Well my week’s experiment has concluded. After a somewhat disappointing 1/2 a pound loss last week I had been looking at what I’d been eating and also what I’d been doing for exercise. Since the 22nd May I’ve been gardening in earnest – and because of the time involved there has been less walking in … More In the teens!
It’s amazing what you find when you least expect it. I stared in surprise and mild disbelief at the boat in front of me. It was hidden by brambles and bushes and I’d initially missed it completely. I’d been looking elsewhere and then my eyes had been drawn to the unexpectedly circular shape of the … More Inept navigator
So far It’s been a good week for walking and exercise (I’m up to 51 miles so far) – and despite the heat I’ve put in some lengthy single day distances – on Tuesday doing the perfect walk (8.5 miles) for a boiling day – almost completely in the shade to Balsall Common along the Kenilworth … More Sockfail
‘I’m melting’ has been a common text / Facebook status update today – and I can wholeheartedly agree with those who’ve shared it – particularly as I chose yesterday and today as my pivot point away from the garden (for a while) and back towards the open road. I’ve been putting in the walking miles … More Moob sweat
I finally addressed my long standing commitment issues today and signed on for the paid version of WordPress. This is mostly in response to several people highlighting to me that my blog was serving those viewing my posts on a mobile browser ‘congratulations you’ve won an iPhone 7‘ spam messages over and over again. I hadn’t … More You’ve NOT won an iPhone 7
Some years ago I had a catastrophic hard drive failure on my PC that wiped out most of the digital photos I’d taken over a period of about 6-7 years. At the time I was really upset that pictures of people I loved had been lost – but at the same time strangely happy that … More Ankles then and now
Although I have come to hate it with a passion there’s absolutely no denying that ivy is great for relieving stress. Not content with working on my own garden I agreed to help a friend out on his allotment today – and it’s nice to finally be physically able to return some of the help he … More Allotment ivy
Yesterday I walked into Sainsburys to get a coffee and unexpectedly walked out with a bag of clothes that I’d purchased because they were half price. This in itself is really not unusual I suppose – as clothes from shops like Tesco, Asda and Sainsburys are now cheap enough to make buying them little more … More Banded demoiselle
My companion were sitting quietly in a bird hide discussing the view in front of us. In particular we were focusing on the two families of mute swans on the opposite bank of the nearby lake. Once more we were visiting the grounds and wildlife reserve at Coombe Abbey – but today were both of us … More ‘It’s a boy!’
The effects of dramatic weight loss are (I’ve found) often unpredictable – and throughout my journey I’ve experienced a variety of odd feelings, strains, tensions and pains. I’ve put a lot of this down to my body weight shifting and stressing different muscles and ligaments in the process. Around the 11-12st mark I started getting a … More Windy day
It”s 9.50am on Saturday and I’m listening to Classic FM. I have my feet up on my POÄNG footstool and I’m in my POÄNG armchair, feeling very Swedish. I’m also feeling very frugal as – thanks to some patient bargain hunting – I managed to get both 2nd hand for a total of £14. This compares … More Swedishly frugal
Today has been my longest day gardening yet – and even if I do say so myself I’ve done a LOT. I started at 8am and finished just after 3 when I finally stopped for lunch. The weather has been changeable – but (despite dire weather predictions) it’s been a pretty nice day to put … More And then there were none…
It’s been a really mixed bag of moods this week – and having spoken to a few of my friends I don’t think I’m alone in this. As I mentioned previously my Saturday was all about eating everything I could lay my hands on. Today I’ve felt rather similar if I’m honest – and my … More And then there were two…
For the most part I’m in awe of nature. Apart from cat sh*t – which despite me not owning one seems to appear in pretty much the same place outside my shed with annoying regularity. Despite me knowing the likelihood is almost certainly nearby it never seems to stop me from stepping in it. This does … More Nature is awesome!
