Posts

Showing posts from August, 2021

Stay Young, And Invincible

Image
"Stop it dad! You're 40!" Don't get old, never get old! Always, maintain a youthful approach to life. Impart your wisdom, but stay young. Be mature, be adult, but never lose a sense of fun or adventure. It's a common trap, as we become adults (or parents). The aging body, transcends into an aging mind.  That's what I admire about kids. They attack life with youthful exuberance.  Life is there to be attacked with fun and purpose. Live by this philosophy. Be the cool mum, dad, uncle, aunt, etc. Don't get old, never get old! Don't Become Boring Life places expectations on us. Society has a template for adults, and we foolishly play along.  Society has a template for adults and we foolishly play along.  Too many people, approach adult life in 'mundane mode'. Sadly, for many, our best personal qualities disappear. I say screw the rules. Stay young of heart, and stick two fingers up to convention.  Maintaining A Youthful Mindset I read a book recentl

National Lampoons, Cornish Staycation

Image
Cornwall rocks! A little review, from our Cornish "staycation". Everyone is doing the "staycation" thing in 2021. In troubled times, I was happy to support British tourism.  Cornwall seemed the obvious and predictable choice. The fall-back option for disappointed "package holiday" lovers. Spare a thought for the Cornish locals, stuck serving pasties to twats, who'd rather be in the Mediterranean. Seriously, who'd go abroad? It sounds like hellish effort. This is the year for domestic pleasures. British holidays don't come cheap. But for this year, I took the hit. The Eden Project Inside the Eden Project. So the first trip, was the  Eden Project . Basically, it's 'Gardener's World' meets the 'Crystal Maze'. Two large domes filled with various plant species.  I saw a banana plant, which you won't see often. It's a surreal experience, as you wander around the place. The domes are kept warm to preserve the plants, it

PlayStation Parents, Move Over Kids

Image
PlayStation incoming, special delivery! Gaming is for kids right? Nonsense! Big news, we own a PlayStation 5. A couple of hipster parents, down with the youngsters.  It's becoming the evening ritual. When the kids go to bed, the gaming starts. It's glorious escapism. We also have online personas. 'Mayhem Mum' and 'Cyber Dad' are quite badass.  Our Gaming Past We last owned a console, about eight years ago, but we sold it. It wasn't getting used, I was studying and life was busy. Years later we talked about buying a new console. Then the kids came along and it didn't happen (again). I dabbled with emulators and retro gaming, but that was it. During my youth, I was over every gaming platform. At various points I gamed on a ZX Spectrum (Google it), Atari, Amiga 500+, Mega Drive, Game Gear, Game Boy, PlayStation 1, Xbox, PSP and Xbox 360. The launch of the PlayStation 5 (PS5), was a route back. As you can imagine, these things are popular. Fortunately we got

Schools Out, Surviving Summer

Image
More coffee please. To quote Alice Cooper , "schools out, for summer".  Imagine not knowing school without a pandemic? My son just finished reception class. These are unprecedented times.  Top marks to the parents, for navigating the farce. You earned the parent stripes, and some.  School closures, remote learning, facemasks, isolation, rapid testing, and more school closures. We'll look back and laugh some day. Challenge number two; the summer break. We've just done a staycation in  Cornwall, so five weeks left. That said, September seems a long way off. I warn you, this may be ranty. Summer Break, Six Weeks, Help! Who decided summer breaks were needed? Probably teachers! Fortunately I work from home, but it isn't without challenges. It presents many childcare issues. How do you juggle work and life demands, with kids? Netflix? Disney+?  The problem is, everybody is busy.  Even most nans and grandads still work. So this further limits childcare options. With reti