What you can’t see when reading my weekly blogs (or any of my blog posts), is the scene I’m a part of when writing these words.
Right now, I’m sat in the car on my way home after a couple of days in Lincolnshire celebrating Christmas with family. I’m in the passenger seat while my husband drives, and am using some of the three-or-so hours it’ll take to get some thoughts down that I can turn into a full weekly blog post over the next day or two. I suspect there may also be some chatting, some singing along to music, some distracted scrolling, and maybe some napping, but at least I’ve made a start.
Being able to set the scene was one thing I used to enjoy about weekly vlogging, which I dabbled in a few years ago (they’re still live if you want a giggle). There was something nice about being able to capture things as they happened – sharing walks, new experiences, meals prepared, and anything else that seemed interesting. In fairness, I think most vlogs these days are scripted and rehearsed, which defeats the object of the genre in my opinion, but there we are.
Anyway, I digress. In this weekly blog episode, I’ll chat more about my unintentional yet good-for-me walking for Advent challenge, share this year’s Jokabolaflod book with you, speak a little about how we spent Christmas, look back on some of those 2023 intentions I set way back in February, and provide a couple of mini audiobook reviews. Oh, and I end this weekly blog with some book recommendations for you, in case you are looking for the perfect title to take you into 2024.
Walking for Advent
The question no-one but myself is asking, is did I manage to complete my walking home for Advent challenge? I mean, I only had five days left to go when I published my last weekly blog, and I was doing okay then, so this should have been an easy win.
Whether you choose to work on the logic that Advent ends on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day (24 or 25 days), then I am happy to confirm I did indeed manage to walk over 10,000 steps every day for Advent.
Want some stats? In 25 days, according to my iPhone (I don’t have a fitness watch, I just keep my phone in my pocket so it’s not terribly accurate), I walked a total of 328,150 steps, which my phone tells me is 142.5 miles. This means my average for the first 25 days of December was 13,080 steps and 5.7 miles a day. Not too shabby.
The furthest I walked in one day was 24,292 steps or 11.6 miles. My shortest walking day was way back on day one, when I did 10,237 steps or 3.7 miles – but it was a decent enough starting point and, as you know, I hadn’t even realised I was walking for Advent by then!
What was the Point?
This was genuinely an accidental challenge to begin with (read weekly blog episode 133 for the back story), but ended up being a way of helping me to inject some purposeful movement into my every day, with the hope it might even lead to some positive physical and mental wellbeing benefits.
I do not believe I am any fitter as a result of this challenge, but I do feel good for all that movement. While I suspect 25 days isn’t enough to see any real long-term benefits, I do think this was a worthwhile way to use my time in the run up to Christmas.
The walking bit itself wasn’t arduous (although my legs and feet definitely ached every morning, I can’t deny that), but making the time to meet my daily goal took some actual effort. Walking 10,000 steps takes me something like 90-minutes if I don’t jog – so I had to make decisions each day to specifically carve out time for it. I talked a bit in my last blog about how I did that.
The biggest benefit of this Advent walk was the daily thinking time it afforded me, and the extra time I had to listen to audiobooks and podcasts, both of which were pleasing advantages. I often talk about how One Hour Outside helps me get my thoughts in order, and that was exemplified through this. Honestly, if you need to make a decision, go for a walk. If your brain feels full, go for a walk. If you are struggling to find the words, go for a walk. It’s wonderful.
And in 2024?
I admit I immediately broke my streak on Boxing Day, which was an inevitable shame. We travelled to Lincolnshire to spend a couple of days with family, and sometimes taking an hour to go for a walk is less important than catching up and playing games.
I am, of course, wanting to keep this up as a forever-habit, although I might return to my usual style of looking at my daily average instead of daily total, so I don’t end up hating myself for having a rest day here and there. Feeling like you can’t take a day off is, in my opinion, a sure-fire way to make any activity a chore rather than a pleasure. At the very least I want to try and beat my 2023 step average in 2024, but more about that once the year has actually ended and I’m setting my intentions for the coming year.
Jokabolaflod
I’ve taken part in the Icelandic tradition of Jokabolaflod courtesy of my friends at Comms Unplugged for a few years now, and I genuinely look forward to it every year. The tradition involves gifting a (personally chosen) book and chocolate on Christmas Eve – and then taking time to read and enjoy. We do it Secret Santa style, where we each buy a book for another member of the group based on what we know about them plus a few reading preferences we each note down. We don’t know each other very well but it always seems to work perfectly.
This year Pen, a lovely soul from the group, sent me The Dark by Emma Haughton – and a bar of Lindt Excellence Orange Intense, which is (was…) a most excellent chocolate choice. The book is a psychological thriller telling the story of Kate North, who goes to the UN research station in Antarctica as the emergency doctor after the previous doctor died in an accident out on the ice. And as you might expect, as darkness covers the land 24 hours a day, it turns out all is not as it seems.
