Short, sweet and relevant to me this week. It's been a busy one and I haven't had time to complete how we grow as an industry which is effectively part 2 of last weeks blog and I know I have to touch back on the Twitter mini series and there are plenty of other things to chat about too.
Lets start with Bideford, it's proving difficult to get back there for numerous reasons. The rental market in the UK is hard right now. Prices are going up, demand is going up and staying 200 miles from where you want to live makes it hard to view. Since Covid, none of the agents will let you rent without viewing. Last time I travelled down, I had 2 viewings, I booked them on the Wednesday, they had gone when I called to confirm the appointment on the Saturday morning.
It is time to expand the area of my search in North Devon, as much as I love the river and Bideford, being in North Devon is more of a priority than waiting for the perfect place. When affordability (within reason) isn't an issue, it's disappointing to be in this position.
One of the reasons this is a priority is so I can get a proper set up in place, where I feel comfortable to work and have the potentially host a podcast as well as a #BlogCast. It needs to be a more comfortable workspace because I have an 8:30-5, as well as what I do here. I would love a second room for guests, it's affordable and it allows me some company when I want it! There are a few other things on my would like to have list, hopefully I find something this weekend.
Birthdays, and more specifically my birthday. I am not a big lover of it, it all feels like rather a lot of effort for what usually ends in disappointment in one form or another. And it's no different this year. Plans for tomorrow were double booked and it looks like I will be in a hotel room with you guys for company, instead of going out for dinner with my stepdad. Come find me on spaces at 2PM EST, traffic being well.
When I was a kid there were 7 or 8 of us in the house. Nothing after the age of 12 was sacred or truly mine. This could be a personality trait of mine, or it could be something else. It was easier 'not to care' and let things happen, rather than get upset or insistent that it was all about me. This continued into my adulthood. My birthday always seemed to be in appeasement with my partner, never really what I wanted.
I had a great night on my 30th, my ex had arranged a surprise party for me (I don't really like surprises but this one was great). On the way out I opened my stupid mouth and threw a massive size 10 in it. I said something along the lines of I hope this isn't a surprise, I'm not sure I will enjoy it. I was not allowed to forget about that, and that one flippant comment 'made' me unappreciative. Even though that wasn't the case. The pattern of my birthday is not a great one.
So low expectations because the disappointment has crushed me on too many occasions. I am thankful for my Dad and golf, and anyone who chooses to spend some of their time thinking of me or celebrating me today.
And now to my latest stealth launch, my #BlogCast. Those of you that signed up to my blog early on will remember that Issue 1 was also a stealth launch. I do this for a reason and I regularly need to remind myself of that. Firstly, it's to keep expectations low (there's a pattern here), secondly, it's because I am not in a hurry or a financially desperate situation and the third main reason is because launches and campaigns are a huge amount of commitment, time and work.
What is a #BlogCast? For me it's an audible version of my blog. It enables you to consume my content in a format that suits you, at a time that suits you. If you like reading, my Blog will still be sent to your email every Friday. If you don't like reading, you will be able to listen via my #BlogCast on Spotify instead.
Jay Stansfield made the music and he's helping me learn how to produce and play with sound, not so much for this but for my next personal project. I want to try and release these at a regular time, but I need to figure a few things out first. My #BlogCast will always be made after my Blog and maybe one day I get them released at the same time, maybe.
Now I have a podcast that needs regular art, Chris has added a speech bubble to my PfP and they will be my title images (for my Blog too). I haven't decided on a brand font yet, nothing calls out to me. Someone has offered some help, I won't say who otherwise I will be in trouble! And you will be able to collect my Blog and the title image together, via paragraph and the collect button above.
Thank you for reading today, or listening later on. I imagine I add a little more info to the #BlogCast section when I record this #BlogCast. If you want to find out what I have to say, you should listen! I am also closing in on 400 subscribers, and 10 Spotify Subscribers, it's exciting times. Thank you for supporting me.
And thank you for reading and spending your time with me this week, next week will be my perspective on how we grow as an industry. Have a wonderful weekend and I will catch you all next Friday. Take care.
