Paddington at Work Interior decorators available. Specialist contractors for pain caves, difficult domiciles, or just awkward situations. The colour palette can be a soul sucking black, pale, anaemic, bland yellow or a kaleidoscope of exotic colours so vivid, so varied that to try to pcik just one affords for confusion, discord and unpleasantness. It's easy to take for granted that just because you get to the start line, the finish is possible. Strength, conditioning, mob

The Adventures of Paddington Indifferent. That was my description of today. Some bits I felt I could almost run, others I had to walk, some were a struggle to even raise a jog. It started off so well. no aches, no pains and felt comfy to run. Stu and I were 'bimbling' away, chatting inanely and the yards and miles rolled by all the way to Hawkshead. It was nice to chat to someone, other than myself, who I cannot seem to get a coherent conversation from, and not notice th

Paddington Marches On It's hazy, although some details crystal clear, the emotions, raw and unfiltered. Another nightmare. I'm in a house, I'm downstairs, with a child, not sure who's child but a young person, maybe 5 or 6 years old. The kettle is on, we're at the kitchen table, warm sunlight is streaming in but it doesn't feel like the afternoon. The click of the kettle, the muffled tick of a clock, light chirps of birds, but then a shocked, short shriek and a very defini

Paddington At Large Duncan can I squeeze by you, one of the students asked at dinner. Johnny looks up from his dinner, suddenly remembering something and said something along the lines of 'I took a lass out to dinner the other week, I asked her if I could push her stool in?' Lets see how dinner goes first.' Star Wars Day today, 'D0 or do not, there is no try.' From the very off today, something did not feel right and I was in my own head from the start. Eight years ago I

More About Paddington It was quiet in the physio room this morning, and a little subdued in the 10in10 meeting room. Perhaps people had things to worry about? Maybe it was the ominous shadow? Routine becomes established quite quickly, breakfast, treatment, briefing, run, treatment, prep fuel and hydration for the next day, dinner, blog, sleep, rinse and repeat. Personal admin they call it in the services, it's where we have to organise our electrolyte bottles and food we t

Deliberate, definite, focussed. Except I'm not. For years I've tried to work out how to be more consistent, more on the level, less fluctuating in my efforts. It's still not something I've worked out, not for the lack of trying. Happy times, when I felt like I was part of something special, static moments of grateful existence, family holidays, special places of work (when everyone is with you), special efforts and rewards and, the Brathay 10in10. Looking back, each of tho

Urghh! Aargh! Yukk! My daily chore, twice, sometimes three times a day. Who likes sticking their hand in a plastic bag and wrapping...

A few weeks ago, the teenager and I had a blow out. A real bluey. A shouting match, which neither won. About what? Well, on the...

Happy Belated 50th Birthday! What an event? I genuinely don't know whether to place an exclamation or question mark at the end of that sentence. What an unusual atmosphere, at least that's how I felt. It wasn't just the run but also the beginning and afters too. Admittedly I was a little out of sorts having followed my usual inimitable style of preparation for the event. This consisted of booking, on Monday (the week of the event), the overnight ferry to travel that Friday

During the Covid lockdowns, I tried to do anything to keep my head above water. Universal credit was something, the part-time jobs were another, the mortgage 'holiday' yet another, but altogether still not enough. I've never been good with money. I don't know how I can keep going, except through relying on credit which is crippling me; It feels like I'm building my own debt mountain. I mount pebble on pebble, stone on stone and rock on rock. What will I do to get over it

Well sort of, it's actually a little mouse and it's no longer loose. It has lain still, for several days, if not weeks, slowly decaying...

Or 'Different Endings' What the hell am I doing? I thoroughly enjoy my new career and working for myself but what on earth am I putting myself out for? The idea was that I'd create the balance I never really had in hospitality (or is that looking back through tainted, murky glasses), for family, for work, for exercising and raising money for charity and maybe the occasional blog. What seems to be the case is waking up at daft o'clock to do lessons or work late to prepare s

Waiting in the village shop and I'm buying the odd bits and bobs, swiss-roll, cumin powder, a plunger and clothes pegs, you know, the usual, when in walks Mrs Hoity-Toity. You can tell she's well known at the local shop as she has 'an account'. Parked conveniently outside the front doors on the pavement, she is prepared for the weather. An ice-cold December wind whistles through the front door of the store, muddy, damp cardboard boxes adorn the walkways, but twinset and pe

Someone once said, that if you stop challenging yourself you stop growing? Who knows? Two years ago, enticed by the advertising as the 'World's Toughest Mountain Race', I thought I'd throw my hat into the ring. I deferred last year as it was giving me sleepless nights. Like a year is going to make any difference? I've had more than a few sleepless nights. Anxiety levels have been through the roof. For the last 12 months, there's been a genuine fear that I simply couldn

What's that phrase, poor preparation leads to p.p. performance? I know myself too well. Earlier in the week, I'd cleared my diary so I...

Many years ago, when running became a ‘thing’ for me, I decided to try and raise funds for Brathay Trust through (in part) writing this...

Three days to go. Three sleeps. 72 hours. Over a year to wait. Over a year to train. Except for the fact that I sort of didn’t, haven’t,...

Searching for human acknowledgement...

Diary Day 10 of the Brathay 10in10 (ten marathons in 10 days).

The penultimate day! Pensive, almost proud, perhaps it's still possible, but, the pain! The quad has been rock-taped over night, I've...