🌍 Fancy a pub desk?

🌍 We deserve better than a Portacabin in a car park.

Happy Friday! I had my first mammogram this week - a breast screening unit in a tiny Portacabin in the hospital car park. Walked in to find four women sat there waiting. I checked in with the nurse, who was shuffling through papers, trying to find my form. “It’s the first one,” I said, trying to be helpful. She scooped them up and leaned back. “Look, I’m trying to maintain patient confidentiality here.” Not a great start. You can’t swing a cat in here never mind patient confidentiality. Everyone can hear everything. She asked if I’d had one before - no. Then I might have to go to Brighton and get it done again, if the images aren’t sharp enough. I was asked to take my bra off in the cubicle and come back out with my top on. Read the patient leaflet while I was waiting - you’re not supposed to wear deodorant on the day, as it can affect the results. Bugger. Bit late now. A woman walked in, “It’s cosy in here!” She sat down next to me and another nurse came out and asked her to do the same - take her bra off. “I’m not wearing one,” she laughed. “I can’t be arsed with that anymore.” Lol. I said I can’t stand them either, especially underwired ones – torture garments. “You won’t believe it. The other day this bloke came up to me on the street and said, ‘You need to wear a bra, love’… “And I said, that’s none of your bloody business!” Good for her. “Is this your first one?” “Yeah, but I’ve heard all about it. Your boobs in a vice. Did you hear about the woman who got stuck in the machine during a power cut?” OMG no 😳 Apparently, she was mid-squeeze when the power went off so had to wait for someone to set her free. Eventually, a bloke turned up. “I’m so sorry, love.” WTF. Is there not an emergency exit button on these machines!? “Nika Talbot”. “Wow, it’s huge”. I made a joke about being tiny but she ignored that and explained what would happen. I had to stand in front of it while she moved my feet and boobs into the right position for the x-rays. I felt like a mannequin in a shop window. When she comes to life, anything can happen! “Breathe in. And breathe out…” and then she tightened the grip. Ooooof. Sorry for reading the patient notes. A couple of hard squeezes and release. She did it again on the right side, even tighter this time, which took my breath away. “Do you have one breast that’s bigger than the other?” “No idea, probably.” Afterwards, she checked the x-rays and wasn’t happy with the detail, so round two - on one side only. Took about 15 mins and I should get the results within two weeks - or a letter telling me I need to go to Brighton. I left through a different door - presumably so you don’t start chatting to the women waiting. Took myself off to the cafe in the church and sat on the sofa with a hot chocolate. I had my laptop with me but didn’t feel like doing much. Felt wiped out for the rest of the day. I will go to screenings as it could save my life. My mum had a lumpectomy recently (they found a small cyst while testing for something else). She was lucky, they caught it early and it hasn’t spread. Otherwise it would still be there - routine breast screenings stop at 70. You won’t be invited after that, but you can request it through your GP. Considering it’s the most common cancer in women (1 in 7 will get breast cancer) – surely we deserve better than a temporary trailer in a car park. It feels like an afterthought. I know I can ask to be screened in the hospital but it’ll just delay things. Thanks to Margaret Hodge [https://observer.co.uk/news/politics/article/margaret-hodge-stopping-breast-screening-at-70-is-crazy-its-writing-off-older-women] for sharing her story and pushing for the upper age limit on screenings to be raised. Hopefully new AI scanners will bring the cost down. We need to stop writing off older women. She spent years as a minister under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown and understands how you achieve change. Keir needs to sit down and have a chat with her. I am 80, with two new jobs, and I’m not prepared to be written off. ▶️ Kylie, a three-part series, is out on Netflix. She had a second cancer diagnosis in 2021 and talks about it here. Nika xo If this resonates, consider becoming a paid subscriber [https://www.nikatalbot.io/welcome]. Support a community of genXy women who write and wander. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nikatalbot.io/subscribe [https://www.nikatalbot.io/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

🌍 Fancy a pub desk?

