Am I frugal, stingy, or set in my ways? No — don’t answer that! 🤣 — In general, I am the sort of person who does not waste money. When making a big purchase, I usually save up and pay for it outright, rather than borrowing money and buying it right away. There are exceptions when the ADHD side of me takes over and behaves impulsively…

Recalling a day when common sense was away on holiday — There were many ups and downs during my late wife’s illness, which spanned 2010–2013. The whole period was littered with medical appointments, scans, and treatments. Things seemed relatively stable in 2011, and we did quite a lot. In April of that year, we went to Chester to celebrate Jane surviving…

Do I have any fond memories of that trip? — A story about Linda Ng’s ten worst travel experiences inspired me to write this piece. (I’ll include a link at the end.) We nearly missed the ferry I have driven to most of my holiday destinations in the last 30 years. One exception is the Isle of Man 26 years ago with Jane, my late…

Llandudno day trip; cake mistake; inflated gas boiler price; a few minutes of calm; too many social media accounts — Contents 1. Personal Notes 2. This Week’s Medium Stories 1. Personal Notes Llandudno day trip On Saturday, as part of my fiancée Stephanie’s 50th birthday celebration, I drove her to Llandudno for a day trip, with my eldest son and her daughter. I felt exhausted in the lead-up to it, but somehow I found the energy to get through the day.

I had to think back to the 70s and 80s for this one! — 1. Would you rather be born in your decade or ten years later? I was born in 1968 and have fond memories of growing up in the 70s and 80s. Some of my favourite music is from those decades, including disco, funk, soul, pop, rock, and heavy metal. As a child, I enjoyed tinkering with everything electrical and electronic, but I’m glad that…

Not my balloon; costly car repairs; family life — Contents 1. Personal Notes 2. This Week’s Medium Stories 1. Personal Notes No, it’s not my balloon. And it’s not that little boy’s either! This morning, I dropped my son off at college for his motor mechanic course. Then I went to the supermarket for groceries, a balloon, and wrapping paper for Stephanie’s birthday. At the checkout, a new member of staff greeted me as I clutched the balloon to stop it from getting…

I share my highly organised and haphazard approach, plus my top feature request — Last week, Lynn L. Alexander asked the following ten questions about writing on Medium. (I’ll include links at the end.) 1. Do you follow a routine every day for writing on Medium? Yes. No. Sometimes. Maybe. 😆 Don’t worry. Not all my answers are like this! Earlier this year, I stuck to a daily routine when responding to writing prompts.

I don’t mind if you call me Alan or AJ. Just as long as you call me! — Thank you to everyone who responded to the article I published a few weeks ago about changing my name. All your comments were helpful and I appreciate every one of them. I have given it much thought, and after publishing my 500th story yesterday, it feels like the right time to add my first name. My Name History on Medium September 2020 to August 2022

At what point does my medium become large? 😆 — How Many Years? 📆 I joined Medium in September 2020, and… Hang on a minute — could it also be my 3rd anniversary? I joined on 23 September 2020. Phew! That’s not quite three years, so I don’t need to go back and add that to the title. After all this time, you’d think…