zymotux

Yesterday, at the request of a nearly six year old girl, we brought together seven households from Cardiff, Didcot, London, Reading, Sheffield and Winchester for a ten hour long virtual beer festival. The girl in question was missing the fun and excitement of the Reading Beer Festival and who could blame her – all the adults were too!

Over the last month my weight loss and running have both plateaued... but that's OK! If you had told me at the start of the year I'd loose 14 ± 2 lbs in 3-4 months and be able to run 5k again I'd have been a little doubtful but very happy! I feel more like myself again on the physical side for the first time in years and that has a positive knock-on for the mental/emotional wellbeing side too.

Sun came out to play Friends, dog, baby, smiles again Whisky at the close

I'm currently reading Jade City by Fonda Lee, having picked it up in a 99p deal through my Kobo e-reader. I haven't written a book review since I was a kid and won't do so here but will say that it is one of the most complete contemporary/urban fantasy worlds I have been thrust into. The author has clearly put a lot of time into thinking about how the East Asian inspired society works.

Wales has opened up vaccinations to 40-49 year olds so my wife phoned up the local number for the Mass Vaccination Centres (MVCs) a few times last Friday (patience needed before getting on the queue!) and we had our jabs yesterday! Very well organised so thanks to all involved with this!

I've always liked the pubs hidden down alleyways and side streets of big cities. Finding them feels like you're peeling back the surface layer of the metropolis to find a hidden gem inside, whether that gem be shiny or a little bit of an uncut diamond in the rough of a dive bar. Something about just having a few of these in your back pocket can make a bustling city your city. The Midnight Pub is the internet's version, although I prefer the Small Alley entrance in Gemini space!

I have a lot of ideas swirling around in my head – best to get them down somewhere so that when I do have time to do something, I can try and prioritise! Having them out in the open on my blog might also help keep me honest!

I'm not a very good environmentalist. Sure, I don't own a car – but that is as much an urban lifestyle choice as anything else. I recycle and compost – but the local council does the hard work there, giving me the bags and collecting it. We have re-useable nappies – but use them alongside disposable ones.

Toys and books scattered Daddy-traps across the floor Pause (the menace sleeps)

We were in Canada visiting relatives when the screws started to tighten on the pandemic, both over there and over here in the UK. Cutting the trip short, we flew back on a much emptier than usual plane. That was over a year ago now and in the time since we've been less than 3 miles distance from the apartment.