I’m only a couple of chapters in so far, but this was a great choice, and one I would unlikely have chosen for myself. And yes, I’m reading an actual book – Jokabolaflod means I do so at least once a year!!
Our Christmas Traditions
I love hearing about how people spend Christmas; there is something so interesting about the differences in family traditions and preferences when it comes to this most festive time of year.
We had Christmas Day at home and to ourselves this year, the first time in many years. We talked about all the different things we could do with our day – a long walk in the woods, a toasted sandwich in Gloucester, a motorcycle ride, a trip to the seaside. But in the end, we decided what we craved most was a simple day at home (and the fact that it rained all day definitely made that choice the right one).
We started the day by attending family communion at our local church, before opening our gifts to each other and having toasted tea cakes for lunch.
We spent the afternoon in the garage fitting my new Bumot pannier rack and boxes to my motorbike, a real luggage upgrade in both style and function for future road trips. Don’t worry, I shan’t talk much about my new bike or accessories in this weekly blog, but I reckon a ‘how I’ve set up my new GS for touring’ post might be in order a bit later in the year.
Our Christmas Day dinner was a rather untraditional plate of homemade American biscuits and gravy, made with Lincolnshire sausages, which definitely hit the spot. And I topped off the day with a soak in the bath and watching the Dr Who Christmas special on the telly. Perfect.
Don’t worry, we still got a much more traditional Christmas over the following two days, thanks to heading up to Lincolnshire to spend time with family.
Family Christmas
We spent Boxing Day with my side of the family – a big turkey dinner, Christmas pudding, opening presents, building toys, eating sweets, playing games, a gluttonous tea with the required sausage rolls and cheese board, and quiz programmes on the telly.
As with families up and down the country, we had a traditional game of monopoly, but this time trying out our nephew’s new Mega Monopoly – which was much faster paced than the original version thanks to the addition of a third dice and bus tickets. The slightly altered rules mean you are forced to buy up properties quickly and money changes hands much faster; within an hour, the board was completely sold out. If you’re looking for a version of the game that can be played in under two hours, this is a good option.
Then on Wednesday – today as I write this sat in the car – we had our family day with my husband’s side of the family. And their new puppy, Coco. Cue the carnage of present opening, toy building, fitting my mother-in-law’s new outside light over the front door (we bought it so we fit it!), another big turkey dinner and Christmas pudding, attempting a very cryptic Christmas quiz, a short walk between the heavy rain showers, playing classic Pictionary, and tea complete with Applewood cheese and homemade fluffy chocolate orange tart.
It might have been a whistle stop tour of our family homes, but it was lovely to spend time doing normal Christmas with our loved ones. We even brought home a cool bag full of leftovers, which means there will be a turkey and gammon pie in our future.
Year-Long Intentions
I can’t help it. As 2023 comes to an end, which it is doing rapidly, it’s almost impossible not to look back at the last 12-months and think about what I’ve seen, experienced, achieved, and (especially) failed at. It’s been a mixed year, with some big bucket list ticks as well as some struggles to keep up with my daily habits.
The Adventures
I split my 2023 intentions into two sections, the first which concentrated on adventure time, while the second was more about living everyday life to the full.
When it comes to adventure time, it’s been a pretty good year by my normal standards – I hiked the Cotswold Way and Cumbria Way, and rode my motorbike to the Sahara Desert. I spent a week riding my bike through Benelux, climbed three Lake District mountains in three consecutive days, and (finally) finished the Winchcombe Way. Considering I work full time and rely on my annual leave quota to fit in adventures, that’s not half bad.
I’m a bit said that I didn’t manage to tick off five of the six short adventures I said I wanted to have.
I did stay the walk-in-only accommodation that is Skiddaw House. But I didn’t go on a camping trip with a view of the sea from my tent, have an overnight stay in a treehouse, do a cosy glamping weekend with a wood burning stove and/or a hot tub, have a a traditional city break with lots of urban exploring and good food, or enjoy an overnight stay with fancy spa access. Well, maybe our two nights in Marrakesh counts for the city break, but I think that’s a bit tenuous as it’s not really what I meant when writing the list.
You know I’ll be carrying over those things into 2024 – and adding a few more. I already have a night in a Shepherd’s Hut booked courtesy of a local tourist board who want to work with me in the spring, which is a very nice thing to look forward to.
Living Life Fully
Really, my main intention for 2023 was to live life fully. And that I did. I would say I found a better balance between being on the go and resting this year, and that has meant I was able to enjoy the adventures I did go on even more.
Ways I hoped to do this (as noted in my Bucket List Reset), included having lots of One Hour Outside inspired adventures, meeting friends for walks and cups of tea, creating opportunities to see big and pretty views, purposefully adding to my repertoire of tried and tested home cooked meals, and working hard to spruce up Splodz Blogz.
My biggest win here has to be seeking out short walks and doing them slowly. While I love the adventure of multi-day hikes and long road trips, they are filled with such pressure in terms of time and distance. Meandering along for a couple of hours is so joyful, and I wanted to make more time for that. This was something I relished in 2023, and I want more – lots more – of this in 2024. I especially enjoyed the walks I did in Dorset right at the start of the year, and meeting friends for walks on my local patch.