Last week: “No more pubs, Norm” [https://www.nikatalbot.io/p/no-more-pubs-norm?r=9w55n]This week: WFP. Keir needs a pint Just listened to the King’s Speech - very underwhelming. Bit low energy (probably had enough of the red pen.) Good to hear “legislation will be introduced to tackle late payments” to support small biz, but what about the huge burden of regulation? The energy crisis? Cost of living? I paid £7.50 for some mackerel in M&S last night. 👀 I had a text from a friend about how two pubs are closing each day in the UK. Will start trying to work more from pubs and less from cafes. Most pubs are ancient and historical — whereas cafes come and go! Agree and doing the same. Between Jan and Mar, 161 pubs closed across England, Scotland and Wales, with a loss of 2,400 jobs. I’m also fed up with seeing beautiful buildings boarded up - or turned into Tesco Express. Most cafes close at 5 pm — we have a pub/bar culture rather than a cafe culture. I’m always looking for cool indie places with the right vibe - papers, mags, good coffee - where I can sit and read or do some writing in the eves. I’m off to Old Dame now - Royal Victoria Hotel on the seafront. Grade II listed and a bit tired. Mostly coach parties and cream teas, but it’s huge with a piano lounge and bar. Free wi-fi and meetings rooms by the hour. A Victorian seafront office for the day, why not. We might add another day to our Writers’ Café [https://luma.com/WritersCafe] so Tue, Wed, Thu afternoons. It’s helping massively - gotta stop bothering the builders! Some of the big chains are offering ‘Work from Pub’ [https://www.standard.co.uk/business/work-from-pub-coworking-home-office-space-remote-offer-wework-regus-food-drink-b1152522.html](WFP) packages - desk space, unlimited hot drinks, wi-fi and lunch for a flat fee (£10-£20), which is 40% cheaper than coworking for the day. My local Spoons (John Logie Baird) is in an 1850s building in town. Prints and text about local artists & writers, £1.85 for Lavazza coffee, tea and free refills. Gotta be worth a try - just hope the carpet doesn’t give me a headache. A Hastings Pub Crawl — with artistic license I was chatting to Chris the chef the other day. He looked a bit glum so I asked how things are going - he’s also self-employed. “It’s a struggle.” He has to prepare food but doesn’t know how busy it will be. People are eating out less. The government needs to reduce VAT on hospitality and offer longer-term support. Here’s Markus Thonnett’s new exhibition PUB CRAWL [https://www.instagram.com/p/DXwyzeUCKGp/?img_index=1] - really beautiful card cuts telling the stories of 10 Hastings pubs. I love looking at them while I’m working. Bring on El Niño and long, sunny eves at the pub watching the Three Lions lift that trophy! 🍸 Nika xo Support my vision of connecting and helping genXy wander women on Substack by becoming a paid subscriber [https://www.nikatalbot.io/welcome]. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nikatalbot.io/subscribe [https://www.nikatalbot.io/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

🌍 “No more pubs, Norm.”

