The writing Abyss
It’s been nearly 6 years since my last post on Medium. Quite a bit to catch up on then…
My last post (in 2018) was about Couch 2 5K. It’s now 2024. Presumably it hasn’t taken me 6 years to do those first few runs? Thankfully not. I completed the program and you can see how I got on by watching the video series on my YouTube channel. Spoiler alert. I did it! And not only that, I went on to get to 10K and then half marathon completing the longer distance twice, the most recent of which was in the Bournemouth Half Marathon in 2022. This, too, is featured on my YouTube channel where you can see me sweating my way through every mile.
So what else has been happening?
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I also spent 3 years learning BSL (British Sign Language). This is a wonderful visual language used by the deaf and hard of hearing community. I passed assessments at Levels 1 and 2 and did the coursework for Level 3 (although I’m yet to take an exam at that level). It’s a hard language to learn, but then I’ve never been all that good at languages and BSL has its own structure and rules so it’s just like picking up any language — you need to practice! That, I have to admit, is somewhat my biggest problem. I don’t have an easy way to practice and signing to yourself isn’t the best way to learn. I bailed out after year 3 for personal reasons (illness and bereavement in the family) that had meant that the little practice I had done just wasn’t enough.
I hope to go back soon as it’s a really terrific language and such fun!
The other main thing I’ve been doing since my last post is trying to improve my carbon footprint. I got solar panels for my home back in 2012, but in 2022 I got both an Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP) to replace my aging gas boiler and an Electric Vehicle (EV) a Nissan Ariya. I’ve been posting videos all about this journey on YouTube channel, so do check those out if you’re interested in the topic.
So is that all I can say for 6 years? I’m still using the same computer — an iMac Pro although I’m thinking of upgrading to a Mac Studio later this year. I still love training my dog, despite the fact she’s a cancer survivor and in her 15th year now. Life goes on. None of us get any younger.
I wonder if it’ll be another 6 years before I post anything else?
