The plan was to enjoy football, enjoy coaching, enjoy making a difference. The best laid plans of mice and men... I thought I could genuinely help, I was an okay footballer, a half decent hospitality manager, with my basic coaching badge tucked under my arm, I thought it would be possible to help a talented bunch of individuals become more of a team, more of a force and achieve something to be proud of. I think I missed a few tricks. I never wrote 'believe' on an A3 piece

Paddington Takes to TV The whole blooming day. Not just a couple of hours, almost the whole waking day in front of the TV. I am so hungry. Did I mention the whole day in front of the TV? Although, I've watched this episode before, let's rewind and watch it again. Oh, that's correct, I've fallen asleep again, in front of the TV. After the 10th marathon, physio and awards, there was a mad dash to the kennels to pick up Echo and try to get back in time for the final dinner w

The Best of Paddington Bear Day 9, pretty cool eh? With the training I've not done, I'm over the moon to still be here. What's even cooler is, today I've completed my quickest marathon for the week (or nine days to be factually accurate). What's even more amazing is that I've not done any stupid stuff, no pranks on Dr Katie, no stupid asides, no lateness, pretty much been on time for everything, maybe the last few years, I've grown up? Now that would be something. You kno

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

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

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

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...