oday we travelled to 3 places (quite distant from one another). One of them had a beach-like feel to it, but Manchester has no beaches, the closest one can get to that are the reservoirs, the boat canal, or the port-like structures in Salford Quays. They’re not too far from central stations, the weather was perfect (blue sky, but not too hot), so we made the most out of it and everything went smoothly for Rianne’s birthday.

9 years ago on the same date we stayed in the centre of Town, but not this time.

Next up we have the September 2024 [1, 2] counterclaim anniversary, then our wedding anniversary, followed by an anniversary in October, another one in November, and then my birthday in December, exactly a week before XMas Eve.

Lots to look forward to. We still need more rain.

T seems like a perfect day to be out. A cool day with such a sunny start (we come back in the later afternoon anyway) is a good start for a special birthday.

I’ve been productive offline lately. The “nest” is OK and our health is good, we even sleep more than in prior years and we managed to cook more. It’s healthier to have fresh food and it saves money.

After today we’ll have some special anniversary every month, even two next month.

Next year I plan to publish many lengthy series, so focus is necessary. No hurry though.

T is quite an ecstatic atmosphere here around the stadium, not just because it’s early (4PM still very bright in August) but also sunny and the dramatic win not too long ago resonates in the minds of people. I’ve just seen some butterflies coming by and Bottle sits on the door handle.

We’re now just hours away from the long-awaited birthday celebration and today I made some preparations while sunbathing. It’s sunny, but not too hot, so that’s just perfect (no sweating). This morning I bought some gifts I’ve long looked for.

My aim this week – the last week of vacation – isn’t to publish much but to relax as much as possible. On Friday Manchester City has an away match in London. The opponent didn’t far well last season (unlike Bournemouth), so it should not be so hard to win.

N 2024 there was actionable abuse of process against me and against my wife, more so in October of that year.

I understand why the abuser (in actionable abuse of process) would not want us talking about it, but explaining actionable abuse of process is not defamatory, it’s a necessary public service.

Moreover, if further legal action is taken which backfires or does not work as expected, then writing about it does not in any way misrepresent what happened.

It’s quite clear we’ve struck a nerve.

2026-08-10 How to staycation better

T is not the first time I stay in Town during summer. We’ll travel around for a bit, but not go far as there’s no point. Staycations are good for people who like being where they are, vacations away (or abroad) tend to be for people who escape the job, the home, the routine, the culture, and maybe the local weather.

Thankfully for Rianne’s birthday the weather will be almost perfect. Sunny, not too hot, and exactly one week before Bank Holiday.

think we now have 3 flocks of birds we can regularly feed and easily find. They almost chase us, even before any clapping (to get their attention).

Today I opened a new jar for Bottle’s Friend, the biggest of the birds. I enjoy seeing him eat. This mix is more premium than the typical premium, there are some very expensive seeds in it.

It is kind of sad that, at least the way it seems to us, many young people and kids (young adults sometimes still act like kids) waste their live away at skinnerboxes and “apps”. They could derive so much more joy from birding. And these are living things like us, with emotions, sometimes hunger, sometimes fear.

If we teach people – preferably when they’re still young and gradually form leanings – to be kind to animals they will also learn to be kinder to other human beings. Societies thrive in empathy and collaboration.

At the park, Rianne and I sometimes teach very young kids to feed the birds instead of chasing them. We say, “they are like friends…”

ast month I began (or resumed rather) regularly blogging in this site. I had done a lot of that 20+ years ago, before Techrights existed.

As a result, many people visit this site again.

This site is personal however. It’s a personal site and I don’t want to make myself the story.

Sister sites do a better job covering various issues, but keeping the blog in this site active means I can offload more personal anecdotes, improving s/n ratio in those other sites.