Today was supposed to be more inclusive of gradients and hills – and I was originally planning another exploration of the hills and tracks around Ilmington – however at 5am I was awoken by the hammering rain outside my window. Fields full of livestock don’t make for particularly good walking after a huge downpour – and you … More Wyken Slough nature walk
This morning I’ve been out with a couple of firm friends, who only met each other for the first time this today… Initially they were quite wary – but in no time at all after some introductions they were getting on famously. Probably bonded by their mutual love of bird watching Boris and Freckles seem … More Introducing friends
It might be going to rain later on, but when I woke up this morning the weather report had changed slightly (it looked awful on yesterday’s advance forecast) and the worst didn’t seem to be arriving until after midday. Furthermore my bedroom was full of sunshine! I resolved to get up immediately and go for a … More Hero clothes
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
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’m currently revelling in two different kinds of little miracles – the first as old as time and the latter a far more recent thing. Firstly – sleep. Ohmyflippingwordhowmuchbetterdoestheworldlookwhenyou’vehadsomesleep???!!!! It’s fair to say that some (but not all) of my darker moments in the past week can be traced back to the doorstep of an … More Feeling lots better
As bank holidays go I’ve zero complaints so far. If the point of such a holiday is spending time wandering aimlessly from place to place with people you like and talking all day long about life and ‘stuff’ then I think so far all the boxes I have are well and truly ticked. Today I’ve been … More Along the Offchurch Greenway
It’s 10am and the canal towpath is already busy with the fleeting scent of jogger and cyclist’s body sprays as they pass by. Occasionally I catch a whiff of what seems like a scent I know – but then it’s gone again and once more the canal falls silent apart from a distant sound of … More Good golly it’s Molly!
I felt like a broken man when I woke up yesterday. I knew that my enthusiastic tramping around the Malvern hills on Sunday may have repercussions but I was expecting it to be in my knees – and not… well… EVERYWHERE. OK – I’m probably overstating it a little – my upper body escaped largely … More Mostly broken but still functional
Today I feel great. Really great. This morning I felt like lightning in a bottle when I woke up. Although I’m relatively footloose and fancy free I think its important to get up at a good time, and try not to sleep in at all – regardless of what day it is. I got dressed (making … More Smoother than a baby’s bottom
I imagine that the medical profession have a covert diagnosis for many that walk through their doors in January. IJFJ is the acronym that springs to my mind (I’ll leave it your imagination but three of the words are January, It’s and just) and the more I talk to people in my life the more … More It’s not a maze – it’s a choice
My weekend was shamefully lazy. There. I said it. I hardly moved a muscle on both Saturday and Sunday and I also ate way too much stuff as well. You know what though – I feel good for listening to my inner couch potato for once. Today I was full of beans when the alarm … More Deflecting compliments
It’s been busy day that’s been a little disappointing in one respect, but encouraging in others. I had been expecting a call back from a recruiter today about a job that I’d been interested in – but when he didn’t contact me by midday I decided to call him instead. That particular job is no … More Stairs and how I’ve learned to love them
It’s an absolutely beautiful autumn day today and the park this morning is filled with wonderful colours. A light breeze is in the air, and it’s a bit chilly – but the sun is shining and it feels nice and warm on my skin. I’ve missed the park. It’s like I haven’t seen a good … More Hello park, I’ve missed you!
Freckles has been a bundle of energy all day – and has been relentlessly straining at her extendable lead in an effort to go further, faster and quicker. She’s an energetic tonic of a dog whose ENTIRE body wags when she wants to say hello or play. It’s pretty much impossible to feel either tired of … More Stourport on Severn walkabout
Another little milestone of sorts has been reached today and I’m now sitting at home on my sofa looking at my feet dangling over the edge of my leather pouffe whilst admiring their new attire. (Warning – gratuitous underwear shot) On the way home today I treated them to some new thermal socks. They deserve … More Walk to Hatton
It’s early morning and I’m tired. For some reason I’ve been up and down to the toilet all night and I think I must have expelled an oil tanker’s worth of fluid. This always worries me a little (it happens occasionally) as it reminds me of what made me realise I had diabetes. Going to … More Freckles, Kassaba and a charity shop
A friend said to me tonight that they were struggling to look at the future in a positive light – and for a while we talked about all the good things that they had either currently happening or that could happen to them in the coming months and years. Hopefully after we chatted this person’s … More Taking my own advice
I started early today. The sun hadn’t been up long as I strolled into St Nicholas park to meet my ex colleague and friend. We’d originally planned (a couple of weeks back after she spied me walking into Leamington while driving past and contacted me in the evening) to meet at 6.30am – but the … More Twenty One minute mile
I’ve spent the morning with a good friend from work who kindly made the journey on his day off to come and see me so that we could go for a walk. Some readers and people who know me may have felt his influence without realising it already – as at one pivotal moment in … More You can do it.
‘You can look through my binoculars if you want – at the ducks over there.’ said my friend’s son as we were all feeding the birds in the park this morning. I took the toy binoculars from him as he focused on ripping his slice of bread into tiny pieces and throwing morsels to the neediest … More Little binoculars
It’s sunny outside and I’ve just returned from a morning out. I’ve walked around the park, said hello to lots of ‘regulars’ and watched the world go by while talking with a friend. I’ve also been shopping at Aldi and filled my fridge with virtuous food of every description. The bank holiday has now passed … More Feeling vulnerable
I woke up later than expected today – having slept in on a Sunday for the first time in months. Normally I’m awake by about 7 or 8 at the latest but it was 9.30! Last night however I had the kind of uninterrupted sleep that’s usually reserved for the recently deceased. As well as … More Eurotunnel goal
Yesterday evening was not so great. After my bath yesterday I sat for some time relaxing in the armchair of my bay window watching the sun go down, completely blissed out. The only thing interrupting the sound of the waves was an occasional rumble from my stomach. I hadn’t eaten anything since midday – and … More The rinds of life
I asked my friend the other day ‘how much is too much’ when it comes to exercise. I’m still so unfamiliar with how my body reacts to it that I’m like a little child in many respects, and I have to hurt myself a lot of the time to learn not to do something. My … More Thirteen and counting
It appears that murky foreign powers may not be getting the plans to a fully operational Death Star after all. Elderly power walking oriental lady with neat hair, whom I had previously suspected of nefarious intentions today finally acknowledged me after a month or more of me grinning at her, saying ‘hi’ and nodding as we … More Boris and the swanling
The park this morning was a tough sell when my alarm went off at 5.30am. Although I didn’t really need to get up that early today I’d forgotten to re-set my wake up reminder to an hour or so later. I looked out of the window and it had been raining (with the threat of more … More Six month anniversary
