Yesterday was an empty day. After a wonderful night out with ex colleagues on Thursday culminated in an unusually late night (I fell asleep in a Diet Coke related heavily caffeinated state after the sun came up on Friday morning) I really didn’t feel like doing anything of consequence. Caffeine wasn’t the only thing keeping me … More From 66 to 42
I feel somewhat re-energised this week. My feet are almost recovered after their Sunday shredding and it’s becoming a bit less onerous to go for a walk now. Today it’s been absolutely sweltering – with a clear blue sky. In this respect it’s not been the best day to attack the garden – but the … More Chair repairs
When my mother died there were many many things left behind. I hated pretty much all of the time that I spent with my brother sifting through what I viewed at the time as the rubbish and wreckage of a decaying life. For those who didn’t arrive at the start of my blogging career (which … More Pegs
This is unlikely to come as a surprise to anyone that’s been following my blog since it started but I miss my Apple Watch. The poor little thing is unwell currently and since Sunday afternoon has been with Apple to be repaired. In some ways it was a good thing that this happened because its presence … More Bare wrist
I’ve got Vaseline between my toes and it feels funny. Although I have my moments this isn’t me pandering to a weird fetish (for a start there are no llamas nearby) but trying to make absolutely sure I don’t get blisters. At the moment I’m sitting outside The Hatton Arms, rather cheekily sipping my own … More Warwick to Solihull via Apple
There are few better places to reflect on things than a graveyard. I started writing this post in the middle of an early morning walk, sitting in the shade of a nearby church with my flask of coffee and thinking about why I felt so down yesterday. Just in case my current setting may appear … More 99% are really really good
My mojo is deflated today. Honestly it was under inflated yesterday too, but at the moment I can hear it thumping away in the background and I don’t seem to have a spare, fully inflated one in the boot or a mojo jack to replace it with. Today the scales have not only been surprisingly … More Clinging to my teens
I’m beginning to think I’m the wrong shape. Actually – scratch that. I know I’m the wrong shape. I don’t for a minute think that I’m particularly unusual in this – but it’s not doing me any favours at all when it comes to finding outdoor clothing – which I need to buy relatively soon for … More Looking for the spark
Over the last few days I’ve started preparing a for Snowdon. Although it’s still a way off I’d rather not be completely crippled by the downhill element of the experience. In the absence of hills on my doorstep this has until now taken the shape of floor exercises such as lunges (which are really good … More Ilmington Downs
Last week I took another huge load of clothes to my chosen charity. It’s always a bittersweet moment for me because although it’s all for a good cause none of what I have left now represents ‘old money’. Around 65% of the items in those bags were purchases made within the last six months. It’s … More An eye for detail
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
Well the day has started better than I expected. Shortly after my shower this morning I crept out into the garden at 8.30am (coffee in hand) like I was in a Scooby Doo cartoon to see whether or not there was any change on the blackbird nest front. I had been thinking about it on and off for … More Blackbirds return!
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 😦
