Moving to Bluesky

You must have been hiding under a rock to not have noticed that the situation regarding social media has deteriorated in recent years. Musk bought Twitter and ran in into the ground. Facebook was iffy years ago already, but the getting rid of fact checkers moved things to a higher level of iffiness. I had had a nagging feeling I shouldn’t be on these platforms for years. But it’s one of those things that never makes it to the top of the to do list. 

Recently i decided I should just go and make myself a Bluesky account. So I did! However, that’s only the beginning. Social media works for reasons of connections. Now I needed to find people there! And other entities! And that wasn’t working too well. Most people and entities are not (yet) on there. 

My first contact was the local community chaplain Sara. I spoke with her at a community event. And the second was Dean. 

I quickly found out that the entities I follow on Facebook in order to find out about interesting events, like races and archaeological events, just aren’t on Bluesky. Bummer! So I should extend my Bluesky presence; it needs the people and the activity to make it a viable alternative to the other social media. But I would struggle to leave the others. Quite many races don’t seem to have a website; only a Facebook page, and these would be the charming non-commercial ones. The ThursdayNight Hill sessions also only have a Facebook presence. So I might be in an awkward box split for a while…

Bwlch Cwm Llan after all

We would have one glorious day between storm Eowyn and the next very blowy (and rainy) day, so I figured I needed to take advantage of that. And one way of doing that would be go to Bwlch Cwm Llan after all. 

There was a ‘Paned i’r Planed’ (cuppa for the planet) event in the community centre near me in the morning, so I went there first. I like supporting local initiatives having to do with climate and sustainability. So that meant I only had the afternoon, and although you can by now see where you're going at 5 pm, it still is only limited time. But to the pass is only 4 km, and the going is good, so that wasn't a problem.

As I had focused on speed the day before, I was going to take it easy this time and just enjoy the landscape. And that was very easy! It is so beautiful there. And I hadn't been in a long time.

I ran up in the low winter afternoon sun. I went to where you can look into, well, Cwm Llan. And then I turned back. By then the sun was behind the clouds, but that created dramatic skies for the way down. It was lovely! I might do it more often…

Running up under blue skies

Happy (winter) runner

The spoil heaps appear on the horizon 

Dramatic skies on the way back

Even more dramatic skies! 

Increase oven capacity

I have quite a big oven. That can be very handy if I have a lot of people visiting. But I can only put in as much as I can fit on one oven shelf. I'm not using it to full capacity!

This has been the case since I moved in, but was only now that I figured I should try to find out if I could buy an additional oven shelf. And it turns out that there are extendable shelves on the market. Buy them, adjust them to size, and Bob is your uncle. So I did!

When they arrived (I found a pack of two for sale) I saw that they came with tiny little bolts and a concomitant tiny little hex key. Very cute! And it was a question of seconds extend them to size.

Now I should really do something with my extended capacity. Maybe make a pizza in my oven tray, and bake a cake on another floor? At the same time? And it will sure come handy the next time I cook for a bunch of people. I always like being ready when they arrive, and just opening the oven when we decide it is time to actually have dinner. Stay tuned! 

Village life

Most weeks I pop by at the wholefoods co-op. It is only open on Friday in the late afternoon, and on Saturday afternoon. It is fully run by volunteers. And this Friday I suddenly realised 20 minutes before it would close that I should go there. I quickly put on shoes and went. But the light wasn't on in the shop! I already spotted a man looking a bit puzzled at the shop window. We shared our surprise. And while we were doing that, suddenly a car stopped at the curb. It was one of the volunteers!

She got to the point immediately. She said she could give me the key, we could do our shopping, sort out the payment, switch off the lights and lock up behind us again. She also works at the local cheese shop, so that is where I could give her back the key. And she was standing on a double yellow line, so she kept it short. So I received the key, and the heavy responsibility, and off she was.

It was all a bit unusual. I went in with the man, whose name turned out to be Rowan, who was the tenant of a lady who frequents the sustainability events in the area.

We found all the light switches and got what we needed. When we were figuring out how to pay we heard the door. I realise then that we were in effect now running the shop! Any other customer could just walk in and expect to be helped. We would do our best. But no one came in. Maybe the doorbell sound had been a ghost.

Rowan and I either just put the cash in the till, or took note of the shop’s bank details, switched all the light off again, and closed up behind us. Sorted! And the next day I popped by at the cheese shop and gave the key back.

The shop

I suppose this is one of those things that is unlikely to happen in a big city. This sort of shenanigans requires a certain level of familiarity and trust. The volunteer knows I come to the shop on a regular basis, so I'm unlikely to make a mess of things. That would disrupt my relationship with the shop. She might very well also know that even if she doesn't know where I live, her employer sure does. So if anything goes wrong with either payment or the key or any of that, people know where to find us. It was quite nice! It made me really feel a part of the community…

Storm Éowyn

Not long ago, we had had storm Darragh. That was a red weather alert in my area. When it actually came over, it was sure windy, but not anywhere near as disruptive as I thought it would be. And now Eowyn was approaching. The storm was supposed to come with gusts of up to 75 mph (Darragh had up to 84 mph), and was associated with an amber alert. It sure didn't look like biking weather! So I decided to work at home for a day.

