bright burn burnt candle

2022: a look back

Hi, How was Christmas? Hopefully relaxed and not too stressful. With the end of the holiday year and company shutdown, Mrs J and I have had nearly a full week off together. It’s been great not having to rush anywhere and be able to take things easy. Happy holidays indeed. Plus, there’s a few days left before it’s back to work in the new year. So, new year huh? It seems traditional to start one after the end of December 😉 So, 2022? I was going to write that it felt like a hangover from 2021. But that feels somewhat negative, even if the years previous have cast a long shadow. Yes, there’s been some awful events this year and […]

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Christmas Wishes

Hi, How’s things with you dear reader? Hopefully good and that you are safe, warm, and fed, at least. The first few steps of Maslow’s model. 🙂 This week I’ve had two conversations with researchers. The first was a local author who is looking into the LGBTQ+ history of Nottingham. There’s probably a pun to be made about spilling the tea on the T, but I’m not that clever 😉 Nottinghamshire The researcher and I spoke about the group’s (Chams) start up and I’m going to say hand on heart that I’m not the expert in this. I can talk about my experiences in Nottingham – back then and now – but given the group started in the late 70s, […]

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A small flurry

Hi, Not a post about the weather, no. Although I do wonder if the British keenness to discuss it, is a mix of A) it changes frequently, and B) it’s difficult to offend anyone. Well, unless you happen to say “Yeah, well climate change, innit?” to a science denier 😋 Mind you, the good thing about science is that you don’t need to believe in it for it to work. This time around there’s been a flutter of beautiful news here and there. At the start of the month, a company released a Christmas advert that has love and kindness at its heart (link via PinkNews). There’s the Cambridge Dictionary updating the definition of the word ‘woman’ to “an adult […]

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Xmas Party 2022

Hi, This week I was out with work colleagues and one of them, a gent, commented on the effort and money his partner spent on getting ready. He absolutely wasn’t grumbling nor being sexist. Instead, drawing on the cost difference between a haircut for him and that bloke outfits were fairly basic and easy. It was one of those conversations where you get to hear (and learn) from nodding occasionally and actively listening. Learning in terms of what regular blokes – if there’s such a thing – think and how that might be different for each of them in their relationships. Part of me felt that for some of us genderfluid types, we’re quite aware of the processes, prices, and […]

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Tisn’t the season

Hi, It feels like it’s been a busy week and I was glad of the Friday off. Today has mostly been a series of naps, a long walk, and lunch out with the Ever Lovely Mrs J. I know that tiredness affects my creativity, so today’s post will be somewhat more of a ramble and with added incoherence. Don’t say I don’t spoil you 😉 The heating has now gone on at Jones Towers. At least, in the kitchen, bedrooms, and sitting room. I think post Xmas we may need an expert to look at how we can improve the insulation in the kitchen. That part of the house has the most external walls and a flat roof. It’s rather […]

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