Life Notes
Very busy at work, lots going on so been struggling to find time for any other activities, not read much, not commented on many blogs, just keeping ticking along with my ‘move every day’ target, which has spread to other habits including a daily journal, and Crucial Tracks entry every day too.
Jack has finished Nursery. Time flies. In two weeks he starts school. SCHOOL!
Alas I couldn’t be there for that — I had to travel to Blairgowrie for my monthly visit to the office — but he and his two besties posed for photos and enjoyed a special McDonalds treat dinner, before Jack and Becca headed up to join in Nethybridge, as I’d driven up the A9 before them when I finished work. It’s a lovely town, and thankfully has escaped the still smouldering wildfires that have decimated acres of the Cairngorms.
We’ve already managed a couple rides getting Jack out onto the local trails. I did bring up my road bike so I can make the most of the quieter B roads up here, but one hour on the local trail convinced me to bring forward my mountain bike plans. Hello to a new Trek Marlin 5 for me, picked up in Aviemore this morning, and christened on the same trail. It’s wonderful!
Articles Read
- Stretching Will Not Save You | Cult of Running — “If you enjoy stretching, stretch. It will not harm you. It may improve your range of motion where deficits exist. It may feel pleasant in the way that any ritualized movement can feel pleasant. But do not stretch because you believe it will keep you healthy. That belief, however deeply held, is not supported by the accumulated weight of human inquiry into the matter.”
- The Motivation – Rands in Repose — “Why do I write? I write because I am curious and like to understand the world. Writing forces me to understand a thing, a person, a situation.” a short post but frames why I write in ways I hadn’t fully considered.
- Everything you need to know about the Booker Prize 2026 longlist | The Booker Prizes — Nice to see Elizabeth Strout in there. Adding ALL of these to my list.
- Re: Bubbles, upvotes, web interlinking — All of this hits home. Time for a Links page, and some more links based posts!
Things Consumed
📺 Sugar and Lucky and Silo are taking my time. Each one different, each one fun and engaging in very different ways.
Roll on the new season of Ted Lasso too, yay!
📚 Resurrection Walk by Michael Connelly – Always a fun read, more adventures with Harry Bosch. Blasted through it in a couple of nights. Excellent.
📚 The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas – Now and then I decide to read a ‘classic’ and so far this has been funny, witty, and interesting, and feels more modern than I thought it would.
🎶 Different when it’s Silent by Tricky – wonderful, back to his best? Quite probably. If you like the Tricky aesthetic you’ll enjoy this.
🫀 Health
Current Weight: 107.1kg. Almost a kilo dropped and back on track. Yay.
Avg. Sleep: 7hrs 28mins. Sounds good, but includes one night of 10hrs, and one night of 5hrs, need to be more consistent as it definitely impacts my moods.
🗓️ Next Week
A week in Nethybridge, so more cycling, and the beginnings of Couch to 5K again, although I think I’ll start at week 3 as I feel fitter (and lighter) than I have for a long time.
What are your thoughts?