Red Wharf Bay recce with Kate

Next month, we are taking the students into the field for our Earth, Climate and Evolution module. This year, Katrien can’t make it to the one in Red Wharf Bay, so I needed a replacement. And I recruited Kate for that. But she hadn’t done it before, so I suggested we do a recce. And I figured the dog would love a session on the beach. 

The day before had been horrendous, and the day after would be too! But the very day of the recce it was gorgeous. And somehow, there was still parking available. 

We did the whole thing, with Bryn following us around with a stone in his mouth. I think he resented us standing still too much, and not letting him have our lunches, but otherwise I think a good time was had by all. Success! 

Admiring a sandstone plug on the sunny beach

When I got home I went for a run in Cwm Llafar. I really wanted to make the most of the glorious day! And in order to get there you have to get past Sue and Dean’s house, and I thought it would be rude to not pop by to say hello. So I did that too. Sue was away but Dean made me a lovely cup of tea. And the cats were up for more than zero interaction! What a successful day. And the next one would be for epically rubbish weather with enough rain to flood roads, and enough wind to close them with fallen-over trees, so extra reason to enjoy this oasis of sun and a pleasant breeze…

How it started

Where I turned back

Financial troubles solving work dispute

What happens in the context of underground exploration doesn't stay in the context of underground exploration. Or maybe I should just say: when human relationships break down, they break down. It tends not to be situation dependent.

When in 2019 I spoke out against the glorification of sexual assault on a mine exploration trip, the person who actively tried to shut me up was a colleague. He was really keen for that sort of behaviour to remain unchallenged. At least if it came from his chums. And when he found out it was difficult to shut me up, he took me off the email list that is used for disseminating information about the underground trips.

Later he sent me an email, from his work email address to mine, accusing me of god knows what, saying he was not willing to talk about this, and expressing the wish to remain friends. I mailed him back that he could have at most 2 out of 3. If you hurl such vitriol at me and won't discuss it in person, like an adult, you will not be friends. He made his choice; he did not want to talk about it. So we were not friends. I have later encouraged him again to change his course and choose dialogue, but he ignored that.

It turns out we are both quite stubborn! He clearly really doesn't want to discuss the accusations he levelled at me, nor why he took me off the email list without a word. And I am not going to declare peace if he's not willing to do that. So we had a bit of a cold war situation going on.

This did affect our work, obviously; the low point was that he stood me up when he was assigned to me as a first aider. I don't believe that was a coincidence; he doesn't have a reputation for standing anybody else up (unless they were associated with me). 

I had been wondering if reminding him again that peace negotiations were still possible, but that nothing will change without them, would do any good, when reality overtook me. He has taken voluntary redundancy. So he's going! I'm sure that will be inconvenient for people; we obviously have one member of support staff fewer that can come on field trips as a first aider. He sometimes takes nice pics of fieldworks of graduations. And he does the layout of our periodical. And I'm sure he does other useful things that will now have to be picked up by other people. But for me it's good; I don't have to encounter him anymore, and I don't have to worry about being stood up if he gets assigned to my trips. (I am not worried about anybody else standing me up.) 

I suppose the term "this too shall pass" applies here! Even if two sides of a conflict won't yield, time will intervene and render said conflict irrelevant. Maybe these are good times to hold on to that thought…

Windy Parys

It was such lovely weather the first days of the week we were going to do the Parys Mountain trip! Unfortunately, the forecast said it wouldn't last. That day we were scheduled to go was going to be the worst of the whole week.

When the day approached the weather forecast got worse, and acquired a weather warning for wind, with gusts over 60 mph. Oh dear! Parys Mountain stands proud of Anglesey, and if it gets gusty, being on top of it makes you feel the full force of the wind. What should we do?

I briefly discussed with Dei. Postpone or shorten? The weather would be the worst in the morning, and would improve during the day. If we would go at lunchtime we would avoid the worst of it. And that was what we decided to do.

I was the first one to get out of the vehicle when we got there, and I immediately felt the brunt of the strong wind. Earlier that day it must've been awful up there. But we all zipped up our jackets and went for went to the viewing platform. Quite many of the students hadn't been there before, and they looked like they thought it was worth it. It is, after all, an amazing place.

We didn't linger as we figured it would be more sheltered in the pit, so that was where we went next. And we admired the view on the fold, and the Central Boss, and the remains of the black smoker. When we were at the Central Boss we did get rained on, but fortunately only briefly. Later the sun even came out!

When we were done with the geology there was a little bit of time left for history, which Dei took care of. And then we went back to the vehicle.

It was a bit touch and go this year, but I think we pulled it off! Let's hope that our next trip will have nicer weather…

Breast cancer screening

I didn't think I was old enough for breast cancer screening yet. I figured they start at 50. But I got the impression they start in the year in which you turn 50 when I got the invitation not very long after having turned 49.

For me it is a no brainer. Breast cancer kills a lot of women every year. And going to a screening might mean they catch the disease early, which makes it a lot more treatable. So with my invitation letter in my pocket I went to the parking lot of one of the big supermarkets in town, where a trailer had been parked.

