Adrian Phelan

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Adrian’s All – fairy tales of a beta male

Posted on June 7, 2026 by Adrian Phelan

Adrian Phelan

Post 35

Important please read – The job bit

I’m going straight for the jobular this week, remembering what this blog was originally established for.

June is here and that marks the 12^th month since I left my last substantial role, the type of year that would have been unthinkable at any point in my career. It would seem I have a CV only a mother could love 😊

I’ve reeled off 35 of these blog posts now and I hope I am giving a flavour of what I might be like as a colleague. I’m not too modest to say I think I can throw a sentence together. I’m just looking for a home now.

My amended CV is done and can be viewed here. A reminder that I am a communications and public engagement/involvement manager with experience in major campaigns like the COVID-19 vaccine campaign and the North Kensington Recovery Programme established following the Grenfell Tower Fire. If any of your projects need extra capacity and you think I could make your life easier, get in touch.

I think she’s got it – the bad weather that is

One job that is secure in this country is that of the weather people. If the rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain, the rain in Britain stays mainly on the people. The weather has been a bit rubbish this week. I’ve been snorting my treble dose of vitamin D. However, it’s an unfortunate expression but every cloud does have a silver lining. The weather did bring some amazing clouds, at least one rainbow and spectacular lightning. There was some fine drying weather on Sunday as well.

Our lavender has returned for the summer and with it, hundreds of the big type of bees, whatever they’re called. They don’t mind the rain at all. And the birds who have spent the winter and spring avoiding us have started to return to the feeders.

Springwatch has nothing on us, I tell you.

Southgate’s ‘ere’

I can’t remember if I mentioned in a previous post that former England manager Gareth Southgate has been hanging around Hitchin a bit over the last couple of months filming a documentary for the BBC called ‘Gareth Southgate: Changing the game for young men.’ The documentary reveals the struggles many boys and young men face, asking why some feel left behind and what could help them move forward.

My son had told me back in March that he was in town meeting some of the boys from his school and then he turned up at Hitchin’s game against London Lions on Good Friday. I was alerted to the fact that he was there when I was leaving the bar at the club and someone behind me said ‘Southgate’s ‘ere’.

I haven’t seen the documentary yet but I have to say that he was very generous with his time, posing for selfies for everyone who wanted one, staying for the whole game to chat to supporters and I understand he went and spoke to both teams in the dressing rooms as well. It’s a shame about some of his CV, but top bloke.

The filim bit

I didn’t get to the cinema this week but I did watch John Carpenter’s The Thing on Saturday. I don’t know if the version I watched was digitally enhanced or touched up but boy has it stood the test of time. It would have been a huge task to film under those extreme conditions but to a man (there were no women in it) it was acted extremely well, and the special effects to create the creatures in it were ahead of their time.

It’s not a new film so I am assuming knowledge with the write-up but if you see it on any of your platforms – and there should be no additional cost – give it a go. It’s not for the faint-hearted but who has one of those anymore.

Pride 2026

I love the headline ‘Explore the most welcoming and inclusive bars to experience Pride 2026 in the UK,’ that’s on the Pride 2026 website. I have a strong held belief that whoever you are and whatever your creed or persuasion you should be welcoming and inclusive and I do wish all those celebrating, a very successful campaign. Info on events in cities in the UK are online. Here also is a link to Dublin Pride.

Do Good Well – Carers’ Week

8-14 June is Carers’ Week. Throughout my NHS career I have promoted and supported this campaign and carers, in particular promoting what services they have access to such as vaccinations. The campaign site says, ‘Carers Week is an annual campaign to raise awareness of caring, highlight the challenges unpaid carers face and recognise the contribution they make to families and communities throughout the UK. ‘And they certainly do. Please raise awareness of this campaign where you can and if you can spare a few bob you can also donate to Carers UK.

Goodbye and thanks

I’ll end where I began, with an appeal to keep me in mind for any of your projects that need extra capacity. Once again, here is my CV and a link to my LinkedIn profile.

Have a great week and I’ll see you next week for number 36.

Socially viable

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Past posts

17 May

10 May

2 May

26 April

12 April

5 April

29 March

22 March

15 March

8 March

1 March

21 February

14 February

7 February

1 February

23 January

16 January

9 January

2 January

26 December

20 December

12 December

5 December

28 November

21 November

14 November

7 November

31 October

24 October

17 October

10 October

3 October

Adrian’s All – fairy tales of a beta male

Posted on May 31, 2026 by Adrian Phelan

Adrian Phelan

Post 34

‘You fell over’

Comms people know you should never use caps for emphasis, but I have fallen over while running AGAIN and I feel like a complete arse. If only I’d ended up on my arse, but I landed straight on my left knee. It must be something to do with my technique. This wasn’t one I could ride out either like with my ribs; I had to pop to the minor injury unit to get seen to.

