Tales from a down-shifted family
- Making the most of modest means
Endurance events always come with hurdles: injuries, other commitments, the unpredictability of life. But nothing tested me more than the global pandemic and, ultimately, my unexpected heart attack. That moment changed everything. It forced me to question whether I would ever be able to finish what I had started. For someone who thrived on pushing limits, the uncertainty was crushing.
Yet, A Thousand Mile Run isn’t just about setbacks—it’s about overcoming them. It’s about resilience, persistence, and adapting to the unexpected. Completing this journey meant finding new ways forward, learning to listen to my body, and redefining success.
There’s something quietly magical about miniature worlds — little scenes frozen in time, tucked away on a shelf, inviting your imagination to step inside. This Christmas, Anna gave me the perfect excuse to dive into that magic with a thoughtful and rather brilliant gift: a ‘Book Nook’ model kit. I finally finished it today. For...
Things never seem to calm down — it’s just busy, busy, busy all the time. Last week was a hectic one at work, as IBERS was hosting a big conference and I was involved in helping it all run smoothly. On the plus side, I got to sit in on the talks and presentations, and...
Anna keeps telling me that I need to just accept that I’m getting older and embrace it – but where’s the fun in that? It’s much more fun to don a rubber suit, strap myself to several thousand pounds’ worth of carbon fibre and monofilm, and draw some lines on the water!! It’s been blowing...
New interior doors for the house might not be the most exciting home improvement, but after waiting over 20 years, they feel pretty special to us! We never liked the old ones from the day they were installed. Back then, we were young, building our first house, and not really sure what we were doing—so...
Day 8 – Las Salinas, Majorero Cheese Museum, Coast Road, and Star-Gazing With the whole day free today, we had considered hiring e-bikes for another ride, but then Anna came up with a better idea. If we moved our airport transfer to today, we could get to the airport, hire a car from there, use...
After a busy couple of weeks with a trip to Fuerteventura and then a week at a conference with work, the spring garden was looking a little overwhelming. Things—namely the goosegrass, dandelions, and stinging nettles—were getting out of hand, and I’d yet to get Hector, our robot lawnmower, up and running. Robot Mowers Harriet, the...
Day 6 – Surfing Today we had a surf lesson planned. I wasn’t sure if it would be any good or not. I was hoping that Anna would enjoy it, catch a few waves, and finally understand what it’s all about. But as a surfer of 40+ years, I wasn’t sure how it would be...
Day 4 – Windsurfing Our planned stargazing trip for the evening was postponed due to a forecast of high winds. I’d already noticed the forecast, and with so many wing-foilers, windsurfers, and kite-surfers out on the water, I felt the need to take advantage of the conditions for some wind-based watersports fun. Since we’d been...
Our afternoon itinerary featured an e-bike tour, so we spent the morning exploring the coast and dunes, heading towards Flag Beach in search of the windsurf centre—which we never actually found. Along the way we found some popcorn sands which are fossilised algae that form sand that looks like popcorn. These form from marine algae...
Dolphin Watching Journee had also arranged an itinerary of activities for us, and today’s plan was a dolphin and whale watching trip. The logistics of these excursions were well handled, with activity providers contacting us via WhatsApp with meeting details, times, and what to bring. We arrived at the harbour early, watching the surfers before...
Fitness / Technology / Triathlon
Fixing the Altimeter on my Garmin Forerunner 910XT
Monday, March 17th, 2014
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