It would start in the evening. I did wake up in the middle of the night because the wind was quite loud, and I was just snugly listening to it in bed with the cat. And in the morning I agreed with myself that this was not biking weather, but it wasn't as bad as it could've been. I was just snug in my home office. And it even quietened down quickly enough for me to go for an afternoon run. I need my exercise on this non-biking day! 

I ran up Penrhyn Quarry, as that is convenient, but also, by coincidence, in distance and ascent quite comparable to my upcoming race: Sbrint Stiniog. And that was fine; it was never difficult to stay upright. It was even nice and quiet in a way; it was clear that Zipworld had closed for the day. I would imagine the storm would have blown any punters a bit too quickly to the end of the zip wire!

Long shadows in the quarry

Altogether, this amber weather warning, quite like the red weather warning of the previous month, was rather inconsequential. Good! I like it that way…

Reading glasses actually getting some action

It was more than four years ago that I bought my reading glasses. It was before I needed them on a regular basis. I suppose that's the reasonable time to get them, really, although four years in advance might be a bit much. But either way; I have now come to the stage where if I go and read something in the evening, I often put my reading glasses on. It's a bit more comfortable. I still read the newspaper over breakfast without, but I'm sure that that will change at some point as well. I decided I was middle-aged then, because of having both the glasses, but I'm even more middle-aged now that I actually use them! It was going to happen at some point…

Back to the dentist

I suppose my body is showing signs of age. My tendons and bands are not particularly keen on my running habits. I need increasing amount of help with seeing things. And my teeth are crumbling. And that started many years ago, but there may be an acceleration now.

It started when I was still in Norway! I was a bit taken aback, but well, nobody died, so I left it the way it was. The next time something like that happened was in 2015, and that time I went to the dentist to have the fallen piece replaced by some filler. And I liked the result.

Nothing that happened for six years. But in 2021, another piece broke off. So I again had it repaired by the dentist. I seemed to be on a six year rotation! But before 2024 was over, it had happened again. I suspect that this time, it was one of the old repairs that had come off, and not an original piece of tooth. And I had a dentist’s appointment scheduled for January anyway, so I figured that would be a good moment have the piece of filler put back. 

It's been done now! My tooth feels good again. It had a bit of a sharp edge, and it felt a bit vulnerable, but now everything feels smooth and resilient again. But we'll see! This time series is too short to diagnose whether the crumbling rate of my teeth is actually experiencing an acceleration, but it would make sense it is. It's not as if your teeth get better with age! We'll see how this progresses. It would be nice if I get back to my six year schedule, rather than this three year malarkey…

Cysgod y Mabinogi

After moving quite quickly through several books, I stalled a bit on the second novel by Peredur (the linguist). I often read in bed, but then it’s annoying to have to use a dictionary. And for most of this book I don’t need it, but the narrative voice in the book changes a lot. From a casual-talking ne’er-do-well via a pompous lawyer to a mythological figure. And with the lawyer I sometimes wanted the dictionary, and with the mythological figure, even more so. So when I reached a chapter narrated by the lawyer, I stalled. Easier to read the newspaper as it doesn't require a dictionary! And then it took quite a while.

I brought the book with me to the Netherlands, and I also made some progress in it when I was a bit under the weather after I came back. And with that acceleration I finished it in January.

So what's the verdict? I like it more than the previous one, to be honest! The other one had a different narrator in every single chapter, which means you never really get to know anyone, or see any character development. This book only has 5 protagonists, with each between 5 and 15 chapters (which can be as short as 1,5 pages). So you get to follow them through the whole story. Or at least as far as they manage to stay alive. At the end of the book, two are confirmed alive, one confirmed dead, and two assumed dead. But two of these deaths are really late in the book. 

And what about the story? It is a lot easier to follow than the previous book. Spoiler alert: a bunch of people are trying to release the old god (or similar creature) Llyr onto the world, and the idea is that while doing that they will flood the entire planet, after which a new society can be built with only those that Llyr has chosen to stay alive. And then there are some people trying to thwart that plan. And almost all chapters are by the people who are trying to thwart that. Another spoiler alert: they succeed. But they also know that Llyr is still out there and will try again.

It has a quite diverse cast. I found the characters quite believable. And it is a page turner. It even has a very assertive cat. 

What I was not so keen on was the Hollywood action film side of it. It's just some fairly normal people who are trying to oppose mythological creatures, combined with an army of determined sect members. You would think they don't stand a chance. But in this book, they do. It would happen in the Hollywood movie like that too. The baddies are always bad shots, and the goodies are always lucky! If some otherworldly creature lashes at you with tentacles or claws, they always miss. But anything you do against them always works.

Given that this is a blend of mythology and contemporary life, timelines don't work very well, but I think it is reasonable to assume that if these mythological creatures really existed, they would be from the Bronze Age. And the protagonists have a sort of headquarters that has been there since that time, but at some point the sect comes visiting and sets it on fire. Would no one really have thought of that all the way since the Bronze Age?