The slightly gloomy setting

I walked into the smallest, but still functional, reception in the world, and from there I was redirected to a little waiting room. I was also asked to let the next woman in, for whom I had just made space. Through the next door I could hear a lady directing another lady. It sounded quite quick! And then the door opened and the next lady was asked in. And indeed, the procedure was quite quick. Not much later I could hear a goodbye coming through the door, and then the lady came out again to call me in.

I knew the procedure itself would not be pleasant! I don't think anybody enjoys being squeezed to a mush. But the goal justifies the means. And four x-rays later I was putting my clothes on again. And about 15 minutes after I had walked into the trailer, I walked out again.

It will take some four weeks before I get the result. I obviously hope all is clear! And if so, that means that's it for three years. And then I'll come back to do it all again…

back in a bad news meeting

There we go again! The university is in dire straits, and the VC called an all staff meeting to let us know just how bad it was. I already mentioned it in October, but things have gotten more specific since then. Last year they already launched a voluntary severance scheme, but that hasn't quite solved the university’s problems. It seems to already have managed to convince some 60 people to voluntarily leave. But they think 200 more job losses are needed. And that is a lot!

I suppose I have never seen the university in a good nick. I've been here since 2014, and I have been blogging since at least 2016 that things weren't looking great. And in the middle of lockdown we had the biggest crisis, when my job, and that of several of my closest colleagues, was directly on the line. That was the first time there was a threat of forced redundancies in our school. And things haven't quite been the same since.

All seats taken

We had the all staff meeting in the biggest lecture room in the university, and there were plenty of people standing, or sitting on the stairs. The various members of the executive board gave other blunt presentations, and then they opened the floor for questions. And several of these managed to crowbar out some of the details about the situation. And some were just hanging in the air as warnings. 

An example of a crowbar question was that there had been mention of 200 job losses; was that including the people that had already taken voluntary redundancy? But no, that was on top of that. That had not been communicated like that. There was some intake of breath. 

An example of Cassandra question was asked a bloke from IT services saying he was taking the voluntary redundancy, but was wondering how on Earth the rest of the team would cope in this world in which digital technology and cyber security showed no signs of becoming less important. He mentioned an exercise in  protection from ransomware that has recently been performed. You can cut the IT team, but might that be a false economy?

Our school is doing well, but so was it the previous time, and there was still a threat of forced redundancies. So we're not counting on this passing us by. Yes we have just recruited six people; that doesn't mean they're not going to boot some of the oldies out. The six posts were advertise not long after we lost two people to the previous round of voluntary redundancy. And both of these were biologists. So all bets are off!

I suppose we'll have to see how this situation pans out. Stay tuned! But it has clearly already affected the mood in the School…

Nutritional side of the running advice

Changing the way you run might not be easy. But Dafydd, the running coach, also gave advice that was easier to implement. He said I should make sure to get my proteins in after a run. That’s doable! 

I had once won some running pack with gels and whatnot and a protein-rich recovery drink. I had had that; it was quite nice! So I decided to order more of that stuff. And the next time I went for a fairly serious run I had some. It’s still nice! 

I also made sure I had a shake like that ready in the car after the next Thursday run. These runs are properly strenuous! I can imagine my body needs some nutrients after that. I’m not sure how big of a difference it will make, but it’s a pleasure to find out… 

Getting the new passport

On January 16th, I went to Birmingham to apply for a new passport. On February 10th, I received a message saying it was ready and I could come and pick it up. And that meant I needed a day with few or no teaching commitments to fit in the long journey there and back. And I found that the Monday after. So I booked another long train journey. 

Picking-up times are later than applying times, so I didn’t have an early start this time, but it would be evening before I would get home. So I packed a tub with pasta for on the way.

I got there without issue. There was no central reception so it was unclear where I was expected to go. I was sent a bit from pillar to post, but once I was where I needed to be things proceeded quickly. I had got out of the train at 15:09, and by 15:34 I was back at the railway station, with my new passport. Success! 

The view coming out of the railway station 

The trip back went well. No train snags. So with that I’m sorted again for ten years. And who knows what the world will look like in 2035…

Result

To hell in a handcart

It’s not as if I was optimistic about a second Trump presidency. The man is a nightmare! But I never thought he would plumb the depths he is pursuing. Sure, he withdrew from the Paris Agreement, and the WHO. I expected the ‘drill, baby, drill’. But threatening to take Greenland by force? I didn’t see that coming. NATO invading NATO is the end of NATO. And shamelessly claiming Gaza for the USA because it’s a nice real estate opportunity? And negotiating an end to the Ukraine war without involving Ukraine, and blaming Ukraine for the war in the first place? I knew it would be bad news for Ukraine, but I hadn’t anticipated it would be this catastrophic in my glummest moods.

I normally spend a lot of time worrying about climate change. I have drastically cut that back now! I’m way too busy worrying about the world descending into violent lawlessness. Some say a change is as good as a rest. In this case, I don’t agree…

Experimenting with low-alcohol booze

I had been wondering about alcohol-free spirits for years. When Seedlip came out it sounded good, but these bottles aren’t cheap, and I didn’t want to buy an entire bottle without knowing if I’d like it. I hoped I’d come across an opportunity to just try a glass, but that never happened. 

