For the better part of four decades, I’ve put my thoughts in many different places. Some of these thoughts have thankfully disappeared into the ether and some of them are rotting away in digital graveyards like Facebook and twitter. As the internet becomes more of an inhospitable place, I’ve been keen to keep my thoughts all in one place, on a platform I have as much control over as possible. I’ll still probably share on instagram and I may fire off the odd post on bluesky, but I’m going to compile them all here, too. Not because I think they’re worthy of preservation, but just so I don’t feel so digitally schizophrenic, so I don’t accidentally lose my thoughts when an account closes or a new billionaire buys up a platform, so my thoughts won’t get buried by an algorithm because I didn’t share it with a 30 second clip of a song that I’ve never heard all the way through.
Sometimes these thoughts will be accompanies by photos. Sometimes they will be long and sometimes short. Often times they will be very stupid. I have tagged the thoughts using a system that makes sense to me and ultimately I am unconcerned as to whether or not it makes sense to you, but I think it’s pretty self-explanatory. For now, there is an option to comment on my thoughts, though I will not allow anything I deem annoying or unkind to remain published. It’s my party, I can do what I want.
meatballs for .99p
I had a very jolly evening in a wine bar with some friends last night (we had the best creamy and oh-so-goopy goat’s cheese!) so I needed a second breakfast at around 11:30. Doing the shopping hungry is always a bit of a risk, but today I lucked out; the new butcher shop in town sells meatballs for .99p. Though I don’t actually know the going rate for a single meatball, this feels like incredible value and I bought two on a whim whilst buying sausages for our supper. Across the street in the greengrocer, I lucked into finding some spaghetti squash, which is something that I always think you must buy when you see it as you never know when you’ll find it again. A plan largely driven by my stomach was beginning to form, and I also bought a bunch of basil and some beautiful cheery tomatoes.
When I got back home, I popped the meatballs and a handful of tomatoes onto a roasting tray and then into the oven. I chopped a stem full of basil leaves into ribbons and put them in a bowl with salt and pepper and a good glug of olive oil. As I waited for the oven to do its thing, I cut a piece of bread and put it in the toaster. Then I waited. Impatiently. Hungrily. When the tomatoes started to collapse I plucked them out of the oven with some tongs and then switched the oven onto grill, to give my balls a bit of crisp. I mixed the tomatoes into the basil and let their hot juice soak into the greens. Et voila, sauce. When the meatballs formed a nice brown crust on top, I placed them in the bowl with my sauce, grated some parmesan on top, and then buttered my toast, which I used primarily as an edible spoon. It was everything I hoped it to be.
David spent £3.59 at McDonald’s this morning on his slightly-hungover breakfast. Whilst I have no way of being 100% sure, at .99p/meatball, I think my little mid-morning indulgence came in cheaper than that, and I know for a fact that it was tastier and more delightful. Perhaps I should keep a dozen meatballs in the freezer for other mornings when the gnawing need for a second breakfast just won’t quit.