all summer. I have another week off in early December.
I bagged a booth table at Wetherspoons this morning - leaving my other half working from home. She’s taken over the study at home, and has half-taken over the Mac too.
I’m holed up at the dining room table with my laptop, having done chores for much of the day so far. The weather seems to be cooperating with our efforts to wash just about every piece of clothing in the known universe - or at least that’s what it feels like. Wish us luck!