A few weeks ago I bought a bottle of something similar from M&S for the girls’ night in at Claire’s (I chose the Golden Spiced variety). And I liked it! And so did the others who tried. So I got some faith in the concept. 

When I recently was in a big supermarket anyway, I dared buy a different bottle just for myself. And when I tried it at home, it wasn't as nice as the other one. But you get what you pay for! This one was cheaper.

I decided to see if I could do some mixing. I have a little bottle of Italian herbal stuff that in itself is very highly alcoholic, but you would normally only put a few drops of it in anything you throw it into, so even with that addition your drink would be low in alcohol. I liked it!

I also thought of putting some apple cider vinegar in it. I had developed a habit of having a sip of the stuff every day for reasons of fermented foods being good for you. What I have been using was local stuff, from the local cheese shop, and made by a friend of Martin's. But I had run out and so had the shop, so I needed to find something else. And I saw some fancy stuff in Waitrose.

When I tried this apple cider vinegar it became clear it was too apple-y to drink neat. I will have to dilute this! And I then tried some in my non-alcoholic booze, and that works too. I am becoming a veritable mixologist! I quite like the idea of sometimes having something that has a bit of a kick, and is a bit special, but does not get you dehydration headaches. We'll see; this might become a bit of a habit!

Three tier oven

The day came I was going to use my new oven rack for the first time! It was a Saturday, and in the evening I was going to have dinner with Jaco and Marjan, and the tradition is that the host cooks the mains and the guest brings dessert. If we meet on a weekday I just buy it, but on a Saturday I can make something myself. And I thought it was a good day for pears, because they warm you on a cold winter’s day. So I googled a pear dessert recipe and ran with it.

My amount of cake for personal use was also exhausted, so I wanted to do something about that as well. So after the dessert tart had gone into the oven, I made a batter for an arbitrary cake, and put that in the oven as well! Efficient use of the heat. And I had made so much batter I wasn't sure it would rise out of the container I was using, so I put some of it in an overflow cake tin. I would never have managed to get that all into the oven without the extra racks! So I was pleased with myself.

I was also pleased with the outcome! Both cake and tart came out like I hoped they would. Success! And I could imagine myself doing this in the not so distant future with one entire meal in the oven, and one cake. Plenty of space!

Botched car repair even more botched

About a year ago, my car started making weird noises. After a while I found out this was due to one of the points, where the heat shield of my exhaust was fixed, having corroded loose. At the time, that was temporarily sorted basically by just tucking the corroded edge underneath the big washer, but it was starting to make noises again. I figured I needed to do something a bit more thorough! And I imagined one option would just be to put some sort of mega-washer in place. One that was a lot bigger than the bit that corroded away.

The problem

I had wondered what I should make this washer of. Maybe a can of cat food? But then I remembered that we have a workshop (run by the bloke who made my new blinds). I'm sure the workshop sometimes has aluminium cut-offs. Maybe I could use one of these?

One day I did go to the workshop and asked, and got home with a big plate. A bit more than I needed! But I have a saw. And that Saturday I set to work. I sawed off a piece of the big aluminium plate that I thought would do the job. Initially I thought I might put it over the old washer, but there wasn't enough length in the bolt. The old washer had to come off! Unfortunately, with that washer also came off the entire thread of the bolt. Oops! No one was ever going to attach anything to that again.

Starting to tackle the plate

Back to the drawing board. What now? And I just settled on fixing the heat shield as good or bad as it went with a piece of iron wire to a fixing. This wasn't really the level of sophistication I had had in mind! But it will have to do for now. With that bolt not being a bolt anymore, I would imagine that having this fixed properly would be quite expensive…

Eh, fixed, ish

2073

Charlotte messaged me to ask if I was up for going to a movie in Neuadd Ogwen on Friday night. The film was 2073, and the film poster looked apocalyptic. It would be a bit awkward! I would see Jenny (my Welsh tutor) in the pub until 18:45, and the film was at 19:00. Tight! But if I would leave at strictly 18:45 (sometimes we overrun a bit), drive home, and immediately dive into the cinema it sounded possible. Later it turned out that the film wouldn’t start until 19:30; it was doors open at 19:00. So I could feed the cat first! Very important. 

When I mentioned the film to Jenny she suggested it couldn’t possibly more bleak than reality. She had a point. 

I found Charlotte and her friend Andrea, and we got in. Soon the film started. With fire. And storm. And bombardment and flood and drones and cameras. And a voice-over from Samantha Morton. It was clear that the premise was: in 2036, shit had hit the fan in a way that had been called ‘the event’. It was clearly some combination of war, totalitarianism, surveillance, inequality and climate apocalypse. It was now 37 years later, and the Earth was largely destroyed, but some rich people managed to have a comfortable, technology-enabled life. Others were living in the ruins, picking over the scraps. Samantha Morton was one of the latter. 

The question was posed ‘how did we get here?’ Soon the numbers started whizzing back from 2073 to various points in the past. The election of Duterte, Trump, Milei, Meloni. Brexit. The growth of Amazon. The financial crisis. Concentration camps for Uyghurs. Palantir targeting the NHS. Anti-Muslim violence in India. Gaza. You name it. 