Hello! How do you find 111 places in Hastings & Rye for a book in a global travel series? Secret spots with enough of a story to fill a page — that will inspire locals as well as tourists? I went to Norman Miller’s book launch at Waterstones this week. Good turnout. He said he was nervous, bless him. Think this was his first book launch. How did you choose the places? What stood out? “I wanted places with an interesting backstory.” A good mix of things. Lots of research and chats with historians and groups, plus local knowledge. He’s been living in Sussex for two decades after deciding it’s better than London. * The Dove Café – a refugee-led café and “shining example of grassroots activism and community.” Enjoy food from the Lebanon, Sudan and Afghanistan, world music and work by locals like Syrian photographer Nour El-Din. * The Havelock – “outside it looks like a not very good boozer. Inside, it has one of Britain’s finest examples of decorative historic pub tiling.” * Hastings Adventure Golf – hosts the World Crazy Golf Championships. * St Helen’s Church – hidden ruins in woods on the edge of town (older than Hastings Castle!) * Shirley’s Flower Makers’ Museum – 100+ years of artificial flower making and the largest working collection in Europe. Closing soon! What didn’t make the cut? Unit 2 - a brilliant pop-up gallery in St Leonards as it might not be here by the time the book came out (it’s not - Tough Love indie record bar is moving in). “I like pubs. I was told half-way through, no more pubs, Norm.” So, The Stag Inn didn’t make it. “There’s a bird mark on the back floor, which is tied to a witch story and can’t be cleaned off.” (also has a sloping garden with fairy lights). What was the strangest thing you saw? The Gibbet Cage in Rye, which contains the remains of John Breads, a local butcher who was executed and hanged for the murder of Allen Grebell in 1742. Worth doing a ghost walk [https://ryetowncouncil.gov.uk/town-criers-ghost-walks] to see the attic and skull. I asked him how long it took to write. “An easy nine months. Six months of writing.” The photos were harder as he had to come back on a sunny day. He doesn’t drive so thanked his wife for ferrying him around. Would you live in Hastings? “I could live in St Leonards.” Everyone went quiet. St Leonards has been quietly reinventing itself over last few years and is getting a lot of press. Seaside soul - Burton architecture, indie businesses, the hipster vibe... It has a spirit of entrepreneurial optimism. The other day I heard someone say: “I’m moving down from London to reignite my creative spark.” Great strapline! Good to hear he’s writing a piece on the town for The Times. I genuinely hope that local people enjoy it as well as DFLs and daytrippers. Thanks Norm! I appreciate you. I’m curious to see where I’ve not been — some inspo for The Reset - my 2026 year of tiny trips. It’s timely too with Hastings’ bid to be the first Town of Culture (shortlist out soon). The Bayeux Tapestry is coming to the British Museum in September. And on Netflix this autumn: Pride & Prejudice, partly filmed in Rye. I can tell he’s in love with this genre. He’s pitched two more - Portsmouth & the Isle of Wight. His first book on Chichester & West Sussex was shortlisted for Travel Book of the Year at the Inspire Global Media Awards 2025. 111 Places to Visit in Hastings & Rye [https://uk.bookshop.org/a/5007/9783740825690]. www.111places.com If there’s not much on wellness I might pitch a companion guide. St Leonards was a purpose-built health & pleasure resort for rich Londoners who wanted to be beside the sea. Saunas are the new offices… Nika xo Support my vision of connecting and helping genXy wander women on Substack by becoming a paid subscriber [https://www.nikatalbot.io/welcome]. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nikatalbot.io/subscribe [https://www.nikatalbot.io/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

🌍 Need a reset?

