Adrian Phelan

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Adrian’s All – fairy tales of a beta male

Posted on June 28, 2026 by Adrian Phelan

Adrian Phelan

Post 38

Blood’s relative

It was remiss of me last week not to mention my latest blood donation. As I always say, it costs nothing and it’s one of the few times you’ll get Seabrooks crisps for free. I bumped into a couple of friends at the donation centre which was nice. I’m happy knowing I hang out with like-minded people.

I found out during the week that my donation went to The Whittington Hospital which is where my eldest son was born and where I held a short contract, so I’m very happy with that. My wuss levels were once again quite high though. I winced a bit when the needle went in but because I had friends there, I just styled it out.

I like it warm

From a hot arm to a hot everything. I’m typing this bit on Tuesday and it’s very hot. I know I probably banged on during the last heatwave, but I don’t mind the high temperatures, despite the life-limiting sweat patches they give me.

They manifested themselves most profusely on Wednesday, when I had to wear a jumper to work. I ironed a shirt and was ready to go but before I’d even left the house (and I was quite late) it was drenched in sweat, and I just couldn’t go out looking like that. I dried out by lunchtime though and could take the jumper off then. No one came near me for the afternoon. I don’t know why.

Just to labour the heat a bit, it was over 30 degrees by 10 am on Friday. Out of interest, I checked Albufeira in Portugal at the same time, and it was only 22. When we were there a few years ago in August it was 30 by 10 as well so the UK is blazing a trail with the hot weather this year. Who’d of thunk it. Saying hello to my Mam now, who is the only one likely to have persevered with this section. 😊

Russians around

And on Friday evening it was off to Pushkin House (very interesting venue and worth reading up on) in Bloomsbury where I attended the UK launch of Jason Corcoran’s Leaving Russia – How Putin forced a country’s future to flee, a book I have mentioned a couple of times in this blog.

I had slight imposter syndrome I’m not too proud to admit. I was there in the capacity of ‘rooting for an old friend’ but found myself in the company of some of journalism’s sharpest minds, and others with a personal interest in the book’s topic which is the exodus from Putin’s Russia of some of its brightest talent.

Jason and the team made me feel very welcome and he kindly signed a copy of the book for my two boys.

The event itself was hosted by respected journalist and fellow Russia expert Edward Lucas; he himself the author of The New Cold War: Putin’s Russia and the Threat to the West. Jason and Edward were something of a double act with Jason clearly a fan and Edward modestly defecting any praise by reminding him they were there to promote his book. Great rapport.

It was a fitting London/UK launch for a book that is flying off the shelves in Ireland, and it also doubled up as a reunion for Jason, seeing friends he had not caught up with for a while including me.

Top night and long may the book’s success continue.

Football friend

Every time I include football in this blog, I pre-empt it with ‘this is largely a football-free blog’, but we had a top ‘almost’ completely impromptu night last night watching the England game out in the back garden. I was even forgiven for cheering on Panama, who let’s face it did quite well. But it was one of those chilled evenings, warm into the night where the chat flowed easy and the kids larked about on the trampoline fuelled by a bit of soft drink. I always like to shine a light on kindness and friendship and this one deserves a lot of light.

It was a lovely evening despite the result 🙂

(Jut a quick aside. A big congratulations to my son Hughie who was voted Parents’ Player of the Season this week. A great achievement. He goes about his football business quietly so it was great that he received this recognition.

Do Good Well – Small Charity Week

I speculate most weeks on this section and was thrilled to come across Small Charity Week which celebrates the impact of small charities across the UK. A small charity is a voluntary organisation with a social or charitable purpose with an annual income of less than £1 million. This includes registered charities, community groups, community interest companies (CICs) and other structures.

This is all copied and pasted but I do love the idea and perhaps the call to action this week is to chuck a few quid in the direction of a small charity you might care about.