There were also dissident voices. Maria Ressa in the Philippines, Rana Ayyub in India, Carole Cadwalladr and George Monbiot in the UK. 

I hadn't expected this to be largely a documentary. The storyline with Samantha Morton is very simple and very predictable; she's curries around a bit until she gets arrested and that's the end of her. And before the end, she manages to leave a message: it was too late for me, but maybe it isn't too late for you. Stand up against this power grab, stand up against this undermining of democracy.

All this makes it a very strange film. But it hits you really hard! Normally you don't get all these various aspects of what's going wrong in the world thrown at you in such quick succession. And if you see footage of it on the news, the more graphic parts are excluded. No such protection here.

We came out numbed but impressed. But also wondering what it could be we could do. It's not as if we've never wondered this before! It reminded me a bit of the public lecture by Mike Berners-Lee. Yes we know a lot is going wrong, but what to do?

We needed a drink at the end of that film. But I would still absolutely recommend it! If you're ready to face the terrible state the world is in head-on…

Trying out the running advice

A few days after my session with the running coach I could make a start of trying out some of his advice. Only to a limited extent; I think the things he said would make most difference when running on the flat in daylight. When you are running steeply uphill or downhill in the dark, your gait is a bit weird because of the steepness, and you are quite focused on watching where you go, which determines the angle of your head. If you're just running in daylight you don't have to put so much effort in checking where you put your feet. But any start is a start!

One thing I noticed was that I felt sluggish. I thought that might have been because of the very limited time I had had between teaching and running, and I had used that time to quickly wolf down two sandwiches. These may be weighing a bit on my stomach. But later I also figured there might have been some influence of the fact that that week I had donated blood. I never used to notice that, but I am getting older, and demanding more of my body. It takes weeks to get your red blood cells up to the normal level! So that might have had something to do with it as well.

I focused mainly on my arms, and the width of my stride. The length of my stride was not really something I wanted to work on. That is one of those things that I will deal with if I do a flat run. And what my head was doing was indeed entirely in dedication to not stepping into a pothole and injuring myself.

It is not too hard to put your feet a bit further out! I think I could get used to that. And the arms are not a big issue either.

Otherwise it was a nice and social run as usual. It was cold, but after the first hill nobody was really suffering from that anymore. And by the time we reached last high point, the moon came up! That was very beautiful.

Moon rising over Llanberis

After the run there was cake and nosecco, as one of the runners had a significant birthday. It was really nice to toast to her, but we were all sweaty and standing in a very cold wind. Nobody lingered after they had finished their cake and drink! And when I got home I lit a fire. Normally I don't bother on the Tuesday, as I'm not home until 8:30, but that evening it was worth it. I needed to warm up!

If all goes according to plan, my next race will be flat and on the road. That would be an excellent opportunity to practice my new techniques! And I don't think my performance will be stellar, what with the blood donation and all, but I might come out a tiny little bit better prepared for running somewhat longer distances and my knees not falling off…

Lumpy knee

My knee cap seemed to be growing a protrusion. I didn’t worry about that too much. I’m middle-aged! Who knows what strange but harmless things the body does this close to 50. But then it started to hurt. I figured maybe I needed to see the GP. And after the Nick Beer race, it also had its own little bruise. 

I could see the GP right that Monday. She seemed to think it was just my knee. But I’ve seen it change! This is not just my knee. This is something new.

She said she'd refer me for an x-ray. I feared that would take forever, given the current state of the NHS, but I got a phone call two days later, and was in hospital for the x-ray the day after that. I'm not quite sure how much an x-ray can actually show. But it's something! And in a few days I should get the results from my GP. 

I think it's worth it having this checked out. If it is something I need to worry about I'd better find out soon…

Running coach

I'm doing everything wrong! Or maybe I should say I have so much I can still improve on my running!

I had asked in the Thursday Night Hill group if anyone knew of a running coach, as I figured maybe if I could get some coaching, I would get fewer injuries. And one of the runners themselves, Dafydd, turned out to be one (recommended by Dyfed; yes we’re in Wales). And he lives close by. We agreed I would pop by on a Monday evening.

He had mentioned he has a treadmill, so I figured I needed to show up in running gear. Which makes it reasonable to run there. And I thought he only lived a stone’s throw away, but when I got to the road in question, I noticed it didn't have house numbers that went up high enough. Oops! Then I checked and realised he lived in Rachub, which has a road by that name too. I texted that I was going to be a bit late; was that okay? Luckily it was. And it was a cold night, so now I regretted not having brought gloves. 

I found it, and was greeted by Dafydd, and his partner and his dog (who had also come running last time). And he offered me a cup of tea. And we just chatted for a bit. Then we got down to business. First he showed me a training plan he had developed with some other runner. There were quite some easy runs on there, and then sometimes something rather high-intensity. He spoke a bit about heart rate zones. I figured I was accidentally doing that bit quite well; most of the time, my exercise is my commute, and my heart rate doesn't go up an awful lot when I do that. And then I have the Thursday night run, and then generally stuff in the weekends. And he said that as a general rule of thumb, one short intense thing and one long relaxed thing is great for a weekend. Like a Parkrun on Saturday morning, and then on Sunday a long slow run.

