In this weekly blog episode: Life and exam results, a local day hike, my new hiking trainers, and The Book of Doors.
I don’t know about you, but the weeks seem to be getting busier and busier at the moment. The summer is providing no let-up in proceedings… As I write this weekly blog episode, I am all too aware that I am finding my to do list a little overwhelming, and I know my body and brain could do with some guilt-free down time. I am tired, and maybe also a little bit cranky.
Roll on the bank holiday weekend!
It’s not all bad, though. Not by a long way. Life is good, and I have no real complaints. Just feeling the strain of normal life, as we often do.
Some good things of note include seeing the most beautiful fiery sunrise early on Thursday morning as I was on my way to work, eating a delicious chippie tea with colleagues at the end of a very long but good working day, going on a short but much needed very late One Hour Outside at sunset on Friday, and spending some time with friends relaxing on a hill on Sunday morning. Oh, and an honourable must go to the new-to-me recipe for summery tostadas I cooked for dinner this evening (Monday) – fresh and very tasty. Would recommend.
It’s the little things.
On Life and Exam Results
I’ve mentioned before in my weekly blog episodes that one of the joys of working in higher education (my day job), is that I am involved in the melee that is results day and clearing.
This year I took part in my 19th A Level Thursday, which is nothing short of ridiculous (there goes time running away again). Each year I can’t help it but think about what it is like to be someone receiving results, making decisions that will set them on a certain path, perhaps for the rest of their life. Making significant life choices is hard. And stressful.
I do actually work in the field I studied at university, but I try not to let that one thing define me. We are much better these days at stepping back and looking at the whole picture that is life, rather than us being completely defined by the thing we do to earn money. And I think that’s how things have changed since I started working in the weird world that is higher education. Yes, I spend a lot of hours doing the thing that pays the bills, but more importantly, I’m an outdoors loving person who wants to be a good influence on others and have fun with the time I have been given.
If you are reading this having received exam result this summer (or know someone who has), or you are trying to make a life-defining decision this week, remember that while it feels like this moment matters more than anything in the world right now, almost nothing you decide today can’t be changed later. Do the thing that feels right, and see where it takes you.
Remember… Life is bigger than any exam results-related decision you might be making this month.
Local Day Hike
Opportunities to go hiking have been few and far between this year. I had a particularly busy May in terms of hikes (read about my five days in Cumbria and 36 hours in the Test Valley), but since then, walking has taken something of a back seat to everything else.
And that’s okay, I’ve been busy doing other things at the weekends, or using my Saturdays to recover from said other things; I’ve come to learn that I can’t do all the things all the time.
The other weekend, though, I found myself with a free Saturday, so I decided it was time to go for a local day hike. I walk from my front door regularly, almost daily in fact, but it tends to be within the confines of my daily One Hour Outside time. It’s been a long time since I made it a whole day out; I guess the pull of the countryside further afield (such as Pen y Fal earlier in the year and Purton Ship Graveyard more recently) has been too much.
I thoroughly enjoyed a lovely 14-mile loop which linked up paths I know well with a couple of new-to-me stretches I’ve been meaning to walk. This was one of those hikes which allowed me to get to know the area around where I live even better than I do already. Even after living here for over six years, there are still new paths to walk and places to explore, and it was good to make some time for that.
Hiking to Reset
It was strenuous in its distance, and there were a couple of ascents which tested my endurance, especially with my fitness being as it is at the moment (I’m working on it!). But in the main, it was a beautifully meandering and easy-going hike which I enjoyed taking my time over. It was a nice combination of being up high with far-reaching views, and walking through little villages with charm and character.
The weather was mostly kind. At one point I watched as a narrow but heavy looking downpour headed towards me. I had time to put on my waterproofs (my Mac in a Sac set comes on all my hikes now) before it reached me, and was able to get out of the open and take shelter by a church before the worst of it arrived. Thankfully it moved over quickly.