Goodbye and thanks

A quick update on the job hunt, I was recently down to the last stages of a comms job in the civil service but alas I didn’t get over the line. But it is a massive step in the right direction and a boost of confidence. A shoutout to Frequency Cafe where I have been doing my interviews from. You have been very accommodating.

As ever, thanks for sticking with me and I’ll be back again, similar time, next week.

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Adrian’s All – fairy tales of a beta male

Posted on June 21, 2026 by Adrian Phelan

Adrian Phelan

Post 37

It’s a short night

I’m writing as the summer solstice is being dimmed slightly by the clouds. I know we have hotter-than-hot weather to come this week but there’s always something poignant for me about the beginning of the wind down as the nights get longer up to Christmas. A quick look online tells me that the solstice tradition has a focus on fire, fertility, protection, and honouring the sun at its peak. I can do all of them, if there’s any jobs going in those areas. 😊

I admit I’m being morose and will snap out of it. Sunset will be at a whopping 9.24pm and I’ll sit out and enjoy that, maybe even with a beer which I only usually have at Christmas and on special occasions.

I have readers in Ireland and sunset in Dublin will not be until 9.56 and in Galway it won’t go down until 10.08pm. It barely gets dark there before the sun rises again.

Wherever you are I hope you made the most of the ‘longest stretch’ and I suppose it will be a while before any noticeable changes to the light, so I’ll stop moaning.

Make sure you wear your sun cream and keep hydrated this week. It’s going to be a hot one.

The filim bit

I saw Disclosure Day on Monday and I’m still processing it. I didn’t think too deeply about the film until I read The Gurdian’s review. They delved a bit deeper into Director Steven Spielberg’s soul than I did.

I’ve stolen a quick summary from them which says, “The film follows cybersecurity expert Daniel Kellner (Josh O’Connor) and weather presenter Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt) as they become state-secret whistleblowers, working with Hugo (Colman Domingo) to expose nearly eight decades’ worth of evidence that the US government has known about extraterrestrial life.”

Colin Firth also stars as the villain of the piece, trying to scupper Daniel and Margaret’s plans and Eve Hewson (Go the Irish) stars as Kellner’s girlfriend who goes along on the adventure with him.

If you’ve read other film reviews in this blog you know that during a film I can blow hot and cold on whether I like it or not and this was a bit like that. Overall, I enjoyed it, but I didn’t think it was very good, and the ending goes a bit too over the top for me.

It is probably one for the cinema though so do catch it before it goes.

She never mentioned the word addiction

I went back to The Crick on Wednesday to attend a podcast recording and I’m declaring Matt Willis (from Busted) my new man crush. He was part of a panel gathered by Professor Brian Cox to discuss addiction and specifically if it can be cured. It was an insightful hour. Matt was very open about his struggles with addiction and that he has ADHD, and the experts all spoke about it in a non-patronising way. Because it was mainly medical information and I’m not a qualified clinician I won’t say too much more about it, but I will be giving it a mention when it is put out because it’s definitely worth a listen.

Faith of our fathers

So I’m guessing when a parent passes, their birthday and Fathers’/Mothers’ Day are quite significant for the family. This is the first Father’s Day since my own dad passed and it is sad to ponder there was no card to buy this year. Or should I rephrase that to ‘nothing to feel guilty about for forgetting to send one or sending one very late’.

But I still get to share the day with my own two boys and that means everything. Every petty fight between the two of them will be like nectar for my heart.

I do have a father-in-law still; two in a way, both of whom are very good to us, so I am more than happy to borrow them for the day if they’ll accept my gratitude.

Whatever way you are keeping Father’s Day I hope you have/have had a good one.

Do Good Well

I’m highlighting two awareness weeks that have just passed as the messages are relevant all year round.

Learning Disability Week (15–21 June): A national campaign to highlight and celebrate the lives of people with learning disabilities and to tackle discrimination.

Cervical Screening Awareness Week (15–21 June), raising awareness about the importance of regular smear tests and early detection.

Do take a look at these campaigns if they are relevant to you and if you can, please help share the information.