Nothing was broken. I got a precautionary tetanus shot and was on my way within a couple of hours. I’m glad things have improved in that respect. Some of you will remember very long waits when we were kids and I have to say I had a few when I lived in North London as well.

But one door closes and another one opens; I volunteered at yesterday’s Parkrun which was a great experience. I scanned barcodes at the finish. No one got their right times but it’s the taking part that counts.

Ten degrees of separation – there’s warm and there’s warm

It was another hot one at Parkrun yesterday and on the weather theme there was a ten-degree difference in the temperature between Dublin and London on Tuesday, with no prizes for guessing where was hotter. It was an absolute scorcher, with overnight temperatures only getting down to about 20.

I like the heat so there were no complaints from me. It was nice to head to work in just a shirt for the five days. And even though they said it was due to turn today, as I type on Sunday morning it’s still rather pleasant out there. June, no pressure.

It’s but a 50-minute flight from Dublin to any of the 85 London airports, so if you were looking for a city break where it’s a bit warmer, you don’t have to go to Paris, Berlin or Rome; you’ll get the warm temperatures here.

I’ve just realised I’m not getting paid for that so when you’re here, why not stay at Premier Inn…😊 I’ll let you know if I get a bunce for that.

Go FTD Brothers – doing good well

As mentioned, the temperature in Ireland has been a little bit cooler and I was delighted to see online footage of Jordan and Cian Adams, the FTD brothers running past my estate in Dublin as part of their 33 marathons in 33 days challenge across Ireland.

I posted about this on socials during the week. They really have captured the imaginations of everyone in the UK and Ireland as they raise awareness of Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD), the condition which cruelly took the life of their mother and will one day also claim theirs unless a cure is found.

So this week’s ‘do good well’ request is to go to their website, find out more about FTD and if you can, add to their amazing fundraising total.

The Madness of ÓWander

My cousin whose artiste name is ÓWander has released a new single called ‘The Madness of it All and it is very catchy and instantly likeable. He describes it as ‘a simple song about the everyday’. I’d call it a piano-fuelled indie pop tune. You can get it in various places, but I bought it on Apple music for 79p. ÓWander is a great artiste. Another song by him to seek out is Road Left to Go, which is a personal favourite.

Colin and Cillian turn 50

One of my oldest school friends turns 50 today. By coincidence he was born on the same day as Colin Farrell and in the same hospital.

Both Colin Farrell and Cillian Murphy turn 50 this week and as this blog often features film I think it’s worth giving them a nod as I think they are two very talented actors who have achieved so much during their modest stays so far here on planet earth. Standout films they’re in for me would be The Wind that Shakes the Barley for Cillian and Minority Report for Colin, with Phonebooth and The Banshees of Inisherin as highly commendeds.

So Happy Birthday to everyone turning 50 this week. It’s the age to be it would seem. I’ll see you in September.

The filim bit – Power up

So on to another Irish film release this week. Power Ballad, by John Carney is great. It stars Paul Rudd who plays Rick Power, a Dublin-based American wedding band singer who has a chance jamming session with pop star Danny Wilson, played by Nick Jonas. Wilson makes a hit of one of Rick’s songs and gives him no credit for it. The film is based on the fallout from that as Rick becomes obsessed with seeking the acknowledgement he deserves. The beauty of this film is the seamless way Rudd’s character slots into Dublin suburban life and the dynamic between him and his four Irish band mates; in particular the unhinged Sandy, played by Peter McDonald.

I don’t want to give too much more away but although I would also say it is one you can enjoy on TV, it’s too good to wait for that. Go and see it.

Goodbye and thanks

There was no job bit this week but as ever I remain a keen comms campaigner waiting in the wings to help you with your next project. While I do some further work on my CV do check out my LinkedIn profile. I would be very happy to work with you and I’m open to offers of support to help me secure my next substantial role.

As ever, thanks for your support.

Adrian

Socially viable

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Past posts

17 May

10 May

2 May

26 April

12 April

5 April

29 March

22 March

15 March

8 March

1 March

21 February

14 February

7 February

1 February

23 January

16 January

9 January

2 January

26 December

20 December

12 December

5 December

28 November

21 November

14 November

7 November

31 October

24 October

17 October

10 October

3 October

Adrian’s All – fairy tales of a beta male

Posted on May 24, 2026 by Adrian Phelan

Adrian Phelan

Post 33

All the 3s

So we’ve reached post 33. For over 30 years people over here have been asking me to say, ‘33 and a third.’ That and ‘Curly Wurly’; and it’s never been funny. Ok, it’s a little bit funny. Elton John, you can have that line.