It really was an enjoyable day out. A real combination of countryside, farmland, villages and woodland. There was familiarity which made navigation simple, but enough ‘new’ to keep things interesting. Apart from a couple of miles in the middle, I seemed to have the whole route to myself, which was an added bonus – a chance to hike in solitude.
Anyone else use hiking solo as a way to fully reset from the hustle and bustle of life? I really am fortunate to live where I do, and when I hear myself moaning about the traffic and other things that niggle, I must remember this hike.
Explore Your Own Area
If you’ve not done a very local day hike for a while, I would highly recommend finding a Saturday and doing just that. Link up paths you know with paths you’ve never walked, and create an opportunity for yourself to explore as well as reset, without going far from home.
You could plan a route ahead of time so it’s ready for when that free day opens up, or just follow your nose, depending on how much you know the area. Either way, I recommend OS Maps as a useful (and sensible) tool to have with you. (And maybe you could tell me about your local hike by commenting on this weekly blog episode.)
In the Mail
Terrex Anylander Hiking Shoes
I may have done some trainer-purchasing damage with my latest gift voucher from adidas (I’m part of their blogger community again this year), and so the other day a rather large box was delivered with THREE new pairs of trainers. Yes, yes, yes, I have a trainer problem – always have done, likely always will, and adidas are fuelling it. And I’m fine with that. Embrace it, right?! No judgements, please, or at least don’t tell me if you do!
I’ll not bore you with talk of all my new shoes in this weekly blog (although I will say these Stabil Next Gen Handball Shoes are SO comfortable, I love them). But I will briefly mention the hiking trainers I ordered – the Terrex Anylander Hiking Shoes.
Designed for day hikes, the Anylanders are lightweight like trainers but stable like hiking shoes – with lots of cushioning and a nice wide fit. And I did actually get them for hiking (unlike the handball trainers, which I did not get for playing handball…). I’m finding I’m wearing my Meindl Bhutans less and less these days, and am hiking in trainers like these instead. On this occasion, I chose the non-waterproof ones, in the interests of keeping my feet cool – although that does mean I’m hoping for lots of dry weekends over the coming months. I am looking forward to lots of happy hiking miles in my new green trainers. As always, I’ll let you know how I get on with them once I’ve had chance to give them a thorough test.
That’s Entertainment
Audiobook: Book of Doors, Gareth Brown
I’ve been enjoying listening to fiction audiobooks this summer, which is quite a change for me really. My latest listen was The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown, and I thoroughly enjoyed this one – full of magic, time travel, adventure, and old fashioned good versus evil.
The Book of Doors follows the story of bookseller Cassie Andrews, who is given a book, an unusual book, full of strange writing and mysterious drawings. Cassie and her best friend Izzy are lead on a wild ride thanks to The Book of Doors, meeting other people along the way with varying moral standards.
It’s a great story, one that had me walking a bit further at lunchtimes and not worrying about getting stuck in traffic on my commute. I’m no literature expert and am not interested in being challenged by novels. Rather, I tend to gravitate towards stories where the concept is unusual, but the tale is easy to follow. It was easy to warm to the characters, easy to dislike the villains, and easy for my imagination to run wild with the idea of having my own unusual book.
The Book of Doors is worth an Audible credit if you’ve got one to spare this month.
Audible | Amazon | Waterstones (other book shops are available!)
There are some other book reviews in this weekly blog episode 160.
See You Next Time…
That’ll do for another weekly blog episode. Feels good to be back blogging again, sharing the randomness that is life in these journal style articles. I’ve got a handful of my more focused outdoorsy posts in the works, and hope to bring you some of those soon. In the meantime, if you haven’t already caught up with my recent trip to Cumbria, I’d love it if you read Five Days in Cumbria, A Coledale Round, and Ashness Bridge and Walla Crag.
See you next time.
Read more Weekly Blog episodes.
Support Splodz Blogz… with Tea
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.