Goodbye and thanks

So Happy Father’s Day and Happy summer solstice. I hope those who are into it are enjoying the World Cup. It’s been a good start.

I’ll have a more substantive job update next week but in the meantime keep my CV in mind.

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Adrian’s All – fairy tales of a beta male

Posted on June 15, 2026 by Adrian Phelan

Adrian Phelan

Post 36

Welcome to this week’s blog.

There’s only one place to start and that’s with acknowledgment of the 9^th anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire. I spent a year working on the NHS team set up in response to the tragedy and it was one of the biggest privileges of my life to have been welcomed into a community of survivors and bereaved to support them with accessing health services.

I understand this anniversary is the last before the tower will be taken down so it is significant. My thoughts at this time are with everyone affected by the tragedy.

Forever in our hearts.

Gazza doc

The Gareth Southgate documentary which filmed in Hitchin (where I live) aired on Monday, and it was a bit boring to be honest; not taking anything away from the young men who were interviewed, particularly the three in Middlesborough.

It was a novelty to see Hitchin on the telly though and the interviews with youth worker Dan Gaze were insightful. But I’d been looking forward to it for a couple of months, particularly as the father of two young boys and it fell flat, a sentiment mirrored in one or two of the newspaper reviews the next day.

But nothing ventured… I suppose. I still like you Gareth.

Double-Inn and a great zoo joke

We popped to Dublin briefly at the start of the weekend. It was the first trip back since my dad passed. We went down to see him. The grave was as it was on the day he was buried but without the flowers. By coincidence, a school friend who was home from The US text me to say his mother was buried close by, and he was there that day as well; but alas at a different time.

Ironically – as he was tea total – my dad is buried about a five-minute walk from one of Ireland’s most famous pubs, The Grave Diggers. It’s known for its decor, frozen in time (early 20^th century) and its quaint atmosphere so there are no tv’s, and no music or music sessions for that matter. British readers might identify with Sam Smiths pubs that offer a similar vibe. Here’s a clip from a movie shot there back in 1970 and trust me it looks the exact same now.

And a quick nod to Dublin Zoo as well. We went on Friday and it was very good. Nothing like I remembered from when I was a child. No spoilers but it was well worth the entrance fee.

And my zoo joke: I went to the zoo and all there was, was a dog. It was a shiatzu.

The World Cup

And so to 85 matches a day on the telly for the men’s World Cup. I always caveat sports-related posts by saying this blog is a ‘largely’ sport-free zone but so many of you will be watching it, particularly when England play on whatever day that is 😊.

I didn’t see Scotland’s game, but they won and are top of their group for now. To their supporters, have a great few days until your next one and I hope you progress from the group. My younger son is quite into it and has a brighter mind than mine so he’s a good resource for checking fixtures and results.

Whatever way you’re keeping it or if not at all, I hope the buzz resonates with you, one way or another.

The job bit

I had an interview with an NHS Trust last week but alas, wasn’t offered the role. It came and went quite quickly so I’m not mourning it too much but again it’s another opportunity that has passed me by. The feedback was positive though and I wish the person who did get the job, all the best, really.

I have another application in, so we’ll just have to wait and see with that one. I’m going to try and be ruthless with the process now as my ‘leaving the NHS’ anniversary approaches.

As ever, keep me in mind and you can access my CV here. A reminder I’m a communications and public engagement specialist with lots of not-for-profit experience but I’m open to any sector and any roles where I can transfer my skills.

Do Good Well

It’s Men’s Health Week 2026. The campaign is an annual observance that aims to raise awareness about the health challenges faced by men and promote strategies for better physical and mental well-being.

There’s no dash for cash with this one, just spread awareness where you can.

Goodbye and thanks

There was no movie review this week but I’m off to see Disclosure Day so will let you know how that is in the next one.

As ever, thanks for sticking with the blog. Post 37 will be here before you know it.

Have a great rest of your week.

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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.

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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

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