Own the night

The clocks would change. That means dark evenings. And some people depend on the evening for their exercise. And quite a lot of people have running as their main exercise. But not everyone is comfortable running in the dark, especially alone. And most of the people who aren't are women.

Welsh Athletics (WA) had decided to run a campaign in order to draw attention to this, and try to make an incremental change towards women being safe running alone, whenever wherever. And in order to do that, they organised a series of events called "own the night". And they encouraged individual club to organise events as well.

The Cybi Striders heeded WA’s call, and organised an event in Menai Bridge. I like the idea of promoting running safety, so when I found out about it (it was advertised on the track) I thought I’d go. Several track people would too. 

I asked Neil if he was interested. He was! He had been doing some running, and thought this would be a nice opportunity to do it in a bigger group. Even though the weather forecast wasn’t brilliant. 

He made sure to eat loads of carbs over lunch. And wondered what his outer layer should be. He was more scared of overheating than of getting wet. I went the other way. It would be a leisurely pace!

We found some more runners on the parking lot, and together went to the pub which was the meeting point. I recognised several people from the track. And Emma, the very fast Dutch lady. 

Group picture by the pub

After a while we set off. It was a leisurely pace! And one of the first things we did was do a little loop around Church Island. And it was dark, so it was difficult to appreciate how pretty it is, but I'm sure Neil got a little bit of an idea. He hadn't been!

On Church Island

We then ran along the main road to Llanfairpwll, and then back along the road higher up on the hill. That meant we were largely doing what had been my standard loop when I still lived in Menai Bridge (which uses trail where possible, though)! And upon leaving Llanfairpwll we were hit by a shower. I was a bit afraid that would make Neil regret his decision. But he didn’t! I was glad. 

After some 40 minutes we were back where we started. Most people left, but some 8 of us went for a swift half in the pub. That was nice! And then we dispersed again. 

This was the first time I ever ran with Neil! And we both liked it. So I’m sure that won’t have been the last time! 

Did this fundamentally change anything for how safe women feel when running alone in the dark? Not likely! But maybe we raised a tiny bit of awareness of the issue…

Shiny extension

It was rubbish weather, and Neil and I were at my place. And he is a very tidy man. His house is impeccable! And so is his garden. Needless to say, mine isn't. I try to keep the core of the house presentable, but this is nowhere near his standards. The parts of the house that I don't consider very relevant don't get much attention at all. And one of those parts of the house is the little kitchen extension. It's where the washing machine is, and I keep things there such as a recycling bin, some buckets, and a mop. And I had some items there associated with painting, bike maintenance, and window cleaning. It's not a space you would ever be in in a leisurely way. If you're there, you're there because you are either entering or leaving the house (it's the entrance I use when I am on bicycle), or because you are faffing with laundry, recycling, or cleaning. It doesn't have to be a pleasant space to be in. So I didn’t give it much attention. It was one big cobweb feast. The white UPVC had turned grey, and there were a big hammocks of cobweb hanging from the ceiling. This bothered Neil.

Neil had already pointed out earlier that he would really like to tackle that space. That's fine with me! And now that we had an hour or so to fill before our next activity, and we weren’t particularly keen to be outside, we decided that this was the time. Neil went through the place like a hurricane. I was a bit of an auxiliary. The space isn't very big so you quickly get in each other's way!

As the previous time he took on some neglected chore, he was such a hurricane I didn't even take a "before" picture. So you'll have to manage with an "after" picture. Believe me when I say it is really a difference! It's not fully done; we haven't cleaned the windows, and there is a plant growing next to the washing machine that I should remove, and the space would look a lot better still if we would repaint the low walls and the floor. There also is a tap, and a drain. (It is the drain that burps in heavy rainfall). The stupid thing is that the tap is not above the drain. One of those clunky idiosyncrasies of my house! And Neil said he could easily move that. So that might happen in the future. So this little space might get a lot tidier still. But it is already getting the Neil treatment. Unrecognisable in its tidiness! Maybe one day I'll turn into a respectable citizen…

Clean!

Bridge back to normal

As quickly as the bridge first closed, and then became one way but switching which way in the middle of the day, it opened again. Both ways, at almost all times. Apparently, repairing the bolts that seem to have been the culprit were easily replaced. It opened on a Friday, and it was great to be able to use it as normal. By Monday I already barely thought about it. I hope it stays open now, for the foreseeable future! 

