My latest alcohol-free experiment…
And it’s delicious.
I’d mistake it for an Aperol Spritz if I didn’t know any better. This is Lyle’s Amalfi Spritz and I’m going to be buying some more this weekend. 🍊
2023
No temptation required
Tuesday, October 24, 2023
Given the timing, I won’t be staying up for next week’s Apple product announcement. After recent spends with Apple, that’s just as well. I don’t need any more technology temptation in my life. I’ll just enjoy reading the coverage the next morning with my coffee. I have an office set-up I’m really, really happy with. My Mac Mini and Studio display are the perfect combo for my webinars, meetings and video production workflows.Some more amazing sky over the City of London this evening.
A very ominous London skyline this morning.
Another Monday has come around too quickly.
But on a positive note, I’m on my way to my Japanese class, which is always great fun. And good exercise for my brain.
Regularly stepping into “novice mind” is such a positive, worthwhile experience.
I can’t quite believe it, but I’m sunbathing in London in October.
After lunch, I realised our balcony was getting loads of direct sun, so I sat down. But after just ten minutes, I was too warm in my sweatshirt etc. So after a moment’s hesitation, I stripped off, grabbed a throw cushion and lay down, getting a solid hour of very warm and very relaxing sunbathing time.
This weather is incredibly abnormal and therefore worrying, but my mental health is also definitely benefitting from pretending I’m lying on the beach in Sitges.
Picture of my very relaxed potato-head (pre-stripping) below.
Solar attraction...
Sunday, October 22, 2023
Just been for a lovely walk in the sun. No filters applied - the sky really is that blue today. It feels like we’ve skipped ahead to Spring - but obviously, there’s just no way to avoid the inevitability of the winter that’s coming. So I’ll soak up as much of this sunshine as I can before it disappears. Carpe Solem, if you like. ‘Seize the sun’. My new motto. ☀️Good morning from a very sunny London…
It’s like a different world when compared to yesterday’s wind, rain and dark skies.
All change, please
Saturday, October 21, 2023
I’ve just spent a couple of hours packing up my summer clothes and getting my winter wardrobe out of storage. Living in an apartment, there’s just not enough room to have all my clothes in the wardrobe at the same time. So for half the year, half of my clothing lives in vacuum-packed bags. It’s quite a tedious task to gather, fold-up and store stuff, but a delight to open up the bags.A place for everything...
Saturday, October 21, 2023
My Bellroy Tokyo Folio arrived yesterday afternoon. It’s everything I’d hoped for. Tough, splash-proof exterior with a well-designed interior. It fits my iPad Mini, an A5 notebook and a pen. There’s also a separate external pocket for my iPhone 15 Pro. Inside, the remaining pockets are big enough for an external iPhone battery, my AirPods Pro, a charging cable, a wallet and even my house keys. When traveling, there’s definitely room for my passport.A quick run around the block before dinner, to shake off some work-related annoyances. It definitely did the trick.
Office medusa
Tuesday, October 17, 2023
A very good afternoon to everyone… …except for the woman who has spent the last hour pacing up and down the corridor outside my office on a very loud, very personal phone call. After gently asking her to keep it down, she quite literally hissed at me. So that was nice. Her office is on the other side of the building, so she quite intentionally came over here to make her call.Another day, another beautiful product from Bellroy.
I have to admit, I’ve been waiting for this to launch and bought it as soon as it was live on the Bellroy site. A new home for my iPad Mini and notebook.
I’ll share some pics and a review once it arrives.
Japanese class was once again great fun.
Our teacher is really amazing. She manages to make complex grammar accessible and even enjoyable. She has a fantastic sense of humour and I always leave her classes with a smile.
Such a great way to spend a Monday evening.
Snapped this gorgeous peacock in the middle of Pittencrieff Park in Dunfermline. First time I’ve seen any of the peacocks that live there in all the years I’ve been visiting.
I’m full of a mandatory fried breakfast (sausages, bacon, eggs, tomatoes, toast and tea) and now I need to walk it all off somewhere.
So we’re going to the very lovely Pittencrieff Park in Dunfermline to enjoy these blue skies while they last.
Made it safely to Edinburgh. ✈️
Some nasty weather delayed the flight for an hour, but I got here in the end. Now waiting for my train to take me to Dunfermline. 🚞
I also got an appointment for my COVID booster today, so that’s also going in the gratitude journal.
Smiling to myself as my podcast got recommended in an HR blog post about the top business-focused podcasts. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it mentioned in ‘print’ before.
That’s definitely making my gratitude list for tonight’s journal.
No escape
Tuesday, October 10, 2023
I’m in Dublin for a very brief business trip. And despite my high hopes, I haven’t been able to escape the noise of construction. Back in London, my neighbourhood seems to be one big building site, and has been that way for over a year. The noise is truly exhausting and I live for the respite of Sundays, when even the builders take a break. I arrived to my hotel in Dublin this morning to discover it’s being refurbished right now.Really looking forward to my Japanese class this evening.
Like a good boy, I’ve done all my homework and have been practicing daily. Though it’s just my luck that I seem to have one of the more difficult to pronounce nationalities (Irish) and occupations (psychologist) that we’re learning right now.
Another run logged in the fitness bank
Sunday, October 8, 2023
Went for another 5km run this morning and managed a faster pace than yesterday. It felt good throughout and I’m once again pain-free. Hoping that I’ve finally put my achilles tendons issues behind me. I had to shame a dog walker into putting his dog’s shit into the bin. He threw it at the bin and missed and was walking away from it when I roared at him. He sheepishly went back and picked it up to put it where it belonged.I snapped this sunset from our balcony yesterday evening.
And yes, while the days are getting noticeably shorter at this time of year, the sunsets are still something to enjoy from our vantage point here on the 35th floor.
Trying this for the first time time this evening - and I’m pleased to report it’s delicious!
I’ll have to get some more tomorrow. The perfect evening drink after a warm day. Very refreshing.
Got (another) new plant for the apartment.
Fully expect to wake up one morning to find there’s been a plant-based coup and I’m ejected onto the streets.
Just bought a slightly ginormous but beautiful plant for the apartment. Will cart it home after something suitably refreshing at Starbucks.
Good morning from an unseasonably mild London.
Apparently it’s going to hit 25C later today, which is incredible for October. I’m going to head out for a run shortly, before it gets too warm. And then attack my ‘life admin’ task list.
Almost at the end of another working week.
I’m feeling productive and accomplished - just got another YouTube video out the door, and prepped the edits for two more episodes of the podcast. Did my accounts admin and even did some client admin.
Definitely going to enjoy this evening…
Another tough day down the psychology mines… 🤣
But, I managed to record two episodes of the podcast, have a lovely catch-up with a colleague in Seville, write next week’s professional blog post and set up the next three months of online community meet-ups.
And now it’s time to pack up and go home.
A small landmark
My little YouTube channel gained it’s 300th subscriber yesterday and I couldn’t be happier.
It’s been nothing like a full-time job, but something I fit around other aspects of work. Getting a tiny bit better with each video, still enjoying the process, and learning loads.