March 2026 Updates
Spring is here, finally. It feels like an exhalation as daffodils open and bare branches split to reveal tightly coiled green buds. I find myself coming back to life as the season does, eager to get out there.
Life
With spring comes new opportunities. I got a promotion at work, so have been learning to step up. Its the same team which is good because I'm familiar with it, but its been a learning curve still.
We also got an allotment, so have been setting it up. The plot wasn't in too bad a state. We planned out beds and dug in peas and early potatoes. Having had one before when we lived in Bristol, we know what we are doing so theres no pressure to make it perfect this first year.
Site
I've fiddled with the colours and design of the main site.[1] I've also added a prefers dark mode set of colours, all late night neon. Next step is to add a colour scheme switcher!
Books
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson is a classic I had often heard about but never read. Its vivid and unsettling, all told from the perspective of a deeply disturbed, lonely woman. Is it all in her head? Jackson leans into the ambiguity, never giving easy answers.[2] For all that, it contains intense, arresting images that stay with you and somehow jump scares. Brilliant.
I know mostly know John Green from his young adult novels (and YouTube), so The Anthropocene Reviewed is a departure for him. Its a memoir based around short essays where he rates things out of five, including chapters on Super Mario Kart, the internet, and our capacity for wonder. Throughout he leaves a memoir of sorts, dropping details and stories about his life, as well as more philosophical writing. It has beautiful writing throughout and is interesting and reflective.
Tokyo These Days - no 1 by Taiyo Matsumoto is a manga, a genre I haven't had a lot of experience in. I enjoyed this though. A manga editor leaves the business burnt out from the commercial pressure. Art is hard to resist though and soon he is putting together a team to write a new series. Slow and reflective, this features stunning drawings of the city and precisely observed characters.
Games
Disco Elysium is an unusual game. You play as a cop who has woken up with no memory trying to solve a murder in the town of Revachol. Its entirely played through dialogue, similar to the old point and click adventures. I loved it. The story is rich and complex, with strange disconcerting moments throughout. The characters and the politics of the district of Martinaise are in depth and feel all too real. Its a brilliant achievement.
Music
I started the month seeing David Byrne in Cardiff. What a gig. The band all had their instruments on them, so they could dance around the stage. Perfectly choreographed and timed with video projections throughout. The whole stadium was dancing at the end in euphoria. Everyone loves David Byrne[3], and with good reason.
I finished the month seeing Cerys Hafana, almost the opposite. Traditional Welsh songs performed on the triple harp and accompanied by gentle saxophone, this was intimate and mesmerising.
In recorded music, it was a good month for people named Joshua. Joshua Burnside released a new album, not too long after his excellent record from last year Teeth of Time. This one is called It's Not Going to Be Ok and is about the death of his friend. Its starkly emotional as a result, but still with wry humour in the lyrics. Really beautiful and recommended.
Joshua Idehen is a spoken word poet whose debut album I know you’re hurting, everyone is hurting, everyone is trying, you have got to try. mixes club music with emotional resonance. Its about finding hope in others, the transportation of dance. Its also funny throughout, powerful and moving.
Final thoughts
Erasure poem taken from The Skinny
If you would like to recieve these posts in your inbox, why not sign up to my mailing list
Next: | Previous: February 2026 Updates