A weekly (monthly…) blog with a roundup of this year’s One Hour Outside February Photo Challenge, a short hike in south Wales, and a handful of short audiobook reviews.
Happy Shrove Tuesday!
Assuming you are reading this episode on the day I publish it, then happy Shrove Tuesday to you. Are you celebrating? With pancakes?
For any readers who don’t know, today – Tuesday 4 March 2025 – is Shrove Tuesday. Often known as Pancake Day in the UK, it is the day before Ash Wednesday, which marks the start of Lent in the Christian calendar. Its name comes from the old English word “shrive,” which means to confess one’s sins.
Lent takes place over the 40 days before Easter Sunday, marking the time Jesus spent fasting in the desert. As such, it is traditionally a period of fasting and penance for Christians. The custom of eating pancakes on Shrove Tuesday comes from the need to use up rich foods like eggs, milk, and sugar before the fasting period begins. It’s a time for celebration and indulgence before the more sombre season of Lent.
While Brits eat pancakes, many other cultures have their own unique ways of marking the day before Lent. In France, Shrove Tuesday is called ‘Mardi Gras’, which translates to ‘Fat Tuesday’, which involves celebrating with feasting. You’ll also find Mardi Gras in New Orleans in the USA (thanks to its French history), with lavish parades and feasts. In Germany, the same day of the year is called ‘Fastnacht’ or ‘Faschingsdienstag’, which is a day of carnival-like celebrations. Not to be out done, in Iceland they have ‘Sprengidagur’, which translates as ‘Bursting Day’. And in lieu of pancakes or other sweet treats, they celebrate by eating salted meat and peas. I’ll stick with pancakes!
Anyway, RE lesson aside, I hope you have plans to celebrate and indulge a little today. Seems only right.
Looking Back at February
February hasn’t been a bad month in the grand scheme of things, if we completely disregard the weather, that is. Apart from maybe two or three days dotted through the month, February has been incredibly dull and grey and damp. It’s been a very February kind of February. I’m hoping that now spring has started (meteorologically speaking, anyway), we might see some brighter skies and warmer temperatures. I can hope.
I fully blame the pants weather for the fact that the tiredness I talked about in my last episode has still been hanging around. The droopy eyes and lethargic limbs have to be the time of year, I’m counting on it. I did at least manage to avoid the ills so many people have had, though, so that’s something to be very grateful for.
But while I managed to avoid the ills, my blog didn’t… I experienced an annoying technical hiccup when Splodz Blogz fell off the internet for a couple of days early in the month. Thankfully, once I’d worked out what the problem was (my DNS mysteriously reset…), it was easily fixable and I was back in business quickly, which was something of a relief.
Getting Outside
Despite the gloom, the One Hour Outside February Photo Challenge kept me motivated to get outside every day. I’ve definitely needed the extra push, so the challenge has done its job. I haven’t spent anywhere near as many hours outside or walked as many steps as I did in January, but then I didn’t embark on hiking a long-distance trail this month, so that’s not surprising. My average step count was still over 10,000 steps a day, though, so it’s not like I’ve done nothing.
I did have a wonderful catch up a friend who recently moved to Wales, in the form of a beautiful hike along the coast from Dunraven Bay (more further down this post). Although I did postpone my planned 2025 Bingo Card hike in the Clent Hills twice. The first time was due to some awful weather, while the second was due to, er, the well-known issue of ‘unbotheredness’. The standing stones will still be there later this month.
I am happy to report that I managed to keep up with my jogging routine, twice a week every week. The runs in the plan I’m following (I’m using the adidas running app, more in this post) are really pushing my fitness, though, and I’m finding them hard. I guess that’s the point?!
On the Menu
On a tastier note, I had an amazing meal at a new restaurant near Cheltenham called Jai Ho. The food was excellent and, while not a cheap eat, we’ll definitely be going back. Speaking of meals, I’ve been quite the home chef too, whipping up a pie from frozen Christmas leftovers, some super simple cheese and chutney tostadas, leek and mushroom spaghetti, and a firm favourite – sausage and white bean casserole.
Given that it’s getting towards Easter, we’ve once again been working our way through the various hot cross bun flavours available. So far this year, these blueberry and lemon ones from Tesco have been my favourite, closely followed by the apple and cinnamon ones (same brand). I’m still yet to try any cheese ones – but I think I am willing to give them a go this year!
