There’s something magical about May. The evenings stretch out longer, the garden finally starts looking alive again, and the house gets suspiciously quiet when your other half jets off on an adventure without you. Looking back at my camera roll from this month, it’s a mix of living vicariously through someone else’s holiday photos and making the most of some quality alone time.
Dublin Adventures (Via WhatsApp)
The girlfriend headed off to Dublin from the 11th to the 13th, and I’m not going to lie – I was a little jealous watching the photos roll in. Guinness Storehouse, Temple Bar, proper Irish pubs, Taylor’s Irish Night… she had an absolute blast.
Meanwhile, back at home, I did what any sensible person does when left to their own devices: ordered takeaway, stayed up too late gaming, and tinkered with electronics projects without anyone asking “are you still doing that?” Pure bliss, honestly. Though I’ll admit the house felt a bit empty by day three.
Good Times with Good People
Later in the month, we managed to get the gang together for a proper catch-up. It’s funny how life gets in the way and suddenly you realise it’s been weeks since you’ve seen your mates in person rather than just messaging in the group chat.
Nothing fancy – just good food, good drinks, and plenty of laughs. These are the moments that recharge the batteries better than any amount of sleep or holiday could. Sometimes you just need your people around you, talking nonsense and making memories.
Tech Corner: Getting Hands-On with Microcontrollers
With a few evenings to myself while the girlfriend was away, I made good use of the time getting stuck into some electronics projects. There’s something deeply satisfying about working with microcontrollers – the immediate feedback, the problem-solving, the occasional smoke when you wire something backwards (don’t worry, nothing was harmed… much).
This month’s project involved an ESP32 board and some sensor work. If you’re thinking about getting into microcontrollers, here are a few tips I’ve picked up:
Tip 1: Start with ESP32 over Arduino for IoT Projects
The ESP32 has built-in WiFi and Bluetooth, costs roughly the same as a basic Arduino, and has way more processing power. For any smart home or IoT project, it’s a no-brainer. The Arduino IDE works perfectly with it too, so the learning curve is minimal.
Tip 2: Label Your Wires
Seriously. Future you will thank present you. A bit of masking tape and a marker takes seconds but saves hours of “wait, which wire was GPIO 4 again?” I learned this the hard way after having to trace connections for the third time in one evening.
Tip 3: Use PlatformIO Instead of Arduino IDE
If you’re doing anything beyond basic sketches, PlatformIO (available as a VS Code extension) is a game-changer. Proper dependency management, multiple board support, and a much better editing experience. Your code will thank you.
Looking Ahead
May flew by in what felt like a blink. Between living vicariously through Dublin photos, quality time with friends, and evenings spent tinkering with electronics, it’s been a good month. I’ve also been eyeing up gazebos for the garden – summer is coming and I’m determined to make the most of it this year.
Here’s to June bringing more adventures – maybe some I’m actually part of this time.
Until next time.
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