Work is having a morning tea where everyone brings something thelat represents where they are from.

What can I bring with a Yorkshire feel? It’s got to be mini roast beef dinners!

Something I’m reading up on at the moment is the Greek/Roman philosophy of stoicism and how it can be useful to apply in your everday life.

This book is broken up into daily bite-sized chunks that are easy to take in and think about, and is already helping me to not worry about the things I have no control over and to be more discliplined in my thinking.

The author also has a good website for getting an idea of what it’s about :-

https://dailystoic.com

I never thought I’d have Marcus Aurelius as an inspiration but there you go ….

Got to the first gig of 2024 with a visit to the Opera House to hear Scottish instrumental rockers Mogwai. Wow that was some noise! At times I could feel the kick drum reverberating up the seat and into my back. 90 minutes of proper rocking out, but without the irritating mosh pit.

Here’s a fairly accessible example of Mogwai’s music if you want to check them out (would be good for your ukelele band to rock out to, Dad!)

They’ve been knocking about for 20 years now, so it was nice to go to a rock gig and not be 20 years older than the band and audience. There were a fair few flat caps and long grey beards about that night.

Just hoping the tinnitus fades before my next gig this weekend!

Last weekend we managed to coax The Duchess onto a plane for the first time since 2019 to enjoy a change of scenery and catchup with relocated friends, flying over to Nelson on the South Island ( confusingly it’s about level with Wellington, which is on the North Island).

We were escorted around the sights of Nelson and Richmond, enjoying the arty atmosphere of the area via the Art Gallery, the gardens, an impressive cathedral and some lovely coffee shops and cafes.

We could definitely see ourselves living in Nelson, providing I didn’t have to commute back to Wellington every weekend.

Note for Dad: Our friends are South African, hence the random picture of their tamati sous, which I tasted and can confirm you would like if you ever found yourself in SA (as if!).