Concentrating on the Positives
I don’t think it’s a problem to say that, as you can tell, February has been a bit mixed. All months are, I think, that’s just the nature of living life. But with the weather, a broken blog, and winter tiredness aside, it’s been pretty decent, and I’ve no real complaints to make to the universe as I write this episode. It’s good to concentrate on the positives and lean on the things we are grateful for. It’s especially difficult when local and world events are so awful and worrying, but there should be no shame or guilt in focusing on the good in life at a personal level.
I hope that whatever February threw at you, there have been plenty of things to make you smile. And here’s hoping that March goes the same way.
One Hour Outside February Photo Challenge
How did you find this year’s One Hour Outside February Photo Challenge (or SplodzDPC for short)?
Over the past 28 days, a handful of us have committed to spending at least one hour outside each day, using the series of photo themes I set as our motivation. We’ve captured moments of beauty, adventure, and serenity along the way. Each photo tells a story of our individual experience of the month – and it’s been lovely to share in the various close-ups, big views, urban wanders, pops of colour, and random scenes each of us have taken the time to notice.
Here’s a gallery showing my 28 photos. Actually, there are a few more than that as I had some spares on some days that I didn’t share over on Instagram. Not quite all of these were taken on the right day, but I wasn’t too far off this year. I see this as my visual diary of a particularly grey feeling month, and even with the weather as it was (lots of grey skies and dull greens), I’ve been able to see a diverse and inspiring range of scenes, which has been good for me.
The whole point of the photo challenge is to motivate myself – and others – to step outside, embrace the fresh air, and find a moment of connection with the natural world on a daily basis. It worked for me, I hope it helped you, too. Thank you to Sarah, Laura, Lauren, Ann, Trinette, Fiona, and others who have joined in this year’s version of the challenge. We’ll do it all again next February!
A Beautiful Day Out in Wales
At the start of February, I headed over to Wales to visit a friend and to go for a hike. The weather was unexpectedly favourable, probably one of the best days of the whole month. It was sunny and felt distinctly spring-like – a somewhat unusual occurrence this close to the sea in Wales!
My friend had combined two walks from book she has to give us an excellent half-day wander. We started at Dunraven Bay, walked inland to Saint Brides, around to Ogmore, and then along the Wales Coast Path back to the start. We added on a wander around Dunraven Castle, and visited Ogmore Castle, too. Oh, and the route took us right past a fantastic café, so I even got a slice of Bara Brith to top of the day.
The hike was thoroughly enjoyable, not strenuous on the legs nor difficult to navigate, simply varied and pleasant. Including our wander around Dunraven Castle, we walked eight miles in a little over three hours. I have since plotted the route in OS Maps and will be sharing it adventure journal style after I’ve finished writing my Mendip Way series.
To offer a couple of highlights, now, though… The path through the valley on the edge of Ogmore Down was gorgeous. The sandy terrain and picturesque beauty were just glorious, especially in the bordering-on-warm sunshine. Another highlight was walking a short section of the Wales Coast Path. I love walking on the coast, and while hiking the whole Wales Coast Path is not practical at the moment, I relish doing snippets of it here and there.
It was a truly lovely day out – an opportunity to catch up with a friend whilst enjoying a mutually loved hobby. Thanks Emma.
That’s Entertainment
It’s been a while since I did any of my short audiobook reviews, and as I’ve been doing a lot of listening over the last few weeks, let me play catch up with a few of my recent favourites. The genre choice surprised even me this time!
Do also read out my mini review of The Last Overland (here on Audible) by Alex Bescoby, which I included in my Currently Loving post at the end of January.
Audiobook: Piranesi, Susanna Clarke
Oh this was good. I’d never normally pick up a book like this one, but I’m so glad I did. It’s superb. Think historical fantasy with a hint of mystery thrown in…
Piranesi by Suzanna Clarke (here on Amazon) transports listeners (or readers, if you are so way inclined) into a strange, mysterious and somewhat mesmerising world filled with endless halls, statues, and tidal waters. The protagonist meticulously records his observations about living in this vast old house in a series of incredibly detailed journals. The story follows Piranesi as he interacts with the enigmatic ‘other’ and has other experiences in this strange place that challenge his understanding of reality.