Giving up on die Blechtrommel

If I can at all read books in their original language, I will! It's the real thing. And as skilful as translators might be, a translation is not the original work. And, of course, if a book is not in a language I am fluent in, there is a translation going on in my head, and it will inevitably be flawed, but at least I still get to see the original. I had once read "all quiet on the Western front" and I felt like I missed something. I then read "im Westen nichts Neues" and although I struggled a bit with the vocabulary, I did feel like I had now felt the spirit of the original work. 

Years later, I found "die Blechtrommel" in a secondhand shop. In the UK it is known as "the tin drum". I bought it! I had long had that story on my wish list. And it lingered for a while in my book cupboard. The time never seemed right for a German book. Until I decided to deal with it.

I have now given up. It is not very accessible German. It was a bit reading through treacle. And if you go to bed, and there is a book on the bedside cabinet, and you're not grabbed by a desire to read a bit of it, there is something wrong. It's better to read some book than no book! But with this one, it was too tempting to read the paper instead. So I've decided to get rid of it. Maybe one day I'll read it in English or Dutch. And now I'll move on with a book I had already started, in Welsh. That's non-fiction again. I'll have to get some fiction in some feasible language ready for when I finish that!

Forams

Every year, I ask the students to compare the foram assemblages in the sediment core we take in the estuary to those they find in the surface samples they take. Would they spot corresponding environments? The students process their own sample, and it is up to me to process the samples of the sediment core.

I've done that now! It is not a very diverse assembly, but it's ok. And it is ready for the practical session next week when the students pick the forms out of their own samples. Now they know what they will be comparing it against.

Several species of Forams! 

It's a busy time, and it's not so easy to find time to stare down a microscope. But it is nice to sometimes be able to do just that. Forget the computer, put your headphones on with a nice radio program or podcast, and look at the little critters! And let's see how good the comparisons will be between the surface samples and the fossil samples…

Cake competition 2025/26

A new academic year means a new cake competition! And I have been a faithful participant since 2016. I registered again this year. And in the third week of first rounds, it was my turn. And earlier in the year I had baked a pear cake, which I liked, so I had decided to enter that. 

I baked the night before. Neil came over and helped by peeling the pears. It was a bit hectic! But together we got it done at such a time we could still go to bed at a reasonable time. 

Done! Mini tart for Neil. 

Delivered at work

I was up against a chocolate cake. And I hadn't tried my own cake yet. It was nice to try them both! I thought mine was quite successful. And  so was the chocolate cake, but these are traditionally not very successful in this competition. But a faithful email would let me know about the outcome had been.

I had lost! And my opponent had been a chap I sometimes have lunch with. He isn't actually officially in our School, but we have a lab that can accommodate him, while his own School can't. So he's based in one of our buildings now. He is a nice chap!

I always feel a bit two minds about winning a round in the cake competition. It's always nice to win something, but in general, I do prefer to do my baking when it's convenient, and not in the middle of a week that is probably quite busy anyway. So I'm happy like this! And I'll just do my duty judging in the competition for the rest of the year. And then try again next year…

Post-chore adventures

After Neil and I had been doing chores all morning, I suggested we do a little adventure in the afternoon. I figured he would never have been to Bryn Hafod y Wern. And it was true! And it is not a big slate quarry, but that is ok, as we only had the afternoon.

As it is almost an hour on foot to get there, I suggest we bike. That opened the world for Neil. He bikes all the time, but in his case, it is exercise. He has a featherlight bike and it doesn't have a lock. He stays with it until he is home again! But my bikes are different. They are for going somewhere. And that was a bit of a paradigm shift for him. But we did it.

We biked uphill to the quarry. Neil was painfully aware of how much heavier my bike (including lock) was than his. And he wasn't in his cycling shoes, obviously. But we got there.

We had a lovely time exploring the derelict buildings and the spoil heaps and the inclines and the famous aquaduct. We puzzled at the metal pipe sticking out of a stone lump. We visited the reservoirs. And then we went back. That was basically all wizzing downhill! Very smooth. And on the way back we came across some exceptionally handsome sheep. Some petting ensued. 

