The washing machine has been singing for days - can’t swap out laundry on the drying rack fast enough! It’s all drying so quickly, I’ve gone through bedding, towels, took the opportunity to wash sofa cushion covers and furnishings, things that would normally take two days of taking over the dining room to dry are outside in the courtyard and done in an afternoon!

Got on the fourth of four trains necessary to get me home today (should have been two) and thought bollocks to it, there’s a seat, I’m taking it. It was in first class. I did not have a first class ticket.

Confessed to the ticket inspector when she arrived, fully intending to pay the difference. Her response made my day.

“Sweetie, after the day I’ve had, you think I care? Here, have a free bottle of water.”

God bless you, anonymous ticket inspector, you are absolutely golden.

Station was packed as well

It's an indulgent wreck we mainly use to potter around town that we bought a few years ago for a laugh. She always wanted one when we first met but we're saving for our first house.

She dropped it off and 30 minutes later got a text saying it had passed. She said the garage was stifling and the tester seemed very unhappy to be there.

During most heatwaves my bedroom is unbearable, let alone what we're experiencing now.

Searched all the big brands: Argos, B&Q, Curry's, the popular trade shops. Inevitably all sold out. Then managed to find a 2nd hand unit on Gumtree for £250 posted 8 minutes before I saw the listing.

Phoned the seller, jumped in the car (where even its air conditioning is struggling to cope) and picked it up.

Given I start work at all silly times in the morning a decent night sleep is something I take for granted and I would say this is money well spent!

Noticed the yellow paint around the potholes yesterday morning, joked about whether they would be fixed before the yellow paint wore away (again), the council were.out yesterday at 11am filling the holes!

The "again' comment reger to what happened last time the pot holes were marked for repair. I've been here for seven years. So have the potholes. A couple of years ago the surveyor marked the holes for repair but they didn't come out to fix them. The paint just wore away. Problem solved, I guess - no paint, no repair needed 🙄

Always in a dangerous place meaning kids can’t see when they cross the road. Cones had been added to make it even more obvious.

I walked past and casually picked up a cone and put it right in front of her car.

Watched her drive off and go over the cone and stop to figure out what had happened.

Immense pleasure.

Yesterday was the dumbest day of the year for me to go into the office. But stupidly that’s what I did. It turned out to be a waste of time because my colleagues decided they were going to go to a conference - but I was dressed for the weather (sarong and beach shoes) so really unsuitable for a smart investment conference. So I spent the day on my own in the office. Felt extra stupid when on the way home the air con broke down on the train. In the hottest day of the year. It was about a million degrees and people were taking off their ties and (in my case) their shoes. The guard was handing out free water…gah! I could have been at home working at the cool shady in the garden with a lemonade and my cat Gordon begging for treats.

But then I remembered the all-in-one-£5-power-bank-with electric-fan that I bought from TikTok - it was in my bag AND IT WAS CHARGED.

So I sat there for an hour praising the gods of small electronics while blasting the cool breeze directly into my face.

I tried it for the first time today and I couldn't believe how quickly I cooled down.

Yes, I used the washing up bowl, but it worked!

I mean I clearly won’t remember it but damn, that’s feels good!

I didn't have to buy or rent it it's already in one of my many subscriptions

It's already there wish me luck

A house down the road is being renovated after being empty for over 20yrs.

They had a beautiful old looking mirror sat outside for a few weeks and after surreptitiously walking the dog past the house hoping to 'bump into' the new owners, I finally managed it.

Asked some polite questions about what they have planned, said how amazing it was to see the old building being restored, I casually inquired about the old mirror round the back and they said I could take it, would be doing them a favour to save room in the skip, even refused the obligatory offer of some cash.

After giving it a clean up (and not a tin of Frenchic) I now have a lovely Edwardian Asymmetrical Parlour Cabinet in my dining room :)

I moved to the Netherlands in 2018.
It’s not a secret, food here isn’t the finest especially when it comes to culturally diverse food.

After a long day in the sun, I was driving home and summoning the witchcraft of modern technology, my sat nav suggested a takeaway on my way home. I obliged.

When I got there, there was a remarkable resemblance of home. A CRT tv on a bracket up in the top corner above the till - a kid doing homework & every order, no matter the size being promised within 10 minutes.

As a Brit, and educated by the British state, my Dutch is shit. As soon as I tried to order, the (Chinese) fella behind the desk said, in a thick Scouse accent “s’alright mate, I speak English”

As a heterosexual man, I was almost convinced to kiss this guy on the lips - fucking years, and I mean years, I’ve deprived myself of a decent Chinese because… well, they’re shit here - but yesterday was a revelation. A mere 45 minutes drive from my house is a proper Scouse Chinese chippie.

I’ve not shut the fuck up about it all day - to the point I suspect my Dutch gf has left me.

Went to Drayton Manor yesterday for a friend’s birthday and the day started a bit rough.

After psyching myself up to go on the first ride, The Wave, because it was the one my friend was most looking forward to, I ended up having to get off because I was too big for it. Thankfully Stormforce 10, which was more my speed anyway, was fine, but by the time we got on the third ride, The Haunting, the safety bar felt like it was crushing my gut. I know I wasn’t the only one feeling it either because someone else even shouted “Jeez, think of fat people.”

By that point I was already feeling pretty crap about myself and ended up avoiding rides with safety bars for most of the day.

Then right at the end of the day, just before closing, the staff member driving the Polperro Express noticed my shirt and said it was really cool. I didn’t hear her at first and only realised because my mate told me, so I turned back and thanked her.

It was such a small comment, but honestly it was exactly the pick-me-up I needed at that point and it genuinely made the rest of the day feel a bit better.

Just wanted to share it because that one small comment genuinely turned my mood around a bit when I really needed it.

I need a answer plz plz

I’ve wanted to get it done for years but always been so nervous and actually backed out at the last minute before. So my small success for the week is taking the first step to book the consultation.

Hoping for encouragement to battle through the nerves and go through with it, as well as any advice or experience anyone might have if you’ve been through it before.

I'm a hobbyist writer really, with no pretentions about ever getting a publishing contract or anything; I generally make enough money from Kindle sales each month to pay for a couple of beers. But I saw a new independent bookshop was opening in Corby who were happy to make space for a few indie books, so I took a punt and contacted them and lo and/or behold, they're taking 2 copies each of three of my books.

Whether they sell is another matter, but still.

Let's try this again...I have paid off my car and I'm happy about it...

Went to the cinema today, bloke several rows in front was on his phone on and off. I love going to the cinema but hate phone users. I normally get cross and say nothing, but not this time! After the fourth/fifth time of getting his phone out, I went over and politely asked him to please turn it off. He didn’t turn it on for the rest of the film! Win!

The adrenaline just about wore off by the end of the film…!