World Of Winfield

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Being English: It’s Complicated

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I’ve been wanting to write an article on my nationality and my relationship with it in the post-Brexit age of increased English nationalism for some time – and with England in the final of Euro 2020, the time has come. There was a time when I’d watch every England game, hand on heart singing the national anthem. Nowadays, I start tournaments almost kind of begrudgingly though I quickly get into being an England fan once more as my negative associations with England as a country temporarily fade. Yet I still cannot help but feel that although I’m excited for the … Continued

James Went To The Lake District

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It looked like I would have to eschew foreign holidays again this year, so myself and two of my closest advisors decided a couple of months back to book a staycation, and the Lake District was a fairly clear choice of preference. We booked a cottage on Airbnb that was pretty much in the sticks, near the west of the Lake District. I didn’t need to look at any other properties as soon as I was sent the link, my response being, “BOOK IT NOW” – 3 double bedrooms, a very large kitchen, a large living room, a huge garden … Continued

James Went To Matlock

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I had contrasting responses to the end of the two main lockdowns – as the first lockdown ended I was still very subdued and I think somewhat shaken out of living – it took weeks until I ventured to a pub or restaurant. This lockdown, I ended with a flurry of activity – drinking out on both Tuesday and Wednesday evening (which is rare for me), then a staycation in Matlock for the weekend. Why Matlock? The reason for the staycation is that when our Vacuum of Integrity announced the roadmap out of lockdown, we realised that it would be … Continued

The Most Pointless Staycation Ever

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A couple of months ago, my employer, who I normally hold in very high regard, advised that staff couldn’t carry holiday over into the new year starting 1st April. Meh. I still had 5 days left to take. We were in the middle of the worst phase of the covid crisis – everything was still going to be closed no matter when I took the holiday. I wouldn’t be able to go to a pub let alone another country. We’d also just had a sudden stratospheric warming event in early January so the likelihood was spring would start cold, so … Continued

Things To Look Forward To

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I’ve been peak miserable this week. Emotionally defeated, mentally exhausted – physically exhausted too. Lockdown and being on my own for the best part of 3 months has finally broken me. Well…temporarily. Weirdly in the first lockdown, peak misery hit after a couple of months – and the same has happened this time. Though it is compounded by the strictures that I’ve put myself under, with no alcohol, no cake, no chocolate, no fun – as well as no face-to-face human interaction (bar occasional 5 minute chat with my housemate). It’s kind of been like groundhog day for the last … Continued

Corona Moaner: Contented Isolation

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Years ago I would have bemoaned my loneliness on Valentine’s Day. You could probably search this blog for a few “why am I so lonely” posts. This year, I didn’t care. In fact, I now feel like I prefer being on my own. I remember when the first lockdown happened, saying things like “well at least it didn’t happen in winter – at least we have the warm sunshine and I can sit outside and have a beer”. Well… I remember the first lockdown, when it was all new to us – there was a sense of worry, of the … Continued

Happy Birthday To Me: Episode 41

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Happy birthday to me. Happy birthday to me. Happy birthday dear me. Happy birthday to me. Look what I got for my birthday: I’m lying, I didn’t really get that. Look what I got for my birthday: I’m lying. I didn’t really get that. Look what I got for my birthday: Yes, I’m blessed enough to have a sister weird enough to buy me porn for my birthday. I think I need to mention the pandemic in case somebody hasn’t thought about it enough today So I was lucky last year in being able to celebrate my 40th birthday when … Continued

2021 Goals

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Time to set myself some goals for 2021, and they will not involve any holidays, and definitely not Japan. Clearly I am setting them in height of the pandemic with little opportunity to do much that doesn’t involve a computer, so they will be slanted towards computer stuff. I’m also setting environmental targets for the first time ever. Don’t worry, I still love steak, actually really appreciate the usefulness of plastic and would love to get a flight or 10 in 2021 in an ideal world. Health Lose 10kg. I can do this. I think I will actually do this … Continued

Review of 2020 Goals

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Well we all know what 2020 was like in terms of fun, enjoyment and quality of life. So, was 2020 a productive, successful year for me? I’ll go through the original goals for 2020 that I set myself in, erm, February (don’t you remember that we still had a life in January?) – original headings in bold, original elaboration in italics, and 2021 comments in ordinary font. Not sure why I explained that to you as it should be obvious what I’m doing. Health Two Detoxes. A 3-week detox prior to my 40th birthday and a 3-month detox after my … Continued

Most Memorable Moments of 2020

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A few weeks ago I put myself through the misery of a one-hour BBC documentary charting the pre-pandemic course and the scientific response (or lack of) as things unfolded in China, and later Europe. It was like watching a horror movie. We’ve all lived through this horror movie this year and I don’t intend on a eulogising look back through this hellscape – but unfortunately even most of my highlights of 2020 are from the context of covid. I have every intention of this being a positive piece of writing to reflect my own being, but it is of course … Continued