He also said something about taking it easy in the week before a big race. Your body needs to have rested before it gives a big performance! I don't normally do that. I suppose I am too impatient.

He also spoke of nutrition. I never bother with proteins; I assume I get enough of them in my diet. Even though I barely eat meat, and rarely eat eggs. I do eat cheese, beans and nuts, though. But he said that your body really wants a bit of a boost after some serious exercise. So for instance, on the Thursday, I should really have a protein bar or a protein shake when I'm done. And that also holds for races or big training runs.

We hadn't even got to the actual running yet and there was already quite something to think about. But then we went to where he keeps his treadmill, and I got on it for a joke when he filmed me. And then he really went for it! He explained that I should raise my head and my knees, tuck my elbows in. And have my feet wider apart (laterally, although having bigger strides might also help). So much to think about! He also said that if you have a permanent running coach they probably only try to get you to change one of these things at the time, and it would take weeks.

A still from the treadmill video

When that was done we went back to the living room and we had another cup of tea. And then I was on my way again. I have a lot to think about! But I'm glad we had that session. I am confident I can make changes that will help me avoid injuries. And that would be fab. And it also was just really nice to have a chat with both and cuddle with the dog. But watch this space! The proof of the pudding is in the indeed not getting injured…

Nick Beer 10k 2025

My first 5k race after my ankle injury had gone well. A week later I would do my first 10k: the Nick Beer 10k, around the Great Orme. I hoped that would work out as well!

I had decided to again take my bike with me. I didn't know how close to the start I could park, but it might very well be a bit of a distance. And it was! It is a big race, so parking was scarce. But that was okay with me.

The promenade, with the start and finish in the distance 

I biked to the start with my trousers, jumper and jacket over my running outfit. There I checked out the queue for the loos. They looked long! But I knew that there would also be loos in the hotel that functioned as race headquarters. So I went there. I had enough time! And when I got back I stripped down to my running gear, had a last sip of water, and went to the start.

The hotel that was also race HQ (not through this entrance though)

This time I made sure to end up in the vicinity of the front. And I recognised some people from the Thursday Night Hill sessions, and other races. That was nice!

I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't very cold. It had seemed cold when I set off from home. But I was in my club vest over an arbitrary running T-shirt, and that was fine. I did put on gloves.

When the horn sounded I was off. I wasn't going to rush too much at the beginning. A lot of people immediately ended up in front of me! But the announcer had said they were 900 runners, so inevitably, quite a lot would be faster than me.

I got to the start of the uphill bit and all was well. The day before my knee had been hurting a bit, but it was behaving. And I wasn't really gaining much on anyone, but I was happily trundling along. 

 

On my way up! Notice the other two Eryri Harriers behind me. They would still be near at the finish…

Shot with pier and geology in view

When I got to the downhill bit I realised that I wasn't likely to overtake anyone from that point on. That was okay! I might still be running a course PB. I hoped I would. That would make me feel good; then I was faster now than I had been before the whole IT band and ankle misery. Although I had cheated a bit; this was the first time I had started near the front, so that automatically gives you a bit of time gain.

The race has a bit of sting in the tail; you're not done with the uphill bit when you reach the highest point of the road the Great Orme. You have to traverse the peninsula as well to get back to the start, and that has some uphill as well. And when you get to the promenade, you can already see the finish, but it is bloody far away for something you can see. But I was feeling it! I saw I could indeed run a course BP, so I made sure to keep my effort up at the end. And it worked! From 46:09 to 45:22. Not bad!

Back on the promenade

Finishing pic

I had a little chat with the women who finished just before and just behind me and then I went to my bike. I I had accidentally left my phone in the car, so I went back to get it. I should be able to check if I had a category win. If so, it would make sense to go to the ceremony. I now knew where it was! But I didn't have signal there. I did have some lunch. And then I went back to the start. The website with the results still didn't want to load, but I heard the announcer say that the ceremony would be in 15 minutes. I might as well go!

I parked my bike at the hotel, and went to the room dedicated to the race. And bumped into several Thursday Night Hill runners again, this time with their dogs. One of them was Tinka, another Dutch lady. With Moos, the young spaniel! And when I walked in, the organisation wanted to know how to pronounce my name. That would mean they would call it out, so that would mean a category win. Nice!

They started with the oldies, and counted back to the overall top three. When my category came up I won a pair of socks. And Tinka had won all-out! What a woman! And she asked me to hold onto Moos’ lead while she took her place on the podium of honour. He was so disappointed to be left behind! He tried to get to her, and everyone swooned. It was very cute.

Moos admiring Tinka

With the ceremony over I headed home. It had been a good race! I can’t wait for the next one…

4th cat anniversary

I thought she would be with me for a few months. And now it has already been four years! And it has been a lovely four years. She wasn't even one year old when she came here, and now she is almost 5, but I don't think much has changed. She still is as silly and playful and insufficiently assertive as she always was! And it is fab to wake up next to her, and it's fab get home to her, and it is fab to play with her. 

