#fountain pens, inks and paper, #Frail Autumn,, #GarageBand,, #Health Matters, #Lyrics, #meanderings, #music, #reading books, #Retirement Projects, #songwriting

Analogue and hunkering down to a quieter life.

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Put the small black desk back up in The Den. Going back to simply using pen, ink and paper.

A total remix of Rhythm of Lies. Hopefully punchier and now ready for Bandcamp upload.

An Analogue World.

At start of year 2026, the plan was to take a break from blogging. Life is just too crazy. 2025 was basically….a horrible year. So hunkering down and keeping a low profile for a while will be very comforting. A month or two out of the online social platforms is intentional….and essential in reality.

There is a need to get back to analogue basically. The tactile and comfortable way of life. The use of pen, ink and paper; reading real books; choosing vinyl or CDs to pick up a play, etc..

The desk reintroduction has produced a crowded affair in The Den. But the ambience is so comforting.

Blogging, when first starting the format many years ago, was initially a way of capturing thoughts and sharing those thoughts by typing out the experiences of ‘Summers’ life as being lived’. Explaining a life lived where every ten years or so, an intentional change was adopted throughout life. Musician to potter to photographer to Sign Language communicator to Staff Nurse to retirement. All of life and its inclusions regarding many experiences and interests adopted in past, present and future timelines recorded, uploaded and shared. A format of giving opportunities for the World to dip into Summers’ thoughts and reading those thoughts.

When songwriting and playing musical instruments came back into life, a few years after retirement from the Staff Nurse role, WordPress (WP) gave the added opportunity to upload ‘sound’. And so sharing songwriting by capturing the physicality of playing those song experiences was uploaded and therefore became included too.

Travellers notebook is a new passion. I never use an iPhone other than to call someone. No other use and therefore am not one of those that sit at tables in public with a phone screen permanently in my hands and pushed at my face.

Realisation suddenly hit, at start of 2026, that the WP digitally captured content of these thoughts and sounds were not tactile. Vocal/Musical sound and visual reading was no longer touchable. There no longer existed a connection in using the ability to touch and experience journalling idealism. Or listening to music outside of YouTube searching in the main.

As an idealist for ‘vintage’ lifestyle, digital format was getting far too much attention. Books were, and still are, never being picked up. Pens, inks and wonderful blank papers awaiting to be word/image filled are sitting, seldom used, in the dark corners of the Man Bag, cardboard and wooden boxes and various drawers. 2025 developed, mostly, into an act of continuously performing a plethora of internet searching periods, looking for ideas that were never actually physically adopted with intent. Never realising full on analogue conversion. Gentle pursuits were slowly fading into a shadow world.

My new shelf/desk clamped extendible arm that can be pulled out to house the iPad for overhead filming. A lovely LED Light attached to the end allows variable light to be shone down onto the desk. Ideal for filming.

Recently looking around YouTube and searching for ideas for inclusions regarding daily recordings in the small ‘Field Note’ notebook format, it was surprising to find yet another content providers’ philosophical theme. Site presenters determined to explain their need for change and withdrawal from the digital arena and get back to analogue lifestyle. Digital forms of computer/smartphone screen based captures, involving many arenas, being suggested to be dropped from being the majority ‘go to’ for information and sound. The advocation of social media, music, internet searching, book reading off Kindle, etc. to be replaced with the physical tactile. An agenda of promoting getting back to using all of one’s senses. Living an Analogue Lifestyle to increase one’s focus by being Mindful in tangible activities.

It would be nice to actually write some stories about a fictional character called Barnabus Qwilch. A past intention never actually pursued.

In advocating Analogue as a better option, many YouTube site influencers are calculating and pushing a new philosophy of getting back to living daily life in a determined gentle lifestyle way. ‘Deep Thinkers/Thinking’ is an oft used phrase. Maybe AI (artificial intelligence) has prompted these presenters to expand the rationale of using analogue in order to avoid the simplicities of getting at life offered content. Physically searching out the need for both interests and acquiring relevant information by accessing books and recording findings onto paper……using pen and ink. One may cynically say that, ironically, they are developing YouTube digital content structures to promote analogue ideals. Whilst also self promoting by manipulating presentations in influencing others to seek and obtain a gentler existence. The cynic would say that content manipulation, and an intentional ‘jumping onto the bandwagon’, is very evident. But the dreamers and acceptors, like myself, would say that these content providers have best interests at heart. The realist? It is all about balance. Summers has already led a lifestyle of balance. Analogue and digital captures. In adopting a lifestyle of physically capturing the touchable, whilst also using the simulated information model of computerisation, balance has been tolerable.

It is just that digital has become the norm over the many months on months recently.

So back to pens, paper and ink……. Vinyl and CDs records…..Paper Books/Novels.

If you tap on the thumbnails below they expand into the full capture. Cheers.

Lovely.

Below is another YouTube link to one of my songs.

It is another remixed song……Faded Walls.