I don’t help myself by having a section in this blog called the ‘filim’ bit but hey ho. I stop short at wearing an Aran sweater though. God bless Val Doonican and The Clancy Brothers.

The Book bit

Staying on matters Irish, in a recent post I mentioned the release of the book Leaving Russia by an old friend Jason Corcoran. It’s flying off the shelves in Ireland and still available everywhere over there. Go and grab yourself a copy if you haven’t already and I’ll let you know when things start to ramp up over in the UK. Well done on your success Jason. It’s well deserved.

And in other book news, my good friend Liza Hoeksma and her colleague Patrick Regan OBE have just released a book, Small Steps for a Big Change and would you believe it, it has already hit number 3 on The Sunday Times Bestsellers List. A very well done to you both. Again, check it out, and if you can support Patrick and Liza, do buy a copy.

Premium Dad

A poignant thing happened the other day. My Dad wasn’t one for WhatsApp and his house phone has been on the blink for some time so the only way to contact him was mobile to mobile, which of course wasn’t economical but absolutely no problem. My phone bills have been consistent for the last six months or so, but the last one, covering the month since he passed, was noticeably cheaper, reflecting the calls I no longer make to him. (My Mam is on WhatsApp). It stopped me in my tracks when I saw the amount. The comedian in me wants to say ‘Ah well every cloud…’ but no, I wish I was still paying that little bit extra every month.

Some of you know my mother-in-law passed just ten days after my Dad and I know my Mam and step father-in-law have so much to do so are carrying a heavier weight than the rest of us. We are very lucky to have them heading up the support networks that are keeping us going and we are grateful every day.

The job bit

The job bit is also the kindness bit this week as I had an hour plus Teams chat with a former manager who kindly reviewed both my CV and LinkedIn profile and reminded me of some of my achievements during my time working with them. This has been a huge help and if anyone is in the same boat as me jobwise, I couldn’t give networking like this a higher recommendation.

You can probably tell from this blog that I sometimes struggle to be succinct (no really, it’s true) so one of the things I will be working on is tightening my wording so I can fit more achievements in. One other piece of advice I was given was to try and look and sound a bit more like myself, so if you check my LinkedIn profile you’ll see I have updated my profile pic to something that’s a little more true. I’m also reviewing my CV and will send a link to that in next week’s post.

Bank holiday again, and ridiculous degrees

When I was a contractor and not getting paid for them it felt like there were eight bank holidays in May. I’m in a different situation now so bring them on. It was 25 degrees before 11am on Sunday, so an absolute scorcher.

With my potato complexion I’m better off out of the sun but sometimes I risk it, just for the vitamin D. I took a picture after Parkrun yesterday and I was so red I had to post it in black and white. You can see it at the top of this piece.

I hope everyone enjoys the weather, but if you’re Irish make sure you apply that factor 500.

The filim bit

There are so few 18s movies released these days, but horror ‘Obsession’ which came out last week is one (16s if you’re in Ireland). In a nutshell, it’s a ‘Big’ scenario where a guy wishes that a girl he has a crush on will love him more than anything else. And let’s just say his wish comes true. The guy in question is Bear, played by Michael Johnston and his achievement in this movie is staying in unison with co-star Inde Navarrette who plays or should I say completely indulges herself in the character of former friend but newly-obsessed Nikki. The film is full-on physical and psychological gore literally from every orifice and although a comparison to Emma Stone in Poor things is probably a bit too much, Navarette puts her body and soul into the performance. The film starts too slowly for my liking but overall it’s alright. You will not be expecting some of the jump scares so brace yourself. It’s certainly for you if you are a fan of horror. Three stars.

Do Good Well

As a key message for the week should be staying safe in the sun, a nod to Melanoma UK, the charity for one of the fastest-rising cancers. The charity, ‘believes through collaboration, education and support, they can help save lives, prevent avoidable cases of skin cancer, and make sure that no one faces melanoma alone.’ Find out more on their website, help spread the key messages about staying safe in the sun and maybe donate a few bob if you can.

Goodbye and thanks

So the sun sets on another issue of Adrian’s all. I did go a little longer this week so we can claim it to be 33 and a third. Ok, I’ll stop that talk for now.

Thanks so much for sticking with us and go and enjoy the sun.

See you next week.

Socially viable

Connect with me on Facebook and:

Instagram: @adrian_phelan1

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Threads: adrian_phelan1

Past posts

17 May

10 May

2 May

26 April

12 April

5 April

29 March

22 March

15 March

8 March

1 March

21 February

14 February

7 February

1 February

23 January

16 January

9 January

2 January

26 December

20 December

12 December

5 December

28 November

21 November

14 November

7 November

31 October

24 October

17 October

10 October

3 October