I needed a break Quite a long one as it happened. In a nutshell, I took on a lot and something had to give. But that was then; this is now. I’m going to take you through the last 18 months of my life, the approximate time it took me to get to the great place I’m in now. It’s good to be back. Personal growth In the space of the last 18 months, I: Hit the floor. Not majorly, but enough to take action; Bounced back up. ‘The ground is a great place to build from’ JK Rowling; Exercised/not exercised, put on weight. Who hasn’t?; Recovered in a big way; Dated. A few times; Achieved in a big way. Mo ..read more

I’m trying to make sense of the times that we’re in. It’s now been 3 weeks since the cubs have been with me. It could be more; I’ve lost count. I’m balancing the loneliness and vacuum with a morning wakeup call from eldest, lunchtime updates and Facetime at bedtime. I’m stressed. Thankfully, I’m also self-aware so I recognise the need to take action. Not before the Universe gives me a little more incentive. First World Problems During lockdown I stick to routine. Wake, wash, work or watch (movies..) workout, wepeat.. Then my wifi dropped out. I tried to put it into perspective (global pandemic ..read more

As parents, we know that this moment is coming.  In fact, I remember joking about it in the delivery room, staring into the adoring eyes of my eldest as I held her in one hand. Now, nine and a half years later, that moment has arrived. She’s noticed her body changing and the bodies of her friends. Her mother has also attempted to impose a preparedness kit on me, that consists of chocolates and cuddles. Niceties aside, I recognised that a growing young woman would need facts. Puberty can be terrifying if you don’t know it’s coming. There’s a world of changes that will take place ..read more

This one is a mixed bag! strap in, keep up and enjoy! The days between me last seeing the cubs and my weekend had dragged. The Thursday pick-up couldn’t come soon enough. The after-school club collection was the usual long hugs and excited storytelling. The immediacy of filling in the last seven days crammed the next few minutes. Youngest however maintained his usual reserved stance. How was school? ‘Good’ What was your most favourite part? ‘Some of it’ What was your least favourite part? ‘None of it’ Ok. Good to catch up. ‘So what’s the plan this weekend dad?’ eldest chipped in; recognising t ..read more

Let me begin with a disclaimer. I’m not what you would call a slouch. I like exercise. I’ve grown up around it and I’m vocal about the benefits of maintaining health and wellbeing through exercise. Recently, I have been a bit of a slouch. In a way, I forgot the golden rule that exercise serves to callous an individual against most of life’s stresses and strains. Instead, I gave in to those stresses and strains. Both exercise and diet suffered. One of the [many] positive outcomes of finding out I’m not yet on my final path, was that my cholesterol level was quite high. Not wanting to bring on w ..read more

I never fail to marvel at the complexities of the human body; especially my own. Over the past two or three months, I have been suffering. A nagging tightness in the chest that began to radiate. This eventually caused headaches and dizziness, but it was not too long before pain and discomfort spread to my left arm. I have rudimentary medical training. It comes with what I do. I suspected cardiovascular issues, but in a ridiculous act of fear induced denial, I did no more than wait, for far too long. Eventually just before Christmas I finally sought medical help. Photo by Negative Space on Pexe ..read more

Something’s going on and I’m not sure what. About two months ago (maybe more) my body started to feel differently. When I say my body, I mean my chest. When I say my chest, I mean, the area where my heart is. I really couldn’t think of a better way to write that.. In the tail end of the last year, things started to really ramp up in both my personal and professional life. I changed roles in my workplace and was given a baptism of fire. It was more full-on than I had experienced in a very long time. My energy was being pulled in every direction; I had to relinquish some activities and my belove ..read more

In the sprint up to Christmas, it’s a time of many birthday parties and events; the cubs and I are busy. My weekend will be punctuated by one, 6th birthday party tomorrow but first, my two are due an eye test. This was a fall out event from daddy having a new prescription a few weeks back. The optometrist and I got chatting and I realised that the cubs had never had an eye test. I booked one in. Our last visit was a mirthful event as they were both on top form. At one point, the optometrist had to put the tools of her trade down as she was laughing so much. Apparently, say cheese! was not the ..read more

I exhausted myself; it’s why I’ve been quiet. Here in the UK, we have a turn of phrase for being busy; we call it spinning plates. It harks back to the circus act of erecting a number of head height poles into the ground, then balancing spinning plates on them. The trick of it was to wobble the stick in a circular motion, causing said balanced plate to spin and remain in situ unaided. The skill arrived in getting all your plates spinning, by running to each stick in succession as they slowed, friction getting the better of them, and impart more energy to keep them going. To be successful, the ..read more

I should really get back to writing… I miss it. BSD ..read more