u/InternationalFig9358

I’m a single dad of two boys, one grown-up, one 13. My ex sees the youngest for one overnight per week at my place. It’s made it very difficult for me to have other relationships, because I can never give someone the time they deserve from a partner.

I did have a six-month relationship with someone who treated me wonderfully, but I felt like my ex was almost sabotaging it. She kept saying I had to be home very early in the morning to let her get to work, and getting very irritated when I said she should be booking work around seeing her son, not squeezing time with him between clients. She works in fitness and sometimes people do want to train first thing in the morning, but I think it’s reasonable to ask that she doesn’t do it on mornings when she’s seeing her kid.

My son isn’t keen to spend nights at his mum‘s place, or to meet her new partner. I haven’t introduced him to anyone I’ve been seeing.

Any other dads in a similar position? How did you handle dating post-separation?

I’m taking my boys to a music festival over the summer, and it’s a six-hour drive each way. We enjoyed listening to the RD audiobooks together, and In looking for something similar to keep them in good spirits on the road. Any suggestions welcome!

It’s a bit fucking warm, guys, gals and nonbinary pals. I’m not sure how well I could handle this in a shadeless field for four days. I’m planning to drink several times my weight in water, put on a three-centimetre thick layer of sun cream and wear a hat for shade and a kilt for a pleasant cooling effect on the legs.

Anyone else making survival plans?

I know Hellfest has cold-water shower type things you can stand under if you need to. Is there anything like that at Bloodstock?

I lived in Glasgow most of my adult life. During the pandemic my family moved out to Renfrewshire. I'd had some good fortune with some work that brought in a bit of money, and by downsizing I was able to buy a flat mortgage-free. Great, right?

Well, not to sound like a moaning bastard, but no. I miss having pubs where I could get more than Tennent's, Best or too-cold Guinness. I miss having a bunch of cafés nearby. I miss having loads of groups and activities. I miss being around lots of fellow queer folks. I miss having a big fuck-off park to just wander around. I go months at a time without seeing my friends, and I haven't made any in this neck of the woods. I've had to learn to drive and buy a car because the bus timetable here is sheer fantasy.

My personal circumstances have also changed. I wanted to move here to provide a bit of stability for my family after a really rough time during Covid. But one of my kids is now a young adult who's moved out, the other is a teenager. Their mum left and I'm now the sole homeowner. My youngest has some friends here, but hasn't really connected with any clubs or activities and is ambivalent at best about his school. I haven't spoken to him about the idea yet, but I suspect he'd like to move back to Glasgow.

If I sold this place, I could get a mortgage on a two-bed flat somewhere like Cathcart for £430-480 per month. Would I be absolutely crazy to go from mortgage-free to indebted again?

Being where I am does have some advantages. I'm close to my parents, who are active and healthy but getting older. But I wake up every morning just hating where I am, and maybe it's worth the cost for the boost to our quality of life?

Sorry for the ignorant newbie question, but I'm pretty confused. I've ordered a Bluetti power station for my work-in-progress van. At the moment I have no 12v appliances. I have an electric coolbox which runs off a standard plug, and I've seen some lighting options which also run off of a standard plug. If these plugs are already fused, do I have any need for a fusebox? I might run solar panels into the Bluetti, if that makes any difference. Apologies, I know nothing about electrics, and trying to watch YouTube tutorials is just leaving me confused!