Reading time: 4.20

1,030 words

Hey Reader,

Okay, I’ll join in the weather commentary.

IT’S HOT.

So when I went to gymnastics this week, my plan was mostly to stretch and not move around too much because that room was approximately the same temperature as the surface of the Sun.

But I did want to do a couple of somersaults into the foam pit because I’d been away for a couple of weeks.

You need to keep doing them otherwise it gets scary again.

Taking a run-up along the track, though? In this climate? Yeah, nah.

I just could not be bothered.

So instead I inadvertently unlocked a new skill: the standing front tuck somersault.

Which is much harder than doing it with a run-up, but less overall effort, you see. And I like less effort where possible.

Before Thursday, if you’d asked me if I could do a standing front tuck somersault, I’d have said no, and probably not in the near future either.

Now? I landed a few really nicely, so it’s now a skill I possess.

All because I couldn’t be arsed to take a run-up.

You never know what you might be able to achieve when you simply cannot be bothered.

This is the kind of positivity you can expect from me in the face of inertia. I’ll find a way. I’ll make it fun. We’ll do the thing.

Still got that one spot for Tuesday at 10.30am if you’d like the final Book Breakthrough: Unlocked session for June!

And now, it’s Goodie Bag time. Hurrah! Here’s what I’ve found for you…

Got a teenager? You might like this…

I don’t have kids (I’m autistic and we eat our young) (this is a bit from my stand-up set, you’re welcome)(yes it’s satire based on lies right-wing grifters like to tell about autistic people) but I do remember being a teenager and I have been around teenagers and this seems fairly accurate to me.

2 minutes of Jennifer Lawrence being hilariously awkward

I do like JenLaw. She’s very silly. I like silly.

This heartwarming Men’s World Cup news

Via Shit You Should Care About, I bring the following really lovely news about the Men’s World Cup:

• Japanese fans clean their stadium stands after every game!
• A German man cycled 16,000 miles to get to the World Cup: 21 months, 27 countries, 4 continents.
• Vozinha is a 40-year-old goalkeeper from Cape Verde who has spent 19 years playing for clubs most people have never heard of, with exactly one trophy to his name. Cape Verde made their World Cup debut against Spain, the number two ranked team in the world, and he made seven saves to hold them to a 0-0 draw. That’s very cool.
• Lamine Yamal is an 18-year-old Spanish player who dropped straight into sujood (Islamic prayer position) after he scored, on the world stage, despite all the Islamophobia. Good lad. His father is Moroccan and his mother is from Equatorial Guinea, and he has their country’s flags on his shoes, which is super cute.
• ​The Scottish, generally, causing delightful chaos in Boston and Boston loving every second of it.

Small businesses you’ve never heard of

I live in an incredibly rural area, and it’s easy to assume there’s nothing much going on in the countryside. That could not be further from the truth, as I’ve discovered over the years. There are SO many small and microbusinesses doing amazing things.

Including FarmFlock, a small biz started by a young farmer. He provides services for “individuals, smallholders, and farms in rural Herefordshire” — which is me. I’m an individual with three pet sheep and I need them sheared every year. Have a wander around your local area — your library is a great source — and see what people are doing. You’ll be amazed.

This charity that helps recently released prisoners

Release from prison is a joyful time, right? Wrong. For the most part, it’s incredibly stressful and the system simply abandons former inmates with no support, no money, no housing often — and then we wonder why recidivism is so high. Because oftentimes people feel they have no choice if they want to feed themselves. Anyway, our “justice” system is ridic but there are good people doing good things and Releasemates is one of them: they provide support and resources for people just released from prison, giving them the best chance to do it differently this time round.

What I’m reading

Two things: Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree which is delightful cosy fantasy in the D&D genre, which is right up my street and I LOVE it. It’s so gentle and feel-good. And now I want to open a coffee shop.

​Tiny Experiments by Anne-Marie LeCunff which is inspiring my “what I’m writing” section this week. This is seriously a great book though — points out the problems with linear goal-setting and general toxic hustle and productivity, and gives us delightful and fun ways to live instead. Loving it.

What I’m writing

Starting today, I’m embarking on a 100-day experiment. Every day for the next 100 days I’m writing about my brain for Late to the Party, my OTHER newsletter. Not everything will be published. Not everything will be good. Some of it will be only a few words long. That’s not the point. The point is to show up. That’s all. I’m focusing on letting go of the outcome and tapping into my creativity.

Some of these will be live writing sessions, where I’ll write on camera, so watch this space!

Word of the week

panacea(n.)

Meaning: a remedy for all things.

Writing is a panacea. Walking in nature is a panacea. A nice cup of tea is a panacea. Yeeting billionaires into the Sun is a panacea.

Quote of the week

TTFN,

Vicky 🫡

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