How was your week? I had a chat with artist Ana Beij [https://substack.com/profile/280514138-ana-beij] about a women’s creativity retreat [https://www.anabeij.com/womensretreat] she’s hosting in Bali this August. It’s inspired me to pitch a story on the rise of creative biz retreats - I’m seeing them all over socials. And if I go, a personal essay on how I came home different. It’s been 25 years since I went to Bali, so how did it feel this time as an empty nester free bird? Reclaiming ME after mum through a creative retreat. How I - AND the island have changed. It was crazy busy back then! The global wellness tourism industry is booming – set to reach over $1.35 trillion by 2028, according to Statistica [https://www.statista.com/topics/1336/wellness-and-spa/?srsltid=AfmBOoog_1YkWXc78yLo9uKWGUMxAv4OAr-WSFQURu3x5ldXGZUex05g]. From Amy I Beeson 🐝 [https://substack.com/profile/38687081-amy-i-beeson]’s 1-day London WRITE IN [https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/write-in-may-one-day-writers-retreat-tickets-1988176343965?aff=ebdsoporgprofile&_gl=1*1ro7f6j*_up*MQ..*_ga*MTU5MDczMTQzOS4xNzc3MTM4MTY2*_ga_TQVES5V6SH*czE3NzcxMzgxNjQkbzEkZzAkdDE3NzcxMzgxNjQkajYwJGwwJGgw] to Georgie Darling [https://substack.com/profile/310319930-georgie-darling]’s 5-day creative business reset in the Algarve – there’s a real hunger for experiences that go deeper than a holiday. IRL magic, offline time, sisterhood and spirit. My mate hosts a yoga retreat in Turkey, which sells out every year - the women rebook when they get back. The friendships forged led to a Peru adventure – three of them just walked the Inca Trail. One works in tourism and lived there so knows how to do it ethically. And great to have someone else plan it all… “I’m giving her all my money! She can organise it.” In my 20s, I Wwoofed my way round Australia & NZ, staying on farms and ashrams and met Kathy, a mum who invited me to housesit in Sydney for a month while they went to Italy. Totally transformed my trip – no more bedbugs in overpriced hostels. Furry friends! I saved a fortune and loved living like a local. If you’ve been on a creative retreat - how did it change you? I’m curating a list for inspo. Especially interested in those for journos and influencers so we can learn from each other and take the best from both worlds. And forget the painting, I wanna go dancing. Where are the rave wellness retreats!? Ibiza is calling. Want to find some affordable ones too, as wellness seems to be a luxury. I can DIY that in St Leonards - our Writers’ Café [https://luma.com/WritersCafe] is free. Come and meet the Barnaby fam. I’ll offer to interview the Bali crew when they get back and have had time to reflect - wellness by proxy! Interview with Ana coming soon. In the meantime, you can check out her art [https://www.anabeij.com/shop]. End of Copy | Words of Light Gutted to read about Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil [https://www.ifj.org/media-centre/news/detail/category/press-releases/article/lebanon-journalist-targeted-and-killed-by-israeli-airstrikes-while-reporting-on-the-war-in-southern-lebanon] who was targeted and killed this week in a building where she had taken cover from Israeli airstrikes. 2025 was the deadliest year for journalists with a record 125 press members killed, according to the CPJ [https://cpj.org/special-reports/record-129-press-members-killed-in-2025-israel-responsible-for-2-of-3-of-deaths/]. Congrats to Wolfgang Buttress, who’s been commissioned to create the UK's first memorial for fallen journalists [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce8l7rn64gpo]. It includes an online public record chronicling their lives and a new memorial at Staffordshire’s National Memorial Arboretum. Plus, a second sculpture at St Bride’s, the Journalists’ Church. It is a lasting statement that the truth matters, and we will remember the courage and sacrifice of those who died for it. – Sarah Sands, On the Record. I love his vision for this – and that you can sit and experience it. Londoners – on Tue 28th we’re holding a vigil for fallen colleagues [https://www.londonfreelance.org/fl/2604iwmd.html?i=fl/index&d=2026_04] at 3.30 pm, St Brides, to mark International Workers’ Memorial Day. All welcome. 🙏 More of Wolfgang’s work… TO BE – made with the help of over 40K bees! To be performed in Nottingham on 6 June :) Viva! 🍸Nika xo Support my vision of connecting and helping genXy wander women on Substack by becoming a paid subscriber [https://www.nikatalbot.io/welcome]. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nikatalbot.io/subscribe [https://www.nikatalbot.io/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