There also is a mysterious artefact in the book. It is very powerful, and everyone is very keen for the other side to not have it. And after days of being hunted and hungry and beaten up and hypothermic and thirsty and all other uncomfortable things you can imagine, two of the protagonist just break it with their bare hands. Really? It has survived quite a lot of bashing around until then.

So this is quite my style of book? No not really. I'm more than Mrs Dalloway sort of person. No chasing, no guns, no mythological object, just a woman pondering some things. That is exciting enough for me! But you don't get to read a book by a friend very often. So I'm glad I did it! 

I'm also convinced I'll get to do it again. The whole book ends with a cliffhanger. It is clear that some of the beings involved in the failed ceremony are regrouping and considering their options. I am certain there will be a third book! I think he's on a roll. And I'll read the next one as well!

From coursework marking to exam marking

A change is as good as a rest, they say! I’m sure it’s sometimes true. Maybe not so much in this instance. 

On the day of the exam in my module I finished marking the coursework from last term. Great! Or maybe I should say: just in time. The week before, the exam from another module, which I am not leading but in which I have several exam questions, had taken place. So there was already a new pile of marking waiting for me. And now there were two. But at least not three.

I won't manage to have everything marked before the teaching starts again! It will just be another case of juggling everything. But I've been doing this for 10 years. It'll work out again!

Running Great Orme

I was on a roll. I had done a lovely run on Saturday, and I wanted to do another one on Sunday. But I wanted to run somewhere that has easier terrain, so I could just run as fast as my lungs would allow me, and not be hindered by rough terrain. And I figured I'd try the Great Orme.

I've run the road that goes around the peninsula several times; it's where both the Nick Beer 10k and the Conwy Half Marathon go. And I had driven to the mine complex many times, for cave rescue training. But I had never actually explored. It was time I changed that.

I parked up at the far end of the peninsula. And then ran up a short concrete road. And from there I went to the perimeter wall of the Great Orme Country Park. I went to the summit complex, and from there ran down the road that leads back to the ring road. Just to get some extra verticality in. That road goes past St Tudno’s church and its cemetery; I went to have a look.

The perimeter wall

Building on St Tudno’s church’s cemetery 

When I reached the perimeter road I just turned around and ran back up. Back to the perimeter wall, to complete the circle. And I went back to the concrete road that got me back to my car. Altogether it had been 9 km and 260m ascent. Done a lot faster than I had done the day before! It felt good. I'm sure I'm back in business! And I had finally actually seen some more of the Great Orme! 

 

 

First longish run in a long time

After weeks of physiotherapy and slowly building up the running again, I figured I was ready for a proper run! And I fancied running somewhere I don't normally run. And I decided on Rhydd Du. It has some paths going up in the general direction of yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), which are quite well defined, and go a nicely long way up. 

I hoped there would be parking space still. It was a rather sunny Saturday and all the places I drove past seemed to be completely clogged with cars. But when I got to the parking lot by the Rhydd Du railway station I thought it was okay. I immediately saw a space!

I put my running vest on and set off. It was nice to be properly running again! And it was a bit cold. I was wearing three layers on my torso, and two buffs, a headband and gloves.

The start of the path

The landscape quickly gets very beautiful. I was having a great time! And some of the route I was a bit careful on. I was on my road shoes, as I anticipated well-paved path. But that means that one it gets muddy, or there are wet rocks, you have to be careful. Although wet rocks are probably even worse on off-road shoes. Mud isn't!

Into the landscape

It gets rockier higher up

I had initially planned to go to Bwlch Cwm Llan, but at the junction where the Rhydd Du path branches off, I went that way. For some reason. Not sure that was a good idea! That path is steeper and less well defined. So there are more bits where you can't reasonably run. But at least you make a lot of vertical meters!

I kept going until I was on the Llechog ridge, at just over 700 m. That was where the clouds were too. And a walker a bit lower down and warned me that higher up, there would still be quite some snow. I didn't want that! So that's where I turned back. And it took a while before I could properly run again. I'm not so good with steep downhill!

Where I turned back

Going back down

Llyn Cwellyn in the distance

I felt like I hadn't really done much, what with the not actually running in order to not fall on my face and all that, so when I got back down in the valley, I made use of the public toilet, and then did a sort of sprint finish back up the hill to the little quarry there. That's only a few hundred meters, but that's enough to get quite out of breath! And then I legged it back down. That had been 10 km in total; twice as much as my previous longest run since the injury. And 600 m ascent. Not bad! And it had been very beautiful! And I sure want to come back there soon, and actually make it to Cwm Bwlch Llan…

Rescue training

It had been a while for me! But I could make the January rescue training. It would be a hauling training in Cwmorthin. And I got home from my Birmingham adventure on time. Sort of.

When I parked up I saw everybody else set off towards the entrance. Oh dear! Luckily I didn’t have to change into full caving kit. Just my boots, harness, and underground jacket. And my helmet! This would be its first outing in months. Miles had repaired it (well, the light on it) for me after I damaged it last spring. I had got it back just before the new year started when Miles came over for dinner.

