There is so much to say for my weekly update and potential for a long rambling post. So instead, I hope to keep it a little more concise with a Q&A for myself. Ready? Here goes.
So you did a Parkrun yesterday, how did it go?
Yes that’s right, I ran my local Parkrun yesterday, enjoying the flat-as-a-pancake course. It is so nice being amongst 150 other runners, joggers and walkers. My previous run, on the same course, was notable by me achieving my Personal Worst of about 33 minutes. Yesterday was 31 minutes and yet my PB is 25 minutes.
I had a nice steady pace, not too fast or slow, given my current level of dubious fitness. I felt good afterwards, a nice endorphin fuelled sense of well-being which I smugly kept for myself. I was, however, very much aware of my blood pressure dropping after a couple of minutes, just for a minute or so with a dizzy feeling and better than an immediate drop in pressure after a sudden sprint and stop. These days I have a better understanding of these things and know to avoid a sprint finish. Mind you, I did feel concerned for another runner who was being looked after by first aiders – he looked very hot and covered in sweat. After a while I saw they had lifted his legs up, presumably to keep his blood in all the right places.
And afterwards?
Marty (one of my blog readers) and I spotted each other and had a brief chat – another reason to love Parkruns, the social aspect which is good for us all. Ruth B was there and also Rosie who came back for coffee and toast at the Quirky Museum.
Rachel also joined us and we all sat under the bay tree in the garden with our coffee and toast while listening to the pitter-patter of soft summer rain around us.
We were then joined by another friend who was dressed in his sporty gear but hadn’t been running(!). I hadn’t seen him for a while and I always enjoy hearing about his latest technical project (this time it was home-made remote controlled gliders). The other thing we listened to was him commenting on my pierced ears as he wondered if I was gay. I said no, quite firmly. I’m completely straight, not gay, and I think it’s a shame that earrings still convey that impression to some people these days – that’s old hat these days. Otherwise I think most people are now used to my rebellious appearance and don’t give it a second thought.
Anything else on blogging?
Yes! My other blog, all about cycling, has had a lot of comments recently and I was wondering whether I should be pleased, or concerned something was going on i.e. some kind of hack. Curiously the comments were slightly personalised to the post and there was a gmail address to back it up, but I was still a little uncertain.
Also someone asked for specific information for a paper he was allegedly writing (about post Covid bicycle sales), so I replied by pointing him towards the Office for National Statistics and a couple of trade associations. I replied by typing his email address, not clicking on it, just in case. He never even had the courtesy to reply, however briefly, so I conclude that was all a part of an attack.
I also had someone complaining to me that they were getting spammed by my website and an onerous comment which someone had left on a post about peanut butter. So I deleted the comment, just to be safe and let the person know – they didn’t even bother to say ‘thanks’. So again it makes me wonder what might have been going on.
The moral of the story is to keep all those plug-ins etc up to date. This then prompted me to update WordPress to the latest version, together with updating spare themes which I had installed (I probably ought to delete anything not being used – themes and plug-in software). So I feel fairly sure nothing untoward is going on but in previous times when my blog has suddenly left in popularity with an extra 500+ page views each day, I have been concerned. Whenever that happens, instead of thinking “hey look at all those visitors to my blog, isn’t that great?” I should be on guard.
Blogs are still relevant in 2022, although vlogging has grown in popularity. I still think it’s amazing how an ordinary blogger like me can write a post and then it gets picked up on the other side of the world. Normally a post gets lots of hits in the 48 hours after publishing and thereafter gets a trickle of views afterwards. Sometimes a post will suddenly become really popular months after I published it. An example of this is So what is being 58 really like? which has recently leapt in popularity since; I think it got linked on someone else’s website.
What’s the photo at the top of this post?
Ah yes, that’s my daughter Hannah and my mum. My mum is nearly 88 and I hope to be as active as she is at that age. We had arranged that Hannah would take my mum sailing. I knew it would be a special, tender time and it certainly was. The bonus was nice weather, perfect sea conditions and being joined by Becky and her hubby David. A very special time, already I can feel a lump in my throat when I think about it.
My mum was out of her comfort zone but I told her to trust Hannah, I certainly do trust her. Once we were in the “long boat” – which is really a large dinghy –
Some unexpected post this week?
Yes! Contrary to our declutter policy, we might be buying a painting which has just been offered to us. Earlier in the week we had a letter come through the post, addressed to “the homeowner”. The envelope was hand-written and had me intrigued.
The letter explained they were a relative of a man called George Lane and he used to be the Quirky Museum’s gardener back in the 1950-60s when the house had a lot more land. The letter explained Mr Lane had inherited the painting from the elderly lady he worked for and it was believed the painting was of the inside of the house. Included with the letter was a small photograph and yes, you can see it certainly is a view inside our house. How exciting! We understand the painting is a water colour and dates back to around 1900.
We phoned the person who sent the letter and agreed we will view the painting. Beforehand some steps can be taken to have it valued.
Watch this space!
How are you feeling these days, Doug?
Not bad at all. Always optimistic but these days my physical hopefulness is sometimes a bit creaky.
My previously injured foot is still painful sometimes but at least I know how to massage it and free up those ligaments. I have been discharged by the physiotherapist, saying he has done all he can, recognising it is 95% better. I can carry on the treatment by massaging my foot firmly with my thumb and through standing on one foot, wobbling around. It seems to work!
I suspect my kidney performance had dropped from my last set of blood tests in early May. Since then I have felt nauseous quite a few times at night along, with bouts of fatigue.
More than ever I have the feeling the steps I take now to stay healthy and active will benefit me in the years to come. This is very important to me; I don’t just want to become old before my time. Even though my running speed is rather slow, I am so thankful I can still run and intend to carry on running for many years to come.
So what else is on the horizon?
South Africa – soon – yay!