One of the problems with being friends with your ex like I am is that often we go periods of time without messaging each other (like we’re currently in) but even when we do catch up we tend to talk about the big things. Work, relationships, family. Big upcoming events like holidays or the adoption of a dog.

We tend to skip over the little things that friends share with each other. My ex has always been that person that I would save up interesting things to share with him. I remember when things ended nearly two years ago one of the things we talked about is both of us separately had created a list of the things that had happened to us recently that we would have talked about with each other but felt like we couldn’t because of the complicated state of our relationship, being exes.

Just for the fun of it, I created a list recently of things that I probably would have shared with him recently but haven’t. Not necessarily because these types of conversations are ‘off limits’ but more because we’re just not messaging lately for whatever reason.

I’m obsessed with a new podcast that I’ve been listening to. I’ve created a whole new schedule around this podcast for days I’m at work getting my food ready so that I can listen to a podcast across my lunch break. I listened to a podcast the other day about Ludwig van Beethoven and I was so fascinated by what I’d learned that I’d listened to a Beethoven playlist all the way through making and eating dinner that night. And also, I have a renewed interest in visiting Vienna.

I absolutely love watching videos of this joyous young woman who makes clothes out of old bedlinen. The bedlinen usually has some great design on it like Disney or Sesame Street that I think I’d have had something like that as a child. And I love what she does with her designs, really celebrating the characters or patterns that she’s been given. It’s such a fun project to watch and I start to feel like I really want to do something else to be creative like she is.

I’ve loved watching The Summer I Turned Pretty lately. The release schedule initially stressed me out with one episode a week but now I kind of love it. I can never remember if the new episode is available on Thursdays or Fridays but once it gets towards the end of the week I think Yes! one more thing to be excited about. I’m going to be bereft when this season is over and it concludes Belly’s story.

I went to Paris in August and because I was only there for a few days I figured my souvenirs had to match my length of stay. I got some postcards (that I use as bookmarks) and a magnet of the Moulin Rouge that I’ve left on my desk. But the souvenirs that make me the happiest is a pen I bought in the shape of a Parisian baguette and a pen that I bought at the Catacombs of Paris that is shaped like bones. I tell you, every time I use my bone pen I have a little smile on my face.

Even though I’ve been scared to start this new course (two years in length and the equivalent of a Masters degree) I did make some cute back to school purchases including a brown handbag big enough to fit my laptop in, a laptop case that’s this bold forest green and I bought a bright red cardigan that I plan on wearing to one of my tutorials. I kind of love combatting my trepidation for starting this big new thing with some colour.

I heard a story at work from a particular colleague that I absolutely adore. We were talking about some of the people we work with and my friend told a story about one of her friends. She said as a high flying woman in a profession not known for having senior women staff, she sometimes tries to disarm rather arrogant or condescending men at meetings by when she’s shaking their hands she’ll just casually let her gaze rise and settle just for a moment on the man’s hairline.

I was sitting at my desk with the window open the other day and this beautiful little bird kept flying near the open window. I was briefly concerned that he was going to accidentally fly in (I have a slight phobia of tiny birds – it’s a long story) but once I realised that it wasn’t going to fly into my window, I started appreciating its colours. I decided that I didn’t know a thing about garden birds in the UK so I spent a good hour online looking at pictures and reading up about common garden birds and how to attract them. It was interesting (and the bird was a great tit).

My across the street neighbour is super reliant on me to look after their house because one (1) time actual years ago I called 999 when I saw that someone was trying to break into their house. They were very grateful and since then I’ve been plagued by texts from them. (I still ride high on the time they texted to say they were currently in London visiting friends but that he’d read on the local Facebook group that teenagers were in the area drawing obscene things onto cars – could I go over and check if boys had drawn a cock and balls in the dirt on his Merc???) But this time he’d messaged me to say he’d had a strange visitor at his door asking if his car was for sale. My neighbour grew quickly paranoid that this person was going to steal his car (???) and wanted me to provide updates that his car was still there as he was on holiday in Turkey. He sent over the times and dates that the man drove by his house, parked his car, knocked on his door, the video from his Ring doorbell as he answered ‘no’ the car isn’t for sale and the man thanking him and leaving and also the time he got into his car and which direction the car drove. I still don’t know what he wanted me to do with this information.

I’ve also realised that … I probably don’t have anyone currently that I’m telling these things to. And I definitely find that sad. How come nobody is in the market for a new best friend?