Jonty, the training officer, waited for me, and we walked up together. We caught up with everybody else by the entrance. We had a good female representation! Four women on a not-so-big training event; in total we’d have 7 men. And Sharon was one of them.

Inside we found Gethin, who would lead the training. He first talked us through the theory of what he wanted us to do, and let us do some dry practice on solid ground. And then we moved to the actual pitch we’d use: the usual one, by the catwalk. There is an anchor in the ceiling but it is quite far out and quite high, and not popular with short people.

Gethin demonstrating something

Jonty rigged the first rope. We’d need three for this exercise. One of the women (none of us are tall) wanted to try to put in another one. She had to do a few attempts, but she managed it! And we did hear a little crash below her.

We got all ropes in, and one of the guys was going to be the pretend casualty. He walked around to the bottom of the pitch. One of the other guys then asked him to check whether there was anything there that shouldn't be there; what had the crash been? It hadn't quite sounded like a rock. And our casualty found the phone of the lady who had put one of the ropes in. Oops! But it was cased in something incredibly sturdy, and seemed to still work. Very impressive!

We got on with our haul. And it went well! We got him up without problems, and around the corner as well. Success.

Then we were going to bolt on an extra activity. A bloke had lent the Go Below folks a snazzy device that allows you to use a drill as a winch. So one of the guys went down again, so he could be winched up. And it worked! Not flawlessly; the person operating the drill should have used a rather slow setting (for use as a screwdriver et cetera), which he didn't, which meant that the drill started to overheat. But the concept clearly works!

Pretend casualty being winched up

Then it was time to pack up. So we took down all the rigging and walked out. That was it for the day! Late enough for me, to be honest. My alarm has gone off that morning at 5:45, so I could get the train to Birmingham. It had been a long day!

Applying for a new passport

The nearest place I could apply for a new passport was Birmingham, so that’s where I booked an appointment. They were only available in the morning, and Birmingham is still quite far away, so by 7:15 I was in the train. I had plenty of time and space to get some work done. And in Wolverhampton I found out I had been travelling with a man from the food co-op, and his dog. That was a nice surprise!

View from the train 

View in the train

I got to the venue, which is an Indian visa centre, without problems. And there was quite a queue! It was a cold day to loiter outside, but there was little choice. And I was let in at the time I had my appointment.

Being inside was warmer, but not more reassuring. I ended up in a queue for a desk where you could get a number. The queue was long! But after a while a desk lady called out of there was anyone for a Dutch document. Me! And she gave me my number, and told me to sit down in the waiting room dedicated for people wanting Dutch documents. 

It wasn’t a long wait. And the man who dealt with my request was friendly. He processed my request, and in not much time I was done. Great! 

In a few weeks’ time I’ll have to do it all again, to pick up the new one. I don’t want to be without passport altogether! But in spite of the unpromising start, it went smoothly. One more trip and I’m sorted again for ten years! 

Walk in the snow

It had been icy and snowy for days! I had made it to work on bike on Wednesday, but with difficulty. And on the Thursday I hitched a ride with Susan. And on Friday I worked from home. I wasn't keen on the slippery roads and paths. But all that snow and ice did mean that the mountains looked absolutely stunning. And I want to enjoy that! So I figured I should take the opportunity over the weekend seek out the snow. And I went for the Sunday, because on Saturday I first wanted to visit a shop that wouldn't be open on Sunday, and I was going to have a cup of tea with Charlotte. So the mountains would have to wait!

On Sunday I made packed lunch, and got my bag ready. I didn't expect to need them, but just to be on the safe side I did pack my crampons in the bottom of the bag. And I took my walking pole with me. And then I set off. I decided to bike to near where Charlotte lives, and then walk the rest. I always like being able to do the last kilometre or so in the village rapidly and effortlessly!

The snow had already retreated a bit of the hill. But after too much time I was in it anyway. And I seemed to be the only one! There was no one else in sight.

Sheep on melting snow

Snowy selfie

I had already been hungry when I set off, but I wanted to sit down for coffee and cake at a beautiful place. So I walked for a fair bit before I stopped. I chose Gyrn Wigau; it's a rocky outcrop on an otherwise very smooth and vegetated slope. The views were great! And I had my coffee and cake.

On Gyrn Wigau, looking away from town

Looking back toward town

Suddenly I jumped a bit. I heard heavy breathing! And then a runner appeared. It turned out that I knew him; he runs Thursday Night Hill sessions. He was doing a nice loop with a mate.

I figured I needed to put on my sunglasses because that sun was getting higher and the snow thicker. But when I tried to do that, I noticed the leg of my sunglasses had fallen off. And I didn't manage to put it back. And that meant I didn't really want to linger too long in the snow. A pity! The hills don't look like this very often.

Given that the sun still wasn't particularly high I did go on for a bit. I didn't think I was going to be snow blind too soon. I went to the path underneath the summit of y Drosgl, and even a bit beyond that. But then I turned around.