The Bryn Hafod y Wern aquaduct 

The mysterious pipe

Handsome sheep

We then went to Llandudno, as Neil’s cat had been alone for a while. We first had a nice glass of mead (which I had won in a race) in the back garden, with the Orme limestones towering over us. Very snug and autumnal! And then we had dinner, and watched a documentary about Svalbard. 

I felt a bit guilty about only leaving the post-lunch part of the day for such things, but I still had a lovely day! 

Chores done together

 It had been an exhausting week, with two field trips, which are exhausting enough on their own, but of course also get in the way of the day-to-day work that piles up while you’re out traipsing through the landscape. And I had managed to not let all of it get in the way of my usual running activities. By Friday I was knackered. And Neil was coming over. When I got home I cut down a Buddleia that was growing over the pavement. In my street, the pavement is sometimes used for parking, as it is a dead end street anyway. With the buddleia gone two cars could fit there. Neil had been eyeing up that space, especially as Neuadd Ogwen had had a skip placed by the back entrance again. I wanted to get rid of that shrub before he got to my place. There was no time for getting rid of the branches.

I also showered and cooked and was just about ready when he appeared. And we had dinner together, and a quiet evening.

Normally, when we have a weekend day together, we do some kind of adventure, like traipsing through Cwm Pennant. But this time I asked if it was ok to do some chores first. And he was ok with that. And the first thing that needed doing was get rid of these buddleia branches. That was quickly done. 

One of the other things I wanted to get done was tidy the front of the house. I have a legal obligation to do that! And I had let it slide. Neil wanted to start with that (there were more chores) so I handed him my garden shears. He vanished around the corner. 

He blasted the front of the house and then continued to the side. I had been intending to tidy that up for ages, but it had never reached the top of my to do list. So I never had! But now Neil was blasting it like a tornado. I just took it upon myself to remove the waste he was rapidly producing. He was so quick I never had the chance of taking a "before" picture! So I can't show just how spectacular it was. And the neighbour came out to see what was going on.

Smarter than it has looked in a long time 

It’s not as if all the work is done now! Neil uncovered the trench drains, but I'll have to muck them out for them to fully work. And I want to pull out all the grass and weeds and put actual intended plants in. I'm not sure if this is the season for that. But it already looks so smart! And it also makes it less daunting to now keep going.

We were only doing this until lunch. But so much progress was made! I was quite chuffed. Although it did mean we were not doing something spectacular like climbing a mountain or something. But I suppose that I need to keep on top of my life. Sometimes it just takes time. And then we can either do it together, or we spend less time together. I think this was by far the most pleasant solution!

TNH post-blood donation

I remembered really well how rubbish I was at hill running the previous time I donated blood. So just three days after my last donation, I had been wondering a bit if I should go. But I did. You can always bail out if you feel that’s better. 

I also would be able to try out my new head torch! 

On the parking lot where we gathered, there was a whole bunch of people who weren’t feeling they were in key shape, for various reasons. Ian said he would skip the first leg of the route. When we do the winter route, we run something I see as a clumsy sketch of a dog. We start with the tail; that’s on the flat. And after that we head up to the Llanberis path, and that’s one of the hind legs. So Ian would skip the tail. I decided to join him. And I mentioned it to Geoff, who hadn’t been for a long time, and the fellow sports scientist he had brought. When I said it was because of blood donation, I saw his sport science brain immediately kick into action. He wanted to know more. But also, both sports science folk decided to join too. 

Map of the normal running route. The tail is indicated by the black arrow.

We got to the turning around point before anyone who had run the tail did. And Ian wasn’t lingering. I followed! And we were the first at the second turning point too, together with a bloke who had been late, and skipped both the tail and the first leg.

When we went down from there we came across the rest of the bunch. And by the time we got to the next turning around point the main group had fully caught up with us. That was fine!

From there we do the other confusing ‘head of the dog’, which involves very short episodes of running with breaks in between. It is easy to stay together then. And when we set off for the last proper hill, I noticed quite quickly that indeed, I was bringing up the rear. Write a margin. At some point I could see nobody in front of me. But nobody cared. Someone has to be last! 

