August 12 2025, 18:25

Summer experiments

It’s twenty-nine degrees outside, and I’ve drawn the blinds, turned on the fan, and hunkered down until my swimming lesson at seven. My family return at the weekend, and I’m excited to see them. Tomorrow I’m taking a last-minute day trip to Edinburgh, and I’ve bought tickets to hear A.L. Kennedy talk about her new book at the Edinburgh Book Festival.

I’ve seen her in person once before, thirty years ago at the Dylan Thomas Centre in Swansea, when I was twenty-two. Back then, I was overwhelmed by the power of her work, partly because I knew she wasn’t much older than me, so she represented literary possibilities. I’d booked the train ticket for tomorrow before I knew she was speaking. It’s a serendipitous closing of a circle.

Last week I spent two days in London, being a tourist at Borough Market, the Tate Modern, the BFI South Bank, Foyles on Charing Cross Road, and Coal Drops Yard near Kings Cross. Before that, I went to Salt’s Mill, Saltaire. As a karmic down payment, the first weekend alone I spent sanding and oiling the kitchen worktops, and I wined and dined my mother-in-law. It worked.

I’ve had two weeks to myself. It’s been a joy. I can’t wait to see everyone and hear their stories, but I’ve really used my time well. Most importantly, between the jobs and adventures, I’ve made real effort to build habits to take into the autumn when I’ll be back in work with everyone around me firing on all cylinders.

Stretching and strengthening. Learning to swim. Learning to play guitar. Writing every day. Reading every day. Meditating every day. Eating well (most days). I’ve done these things regularly for a fortnight.

I was partially doing them around my 9—5. Is it possible to work full-time and keep them all going? I’m back in work for a week, then off again for the bank holiday week, so I’ve got a chance to experiment then regroup to process the results.

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