I also decided to not retrace my steps; I figured I could find my own way off the ridge into the valley, and walk back that way. That would avoid some slippery bits on the steep part of the ridge, and get me too low altitude, with less snow, a bit quicker. Nicer on the eyes! So that's what I did. And by now more people were enjoying the hill; I bumped into some six people before I left the path.

Given I wasn't on a path, and the wind seemed to have gathered the snow in places, I sank into it a bit deeper than I hoped quite a few times. I did get snow in my socks as I wasn't wearing gaiters. But I also wasn't far from home! So it was fine.

Where I reached the path I bumped into Huw, who also attends all the sustainability events in the area. I bump into him a lot! But from there I didn't meet anyone anymore. I did sit down for lunch before I got back. I like mountains as the backdrop for my meals!

Back down in the valley 

When I got home I immediately fixed my sunglasses. It had been a beautiful walk, but next time I want to have these with me again, in working order!

New fitness tracker watch

I was losing my patience with my Apple Watch. It has an incredibly short battery life, and it is getting increasingly unreliable. Ideally, you record activities with your smart watch, and they just upload. But with this thing it was getting rather hit and miss. And I like the metrics that come with exercising! So I want to be able to log what I do. Additionally; the battery time had got so short that it couldn't log a several hour activity (like the Marchlyn loop) anymore. It was probably time for a new watch.

Apple watches can do all sorts of things, but I basically use it only as a fitness tracker. So I figured I might as well get me a different brand, that recognises it is mainly a fitness tracker. So I had a little Google, and decided a Garmin might be a good idea. They seem to have a good battery life! And are compatible with Strava. And this time I didn't bother with anything refurbished; I just went for a new specimen.

It came partially charged. I charged it up to some 80%, and then took it with me on my runs. And it did the job marvellously! It does track your run, and it is reliable in uploading it onto Strava. And you don't have to charge it after every run. You don't have to charge it for days, even if you record at least one thing every day! So far so good. Next step: my commute.

The new watch

My commute is more complicated. I always want to recorded as one trip, even though of course it really is two, with many hours in between. One reason is that I think it would clutter up my Strava if I recorded the way to work separate from the way back home. Additionally; I always aim to have a picture on all my strava activities. And it is bad enough to find a nice picture every day if you're basically always biking the same route, and doing it twice would be worse! Is this important? No! But it would be nice if the Garmin could manage this. The Apple Watch initially was okay with it, even though I would probably have to charge it twice while at work. But it was getting increasingly common that I would get home and only the way to work had been recorded.

The first they didn't work out. I started my bike ride, but it seemed to give up recording anything when I was idle for hours. The second day wasn't a success either. I decided to just record the first half, but somehow nothing appeared on my Strava. At least I managed to record the way back.

I'm not quite sure if this is just me being clumsy with the new toy. One thing I did instigate was that it auto-pauses when I stop. Maybe that will help! That functionality wasn't toggled on by default. I'm sure that if I can't get it to record my entire commute in one go, then at least I will get enough routine to manage to record it in two separate journeys. Practically every day. Not ideal, but unacceptable sacrifice in return for a watch you don’t have to keep charging, and that can log an activity that takes several hours! 

Ankle progress

The physiotherapist told me to kick my peroneal tendon into submission. I am paraphrasing quite hard, but that's what it boils down to. Crank up the exercises and get it ready for some strong action again! I am even doing heel lifts on a step with a backpack on to make it harder. That's pretty hard work! But it pays off.

He also suggested interval training, so go either some 25 seconds slow and then 25 seconds fast, and then repeat that until you're done, or go 25 seconds uphill and then 25 seconds otherwise, be it on the flat, or walking. And again; you repeat that until you're done. I've been doing that!

I started out just running up the hill on the other side of the main road. And it was going okay! I can still feel my ankle, but it doesn't feel like I can't run on it. I'm not limping anymore.

Initially I would just run to the pub on the hill (which seems to be closing), but when it felt good I went a bit further. And after a few days I was all the way at the end of the road. Beyond that it becomes a path; that didn't attract me very much in this season, as it would on some days be a mud bath and on other days an icy mess. 

Beyond the pub

One day when it was icy I found a bit of steep road that was clear enough and did hill reps on it. And I did 160 m vertical! And soon after I decided to do the run to the end of the road, but run the top bit twice as I figured I could. And then I got roped into a search for a lost doggy. Altogether I had run a reasonable distance! And if I could do that, I could do it in general.

The day after I went, for the first time since the injury, for a normal size run. I did my bad weather loop through Mynydd Llandygai. It’s 5.5k, with 160m ascent. And then I did it two more times on the two days after. I’m back! 

View on one of the runs

Now I need to get myself back to 12k and 450m ascent. Then I would be ready to rejoin the Thursday Night Hill sessions! That would be fab…

Viking hand: getting symptomatic again

Some ten years ago I found out I have Viking hand, or, as it is more officially known, Dupuytren’s contracture. It’s a condition that pulls your fingers in, starting with the ring finger, so in the long run you can’t open your hand anymore. In my case, it starts with a lump on the tendon to my left ring finger. And it’s sore.