It’s a weird one, but well worth the time. I’ll definitely be re-listening to it at some point. It could be the perfect accompaniment to an adventure or long journey.
Audiobook: The Life Impossible, Matt Haig
The Life Impossible (here on Amazon) is another great listen (read) from The Midnight Library’s Matt Haig.
This is a story about hope and the transformative power of nature and new beginnings. The plot follows retired maths teacher Grace, who inherits a run-down house in the Mediterranean from someone she once helped. With no guidebook or plan, she arrives on Ibiza to uncover her friend’s mysterious life – and her even more mysterious end.
I liked it. Easy listening in some ways, yet challenging in others. It reminds us that while life can be challenging, there is always hope, and we can find meaning and joy even in the most difficult times. And there’s the part about challenging the boundaries of reality and imagination, too.
Audiobook: 45 Things to Do Before You’re 45 – A Novel, Julia Tuffs
This one’s a bit of a curveball in terms of my normal choice of genre, but the bucket list-esque title caught my attention. That and it was included with Audible, so I didn’t have to use a credit on it! It is worth a mention in this episode because I did enjoy the escapism of it.
Sarah Knight’s 45 Things to Do Before You’re 45 (here on Amazon) follows Charlie, who, on turning 44, becomes ridiculously determined to check off a quirky and ambitious bucket list before hitting the milestone age of 45. As you might imagine, the novel is all about the ups and downs of said list, and what Charlie learns as a result. I don’t think it’s giving anything away if I say the protagonist isn’t entirely loveable – but I think that’s part of the charm of this tale.
One saying I think of often (not from the book but just in life, and paraphrased from something I heard years ago that I can’t source) is “she was who she was then so she can be who she is today”. And this book is certainly one way of looking at that. Far from a self-help book – and thank goodness for that – this is a witty tale that entertained me on a couple of long journeys recently. And don’t worry, I might have a big list, but I’m not a Charlie…
Audiobook: Thirst, Heather Anderson
Back to my usual kind of books – adventure stories. Starting with Thirst by Heather Anderson (also at Amazon).
Thirst, subtitled ‘2600 miles to home’, tells the story of Heather Anderson’s attempt to get the fastest known time hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. Having already hiked the ‘triple crown’ (PCT, ACT and CDT), Heather – trail name Anish – uses the mountains to pull away from what became ‘normal’ to her. The book is an honest account of physical and psychological aspects of attempting such a big endurance challenge – as well as being an ode to the simplicity of trail life (walk, drink, eat, sleep, repeat).
I’m not interested in hiking anything quickly these days, preferring to take my time to enjoy the scenery, but I still find stories of those who do hugely inspiring. These tales demonstrate what the human body (and mind) can do if you try hard enough.
I listened to Thirst and Anderson’s other trail book, Mud, Rocks and Blazes (which I included back in episode 110), in the wrong order. Not sure why, but there we are. If you like the sound of it, read Thirst first.
Audiobook: Lost on Purpose, Patrick Taylor
Lost on Purpose (and on Amazon) is about Patrick Taylor’s winter crossing of the Rocky Mountains alone on food in October/November 2013. Leaving everything behind, he travelled through one of the largest wilderness areas in the USA to reach and retrace the route of Lewis and Clark during the winter.
And while the book is about the adventure, with lots of interesting details in places, the real story here is about Taylor’s quest for meaning. The chapters focus on embracing nature and reevaluating real life rather than epic feats or overcoming challenges. Well, there are also challenges, but you know what I mean.
I admit the narration in this one was a bit flat for me, but I still found the book incredibly interesting. A different kind of adventure than the ones I normally read about, but an excellent accompaniment to some (much less adventurous) lunchtime walks.
See You Next Time…
I guess that was February… I wonder what March will bring? Hopefully some better weather, some little adventures, and lots of smiles.
If you’ve got some of that tea you made before you started reading this blog post, I’ve got some others you might be interested in. I made a start on my Mendip Way adventure journal series recently, and there are other new hiking posts featuring the Malvern Hills and the Chartist Cave. And if you’ve read all those, how about getting to know me a bit better with my take on Vogue’s 73 Questions – a quickfire Q&A with some really random facts and silly short stories.
See you next time.
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