To celebrate the anniversary I refurbished her scratch post for her (again). She had pretty much demolished the previous iteration! And that shows just how much she likes the thing. So it is in excellent nick again! On to the next year… 

Before

After

Sleepy face

Rolling around on the doorstep

With her favourite toy

Snug time on the sofa

It's not recycling, it's a hut

How we sleep

Appeal not upheld

Last month I mentioned that a student had appealed against their grade in three of our assignments. And I said I would keep this blog posted on how that would turn out. And the results are in: the appeal was not upheld. The student has accepted our responses, and that is that. So now nothing happens, which doesn't sound spectacular, but which does mean that nothing bad happens. I think that a storm surge of unpleasantness would have come down on us if these appeals would have been upheld. Because that would mean that there was something fundamentally wrong with either our assignments, or our treatment of this particular student, or both. Imagine! So that has been averted. And we all can go back to normal…

Dating

When Nick ditched me with a text message, I switched my profile on the dating sites I use back on. And that can lead to absolutely nothing in months, but in this case I ended up chatting with, and then meeting, a bloke again quite soon. We have already seen each other twice. That's not much yet! But it's more than nothing. Both times we went for a lovely walk. That's clearly something we both enjoy. So we'll see what this leads to…

Scenic view on one of the walks

Second Thursday night hill session

It had been a bit touch and go whether my ankle was ready for Thursday Night Hill sessions. I had tried it once since my ankle problem, and on the Friday and Saturday afterwards my ankle was not very happy. But by Sunday it was fine again, and that was the important bit. So I figured I could do it again.

I rocked up again with a bit more confidence. And I felt I needed to warm up a bit. Not so strange; it was a clear night, and while we were waiting to set off we were all cold. But my ankle felt particularly in need of a warmup.

I also felt slow! I was pretty close to bringing up the rear on the first steep bit up. That is a bit unlike me. But well, someone has to be in the rear. Why not me? And by the time I was at the top, my ankle was warm.

I also had a nice chat with some of the other runners. A medical lady who had eaten a bit late and was wondering if her stomach content was going to agree to this exercise. A lady who was new to this and who was normally more into ultra running.

It was going quite well, and I found myself a bit further from the rear as the evening went on. And when we got back to the cars I felt confident! And the Sunday would reveal if my confidence was justified…

Catching up with Fin

After my MSc, I remained friends with my supervisor. And these things still happen. Finley, my old MSc project student, was around, and we wanted to catch up.  And she works weekends so we aimed for an after work pint. I think the last time I saw her was when she came into the field with me! 

I work midweek, of course, so I’m a bit restricted. A drink after work quite quickly leads to me being home late and then having dinner late and then in bed late and then knackered the next day. So I suggested we have dinner in the pub too. Fin was up for it! And that meant my circadian rhythm stayed intact.

The pub in question 

We caught up about what had happened, and what would soon happen, and how we felt about that. And the food and drinks were quite good.

Later things took an unexpected turn. I had a puncture on the way out of Bangor, and Fin offered to get me home in her van. That was kind of her! I have a repair kit with me, of course, but it was nice to do half the fixing in my warm kitchen. 

She won’t be in the area much this coming time. But I think we’ll catch up again! 

The laws of Hywel Dda

I don't suppose they're very famous outside Wales! But here, Hywel Dda and his laws a bit of an institution. He was a 10th Century king, and he created a big set of laws, which, in some form or other, were still valid until the late middle ages. They are widely seen as wise and just. And I think that it was mainly the laws that made him go into history as Hywel the Good. I am no specialist, but his general reign seems less remarkable than his law books.

When there was a public lecture announced about these laws I decided to go. I knew very little about them! And it was worth finding out more.

It was not a busy lecture, and the average age in the audience was rather high. But that's OK! The lady who was going to deliver the lecture, Sara Elin Roberts, turned out to be a new professor in the School of Welsh. 

Aled, the Head of School of Welsh, introducing the speaker

She started with telling us that the earliest version we have of these laws is actually from the second half of the 13th century. The original ones have all been lost. That is a pity! And I'm sure that means that we don't really know how close these versions are to the originals, who were some 300 years older.

She also explained they come in three sets; originally named after geographical locations, but later named after lawmakers mentioned in the introductions. 

She also explained that quite a lot of them aren’t laws in the sense we have them now; they are more general rules of how you should behave. She had some examples; for instance, if you walk in front of someone and you cause a branch to whip into the face of the person behind you, that's okay if you have warned them, but not okay if you didn't. And if you walk in front of someone and you find some treasure, you have to share with the person behind you, but if you don't see it and the person walking behind you spots it, they don't have to share with you.

She gave these examples in the original mediaeval Welsh, and also in contemporary Welsh. That helped. But the difference isn't even that big! I can see why people call Welsh the oldest language in Europe. Even though I know very well that is disputed. But I can see where they're coming from.

These laws seem to have been grouped under several themes; agriculture, marriage, children, prices of houses and objects, and something that to the untrained eye looks like "corrupting oats", but what is probably better described as damage to crops. There were a lot of rules on what you have to do if for instance your sheep gets onto someone else's land and eats their crops. It was even taken into account what part of the year it was, or in other words, if you could re-sow the crops and have another harvest.

She came to the end before I knew it! And there was only time for a few questions.

