Month: August 2021

parkrunday: Jesmond Dene #27

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I was excited about today’s parkrun because, for the very first time, I was volunteering as tailwalker (the back marker who walks behind the last participant and makes sure everyone gets through the finish before the parkrun gets packed away). It was fun, although the weather was not exactly ideal for being out on the course for nearly an hour!

Pre-parkrun
Pre-parkrun. We were only about 45% soaked at this point.

It was an absolutely sodden morning and it just kept getting heavier! This was the second wet parkrunday since the restart and both times I was volunteering at Jesmond Dene… hope this doesn’t become a trend! I’m marshalling there again in three weeks’ time so I will keep you informed.

Back to regular running next week, plus another attempt at a new-to-me volunteer role 🙂

Eyes on the autumn

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Twelve days to go until meteorological autumn begins. I am very excited.

Things have been quite well timed this week. Geth and I returned home from the last of our summer trips away on Tuesday, and I finished the last items for the last of my big summer work projects on Wednesday. Work has been very busy over the spring and summer, which has been great, but it’s starting to quieten down again now. I’ll be taking the opportunity over the next few weeks to get a new game made and to have some downtime with my much-neglected videogame collection. I’m also in the sharp end of marathon training now, so I need to get some rest and relaxation in when I’m not running!

I’m finding it hard to get out of the ‘I should be doing something work-related right now’ guilt and letting myself relax, but that’s sort of understandable after so many months. I hope I’ll feel a bit more settled in a week’s time.

Mull of Galloway
So many pictures from our last trip! This is another one from the Mull of Galloway.

This week’s earworm playlists:

Saturday

S-Express – ‘Theme From S-Express’

Sunday

Grant Lee Buffalo – ‘The Whole Shebang’
Shoji Meguro – ‘Heretic Mansion’
Duran Duran and Chai – ‘More Joy’

Monday

Duran Duran – ‘Reach Up For The Sunrise’

Tuesday

The Crüxshadows – ‘Return’
Fleetwood Mac – ‘Don’t Stop’
Duran Duran and Chai – ‘More Joy’
The Corries – ‘Wild Mountain Thyme’

Wednesday

Peter Gabriel – ‘Games Without Frontiers’

Thursday

Duran Duran – ‘What Happens Tomorrow’
Duran Duran – ‘Invisible’

Friday

The B-52s – ‘Roam’

Phone Box Thursday: B7041, Drummore

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Mum and Dad had spotted this phone box a while ago, and I was able to photograph it while visiting the Mull of Galloway at the weekend!

Red phone box
Red phone box, B7041, Drummore, 16th August 2021.

(Coordinates 54°66’26.3″N, 4°90’09.6″W.)

I like the accompanying Wonder Woman scarecrow! (Scarecrows are a big thing in the surrounding village; there are lots of them sitting on walls.)

This phone box doesn’t have a phone inside, though it does still have all the posters advising how to use cash etc. As such, we wondered if it had maybe been moved for decorative purposes at some point. However, the Street View image linked above (as ever, taken during the Google cars’ only ever visit to rural Scotland in 2009!) shows it in the same place, so it would have been the community box originally.

More from Scotland next week!

Gaming Wednesday!

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With the summer work and trips all complete, I’m having a day off to play videogames before getting back to my projects. Looking forward to getting lost in some other worlds for the afternoon!

Mull of Galloway
A different kind of ‘other world’ visited at the weekend. The ones I’m visiting today aren’t real!

Home for a while

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Geth and I are back in Newcastle after a few days spent at Mum and Dad’s holiday caravan in Dumfries and Galloway. It’s been lovely making the most of Geth’s summer leave to go zipping around visiting places for a few weeks, but I’m ready to settle down into the autumn routine at home now. I have lots of games to make (and play) and the final stages of a marathon training plan to complete.

Blog posts will gradually return to the normal schedule as a result!

Ailsa Craig from Girvan
So many photos from the last few days! This one is the view of Ailsa Craig from Girvan beach on Saturday. It was cloudy but atmospheric.

(Including the Tuesday pesto posts. From next week!)

parkrunday: Girvan Prom #84

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It was so exciting to be in Scotland for the Scottish parkrun restart this morning! Girvan Prom had been on my bucket list for a long time (I love seaside parkruns) and it did not disappoint, despite the cold wind and tough grassy section. I’m still pretty slow at the moment due to various issues around marathon training, but I still managed my fastest time since the English restart a few weeks ago, so I’m very happy!

They also gave out free tablet at the end to celebrate 😍

parkrunners with tablet!
Two very happy parkrunners with their complimentary tablet! Photo (c) John Cooke 2021.

The first of many parkruns to tick off in this area of Scotland, I hope! Planning on visiting a lot in the future…

Tarmac and nettles

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Now that it’s the sharp end of marathon training, I’m settling into a bit of a pattern with my Thursday long runs: run through town to a quiet waterside path and then follow said quiet waterside path for requisite number of miles. This week I was back at home in Newcastle, which does not have a handy canal like Edinburgh and Colne were able to provide the prior couple of weeks. Instead it has a giant old river and a path that runs along it sometimes and sometimes not. As such, it required a bit more mental work in terms of making sure I was going the right way. I’m still having a few issues on the long runs, but gradually solving them one by one.

Work is gradually settling down, which means I can have a proper weekend for the next couple of days. Really looking forward to it!

Warning sign
No swimming! This sign has clearly been around for a while judging by the ’80s-style font.

This week’s earworm playlists:

Saturday

Alan Hawkshaw – ‘Grange Hill Theme’
Madonna – ‘Borderline’

Sunday

Blondie – ‘Rapture’
Hot Butter – ‘Popcorn’

Monday

Welshly Arms – ‘Sanctuary’

Tuesday

Republica – ‘Drop Dead Gorgeous’
Leo Sayer – ‘Moonlighting’

Wednesday

Duran Duran – ‘Hungry Like The Wolf’
Billy Ocean – ‘Love Really Hurts Without You’

Thursday

Shoji Meguro – ‘Heretic Mansion’
Duran Duran and Chai – ‘More Joy’

Friday

The Beatles – ‘She Loves You’

And a bonus track Geth was humming earlier:

Carter USM – ‘Lean On Me I Won’t Fall Over’

Phone Box Thursday: More Phone Box News

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I found this recent story – about a phone box being retained as a tribute to a late phone box fan who used it all the time – to be really touching. I hope the community manage to keep it.

Or… we could maybe start turning red phone boxes into electric car charging points? 😀

This Welsh community have jumped the gun a bit by turning their local phone box into a library before it officially went out of use!

Red phone boxes make it into Fortnite (though I’m pretty sure Clark Kent used an American-style ‘payphone kiosk’ to change into his Superman duds in the comics).

I logged this mysterious phone box back in 2019 when I first did the London Marathon! Glad to see it in the news.

And finally… I’ve seen some interesting phone box refurbishments, but I’m pretty sure this Kent example is the first ever phone box ice cream parlour!