Hiya. Happy New Year – I’m shuffling into September.
We just got back from York. Julieta had a uni induction thingy, so I booked us into a nice hotel. It’s years since I’ve been to York, and I wanted to see what it’s like now. She got her first choice – I’m so pleased for her. And she got the same grades as me – how cool is that!?
It went ok – the girls were cool, the boys were weird, telling bad jokes. Everybody had a Northern accent. The wet room was disgusting, water everywhere. She forgot her toothpaste, so had to clean her teeth with shower gel at 1.30 am. 👎 A lonely piece of dry toast for breakfast.
I had the day to myself, so I did some work and then went off exploring. York is a cracking city – small, beautiful and easy to walk around. Bikes and students everywhere, and lots going on. I ran along the river to Rowntree Park (fab Reading Café) and walked to the uni campus, Bootham (private Quaker school) and Clifton, so I know the city a bit better now. I found a gorgeous guest house to stay in next time.
I asked one of the student reps what she thought of York. "It's sticky.” After graduating, she worked for York Festival of Ideas, and then a job came up at the uni so she never left. Other students we chatted to said similar, so I think Julieta will have a good time.
So, new beginnings for both of us. I need to lie down in a dark room for a bit and let my bank account recover. It's been an expensive summer (shopping list as long as my arm) but good fun. I wanted us to hang out as much as possible before she heads off.
It's also made me reflect on my uni days and how tech has made things so much easier. Julieta researched all the courses and accommodation on TikTok and uni video tours. She's made friends with her new roommates through the college WhatsApp chat - everyone’s moving in on Friday.
I was thumbing through dusty prospectuses in the 6th form common room, didn’t have a clue. I picked a course and a city I liked the look of and then did a flying visit to find somewhere to live. No laptops or mobiles back then.
I’ve enjoyed the open days and checking out different cities. It’s given me energy, so I need to do this more and mix travel and work – two weeks on a beach doesn’t appeal to me. I’ve set up an Adventure account and thought I'd start by nomading my way around the UK. So many gorgeous places to explore (we have hundreds of inhabited islands!) and nobody talks about the UK - it’s always Scotland ;-)
I’m inspired by my dad too, still grafting at 73, driving all over the country and sending us pics and updates – he gets tons of hits on Google Maps!
It's ME SEASON. This is the vibe I’m bringing to Substack.
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💎 Internet Gems
What I’ve been reading, watching, listening to, buying - and stuff that’s caught my eye this week.
A workshop I’ve signed up for to help with content burnout, a conference VIP invite, how AI can enhance your journalism, and a useful writing prompt for Substack…