From there went back down, mostly together. I was glad I had come! I was also glad I had skipped the tail. Altogether it has been fine. And then the week after I would have more red blood cells to propel me up these hills.

I was about to head torch? That was a success! I realised early on that I hadn't bothered to check whether they sell them with their batteries full or not. And it did radiate light, so the battery was not totally flat. I suspected that it was actually not far off. But it got me to the end of the run. I could easily see enough! And it was great to have a lightweight item on my head. The torches I had been using so far were heavy and cumbersome. So I was very happy with my new purchase! And I intended to charge it immediately upon getting home. I will see the difference the week after!

Llanddwyn field trip

This year I had two field trips in a row: on the Tuesday, hunting glacial striations, and on Wednesday, showing freshers Llanddwyn. We didn't have that many people on the module this year. That means: only one vehicle, and we decided to only go with two staff. Jaco stayed home. 

Dei and I had divided up the talking points. And I think it went well! I started on the pillow lavas, which he continued on the next outcrop, and then I talked about the much messier basaltic deposits a bit further on, and the mudstone with sand lenses. Dei then showed us some hydrothermally altered muds, and I talked about the limestone. And Dei finished off with the melange at the far end. By that time you could tell that the students had pretty much maxed out on information intake! And we were actually quite tired ourselves. It was time to get back. And not only because we needed to be mindful of the tide, which can cut off the way back to the beach.

I think it went fine! And next month, we probably do something not dissimilar, in the Cemaes area. If the weather is as good then, I expect the trip to be as good!

Dei and some altered rock

Some spectacular rock a bit further on

What is even going on there

On the beach at the far end

Track running: tracking laps

I have been track running for months now! And it has made me a lot more aware of pace. But quite a lot of people there are aware of a lot more than pace: they know exactly how fast they have done each lap. I had once tried to get my watch to tell me that, and it had failed quite miserably. It has a function called track running, which I didn't manage to make work for me, but that is not the only option there is for quantifying laps. There is also the "lap" function. It's not obvious! It's basically the "back" button. I was going to try that out.

I first did a tiny little try-out on the parking lot. I just walked some circles, and pressed that back button. In Strava, there was nothing to be discerned. But then I looked at the software of Garmin itself, and I saw that indeed, I had quantified laps.

That was how it happened on the track as well. Every time we came over to finish line I pressed the back button. That didn't tell me how fast I had done that lap. But afterwards, I could look it up in the Garmin app. 

Is it just a case of me not having the correct watch? Maybe if I had a more sophisticated model, I would be able to live track my laps? Quite possibly! But for now, at least in hindsight I can see how fast I have done each lap.

This time we did 2x1600m, 2x800m, 4x400m. I had just given blood the day before so I started conservative, aiming for 4:20 on the mile, 4:15 or 4:10 on the 800 m, and then I sped up on the 400m laps. I heard the people behind me be a bit shocked at the increase. But if you only have 400 meters to go, you can give it a lot of welly!

The last of the laps, one of the guys asked if he could go in front. Of course he could! And he still has quite a lot in the bag. He showed off like an arrow. I couldn't keep up with him! But that last lap was by quite some margin in the fastest.

I might have to google if maybe I can just change the settings on my watch. It would be nice if I can actually see the lap times. Surely that wouldn't be too much to ask? But if not, maybe one day I'll be such a running nerd I buy a more sophisticated watch just to get that functionality…

Llyn Llydaw in the mist

This year, it would be a special episode of the annual field trip with the second years. I would get Susan to come with me as the first aider! That was fab. There had been some tense years with the School photographer, with whom I quite differ in views on women in society, and one year even worse when he stood me up. One year I had had Pete, one of the technicians, and that had been fine. But having Susan is even better! 

We also had a student who has some idiosyncrasies that mean she can’t travel on the coach with the other students. That got solved by Lynda looking after the students in the coach, and me picking up her and Susan in the School vehicle. That worked out fine!

The weather forecast had been good, but it was a bit foggy. The Met Office hadn’t warned us about that. But it was atmospheric! We walked up in nice calm weather. And soon we had the students getting on with the work. 

Lydia explaining to the students how a compass works

Lynda had baked leaf-shaped biscuits! And the fog lifted a bit 

While we were there, the cloud lifted a bit. And when we walked back down, we had much wider views. And most of the students handed in their raw data right there. Two days later, I had the data in excel format from all groups as well. It looked like it had been a successful episode! 