A reader asked me the other day how my garden was progressing – and the answer is ‘a little slower than before’. The weather this week really hasn’t leant itself well to gardening and has stopped my unbroken run of being out there every day doing a little bit of something. However I still managed 9 in … More Garden progress report
When I wrote my downbeat and reflective post on Sunday I hadn’t seen the news about Saturday’s terrorist attack in London. I have now – and if ever there was a need to try and see the brighter side of things I think it’s today. It would be wonderful if everyone with hate in their hearts suddenly woke up … More Focusing on the little things
If yesterday proved anything to me it was that just when I think I have a handle on life – and that I’m sorted and happy – a chance thought comes along, yanks the rug out from under me and leaves me feeling profoundly blue. Yesterday morning I felt like I was on top of the world and … More The thought
It’s the early morning (just after midnight) and I feel wide awake! Although admittedly I had a coffee a couple of hours ago this time it’s got more to do with an invigorating brisk walk home in the pouring rain. When I arrived home and closed the front door behind me I stood quietly in my hallway … More Gold bra
Isn’t it just the way – even when you’re trying to do the right thing and be extra careful you still end up making mistakes. One of the really nice side effects of letting my garden descend into wrack and ruin has been that a lot of wildlife moved in while I wasn’t around. Over the last … More Nest uncovered 😦
When I lived in Wales I was convinced that (maybe with the exception of Scotland) I was fortunate enough to hang my hat in one of the most beautiful parts of the UK. I loved every bit of the countryside around Aberystwyth and over the years I’ve continually felt a yearning to return. However over the last … More Coombe Abbey
I’ve been trying (it’s almost impossible) to avoid the news reports today. The details that are slowly emerging of the suicide bombing in Manchester last night are incredibly moving – and each time I turn on the radio I hear of a parent talking about a near miss or a sense of shared horror that … More Be kind to eachother
I neglect my garden. There. I said it. I’m a bad bad boy – but I’m trying to change (slowly). My friend however is someone that has significant interest in horticulture and I think my lack of grass and plant husbandry is something that definitely offends his eyes. He’s been gently suggesting we have a … More Frogs and blue steel
I was talking to a fellow slimmer this morning about the battle to stay positive – even when injured. I reflected on this afterwards and in truth I remember when it happened to me (thankfully I’ve been ok for quite a while – although my plantar fasciitis never truly left for good) I felt like I’d … More Too busy loving life
My fingers are cold. Now I’m thinner I feel temperature drops in my hands a lot more than I used to and today they’re aching a bit. Rather than turning on the heating though I’ve jumped into some fleecy jogging bottoms and have been warming my frosty digits with a large steaming mug of lemon and ginger … More Sea of velvet
At least in my neck of the woods the weather has been fairly awful this week. It’s been oddly humid as well as occasionally cold – and it’s not been pleasant when it comes to activity. Yesterday I had the appetite of several cart horses that hadn’t eaten for a week and it was frankly … More Stamping in puddles
It’s been a soggy, grim, rainy, cold, humid and generally miserable looking grey day. However – I’ve enjoyed every sodden minute of it. Sure – the countryside has been more of a challenge this morning than it would have been on a sunny and dry day – but I’m a believer that not only is it … More Fetishes and man jeggings
I know now that everyone with cautionary comments about my weight and my plans for running may have been right. It was Thursday evening that I made my first attempt – and today I’m still suffering. This evening though it seems like the tail end of it – but yesterday I was really struggling. My legs had completely … More 44 inch victory!
In space no one can hear you scream. However in the cinema people can definitely hear you s**t yourself – and given that I’m usually the world’s biggest scaredy cat (who famously threw his popcorn all over the place in Jurassic Park and could only watch Scream from behind a pillow) I was expecting the … More Good result
Well today everything muscular between my knees and my groin aches after yesterday’s attempt at jogging. The pain is identical to the post downhill cramps I felt after walking around the Malvern hills – but nowhere near as severe thankfully. However (and forgive me if I’m captain obvious but all of this is completely new to … More Advice
It’s early evening on Thursday and I’ve done something I swore I’d never do. I’ve ignored the embarrassment, I’ve paid little attention to the discomfort and I’ve been doing it in public. It all started on Wednesday – when during a day of rest I decided that I’d do some dancercise (my word for jiggling … More Couch to 5K
