16 Mar 2026 — Alan's Roundup

• Mother's Day

• Dusty DVDs and books containing surprises

• Two new stories

• Four recent additions to the archive

https://open.substack.com/pub/alanjedmonds/p/16-mar-2026-alans-roundup

As someone widowed young, early retirement is proving harder to deal with than expected. The lack of purpose and structure is getting to me.

#autism #adhd #audhd #retirement

https://open.substack.com/pub/alanjedmonds/p/lost-in-retirement

This week:
Bricked car. Son’s car collection. Water utility woes.

Also:
Travel story about last summer, plus six more stories and a recommended read.

https://open.substack.com/pub/alanjedmonds/p/24-feb-2026-alans-roundup

Don't you just love it when you report a scammer on Instagram, only to be told that no rules have been broken?!

#security #scam #instagram

This week: Valentine's Day car battery, Mac mini migration, dishonest water company. Plus stories about music, cars, weight loss, autism/ADHD, and grief.

https://open.substack.com/pub/alanjedmonds/p/17-feb-2026-alans-roundup

My water bill with United Utilities is going up by over 14%!

£84.71 to £96.40 per month, for a small 3-bedroom semi.

Yet their letter about spending says:

"...your bill will typically increase by around 5%"

Does that seem a tad dishonest?!

When I contacted them, there was nothing they could do except suggest a water meter. With 3 of us in the house, I'm not expecting that to save me much, but I'll give it a try.

#costofliving #waterbills #unitedutilities #inflation #unitedkingdom #Ofwat

This was the culprit!

Earlier, I had the strangest experience when I got my laptop out. Moments later, I saw dozens of tiny translucent balls bouncing on the silver surface — I thought I was hallucinating! 🤣

Then I realised a silica gel sachet inside the case had finally torn open, releasing the contents.