Donating blood after the main racing season

I used to not give blood donation second thought. I would just do it, and not notice the difference. Not even when I took up running. And racing. But when I took up hill running I suddenly did notice. It was like running through treacle! For two weeks after donating. I was quite consistently bringing up the rear. And I’m not among the faster Thursday runners, far from it, but normally there are at least a few people even slower than me. Not for these two weeks.

When I became an Eryri Harrier and got even more fanatic in my racing, I didn’t want to donate blood just before a race. And there is always a race. I could have donated blood in June, but that was racing season, so I didn’t book anything until October. After the Bangor 10k there would be a lull. Time to donate! 

It all went well. And I was even tended to by Chris’ mother in law, whom I had met during racing season. That was lovely! 

I knew I would be sluggish for a while. But I don’t want to not donate blood for selfish running reasons. I have already booked my next session, in February. But I think my donation after that will again have to wait until summer is over!

Exploring Cwm Pennant

Neil and I had a day where we could go on an adventure again! And he had said he had never been to Cwm Pennant. I hadn’t been in a long time. And there's plenty to see there! So we decided to go for it.

We parked up in Rhyd Ddu, and made our way over the crest of the hill. It was quite foggy. And then the mining remains started! There are ruined workshops and a mill that doesn't have a roof anymore and inclines and tramways and whatnot. We just had a good look around! Not really a plan; just a valley to be distracted in. And over time, the fog lifted. 

We decided to go back via Bwlch y Cwm Trwsgl and y Gyrn. The former made Neil laugh: it translates, according to my dictionary app, to the Pass of the Oafish Valley. He decided he felt at home there. I suspect the etymology is different, but the term trwsgl really is in use as oafish; I noticed my Welsh tutor using the same term (in that sense) the day after. 

Once we were back on the crest of the hill, it wasn't long until we were back at the car. And we decided to have a drink in the local pub. We stuck with non-alcoholic beer, but that was okay! We were snug by the fire. Another day, another adventure!

How it started

It got even more atmospheric

Moody first look into the valley

It cleared up and the workshops appeared

Neil on a spoil tip

The roofless mill

Arbitrary ruined farm

View over the reservoir

Some bushwhacking

Trwsgl selfie

Visiting Sue and Dean’s new house

Sue and Dean moved weeks ago. They had sent some pictures, and it looked lovely. I was really curious to see it for myself! And I voiced that. And Susan suggested Saturday tea and cake. That sounded fab. Especially with the weather forecast being quite good. I would go on my bike!

Biking there went fine. The hill up Mynydd Llandegai is a bit of a struggle, but from there on it’s plain sailing. And I knew the way to the road through Fachwen (I’ve biked it several times), and from there it’s not complicated. And I got there in good time! It is an impressive place to arrive at.

View from the road through Dinorwic ( the village)

The track

We first had a cup of tea. And we decided to do the tour in bits, with the cake in the middle. And so we did! And the cake was absolutely lovely.

The house was in excellent condition. It was clear that they had been able to just move like that. The garden was a different matter. It is absolutely gorgeous! But there is a lot of of it. And some of it had already gone a bit wild. There were, for instance, several fruit and vegetable patches, but more than the odd sad raspberry they didn’t yield. And some features, like benches, were a bit overgrown. And the problem with that is, of course, that that process is still enthusiastically ongoing. This will take so much maintenance! I didn't envy them at all. I already think my garden is big.

There is also a bridge nearby, that they said it had been built by the same person who had built the house, in 1840. We went to see it. I had already started to suspect I had run on the track to their house multiple times, but hadn't recognised it as such while on my bike as I had my mind focused on finding the way and biking this not entirely bike-welcoming track. When I saw the bridge I knew I had indeed run here many times! And been there with Kate, doing the slate trail.

I had not actually put two and two together, and realised that that was where they had moved to. Funny how you don't see what you don't expect. But now I could place it in context.

We had a little wander around, downstream from the bridge. The river Fachwen has a whole series of very beautiful waterfalls there. But when we had done all that I knew it was time to start thinking about going home.

