You know those rare days where everything just goes… right? That was last weekend.
The Bloke and I took a spontaneous trip to London. I had already booked the day off in anticipation of being needed by a social media client, who unfortunately wasn’t available. Meanwhile, The Bloke discovered that he had a few surprise days of annual leave, so we made a last-minute decision to have an overnight stay, just for a change of scenery and a bit of head-space after what has seemed like a rather intense few months. We hadn’t done a proper touristy day out together since last September, so we figured we were due.
Over the past week, the UK has been basking in a stretch of glorious weather – the kind of weather that we usually have to board a plane to find. On the rare occasions when we experience this, I find myself saying to The Bloke, “It smells like holiday.”
It’s a difficult thing to describe, but it evokes memories of going out in the evening while on holiday in a Mediterranean country, a combination of heat fading from the day and the subtle scents that come with dry, sunny weather.
A few weeks ago, Mum and I hopped over to Belfast for a quick trip. The whole reason? The Titanic Museum.
It would be an understatement to say that she’s a Titanic obsessive. She has paintings signed by a survivor, an original 1912 newspaper that was published just a few days after the sinking, White Star Line wine glasses, replicas of the menus and tickets and a playlist of the music performed by the quartet on board, books, DVDs, clothing… She’s been to every exhibition you can imagine since it was discovered – I very distinctly remember going to the Greenwich Maritime Museum as a young child when some of the artefacts from the wreckage were recovered and put on display in the 90s, my parents then went to Wembley to see James Cameron’s tour of the movie set and costumes, and in the last few years alone I have booked and organised trips so she can see exhibitions at London Docklands, Worcester and the NEC. At the beginning of the year, she went to Camden for the VR experience that is currently there…
Suffice to say, the Titanic Museum in Belfast has been at the top of her list for a very long time, and this is something that she has been going on (and on, and on) about for years.
Now, I’ll be honest – the Titanic has never really been my thing. I appreciate the history, of course, and I get why it’s significant, but after being made to spend many hours reading plaques and looking at ship artefacts and replicas in my youth, it is no longer my idea of a good time.
Last year, I saw that Jason Donovan was on tour in 2025. I’ve been a lifelong fan, getting his first album on vinyl when I was just 8 years old, and to this day some of the songs from that very album still feature on my regular playlist.
I immediately booked a ticket for his performance at Symphony Hall. Just one ticket, just for me. I didn’t even think of asking anyone else if they wanted to come with me, because I knew instantly that this was something that I wanted to do by myself.
For some of us, people-pleasing is practically a personality trait. It’s not always obvious at first – saying yes to plans, helping someone out, being the “reliable one” in the group. But when your need to be helpful starts draining your energy, your time, and your sense of self, something has to give.
I spent decades saying yes when I wanted to say no.
That’s not an exaggeration. I organised outings I didn’t want to go on, stayed out late because someone insisted I couldn’t leave yet, did jobs for others that had absolutely nothing to do with me, and found myself tangled in everyone else’s responsibilities – housesitting, pet sitting (LOTS of pet sitting), taking in endless parcels for neighbours who couldn’t be bothered to answer the door (who then expected me to drop them round later), picking up prescriptions, sitting in cars while friends ran their errands on the way to the place we were actually supposed to be going, I went along with what others want to eat, watch, or do, because I didn’t want to seem bossy – simply because I didn’t know how to say, “That’s not my responsibility.”
In the world of social media, going viral is often seen as the ultimate goal. As a social media manager, I’ve had the privilege of working with clients who have experienced this phenomenon, albeit in vastly different ways. Two completely different cases stand out for me, each offering valuable insights into the complexities of viral content.
One of my clients experienced the more stereotypical viral post – an immediate surge in views and engagement, only to see it plummet just as quickly within a few days. The other saw a more gradual build-up of attention, where one viral video led to another, creating a snowball effect that continued to gain momentum over time.
April marked twelve years since I first hit the publish button on the blog.
Twelve whole years. It feels surreal even typing that. What started as a quiet little corner of the internet to share thoughts, observations, and the occasional rant has become something far more personal than I ever imagined. Yet, looking at the tumbleweeds rolling through the archives recently, you wouldn’t think it meant much at all.
It’s the first week of February and thank goodness… Did anybody else feel like January was the longest month ever, or was it just me?
Despite this, 2025 has been pretty great so far. The steps that I took at the end of last year to reduce my workload and commitments have been extremely effective – so effective, in fact, that I was initially unnerved by how quickly I completed my task list each day. It took a little while to get rid of the nagging feeling that I had missed something, and I had to get out of the habit of triple checking everything just in case.
A pic at Baker Street that I took on my travels last month – if you put Gerry Rafferty on while looking at it, it looks like Sherlock is playing a tiny saxophone…
I always have mixed feelings about this time of year. On the one hand, there is excitement and hope about possibilities and potential, yet on the other, an underlying fear of the unknown. This year, however, I’m feeling a lot better than usual.
I particularly like the start of a new year because I indulge in a lot of planning and creating lists, and I get to set up my new Bullet Journal with new goals to work towards. As I’ve aged these goals have become smaller and more realistic – I still keep my ultimate bucket list of things to see and do (which include things like visiting the Grand Canyon and seeing certain musicians in concert) – but I spend most of my time focusing on the smaller, achievable targets and goals that will make the biggest impact just by using consistent small steps. This has proven to be very effective, and I have ended each year with a sense of accomplishment.
Over the last few years I have added a ‘Memories & Highlights’ double page into my Bullet Journal. This serves as a reminder at the end of the year of all the positive things that I’ve been lucky enough to experience over the last twelve months, and is extremely helpful during times when things are tough.
Perhaps the most challenging part was at the start of the year when we moved house, and what followed was MONTHS of individual battles with various companies including SCS and So Energy (that went on for nine months until I lost my temper and started leaving negative reviews – amazing how a 1* review on Trust Pilot suddenly makes a company pay attention). We quickly realised that neither the landlord and the property management company weren’t interested in helping too, which hasn’t been great.
However, 2024 (despite all the challenges and annoyances we’ve faced this year), has in fact been pretty great for the most part.
The Bloke and I have again been extremely lucky to watch numerous shows at the theatre. My favourites? Book of Mormon, &Juliet, Hamilton, I Should Be So Lucky, Here & Now and Dear Evan Hansen – many of which were on my bucket list. Additionally, I got the opportunity to meet STEPS at their press launch, and I don’t think I blogged about it at the time, but I met Pete Waterman TWICE. I won’t go into detail now as this post is already going to be a lengthy one, but I was so overwhelmed by meeting him that I cried when I got home.
Suzie Speaks 
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