Its lyrics? A very introspective presentation regarding my condition of Aphantasia. A World of simply having no ability to create a visual Mind’s Eye presentation and therefore having no pictorial imagination. Just a blank grey canvas existing behind closed eyelids. And, additionally, no ability to bring up historical memories visually.

Faded Walls.

13 thoughts on “Analogue and hunkering down to a quieter life.”

    1. There are very many YouTubers talking about this digital scrolling, digital sources of keeping their information re: planning, reading, etc. and phones in your face 24/7 situation Shep. And replacing with Analogue considerations. Field note journals in the pocket or man bag is a big go to currently. I always have a pad and fountain pen in my bag or pocket. Have done for decades. My Johnny Depp ‘Ninth Gate’ French Military 1930s Musette bag is iconic. A bit like your love of vintage harps, I love the vintage aesthetic of a Musette canvas and leather bag filled with iconic and really useful vintage stuff. A battered paperback to grab and read from the bag, a loaded up film camera, my leather self handmade notebook cover, the old 1880s Depose medics magnifying glass, etc. Comforting in their familiarity I suppose. I suppose I am a romantic.

      I just read a fellow WP blogger upload from yesterday who has written in a very similar way re: analogue vibes. So maybe there is a movement to a gentler way of existing. Hope so. Cheers Shep.

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      2. I have been watching a couple of musicians on Facebook that were around our neck of the woods back in the days of the 1970/80s period. Now they are using AI for ‘songwriting’. One has released nearly 300 albums! Sometimes multiple albums a week. It is crazy times musically. And the AI companies just take what they want from actual real songs to use as influence for the songs they put together too. So you are spot on Shep with the 😡 emoji. AI is soulless. And it is being used in many other art forms by ‘artists’.

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      4. I just looked on Google Shep. Irony? The search resulted in the Google AI answer dishing the dirt on itself! Cailey is spot on. Energy use is currently massive and by all accounts will be growing substantially more over the next years too. Data centres seem to be using a lot of materials that are, as you say, damaging to many green environments. Thanks for sharing Shep.

        By the way. They are proposing a massive wind farm of around 40 plus turbines at the back of our local villages. Each turbine as tall as the Eiffel Tower at upright positional/horizontal blade tip. To be located across the hillsides ‘up back’. Knowing this, I read about the value of wind farms. It isn’t an energy consideration that is as green as it seems. Problematic issues, including different local environmental impact on various wildlife, green areas and low frequency noise pollution, lay with turbine choices too. I wonder what life span a turbine has. And if the material used in making them is recyclable. 🤔 It seems nuclear is the most ‘clean’ energy source. And we all know how that can go very wrong at times! ☹️🥺 It’s a mad, mad world ain’t it.

        Cheers Shep.

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  2. Good to see you Gray. Was about to email to.check in and see you were ok.

    I agree, getting that balance of doing things without digital support is so necessary. I try to have days where im not in front of a computer, but its getting more and more difficult. However, we lose something, can lose our identity when we dont do that. My posts may be electronic, but everything still starts off with pen and paper. And I do prefer to hold the book im reading, rather than en electronic device

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    1. Thanks for your considerations Brenda. I replied to Shep regarding the choice to just take a bit of a break this start of year really. Last year was very weird, stressful and it was an idea that this year could be to adopt a nice relaxed type of vibe.

      Analogue? I always write both for fun and journal thoughts. Have done for decades on decades. But loved A5 type formats. Difficult to carr about. So thought it would be good to look at analogue use through the smaller Field notebook carry about easily style. I bought some and have now have a leather cover to keep up with notebook changes. Theme is the aim. Lyric ideas, shopping list, aromatherapy ideas, etc. Have bought a small canvas carry all for little considerations too. Pocket sized.

      Many YouTube sites are currently putting forward a philosophy of ditching phones for the pen and ink notebook choice. Very earnest and serious in their new found change to pen and paper usefulness. I smiled because you and I have always been doing this hard copy activity at some level. We therefore understand how it can help reduce our stressful moments in life. Especially using fountain pen ease of resulting ink flow. Simple focus resulting in a Mindful outcome. Digital? Like yourself, I like balance really. The Den has its desk back. So a nice ambience is evident. Candle light is so relaxing too.

      By the way. When you wrote up about your stay in the surgeons’ hotel, I looked into the mattresses you described. We ordered one and hopefully it will bring a better health improvement re: no more backache. It is a Premier Inn one. So a huge thank you.

      All the best Brenda.

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      1. Im glad you’re good and looking after yourself. That time for meditation or reflection is worth so much. You’ll have to tell me what you think about the matress. I hope it works for you.

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      2. I do like capturing those moments of calm. Priceless really. We have used the Premier Inn on visits in the past at Worcester. The mattresses are really comfortable. I believe they are all heavily sprung. So it should be good. I’ll let you know definitely. Cheers.

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      3. Probably circumstances, and I am still using my phone, but im out for a dental visit. But left my laptop at home, just bringing pen and paper to do some planning. Its also nice just to enjoy the view

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