Some of the waterfalls of Afon Fachwen

We first had a last cup of tea. And one of the cats was actually willing to be in the same room as me. In the end, she even let me pet her! That is always special. These cats are not keen on strangers. And in their eyes, you stay a stranger for a long time.

I then biked back. Getting back to the crest of the hill is hard work. The track to their house, but also the little public road it leads to, are steep, and I knew that. But I got it done without too much walking, and then I was in the clear. The rest of the bike ride home was nice.

I'm glad I've seen it now! And I hope I will see it again soon. Hopefully, there will soon be a sort of an official housewarming, with Martin and Sarah  there as well. And, if possible, Tom and Siobhan, who happened to also have had a little private viewing. And whoever else they would like to show their house to. Stay tuned!

Bridge goes tidal

First, the bridge was closed. And I thought that what would happen in the slightly longer term would be that we would go back to the one lane system, with traffic lights on both sides. But it was different! A variation on that system.

What we got was a part time low weight tidal system. Part time as the bridge is closed at night. Low weight as the limit has been brought down from 7500 kg to 3000 kg. How do they check? They have an actual person on the end of the bridge. They eye up all vehicles, and wave them through if they look lighter than 3000 kg. Really! 

The tidal thing is that between 7am and 1pm, motorised vehicles are only allowed to go south on the bridge. Between 1pm and 7pm, they can only go north. Cyclists (who get off their bike) and pedestrians can go either way at any time. But if you want to drive onto Anglesey in the morning, or off it in the afternoon, you have to use the other bridge. And that bridge gets serious queues! 

It’s not ideal. But it is a lot better than nothing. And I think we may have to live with this for quite a while! Bridge repair is a lengthy process…

What you see if you’re on the wrong side of the bridge tide

Thursday Night Hill and promo event

I had missed several Thursday night hill runs. I may have been in the Netherlands, or on fieldwork, or teaching until 6pm. This week I could make it! I was teaching until 5pm, which doesn't give much margin, but enough. And it would be a promo event again. A hybrid one this time! So far I had only attended promo events where you borrow one type of shoe (so far always trail), and taken these for a fitting run. My second TNH had been one of those! And there had been more: a later one was in early spring, when the evenings are dark, so we also borrowed head torches. This is always done from Crib Goch Llanberis.

This time, we could choose between road shoes and trail shoes. We would split up in two groups. And I went for trail shoes! And the head torch that came with that. Then after a while set off. It was a bloke from the shop who lead this run. Dyfed, who generally runs the Thursday night, lead the road group. 

The borrowed shoes and my own (with head torch in)

The borrowed head torch 

We ran through the fields to where a forest path heads for the Llanberis path. And then through the valley, over the river. And from there onto the gravel road to the youth hostel. This was not a normal TNH! Normally, we are not on such even paths. And normally, we run a lot further. But this was clearly more promotion event than TNH. It was the road group that pushed it!

Head torches in action

Group pic on the bridge

After only 7 km we were back at the shop. I gave back the torch and the shoes, I put my own back on. By then, the next door pizza baker had started to bring in boxes. I took a slice of pizza and an alcohol-free beer. That is always part of the promo event! Very nice.

They also was a price draw. Everyone who had taken a pair of shoes for a run got a raffle ticket. The prizes were: a pair of shoes, a head torch, or a hat. There were some happy winners!

After having tried out the same head torch twice and really liking it, I decided that I should buy it. They weren't as expensive as I thought, and there was going to be a reduction as well. The good thing about these torches is that while they are very bright and easy to adjust, they are very lightweight. This model has the battery separate from the torch, so you can put that into your running vest, or bumbag, or whatever it is you are wearing. If I am running in the dark, I probably wear something like that anyway.

After that I said my goodbyes and went home. It had been a long day! I was looking forward to bed…

 

Marking field notebooks

The first marking of the year is in! It always is the field notebooks of the Newborough field trip. And it tends to be a bit of a logistical nightmare. This is pretty much the only work we mark on paper, so that means only one person can do it at a time. With online submissions, everyone can be at it at the same time. But we still have the same strict deadline. And it is not unusual for us to miss it!