Two things made this condition worse: hard manual work and old age. I got symptomatic because I did multi-week research cruises, in which I would do 12-hour shifts 7 days a week lugging heavy sediment core sections around. But if I’m not on a research cruise, my job isn’t very manual, so after that initial flare-up, my symptoms vanished again. 

When manual work won’t get you, old age will. And it looks like I have reached the age now where even if you’re a bit of a pen-pusher, you get symptomatic. Bugger! 

Back in the days, I dealt with the issue using swing top bottle washers. I could place them over the lump on my tendon, and then it would be protected. I still have them. I even made a clever slip-on thing that was a lot more low-key than taping the washer to my hand. I haven’t found that yet! But if I won’t, I can make one again. 

I now also have to think about radiotherapy. It seems to be able to significantly slow down or even stop the progression of the disease, according to the British Dupuytren Society. But it looks like a difficult thing to get if you live in Wales! I’ll have to look into this a bit more. And in the meantime, I’ll just try to deal with the symptoms as they are. I suppose that this time, they’re here to stay! 

No visible symptoms yet, but for how long? 

Dealing with an appeal

I've been in this current job for some 10 years, but new things still happen. Recently, I had to deal with a student appeal for the first time. If students think that something was really wrong with an assignment, or with the grade they got, they can appeal. Maybe they think the grade wasn't correctly calculated from the constituent parts, or maybe they think the instructions were wrong, or any such thing. They can't appeal the academic judgement of the marker. But in practice, appeals never happen. Students might directly contact you if they're not happy,  or tell the course reps so the staff- student liaison officer tells you, and then you can talk about it. In the olden days, when exams were on paper, there would be special feedback sessions. I do remember that it had come up that a grade wasn't correctly calculated, but nowadays computers do all that, and they are very good at that sort of thing. And sometimes a student complains through the module evaluations, but what you can do with that is limited. But it had never happened that a student took the formal route. Until now! And the student appealed against their grades in three different assignments in one go, and one of them was mine.

The procedure is that the student fills out a form in which they set out their complaint, and send it to the Quality Enhancement Unit. They send it on to the School involved. Then the person(s) responsible for the assignment(s) in question write(s) a response. I had to look up what happens next! Luckily, the procedure is explained on the University website. The whole pile of documents goes, via the Head of School, back to the Quality Enhancement Unit, and they report back to the student.

I wrote my response. It took a fair amount of time. The student had listed a whole array of things they said were wrong with my assignment, and how I had dealt with it. My response boiled down to that there wasn't anything actually wrong with any of that. I have seen one more response; the third one might take a bit longer, as the lecturing staff in question has since retired, so the response will have to be written by someone who was not directly involved in the assignment.

We were given 10 days to respond, so I suppose the documentation will go to main campus, and from there to the student, soon. If they don't agree with our response they can request a review, and they have to do that within 10 days as well. So I suppose by the end of the month we will know how this panned out.

I think it's good that there is an appeal procedure, but I do hope that it doesn't become all too popular. We really genuinely do our best to do a good job! And literally every assignment we set is also scrutinised by the external examiners. And student satisfaction is deemed very important, so messing up instructions is quite bad for your career. So the chance a bad grade is not due to the student, but to the assignment itself, is not high. And it can be a lot of work to respond to these appeals. But we'll see! Let's first find out if this student is successful.  Stay tuned!

Gluteus maximus getting in the way of sleep

For the last four years, I have had to stretch my gluteus maximus every day, in order to make it not get in the way of my daily life. And it has been working all right. I sometimes have to do an emergency bum stretch, but not very often. And sometimes I am lying in bed and am a bit uncomfortable in the buttock, and that tends to be difficult to deal with, as I am soft in the heart, and doing anything to relieve that would disturb the cat, which I actively avoid doing. But given that I can't remember ever having had that issue for a long time, I assume I normally just fall asleep in spite of it.

Sometimes, my exercise regime gets disrupted, for instance when I travel, or am ill. And maybe some activities make it worse, such as sitting on your bum in a train all day. And recently, I did all of these in quite short succession. I don't know if that was the reason for that things escalated a bit, but it could well be. 

Discomfort in the buttocks to such extent it made it hard to sleep became a thing in January. And I am not enjoying that at all! And unfortunately, both buttocks were involved in this. And the left one I could stretch as usual, and I had been doing industrial amount of stretching, but the right one really protested against stretching. It hurt! I couldn’t do it without making a plethora of unelegant sounds.

A bum stretch

I also took the yoga roller I have out of the cupboard. It had been gathering dust there for a while. But now it was all hands on deck. I also did industrial amounts of rolling. Anything to get my comfort back. I really need my sleep!

After a night in which I saw it get to 4am (which was the night I got the message from Nick) I contacted the physio. He suggested exercises to increase mobility of the lumbar spine. I googled a bunch. The one that seemed to do the most was the ‘sphinx stretch’ so I now do that too. 