I came away with a similar feeling that I had done with the lecture by Mike Berners-Lee! She also has a book out, and maybe I should read that in order to find out more details. And I missed some details because the lectures in Welsh, but the book is in English. I would think the library would have it. There is no paperback out, and the hardcover is a bit too expensive! But reading a book that takes me quite a long time these days. But who knows! Maybe I'll get around to reading both. Maybe my attention span is just too long for one hour lectures these days…

Second Thursday night hill session

It had been a bit touch and go whether my ankle was ready for Thursday Night Hill sessions. I had tried it once since my ankle problem, and on the Friday and Saturday afterwards my ankle was not very happy. But by Sunday it was fine again, and that was the important bit. So I figured I could do it again.

I rocked up again with a bit more confidence. And I felt I needed to warm up a bit. Not so strange; it was a clear night, and while we were waiting to set off we were all cold. But my ankle felt particularly in need of a warmup.

I also felt slow! I was pretty close to bringing up the rear on the first steep bit up. That is a bit unlike me. But well, someone has to be in the rear. Why not me? And by the time I was at the top, my ankle was warm.

I also had a nice chat with some of the other runners. A medical lady who had eaten a bit late and was wondering if her stomach content was going to agree to this exercise. A lady who was new to this and who was normally more into ultra running.

It was going quite well, and I found myself a bit further from the rear as the evening went on. And when we got back to the cars I felt confident! And the Sunday would reveal if my confidence was justified…

Murder mystery in the house

I woke up and came down the stairs, and noticed something slightly disconcerting. A little puddle of blood on the stairs! What was that doing there?

When I got downstairs I saw there was more blood on the doorstep. And there was a whole trail going towards the cat flap in the downstairs bedroom.

Blood on the stairs!

Blood trail through the house

I figured the cat must have caught something big. I was all ready for finding a rat, or something like that, in the kitchen. But when I got there there was nothing. Not even blood.

I was also starting to wonder why I hadn't woken up at night. If she catches something big, she tends to want me to know about it! And even if she catches something small, it is not unusual that she will play with it in the bedroom. You can't really sleep through that.

Then I noticed some dried blood on her paw. Had she has been doing the bleeding herself? And she wouldn't want me to inspect her paw, but I just kept an eye on her. If she would be licking herself and exposing the paw in question I could have a look. And yes, there seemed to be a little wound there! It had been her own blood!

I took this pic for the blood on her throat, but then I noticed some blood on her rear paw

I just wanted to check one more thing. If it would be her, then there would be blood on the duvet. She never brings prey onto the bed! But she sure brings herself there. And indeed; there was blood staining where she had been sleeping. It had really been her.

She didn't show any signs of pain or discomfort. It was probably just like what sometimes happens as a human. You cut your finger, it bleeds lots, but it doesn't really hurt, and it will quickly heal. I am just going to let this heal as well. She won't thank me if I dragged her to the vet! So the mystery solved. I think he must've stepped on something sharp! I hope that won't happen again. Even though it doesn't seem to bother her…

Sbrint ‘Stiniog

In the second week of January, Tom (of Tom, Siobhan and Pwd fame) put a link to a race on WhatsApp, and suggested it might be something for me. It was a race I had never heard of: Sbrint ‘Stiniog, which starts on the outskirts of Tanygrisiau (in Greater Blaenau Ffestiniog) to the Stwlan Dam, and back. That's asphalt all the way. And it's only 5K. So I figured I could do that! My ankle had dealt with worse. So I registered.

I had let Miles know, as he has to be in that area for work very often anyway. Maybe he could be there to cheer me on? And he said there was approximately a 50-50 chance he would make it.

On the day I got ready and set off. I knew I would want to go to the loo before the start of the race. I had a cunning plan; in Dolwyddelan there are public toilets, and that's most of the way there. But when I got there I noticed they had been changed, and now you need to insert coins to use them. I didn't have any coins on me!

I went on. I decided I would have to have a leak somewhere in the bushes. And I decided to park where one parks for going into the mine. Plenty of bushes there! And it wasn't busy at all. So I did what I needed to do, got my bag, and went to registration. And there I got my number.

I also saw a few familiar faces again. One other Eryri Harriers lady (who had also marshalled the day before), and Cybi Strider Richard, and some bloke whose name I had forgot about who had been running on Thursday.

I wanted to know how my ankle would feel, given that the day before it had been quite unhappy, so I decided to go for a little warmup. And to my pleasant surprise, it was fine! Maybe that was just because it wasn't particularly steep yet? 

Warm-up jog up the road

I went back to the start. And soon the race started. I was at the front, next to a lady in a salmon pink top. And she got ahead of me quite quickly! She looked like a really strong runner.

At the start; the keen beans at the front. The bloke with the dog would be 1st man (although letting a dog pull you uphill would count as cheating in some races), the lad next to him 1st youngster, and the lady next to that1st woman.

Soon I heard female-sounding breathing behind me. And indeed, another woman appeared. We ran up together for quite a distance. We didn't speak; we needed our breath! And luckily, my ankle still wasn't complaining.

I was also admiring the scenery. It's a beautiful area! I hadn't been on that road for many years. I could actually imagine going there one day with my bike. Bike to the top, do a nice hike, and then zip back to civilisation. But it would be a tough ride up! 

