27/11/22 16:59 

Just a quick little update as it’s been over 2 months since my last entry.  The UK is on to its 14^th Prime Minister since Brexit was put to the vote, Putin and Russia are no farther along with their war against Ukraine, the football World Cup has given us a handful of surprises and I’m getting g to bursting point with my upcoming visit to Paris in just over a month. 

Upon my return to the office on Tuesday, I shall book the tickets for the Louvre and then that shall be my spending finished until our arrival.  When I say spending, I don’t just mean for the trip, I mean all of it. I’ve now completed the Black Friday debacle, getting very little in the way of bargains but obtaining all the gifts for Christmas that I hadn’t yet been able to purchase.  My finances are now caught between breaking point and tighter than a duck’s arse.  I expected it to be bad, but I think I underestimated how bad.  At least I’ve managed to secure Duolingo lessons with unlimited hearts.  This means that I can now – when my brain allows – carry on to continue to begin my learning of the French language.  I’ve probably gotten enough downloads and emails to secure my place at the top of the language school that I’ve enrolled in. 

I’ve been slowly updating the blogsite and getting Instagram up to speed although my followers have remained in the steady 180 region.  My concern here isn’t the numbers, but the lack of content I’m posting.  Not the Instagram posts, but the actual blog writing.  I’ve not been making the effort to get back into the mindset.  I’m hoping this will change soon.  Especially with next month being around the calendarific corner. 

We, that is to say Nev, the boys and myself, are hitting up Paris for a few days after Christmas up until New Year’s Day.  I’m hoping to share my lust and passion of the city with them in much the same way as I did when I took the boys to Ibiza (which is something I need to try and achieve again soon – and taking Nev along, too). 

For now, I’m re-watching Emily in Paris in preparation for its return to Netflix with season 3.  I’ve taken to YouTube for weird walks around Paris.  I’m actually looking at the greengrocer’s from Amelie on my tellybox at the moment.  And now I have to think of what photo to use for this entry… 

I’m still listening to The Earful Tower podcast; mainly whilst I run or am on a longish drive.  Oh, and I found a wonderful little programme on UK telly (All4 online) called Astrid: Murder in Paris.  However, people outside the UK may know it better as Astrid et Raphaëlle.  And the website I’ve been using will allow me to put those two dots above the letter e using the special code ALT0235. 

I’ve now received my latest fountain pen from Kickstarter.  It’s a 3D printed barrel with koi etched as a reminder of a Japanese tale of swimming uphill to become a dragon.  I think.  Anyways, it’s a nano pen and I’ve got to use cartridges with it.  Once that ink has gone, I may decide to top it up with bottled ink.  I could use a different colour each time without washing it out and see where that leads me.  I have noticed before topping up this particular purple fountain pen with magenta ink that the hugely vast majority of pens have no ink in them.  I think it’s a sign on my lack of writing.  

Which also goes for my actual book; both of them.  Let this cost of living crisis settle down and I’ll be back on it.  Especially after our Parisian Christmas-time visit.  And my upcoming running.