It’s already been three-days since my latest ‘milestone’ birthday. I’ve a growing list of food and DIY-related things to write about and share but, for this one, instead of writing about ‘near-mid-life-crisis-thoughts’, I’ve decided to look at what I received on the day and to ponder what, if anything, this might tell you about where I am in my life?!
There have been a couple of birthdays in recent years where I’ve not had anything particular in mind, when people have asked me what I’ve wanted. To be honest, I’ve always mostly looked forward to a cake and lots of chocolate… This year, however, I seemed to have a good idea of two items that would help me out and, well, they would also distract me from thoughts and realisations of the number to be printed on half the cards I would receive.
Now, I can go without watching TV and I can limit myself to a minimal amount of contact with my phone. But remove the watch from my left wrist and I feel naked. In fact, my previous watch has been in a state of degradation for the last few years. Not only did the strap break only a few weeks ago (hence the elastic band in the photo above) but most of the buttons have stopped working – not all convenient as we recently lost an hour due to that Daylight Savings nonsense.
My replacement only needed to be as sturdy as the last one. Beyond that, a digital face was all I really desired.
With that, came the arrival of a SatNav. Now, I quite enjoy map-reading and finding my own way but I’ve also become aware of how beneficial it can be to have something else do the hard work for you, after a brief drive over to Wales in February. I’ll try not to rely on it too heavily, although initial tests prove it to be very accurate around the Bristol area. It could help me to get around and see more of the UK more confidently – it only concerns me a bit that you still appear to need access to a smartphone or laptop in advance to obtain the closest post code to your destination.
Speaking again of my new watch for a moment; it arrived in a smart and highly presentable metal box… But why? Do they really expect me to store it neatly inside every night? Do they not appreciate that a lot of gifts these days are sent and received online? A watch may be categorised as an item of jewelry but this one isn’t exactly a precious Rolex.
Along with buying myself a DVD (which I need to write about very soon), I received another and also a brand-new book to dig in to.
Inferno, as one of Dan Brown’s infamous Robert Langdon series, is the latest to be converted to film, with a realease date for cinemas expected to arrive towards the end of this year, I believe. I enjoyed both the Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons but didn’t get to appreciate either of the relevant books until some time after I’d watched the movies. This time, I’m setting off with a distinct head start!!
It seemed as though my mom had somehow been inspired by my own baking efforts over the past year and, armed with a pile of doughnuts and chocolate mini rolls, she decided to have a go herself… Needless to say, I’m still working my way through the stack but enjoying every minute of it!
With a four-day weekend on the go, there’s plenty of walking to be done (not least to shed some of the ‘winter warmth’ I’ve gained) and I’ll report back on that as it happens.
Thanks for reading and, as a friend helped me to realise; this is only the fourth decade of my life – and, somehow, that sounds more appeasing than a mere two-digit number!