Luckily, after that one night I at least could sleep. I’m still not back to normal, but that’s a start. And I just keep stretching, hoping I will get my full comfort back sooner or later…

Exit Nick

I suppose was too good to be true! In early October, Nick asked if we could go from the dating stage to the relationship stage. And although it was going a bit fast I said yes. And then we had three months in which I greatly enjoyed having a man by my side. Someone to go on adventures with! Someone to wake up next to! Someone with whom to do mundane things such as food shopping, but together. And he claimed to enjoy it too. The only gripe he had was that he said I was being overly kind to him, if I for instance bought him a bara brith, because I know he likes them.

But then he wasn't keen on seeing me on New Year's Eve. That didn't ring the alarm; he must have had his reasons. If something was wrong he would have brought it up, right? But then a few days later he didn't text me at all, the entire day. When I couldn't sleep I just thought I'd see if he might have texted me since I had gone to bed. And he had. And in that message he basically broke up with me because he said it wasn't working out for him. And that was it! One message of a few lines, and the whole relationship was null and void.

It was a punch in the face. What sort of bollocks is this? If he doesn't want to be with me he shouldn't be with me, but at his age he should have the maturity to flag up with me in person if things are not going the way he wants to. I suppose he doesn't like to bring people bad news, but I was really disappointed that he dealt with that by maximising the pain for me and minimising it for himself. I thought he was a better man. But I'm clearly a bad judge of character. 

I suppose this isn't a repeat of what happened with Dave; Dave turned cold after two lovely months, but then spent two further months stone cold denying that anything was wrong, even though he knew damn well it was. Only when he couldn't run away anymore on the Llŷn peninsula did he admit to the scale of the problem. I suppose that was even worse. (Time has also revealed that when he claimed he would be interested in any sort of friendship, he wasn't entirely honest.) So Nick might not have been quite that bad, but still, well below par.

So what now? Well, I have a life to get on with. I'm getting on with it. I sent Nick back his now useless birthday present. And I have reinstated my dating profiles. Has online dating brought me anything good? No. But could it potentially do so in the future? Well yes, I suppose it could. I know I have something to lose; I could have done without these two chaps stomping into and out of my life. And by continuing with it, I run the risk that it will happen again. But it is still possible to gain something. So I’m persevering. 

Pre-emptively changing a difficult battery

When I realised, upon my return from the Netherlands, what a deeply annoying sound my smoke/heat alarms make when they are running low on battery, I got worried about the alarm on the top floor. The electrician places right above the stairs, which makes it really difficult to get to. Stairs are not good places to put ladders, then putting a ladder on the landing would mean you would have to reach out sideways so far it looks risky. So how would I solve that? I would be in a hurry! Anything to make the sound stop. I figured I needed to be prepared. I wanted to find some solution or other before it would become urgent. And I used a rainy Sunday for it. 

I tried the ladders that are part of my working platform. I couldn't make that work. Then I tried my extendable ladder. I couldn't make that work either. And I was keeping my friends updated. They were worried about my antics! And Sue and Dean were so worried that they decided to come down with the working platform they have; it is different from mine, and probably a bit more manoeuvrable.

Trying the extendable ladder

Their platform is easier to put into position than mine. And they plonked it on the stairs with a short leg on the landing and a short leg on the stairs. That worked! With that, Dean could reach. So he sorted it. 

Dean sorting it

I don’t know how much charge that battery still had! But it now has a fresh one. When the easier-to-reach alarm on the ground floor runs out it can use up the tail end of this battery. And then get an entirely new one after it has done that. 

I should be sorted for years now! That’s a good feeling. 

Marshalling at a XC race

At the AGM of the running club, various committee members stressed the importance of volunteering for your club. And I fully intended to do that. I really enjoy the various things running clubs do for me, and they can't offer it without some input. And if not from me, from whom? And the first opportunity of the year presented itself in a race within the framework of the Welsh cross country (XC) championships. I wasn't going to run myself, so I would be available for other chores, such as registration or marshalling.

The lady who organised the event, Helen, let me know she wanted me for the 2 pm race (the various categories would start at different times). And there would be a briefing at 12:30. And she casually mentioned to bring a cake for the pop-up café. I hadn't quite noticed there would be a pop-up café, but yes I can deliver cake! So the night before I baked a ginger cake, and on the day itself I decided the weather warning for snow and ice was a bit exaggerated, and got on my bike to get to the athletics track at Treborth, which is close to the Menai Bridge. 

Cake

Once there are parked up, delivered my cake to the pop-up café, and found Helen. She asked if I was racing myself at all, and when I said no, she asked if I was okay to marshal the 1 pm race as well. Of course I was! So she gave me a printout of the route, with the positions of the marshals indicated, and off I was.

Arriving on site

The juniors were still racing. And it looked like a tricky one! Quite a lot of it was over playing fields, which get incredibly muddy if you have enough people stomping through them in January. I met my marshal neighbour Garfield, and got in position. I was a bit early. That was okay; I could daydream a bit, and read the newspaper I had brought, and chat to pass by. There was even a spaniel puppy who took quite a shining to me. So cute! So I wasn't bored.

