Has summer 2026 started now?
The World Cup has, and in my teens that would've been enough to mentally wind down and embrace the season. This year? Meh. I'm only vaguely in. The US's involvement makes the tournament feel icky (although the Curacao and Scotland matches provided great moments.)
Likewise, it's Pride month. Happy Pride! This year, more than I can ever remember as an adult, it's clear that Pride is as it began - a protest not a party. A local council leader (a stone's throw away from where I live) has just announced they're not supporting Pride anymore. That comes hot on the heels of the same council stopping financial support for Refugee Week. There's no longer a creeping sense of things going back in time; progress has been halted and is being turned around, in some local councils at least.
It's all so joyless, isn't it. The vibe seems to be, I don't like it so you can't have it. Proper playground shiz. Whenever I've encountered someone in real life whose default setting is 'bitter and obstructive', I try to remember it simply means they're deeply unhappy in their own life. That strategy has (mostly worked) at giving me more resilience than I'd ordinarily have when dealing with them. The trouble is, that these people are no longer consigned to one troublesome colleague, or the random neighbour that causes grief about the hedges. These people have now been elected to positions of power. Assuming they're struggling with deep-seated misery at the way their lives have turned out, doesn't change the bigger picture. They're joyless, and their misery is making council policy.
It is important - or even our duty - to refuse to be led down that particular road. We need joy! We need fun! We need a summer of memories instead of a shameful collection of blazing news stories. What are you going to do? Where's your particular joy coming from today? How are you making the world better?
These are obviously rhetorical questions. I've no more answers than you have, but I am thinking about them. I'm thinking about what I can do to make the world more joyful, not less. There are so many current pressing issues with which our elected politicians must grapple. But if they're hell bent on snuffing out communities coming together, then they've seriously lost their way. Let's help them find it, in whatever joyful ways we can.
Meanwhile if you're looking for a book for young people, that features a gay character with a happy ending, let me point you towards my own new release. Leeza McAuliffe is Branching Out is available now. What is lovely is that people are letting me know that they've got their copies and are reading it. I'm getting regular pictures from all over the place (including Australia!) of paperbacks sitting on laps or held up for the camera. I write novels about the ups and downs of growing up, some of which can be stressy and frustrating. I'm a big advocate, however, of it being 'all right in the end.' You want something uplifting, dare I say, joyful? Something that provides escape from the bad stuff, or at least offers encouragement that things can be better? Then knock yourself out with this little lot. We fight the bleakness with the tools we have to hand. My tools are my books! They're not much but I'll use them.
Culture
Despite my 'meh' feelings about the World Cup, I finished Dear England last week on a football nostalgia high. It was only right, therefore, that I kept up my tradition. Whenever England Men are about to play in a tournament, I find myself watching, An Evening With Gary Lineker. It's not available in the usual places so, as has become habit, I watch it on YouTube where someone has filmed it from the telly. It's blurry, shaky, and the mouths and words don't quite match. Still, I love it. Based on the play that's set during the Italia '90 World Cup, this film has given me and my partner many lines that have become part of our vernacular. ('No Bill', 'I think I might support Germany for a bit', and 'Geet a beer for Birgitta'.) And if you want, I can recite Monica's speech about the World Cup wall chart, any time you like. Don't say I didn't offer.
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| Yesteryear on my train journey |
In book news, I'm in the middle of Caro Claire Burke's Yesteryear. It's a fascinating premise (trad-wife influencer finds herself in original trad-wife era of the 19th century much to her horror) and I'm gripped. What I've no idea about is how it's going to end. I'm trying to enjoy the plot without second guessing every little thing, so I can get the full impact of how it's resolved. Easier said than done.
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| Seafood chowder with lobster roll in background. |
On Tuesday I was sitting on a bench in a Scottish harbour, looking at the fishing boats, feeling a gentle breeze and the sun on my face, whilst eating fresh seafood chowder from a lobster shack. It was such a moment. The unbridled joy of it all! What was ostensibly a quick lunch in the place I was staying, became a lovely mindful experience. And now I'm back home, I've thought about that seafood chowder ever since. Obvs, I'll have a bash at making it. It was chunks of smoked haddock, prawns, baby shrimp, with a few pieces of potato and leek, all cooked together in a creamy sauce. It can't be too hard to replicate. Unfortunately the only photo I took was the one featured here. I was clearly too busy being in the moment to adequately record it.
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| Tuesday night, about 9pm, North Berwick. |
Out and About
As mentioned above, I had a couple of days in Scotland which soothed my soul and took me away from my laptop for a bit. I'd assumed it would be cold and rainy - that was the weather I left at home - but it was glorious. Summer 2026 felt like it began while I was there. It was also cool to feel the Scottish World Cup buzz. If it had been decades since England had qualified, would I feel as meh about it because of the host country? Possibly not. On top of that, I was at the Rainford Festival on Saturday. A gazebo, a bunch of lovely people, and Tony Hadley of Spandau Ballet headlining with ALL the tunes. The dream!
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| Tony Hadley plays Rainford. More joy! |
Have a lovely week, folks
