Trying something new with your Heyday Friday newsletter
There's change afoot but lots that's still the same with this week's design conscious newsletter
Well, it turns out the reason I couldn’t get my Mailchimp account to work properly is that I’d reached the limit of what I could do on the plan I was on. I didn’t even know there was a limit!
So, as my funds don’t currently stretch to the cost of the next plan up, I’m trying something different and I’d really like to know what you think of it.
I’ve moved your Heydays newsletter to this new platform, which is called Substack. I’ll still be delivering all the same (hopefully) inspiring, enjoyable, informative content, with all the embedded links you’re used to, directly to your inbox each week, but with less of the design elements that I was able to incorporate on Mailchimp. Does that matter to you?
Substack is also a platform that makes it possible for writers to earn a living from their work by offering their subscribers the opportunity to pay for their content. I’m not saying I definitely will take advantage of this in due course, but I would certainly love to earn a little money from Heydays if that were possible. Would you be willing in the future to pay a small amount to receive these newsletters?
Please do let me know what you think and how you feel about the possibility of paying.
Right, now we’ve got all that business out of the way, let’s crack on with this week’s missive.
The irony of stripping out the design elements from this newsletter in the very week when the blog is all about a design experience isn’t lost on me. But I really wanted to tell you all about a fascinating and thought-provoking exhibition which opened on Wednesday, and which I’d really encourage you to see if you possibly can.
It’s called Designing for our Future Selves and it showcases ten innovative initiatives that are helping to reimagine how, in a changing world, our older years can be lived in the most joyful way possible.
You can find out what those initiatives are, and make your own contribution by responding to the interactive elements of the exhibition by CLICKING HERE.
As if it wasn’t enough that the exhibition is so interesting, it’s on at The Design Museum which (hardly surprisingly really) is definitely one of the more fabulous museum buildings you’ll ever see
There’s more info on the museum too in THE BLOG
It felt only appropriate to have this week’s
WORDS OF WISDOM
from the man responsible for some of the iconic designs that have most impacted and changed our world. I’m talking, of course, about Steve Jobs.
Since we’re changing things up a bit, here are a clutch of vegetable related
SMART SAVE TIPS OF THE WEEK
Tip 1
You know how you can easily remove the core of an iceberg lettuce by slaming it down on the kitchen counter? (If you didn’t - you can. It just pulls out easily leaving the rest of the lettuce in tact and ready to pull apart or chop up). Well, you can do the same with cauliflower to remove all the outer leaves and bottom of the central stalk. Counter-intuitively though, you smack the cauliflower down on the top, not bottom (wrap the cauliflower in something first). The lower section will just lift away.
Tip 2
To keep broccoli fresh for weeks, just wrap it in a damp paper towel and put it in the fridge. Refresh the towel when it dries out.
Tip 3
Celery will stay crunchy for ages if you wrap it in tin foil in the fridge.
Tip 4
To keep your asparagus firm for at least a week, trim the stems and put in a jar with water in it.
THIS WEEK I’VE BEEN WATCHING…..
Normally I’d wait until I’d watched to the end of a series before recommending it, and I’m currently only half way through the six episodes of The Gold, but it’s so very good, I didn’t want to hang on any longer before suggesting you catch up with me at the first opportunity.
This rollicking drama is inspired by the true story of the infamous Brink’s-Mat robbery in 1983, when a gang of six armed men broke into the Brink’s-Mat security depot with the aim of stealing the contents of the safe which they expected to amount to £1 million in cash, and instead came away with £26m of gold bullion (equivalent to £90m today) which was stacked outside the entrance to the safe - it was too big to fit inside - making it, at the time, the biggest robbery in British history.
It’s then down to the extensive cast of associated villians, to work out the complex task of laundering their enormous haul, and the specially assembled Scotland Yard team, headed by hard nosed Hugh Bonneville (having a fine old time playing against type) to try and catch them.
As I said, I’m only halfway through at the time of writing, but I know from friends who have seen (and heartily recommended) the whole series, that the hugely enjoyable performances and sharply scripted story don’t flag for a moment.
I fully intend to binge watch the rest the moment I get the time.
You can watch THE GOLD on BBC iPlayer
And see the trailer HERE
I can’t pretend it hasn’t been a bit of a palaver getting everything for this newsletter moved across and set up, so this week’s
FRIDAY FUNNY
really struck a chord with me
Phew! That concludes this first Substack newsletter. I really look forward to hearing what you think about it.
I haven’t yet fully got the hang of the design options that are available (or, arguably, the ones I have used). I think I can change the font for example, and possibly one or two other elements. But if you’re generally happy with it, I’ll explore those more next time.
Now though, I’m going to lie down for a bit to recover!
Have a great week
Diane x
Thank you! Hoping being here will help me expand my lovely Heyday subscriber gang a little.
Congrats! Welcome to this wonderful Substack community Diane, I'm sure you - and your readers - will love it!