What the runners would see just before reaching me

How muddy the track was just beyond me (in full screen you can see the cone, arrow and bag that mark my station in the distance)

Then the first runners appeared. It was blatantly obvious where they had to go, but I waved an arrow at them anyway. And yelled encouragement to every single one. I always get a bit carried away!

A strange sensation was that this race, while not actually going over the athletic track, had the athletic track as its venue. And there were quite a lot of people who were doing this race in spikes. My part of the route, though, went over a little bit of concrete. That creates quite an interesting sound! And some people were loudly questioning their choice of footwear. But even though everyone ran past with very muddy legs, I didn't spot anyone with clear signs of having wiped out entirely, so they must have been coping well!

When it looked like the last runner of the 1 pm race had passed I decided to have lunch. I had come prepared, of course. And then it fairly soon was 2 pm, and I could start waiting for the first runners of that race.

In this race, there is even one person I knew a bit: Michael, a fellow Eryri Harrier, who I had go to chatting to after the Pwllheli race. But as is my habit, I shouted encouragement at everyone including the last runner. And then it was done.

I walked back with Garfield, taking down some of the route marking along the way. And then my task was done! I went to the loo and then accepted the route home. I knew there was bad weather on the way!

I think this race could have easily done without me; as I said, the route was blatantly obvious. It was clearly indicated with tape. But I also know from experience that an enthusiastic marshal can give you a bit of an energy boost. So I hope that in that way I was still useful! And, I suppose, if something or someone would have damaged the tape, I would have been immediately on it sort the situation out. So I guess I did make a meaningful contribution to the race, and there by the club, and thereby Welsh running. A good way to spend a Saturday afternoon!

Annual tree pruning session

Every winter my trees get a haircut! It’s not a chore I enjoy, but it has to be done. And when the weather got grey again after the beautiful Thursday I got it out of the way. Ready for spring! 

Before

After

Early 2025 walk around Marchlyn Mawr

I had seen that the weather forecast for January 2 was beautiful. And I figured I was going to be healthy enough to do something with that forecast. But why do it alone? I announced my intentions on whatsApp, and Sue and Dean liked the idea. Martin was in the South. And I suggested we do the Marchlyn loop; it is, in my view, a route that combines unusual spectacle with a rather low threshold. It is only some 5 miles, but it has one of the best viewpoints in Eryri. But because you spend the greatest part of the walk above 700 m (highest point: 923 m), you need good weather for it, otherwise you don't get these views. And you are quite exposed in places. So this might be one of those days when it can be done! And I knew Sue and Dean had never done it. They needed to know about this gem!

They agreed, and came to pick me up. I had my cake with me. They weren't even familiar with where you park for this trip. They were learning useful things! And we started, as you do, on the asphalt road to the reservoir. But by the junction where I often peel off to head for the surge pond, we left the road, and the walk really started.

Start of the walk. Pic by Dean

Ascending Elidir Fach. Pic by Dean

It doesn't start spectacular, but you gradually walk to lovely views. And we got more spectacular hoarfrost when we got higher. And the sun came out! The forecast had been that it would be out all the time, but it wasn't playing ball.

Pretty hoarfrost. Pic by Dean

The top of Elidir Fach was already beautiful, but it's nothing compared to the views you get from Elidir Fawr. It's a bit of a slog to walk up, and there were  light slipperiness issues, but we made it. Time for some pictures! And from there there was one stretch Dean wasn't very keen on, for reasons of fear of heights, but he negotiated that successfully. And by then we had walked for a fair while, so somewhere beyond the peak, but still with the good views, we sat down for some cake (and other foodstuffs). I even managed to give some to a random passer-by. There was enough! 

Selfie on the ridge of Elidir Fawr

When you get past the Bwlch y Brecan the landscape becomes a lot less spectacular, but still beautiful. We also came past some really charming dogs. And we saw that Anglesey was experiencing some rather unpleasant-looking weather. And it was coming our way! We were glad that we were coming towards the end of our walk.

The amazing view

Not long before we’d make the descent 

We came down the path back to the asphalt road, and basically as soon as we hit it, we were battered by hail. The atmosphere changed completely! From blue skies and sun on the ridge, we were now in a grey cloud with the hail stinging our faces. Luckily it didn't last too long. And we were safely on an asphalt road anyway. We were wondering about the people we had passed who were going up while we were coming down! They might not be so comfortable now.

Snowy selfie

Hail GIF by Dean

Before we were back at the car, the hail had moved on. We were back under blue skies. And then we saw two figures appear. It was our friend Sophie, from work, with her partner, who wanted to do the same thing as what we had done. We hoped the ridge would be out of the clouds again by the time they would get there!

I'm glad I could introduce them to this walk! And it was nice get such a nice hike in before the Christmas holidays were over. In North Wales in winter, it is really nice if you can take advantage of a period of good weather. They don't come around excessively often. And there are so many amazing views to be enjoyed when they occasionally do!