When it got a bit deeper higher up I gained a few meters on the woman next to me, so I came to the top a second woman. I knew it wouldn't last! I was so going to be overtaken on the downhill by the lady right behind me. And that indeed happened. I wished her all the best. But I figured I might be able to keep all other women behind me.

Almost at the top!

And on the way down

All was going well until I got quite close to the finish. There were steps behind me, and when I looked back I saw they were a woman’s. She was coming down like the clappers! No way I could outsprint her on the final stretch. That's not how I roll. On the flat or uphill I would have given it everything I had! But not here.

I was still processing that when I heard a voice saying "Hi Margot". It was Miles! He had shown up after all! I stopped to give him a hug, which he thought was a stupid idea, but whether I did or did not, I was going to be fourth woman anyway. So then I crossed the line, and got my position number.

I first went to congratulate the woman who came second. I had enjoyed running up with her. And she was so fast on the downhill! And then I saw the woman who had beaten me to third position. She was quite apologetic, saying that had been a dirty trick of hers! I said it wasn't; it was a race, and she was just faster than me. So her third position was well-deserved.

Miles came with me to registration where they combined my race number and my position, and gave me a (wooden) medal. And they reminded me of the fact that running the race entitled you to a cup of tea and a mug of soup in the nearby café. Miles had some time, so he went with me. That was nice! He had to pay for his tea, but it was nice to catch up. 

The next days the results came in: I had done it in 25:16. Not bad I think! And 17th person overall, out of 84. The fastest woman came fourth all round, with 21:31. That's so strong! It was a really nice race and if they do it again next year I want to do it again…

Marshalling the Conwy Fell Race

I saw a call for marshals for the Conwy Fell Race on the internet, and I answered that call. Given that it was a fell race I wouldn't be too eager to run it myself anyway. Especially not with my ankle as it is. And it's not very far away, and it looked like a nice race. And these depend on marshals.

The organiser, Michael, created a WhatsApp group for the race. That was handy. He told me to be at the start, and that he'd walk me to my marshaling position after starting the race.

I drove to Conwy with my bike in the back. I am way too impatient to walk to the start and back! And I got there in good time. I saw some familiar faces; several of the people who had been on the hill that Thursday were there.

Michael appeared, and he started everybody off. He brought a guy called Paul, and Mike who organises several races himself, and me to our positions; we would be pretty close to the finish. So we had time to leisurely walk up, as it would take the runners more than half an hour to do the loop. I also sneaked into the bushes because I knew that soon as the first runner would appear, there would be no chance of going for a leak.

Gathering at the start (which was also the finish)

We just did a bit of general race gossip until we saw the first runner appear. He went like the clappers! And from where we were standing, the runners had to thunder down the hill and then clamber back up. That meant that I, who could just take the direct route, had plenty of time to get to my station. And I made sure he knew where to go and cheered him on. He looked tired but determined!

Mike showing the first runner where he has to start his deep descent, chased by Michael who is filming him

From then on there was a steady trickle of runners. That thickened. And then, inevitably, it thinned out again. I could tell people that from there on, they would only have to go downhill. Quite many of them were very happy to hear that! Only about 100 meters before where I was standing they had ended the gruelling ascent. And quite many were also bleeding. I suspect that was people who had fallen over. It could also be associated with running through gorse, but I wouldn't expect such levels of blood. But none of them seemed to care!

I tried to take a picture of every one of them. I don't think any of the pictures were particularly good, but it was something. I also had a brief chat with a lady who was lugging a toddler around. She said the child's dad was in the race, and would come back up to carry him down when he was done.

I also was a bit amused by the local ponies. My marshalling post was just next to a bit of a pond, and the horses seemed thirsty.

At some point, one of the faster runners appeared again. Didn't he run enough? But he turned out to be the father of the toddler! I thought he was off the hook as the lady and the toddler had already gone down, but they had clearly not gone to the finish. I really hope he found them fairly soon! I have no idea where they went. The last time I saw them they were on the path that leads to the finish and nowhere else.

In the end, the sweep appeared. We could abandon station! So we did. And I biked back to my car.

I wondered if I should go to race headquarters, but I decided against. It was a gorgeous day, and I thought it would be a bit of a pity not to do a little bit of a run myself. Not too much; I didn't want to overexert my ankle between the Thursday night and the race the next day. But I had seen that you can actually park at the start, so I drove up the hill, and set off back to my station. I was a bit worried to find that my ankle was very unhappy with that! But it doesn't very much mind runs on the flat or downhill, so once I was at my station it wasn't complaining so much anymore. But how would it go with 2.5 km uphill the next day? That was a later worry though; for now I was just enjoying my little run in the sun. And then I went home.

Run bonus: nice rocks!

February sun on the hills

Scenic path

It had been a good day! And I think that held for the runners as well. Comments on Facebook suggested that in general, a good time was had by all. Excellent!

I do not rule out the possibility of running it myself as most of the route is on paths. I wouldn't do very well because of the steep descents, but it is a gorgeous race! And if I'm not running, I might very well marshal again. Runners supporting runners!