🌍 Love, journalism

Hello from Barnaby’s bar! I’m a bit late for our writers’ café as I bumped into my ex-boss in the old town. Nancy just asked if I wanted my seat back. “I wasn’t sure if you were coming so I sat here.” Lol. We’re not that anal but we are creatures of habit - everyone has their favourite seat. It’s day 1 of the International Journalism Festival so I’m following along on YouTube. Loving the ‘Perugia Uncut’ BTS - watching people pile in, waiting for the talk, watching them leave. Makes it more of an experience. “How can you not be romantic about journalism?” A question (and manifesto of sorts) from Joshi & Lea (The Mill & Zetland). Building on last year’s session about how companies need to stop thinking about news as ‘info’ and connect with people on an emotional level. How do you do journalism that people can feel? For about 100 years, we’ve done journalism that takes storytelling away. I agree we’ve lost some of the magic of early journalism - gathering scenes to invite readers in, capturing the mood of a city. Writers like Alfred Polgar, Joseph Roth, and Joan Didion - where you see someone thinking out loud. Bringing wisdom with journalism. Writing in cafes. Pop-up newsrooms in town centres. The Feuilleon ✨ ‘Talk of the town’ - a light-hearted, non-newsy supplement in French papers. Gossip, art and book reviews, fashion chronicles, and short literary pieces. Some stories they’ve published recently that did this well and readers loved. * In search of the secret garden [https://manchestermill.co.uk/in-search-of-the-secret-garden/] * Why has the Adelphi become Liverpool’s dirty secret? [https://www.livpost.co.uk/why-has-the-adelphi-become-liverpools/] * A ‘serious’ interview about the quality of the drinking water in Denmark. Lea remembers it because the journo starts cracking up (he has the best laugh). Proves it’s human - one thing AI can’t do. Voice should seep into everything we do. Lea’s written a bestselling book on butterflies [https://uk.bookshop.org/a/5007/9780241810521] - on beginnings, endings, and the life in between. She set off to see all 64 of Denmark’s butterflies one summer. 🦋 Here are the 10 principles of romantic journalism [https://www.journalismfestival.com/programme/2026/a-manifesto-for-the-romantic-school-of-journalism] they practice daily. Pinned to the door of the Brufani bar so you don’t need your phone to read it. #10: Journalism is best done somewhere rowdy - so join us in the pub for a drink. And some others I’ll be catching up on this week. Creator journalism now has its own tab! * Creators and the future of journalism: insights on infrastructure building from the US and South Africa [https://www.journalismfestival.com/programme/2026/creators-and-the-future-of-journalism-insights-on-infrastructure-building-from-the-us-and-south-africa] * Building your own brand: risks and opportunities [https://www.journalismfestival.com/programme/2026/compensating-content-creators-big-tech-and-the-future-of-news] * How are publishers responding to the ‘creator wave’? [https://www.journalismfestival.com/programme/2026/how-publishers-are-responding-to-the-creator-wave] * The Rebooting: Perugia edition [https://www.journalismfestival.com/programme/2026/the-rebooting-perugia-edition] * Starting up a new media now: absolute folly or absolute necessity? [https://www.journalismfestival.com/programme/2026/starting-up-a-new-media-now-absolute-folly-or-absolute-necessity] Also how to survive Perugia (and journalism in general) as an introvert [https://www.festivaldelgiornalismo.com/programme/2026/how-to-survive-perugia-and-journalism-in-general-as-an-introvert] – apparently the biggest response they’ve had to any panel! It is full on – packed rooms and clashing talks so lots of running around FOMO. Most events have too many panels. Most papers publish too much. We need to do less (#5: publish less!). Interesting to hear The Times’ strategy of publishing “fewer, better stories” has led to three months of record-breaking audience growth. Next time, I’ll choose a few sessions per day and leave time for networking and exploring the city of chocolate (realised I was more interested in that than most of the talks). Irl is where the magic happens - corridor chats, sunset aperitivo, fringe events. It gives you a sense of the mood and how people are feeling. Shared moments. Having a cappuccino on the Brufani terrace overlooking the Umbrian countryside. Turned round and realised the woman next to me was doing the same thing so I said hello. Things that have stayed with me: * Eating hunks of focaccia (studded with rosemary) and people-watching on the piazza. Kept me going all day. * Watching an Italian woman in a sequin jacket and glittery trainers walk her Chihuahua across the cobblestones to meet her friend for lunch. * Jumping on the minimetro to explore the burbs - the cutest thing I’ve ever seen! * Watching a man wave an escort away in the Brufani bar - talk to the hand. On to the next table. The guy next to me said he’d seen her there a few times. * Saying no to a young Italian on the hill above the sacred convent in Assisi. He wanted to be my “tour guide“ as I was on my own. Very charming and persistent. 🌐 The Independent Journalism Atlas Wikipedia for independents - a directory of 1165 indie journos and creators so you can see who’s doing what, where and how. Mapping the future of news media. I’m now part of this - under travel, culture and positive news :) Great to see the infrastructure coming together. It’s not indie vs institution - it’s what we build between the two. Ciao for now, Nika xo Support my vision of connecting and helping genXy wander women on Substack by becoming a paid subscriber [https://www.nikatalbot.io/welcome]. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.nikatalbot.io/subscribe [https://www.nikatalbot.io/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]