newsletter # 10 | The old ruin, feelings & thoughts so far.
Another sporadic newsletter as I try to grasp some sort of semblance of work-life balance.
I mentioned in the last one of these that we’d bought a house. An old house that’s been neglected by its owner and their tenants over the last 15-20 years. Every job had been bodged or done on the cheap without any thought given to aesthetics or if it was the right thing to do.
Some problems appear to have been left to fester in the months waiting to complete the purchase, while others appear to have just been given up on many years ago. For the first few months of living here, I was very angry that someone could leave a property like this and my stress levels went through the roof as we dealt with one problem after another.
Over time (and money spent we didn’t want to) we’ve tamed some of the fundamental problems, with lessons learnt along the way, and my stress levels have dropped. Fighting fires (not literally) and peeling away the layers, we are starting to see the opportunity we first saw when we viewed the house last year.
It’s an old stone-built terraced house that used to house the railway workers and we’ve named it Y Hen Adfail (Welsh for the old ruin) We knew it was a long-term project so with each piece of work we complete we’re bringing a shine back to our home.
In other news, I’ve updated my Substack and website. I’m going to venture out of just writing about the outdoors and nature and write about anything and everything. That’s what I intended a few years ago when I chose the name I did, it being a blank slate to publish anything I wanted without a specific subject (I chose blanck as the web domain I wanted wasn’t available and I liked the look of the word)
I’ve scheduled a few posts to come out over the coming months. Basically, some older pieces I’ve polished off for fresh viewing, and my web page has blog posts from the last few years as well. S either check back in here or bookmark my webpage and have a look at stuff I’ve already written.
My Writing
I’ve been revisiting some older pieces and reposting them on my website, as well as posting them on Substack.
Broken - I wrote this sometime in 2016 after moving to Bristol. In a reflective moment, I got to thinking about time and how I'd arrived in this new city.
Connect Disconnect - I wrote this sometime in 2016 and was thinking of modern distractions, outdoor spaces in cities and how we connect with nature.
I’m trying to schedule more time to be creative, which is proving difficult as sometimes I would rather just go out for a walk, but let’s see how I get on.
(all links are now removed)
Other Interesting Links
I haven’t really been collecting these but will make more effort to when I find something of interest.
Books I’ve Read & Enjoyed
Steve Jobs | Walter Issacson - I heard Jobs was a dick and the first half of this pretty much confirms it. But he was a visionary and that can also not be ignored. I feel his life was cut short by cancer, always a horrible way to go.
Dead Lions | Mick Herron - Second in the ongoing Slough House spy books. I really like his writing. Funny, sharp, serious. The TV show is good as well.
Savages | Don Winslow | - He writes gritty crime thrillers and his characters are all sleazy in some way, there is no hero to root for. I’ve read the first in his Cartel trilogy as well.
The Sound of Being Human | Jude Rogers - I adored this book. Couldn’t put it down. The author explores her relationship with music through different periods of her life.
That’s it for now. Thanks for reading. Get outside, explore and stay safe. Till next time.
Paul