The AJ Chronicles: 21 July 2024
My holiday had some ups and downs; I left my son at home; my son bought a second car; catching up on Medium will take a while; plus my recent Medium stories
Sections
a. Recent Moments
b. Medium Stories
a. Recent Moments
My holiday had some ups and downs ⛰️
I left my son at home 🏠
My son bought a second car 🚘
Catching up on Medium will take a while 📋
1. My holiday had some ups and downs ⛰️
And I don’t mean the Welsh mountain roads!
I’ve just returned from a holiday in a static caravan (mobile home) in New Quay, Wales. I’d never stayed in one before I met Stephanie. This was our 11th time, and we went with her daughter and my eldest son.
It’s been both a good and bad holiday, and it will take me a while to process everything that happened.
Although the caravan’s three bedrooms were small, it was better equipped than my house in some ways! The open-plan living/dining/kitchen area felt spacious, and there were two toilets — twice what I have at home.
The scenery was breathtaking, and we were situated very close to the sea.
On the day we travelled there, my fiancée Stephanie was worried because her dad was having a major operation. I asked if she wanted to cancel, but her parents insisted she still go.
Understandably, she kept in close contact with her mum throughout the holiday. But the frequent phone calls, text messages, and worrying about her dad’s health made it a very different holiday this year.
It was a great relief when her dad made it through the operation. However, he was moved to intensive care afterwards and we weren’t sure what might happen. Thankfully, his condition improved and he moved to a ward — but it’s still serious.
There were other problems, too.
My hay fever has been worse than usual this year. During the holiday, I wondered if I also had a cold at times because I was so blocked up.
When Stephanie was tired one morning, she finally admitted I’d been snoring. Ironically, years ago, she was the one who snored the most.
I wish she’d told me right away, and I felt embarrassed that she’d gone shopping for earplugs with her daughter and tried to conceal them, rather than talking to me about it.
It’s a long story, but I spent the remaining nights on the sofa in the living room. Stephanie did not like me doing that, but I could not risk keeping her awake again.
I took hundreds of photos from the various places we visited, including Cardigan Island Coastal Farm Park, and the Aberystwyth Cliff Railway. I’ll share those in separate stories in the coming weeks.
2. I left my son at home 🏠
After my youngest son turned 16 in 2022, he chose to skip going on family holidays.
This year was the third time we’ve been away without him. As usual, I left a list of rules/reminders, and he checked in 2-3 times daily via text.
There was one difference this year, however. He now had his driving licence.
When we returned, he told me he’d been for a drive along the Snake Pass in the Peak District. It was quite a surprise, and I’m glad he made it back safely!
Upon our return, the only problem was he forgot to put the bin out, so there will be 28 days of rubbish, rather than 14. If that’s all there is, then I’m okay with that.
My son also told me how the woman across the road moved out while we were away, and some new people moved in. It felt strange seeing different people there upon our return.
3. My son bought a second car 🚘
On a few occasions recently, my late wife’s father has talked about buying an old car for my youngest son to fix up and sell. He’s training as a motor mechanic, and while it sounds like a logical idea, we have no space for another car here.
I said he should calculate his costs carefully before doing anything. The addition of insurance and road tax could make it unprofitable.
My son and his grandad discussed the project while I was away on holiday. Yesterday, after spending a few hours with his grandad, my son’s friend took him to buy a car!
Before taking it to his grandad’s house where it can be kept under his carport, he stopped at our house and took his friend for a ride in it. Then he showed it to me and his brother.
The car is fast and expensive to insure, which seems unwise given the extra costs. He can only afford temporary insurance, which means it needs to be declared off-road while he fixes it, to avoid a fine.
While looking at the car, I locked myself out of the house because the keys in my pocket turned out to be my back door keys, not my front door ones! That meant my son driving us to Stephanie’s house in his ‘new’ car, to borrow her keys.
It felt luxurious, but it had a handful of faults such as a non-working handbrake and the inability to direct air at the windscreen, which meant it kept misting up. The check engine light came on, too.
It’s going to be quite a project for him!
4. Catching up on Medium will take a while 📋
Every week, I receive automated emails from Substack telling me I’ve published so many weeks in a row — it’s now around 12 months.
To avoid breaking that streak, I focused on publishing this piece on Substack before going through my Medium notifications.
While I’m keen to catch up on Medium, I need to be careful my account doesn’t get suspended again, which means limiting how many comments I leave.
Thanks for reading
Alan
If you enjoy these free Substack posts, please consider leaving a tip of any amount at:
Alternatively, I’d be grateful if you could share this story or any of my Medium stories. It helps tremendously!
Thanks for your support
b. Medium Stories
The titles below are links to my recent Medium stories. I’ve included quotes to give you a taste.
I’ll Be at the Seaside in Wales for a Week: My Out-of-Office Message
Four stories will auto-publish while I’m away, starting on 12 July
Here are some older stories you might not have seen, just in case you can’t get enough of me. (As if! 😆)
My Medium Likes and Dislikes
July Prompts, Day 12
I could have a field day with this, given that my account was suspended for 24 hours a few days ago. But I’ll try to remain balanced! 😂
Surely People Don’t Think I’m A Geek?
July Prompts, Day 13
I loved Meccano and dismantling anything electrical. Let’s not mention my chemistry set mishaps though. (I have a series about My Weird Childhood.)
Giving Away One of My Son’s Toys Was Hard
July Prompts, Day 15
Logically, it makes sense for it to be enjoyed by other young children, rather than remaining stored away in its box for decades. It just took a while to convince my heart.
Will I Lose Readers by Choosing a Side in the Android vs. iOS Debate?
July Prompts, Day 17
iOS is easier to use and more responsive than Android, in my opinion. I also like how it integrates with my MacBook Pro laptop; the experience is smooth and slick.