Where I haven’t quite managed to end the year as I’d hoped, is this fitness goal. While I have run occasionally, averaged over 10k steps at day across the year, and done some big hikes, I just don’t feel fit and healthy right now. Getting fit and keeping fit should be much easier but it just isn’t. Something for me to work on.
Next Year’s Intentions
I’ll wait until early February to set my intentions for the year again, as that leaves January for me to concentrate on practising three or four of my regular habits; getting One Hour Outside every day, writing daily, and exercising regularly. I think it’s a good idea to give myself a month to slip gently into 2024, to not be swept away with the setting of huge life goals. Although you know I’ve been planning the bigger things in already – the diary isn’t looking too bad.
That’s Entertainment
I can’t review The Dark quite yet as I’m only a couple of chapters in, but I’ll let you know how I get on with that one when it’s finished. In the meantime, here are a couple of very enjoyable audiobooks I’ve listened to very recently.
Audiobook: The Secret History of Christmas, Bill Bryson
I thoroughly enjoyed listening to The Secret History of Christmas, a short novella-length audiobook by Bill Bryson. And I reckon you’ve just about got time left to read a Christmas-themed book before it’s time to put all the festive paraphernalia away until December.
In it, Bryson tells the stories behind Christmas traditions, including where mince pies come from, what Boxing Day really is, how Saint Nicholas morphed into Father Christmas, the origins of Good King Wenceslas and other carols, the true identity of Santa Claus, and more. It was a very interesting and appropriate listen which I got through in a couple of walks – it’s fast paced and easy to listen to.
Also, it was free which always helps!. The Secret History of Christmas is included in the Audible Plus Catalogue, so it’s free for Audible members.
Audiobook: Step by Step, Simon Reeve
My latest adventure memoir listen has been Simon Reeve’s Step by Step, which was recommended to me by my friend and hiking buddy Jenni.
I was really interested in how Simon got his big break into journalism by finding himself in Boston, Lincolnshire, a place I know well (and was in just yesterday!) – and since then has had journalistic adventures in 120 countries, including some of the most remote and extreme corners of the planet.
The book is full of well told anecdotes which both make me want to travel to far flung places for weird and wonderful experiences, as well as making me appreciate the comforts of home. He had me laughing and shuddering in equal measure, and I will certainly be using an Audible credit on his second memoir – Journeys to Impossible Places.
Books to Bring in the New Year
I received a gift of Audible credits for Christmas so I’m on the lookout for some new titles to accompany me on walks and drives over the coming weeks. A good friend recently recommended A Woman in the Polar Night by Christiane Ritter, which does indeed look good and I’ve got on standby. If you’ve got suggestions for me – (auto)biographical adventure stories, or cosy crime/mystery novels – then please do drop them in the comments.
And in return, let me recommend two books to you that, if you’ve not already read, you might consider as your end-of-2023 treat to yourself.
The first is Adventure Revolution by Belinda Kirk. This should be on absolutely everyone’s to-read list. Bel, who I have met a few times and respect very deeply, shares important insights into the power of adventure, and why it should be something we all do regularly. This book is full of good advice for a great life from a lady who knows what she’s talking about.
The second is Walking: One Step at a Time by Erling Kagge. I’ve now read (listened to) this three times because it completely captivates me with the simplicity of the incredibly important message. Based on the “He who walks lives longer – and better”, this is a short (2.5 hour) listen about the virtues of walking for pleasure and necessity.
There are some more recommendations in my Adventure Books post, which is a year old now so could probably do with a part two – I’ll add it to my blogging list!
See you Next Year…
I’ll finish this weekly blog episode as I started it, by setting the scene.
I’m (unsurprisingly) no longer sat in the car writing on my phone. Rather, I am sat on my sofa with my laptop on my knee, with Scala Radio playing in the background, listening to the very edge of Storm Gerrit blow outside, drinking tea from a new mug, with the pile of lovely gifts my family treated with me over the last couple of days on the floor at my feet. My plans for the day include putting those new things away, fitting a couple more farkles to my bike, walking to the grocers to stock up on veggies, and making a risotto with some of the leftover gammon we brought home from Lincolnshire.
I’m going to make this my last blog post of 2023, and will return in 2024 for more outdoor adventure storytelling and musings on real life. I will therefore wish you a very Happy New Year now – and remind you of this fantastic anonymous quote:
“Be so busy loving your life that you have no time for hate, regret or fear.” (Unknown)
Thank you to everyone who has helped and supported me over the last 12 months, in person or online, it means a great deal that people are actually reading this stuff I write. Here’s to more in 2024!
Buy Me a Cuppa?
If you enjoyed this weekly blog episode and fancy supporting me and my mini adventures this year, you can “buy me a coffee” for £3 (well, a cup of tea, if that’s okay?). Head over to Ko-fi to find out more. Thank you.