03/07/23 12:46

I told Nev the other day that I paid £3.20 for a large latte in Bella’s.  She thought that was a little pricey.  Today, in Costa, down the road from my office, for the same size, I’ve just paid £3.60.  Without a little biscuit.  And I’m surrounded by children.  Which I can’t decide whether or not it’s better than loud grownups sharing their conversations with the coffee shop clientele, inside and out.

I’m recording the background noises with phones for possible podcast background noises.  I’m a little bit unsure whether or not to use ambient noises.  It can make for a nice aural experience.  Or it can overpower the whole thing.

Talking of aural pleasures, I’m looking at ear-conduction, open-ear earphones at the minute.  These would be for when I’m running rather than recording.  My Shokz broke about a week after the guarantee expired so I’m looking at options that don’t include having my ears blocked whilst I perspire.  With Amazon Prime day coming up, I’m waiting to see it any of my wished list (wish listed?) items provide a good deal or not.  I’ve still got about 60 days until the latest half-marathon starts (London, this time) whereby I’m then doing an extra mile with Nev and the boys afterwards!

I’ve been trying to crack on with the recording processes behind the podcast and I think I’m finally there.  I’m going for a system that anyone can use; cheap as chips and with very basic technology.  I want people to see that anybody can do what I do or what I’ve done.  It’s the same with the blog, Instagram and in theory, the book.  I’m honestly just an average bloke, a nobody in the grand scale of things.  I want this to be an example of what’s possible.  I’ve had very little help, minimal support but plenty of self-belief.  Whilst I’m in no rush to get to where I’ll be going, I want to at least start and be seen to be moving forward.

I’ve got to refill the fountain pens soon – that’s a whole task by itself and yet whilst unknowingly refreshing, can also be slightly stressful at times.  I try to do too much at once.  Which is my life in a quick summary.  The riots in Paris are continuing and even though this isn’t putting me off from booking my next trip, finances are.  I also want to create a few “go-to” questions for people that I have the confidence to approach in any café I settle down in during my overnight visit.  I want to make something a success with this adventure of mine.

I’ve got 2 more fountain pens from Kickstarter to arrive.  I love these nano-pens I’m using, both Papermate and the 3D one, and I also enjoy the Celtic one from the 20^th that I picked up in the same shop that Nev and I got our rings from.  I used their business card as a bookmark for Oliver Gee’s ‘Paris on Air’ memoir that I picked up on the same trip.  We popped to the Marais and I stumbled across the little bookshop.  I should get around to having the painting and such framed.  That’s down to both time and money.  And I can’t decide whether or not to include the book.  I’ll ask about that before I go and also once I’m there.

I wonder if my very basic audio editing apps can let me cut, splice and blend the coffee shop sounds.  I don’t honestly want kids screaming in the middle of it.  Even if I only use sounds in my room whilst I’m writing and typing.  Which reminds me, I have to update my ‘start page’ as I posted a blog photo on Instagram, t’other day.  That was the same day I popped to Bella’s to write an entry.  With this entry, I’m 12 entries behind on the blog.  5 entries behind typing it up onto the Word document (I’ll back it up soon) and over 18 months’ worth of entries behind on Instagram.  Let’s not even look at audio entries…