Alcohol free living: two years in

July 2, 2020.Reading time 4 minutes.

It’s been two years since I quit booze. I’d wanted to cut alcohol out for ages. For a while there were lots of broken promises and fresh starts. But I had this developing discomfort about drinking; like it was a waste of time, sapping energy which could be channeled elsewhere. Alcohol always made me feel rubbish […]

Explore: sea swimming in Devon

June 10, 2020.Reading time 6 minutes.

In the last few years swimming has become an exercise staple. From spring through to autumn, I take to the seas and rivers and so when the warmer weather arrived it was time to get back into the brine. My usual swim spot is Torbay, South Devon. Torbay has lots of advantages because its waters are […]

Mental kindness – and unleashing the inner child

May 20, 2020.Reading time 5 minutes.

I wanted to write a long and thoughtful article on looking after your mind all the time, not just when Mental Health Awareness Week rolls around. But, quite honestly, I’ve not been able to find the words. I started procrastinating and that led me into beating myself up about it. The teeny tiny internal critic […]

Some lessons. 700 days alcohol free.

May 10, 2020.Reading time 8 minutes.

This morning I happened to check the app which tracks how long it has been since I quit drinking. And – wow! – it’s been 700 days since I gave up booze. It got me thinking about how different life is. Today I woke up early, did yoga, some cleaning, messaged my family and went […]

Forget the new normal, stay with the new for now

May 7, 2020.Reading time 4 minutes.

Over the past couple weeks talk has turned to what the ‘new’ normal may look like. Things won’t be the same again, we are told. It’ll be very different. The same people can’t tell us what our hinterland beyond will look like, it just won’t be what we were used to before. You become caught […]

You don’t need to race to run

April 24, 2020.Reading time 6 minutes.

I’ve realised I’m changing. Usually I am here, there, everywhere. Racing around, running myself ragged. And now… now, I am not. I’ve slowed down. I’ve spent more time looking, observing and enjoying what is around me. These last few weeks have provided me with a deeper appreciation of what running means to me and the […]

Being brave doesn’t mean you’re not afraid

April 7, 2020.Reading time 4 minutes.

So here you are and today you do not feel great. You woke up feeling slightly terrified. Panic rises and falls in your chest. You switch on the news and switch it off again. It all sounds so bleak and you don’t think your fragile state can handle it right now. Thing is, you don’t […]

Remembering the human touch

March 30, 2020.Reading time 4 minutes.

In my last blog post I used the term ‘physical distancing’. Someone (well meaning, no doubt) suggested I was confused. Did I not mean social distancing? No, I replied. You see, I use this phrase in much the same way as I try avoiding the word ‘lockdown’. The first time I heard ‘social distancing’ as […]

Remembering the light in the dark

March 19, 2020.Reading time 5 minutes.

These are, as everyone is saying, strange times. 24 hours can seem like an eternity. Once you get used to the new norm, the cards are tossed up and land in new and unfamiliar positions. Things are… weird. I guess you may be feeling it too. You’re not quite sure what you feel; sometimes a […]

Walk: a little slice of Shaldon, Devon

February 10, 2020.Reading time 4 minutes.

“In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks” – Adventurer John Muir People tend to talk about walking as a way to ‘switch off’ but I see it as a way to switch on. I love walking for so many reasons. Health, nature, exploration, it’s an endless list. But I also […]