I knew Martin had them, and I hadn’t heard anything since. So at some point I asked him what the situation was. He hadn't started on them, and he said other people were welcome to do so. So I liaised with someone who had key access to his office, nicked them, and started marking. I didn't finish it, as storm Amy hit, and I wanted to get the proverbial out of there before wind speeds would get above 60mph. That afternoon, marking notebooks did not happen!

He also hadn't included marking sheets. I don't think they were available on the module website either. And we do tell the students exactly what we expect from them, but that is not directly related to his marking sheet. More confusion!

I still have them when I write this. I still haven't finished them. But also, I have had no communication from anybody else that they might want to start their part. My guess is: we will miss the deadline again this year! If four or five people have to mark something in hardcopy, you had better stay right on top of the logistics, otherwise it becomes chaos. What can I say. At least I've tried!

Big bag of notebooks and marking sheets

Voting again

When the Dutch government fell, it was clear new elections would be held. And I received my paperwork. The actual election isn’t until the end of the month, but as a voter resident overseas I need to schedule in some time for the postal services to do their thing. So I got it sorted! 

I printed out the ballot paper, and put it on the table in the bedroom. Storm Amy blew it off the table onto the floor. And there the cat got it! But the damage is not substantial. I think my vote still counts.

In recent years, elections have not yielded anything I liked. But there is always hope! The second party on the list is the fairly new, but also quite veteran, party which is a combination of Dutch Labour, and a green party founded in the early 90s. I really hope they end up the biggest, and they can go and form a government. It's not excessively likely! But one can dream…

Central university sorts out referred students

In July I referred three students to the University’s Central Panel for Academic Integrity. Now all cases have been heard! 

It was frustrating that these students had to wait so long. But at least it now was sorted; in no time even. One student didn’t appear for their meeting, which was a pity, but it does mean the panel has to decide only on information they already had. That’s quick! 

The two others did, which is better, but their meetings were brief too. They just briefly explained what had happened and why. And then the panel could go and make up its mind. 

The decisions are made when I'm not present. I suppose I am equivalent to the public prosecutor, and the panel is the jury. And the judge. Somehow. So I make my case, the jury withdraws, and then decides what penalty should be issued. And in all cases, what they decided was the same as what I had recommended. Did my recommendations make any difference here? I doubt it. I think it reflects we're both sticking to the same set of regulations.

All these students will now have to redo these assignments, and only after they have done that successfully, can they graduate. So more work for us, the people involved in the modules. One of these modules is mine. I made a new assignment for the purpose.

I think the students know we will look very closely at what they produce now! I don't think they will dare to use AI for anything more fundamental than proofreading or literature searching. And I don't think they can graduate this winter. But if they get their brains into sufficiently high gear, they can get this over with, and graduate next summer. With quite some learning acquired at the end…

Bridge closes again

We are having a déjà-vu! We, as in, the inhabitants of north Wales. The ‘old’ bridge to Anglesey has closed again. For everything except pedestrians. 

The same thing happened a few years ago. It seemed that there had been warnings about maintenance being overdue had been issued for years, but nobody had act donate. Until people feared it would actually collapse. And then they closed it, initially for absolutely all traffic. Luckily, after only a few hours they reopened it again for pedestrians. And then it stayed open for only pedestrians for months. 

When it reopened, there was a period of about a year where quite a lot of the time, only one lane was open, and there were traffic lights. It was quite annoying. But it was also needed, as repair work was ongoing. I was really happy when that was finished, and for a while, the bridge was just open in both directions at the same time.

Then its 200th anniversary approached. The media said that the bridge was going to be painted to look good on its birthday. So the traffic lights came back. But not always. Sometimes you saw some blokes with a little pot of paint and a little paintbrush. That just didn't look like it was making much progress! And quite often, you saw absolutely nothing happen. We are now less than two months away from 2026, which is the anniversary year. Barely any of that bridge has been painted! But suddenly, the paint seems to be trivial.

Not quite painted

The first thing that happened was that there was an announcement that a 3 tonne weight limit would be imposed. Up until that point, it had been 7.5 tonnes. But then, in the weekend immediately after, it was announced it would close for all motorised traffic. I suppose the council had decided that is too difficult implement the 3 tonne rule. And apparently, there were some bolts in the bridge that needed replacement, and that was the reason for the changed weight restrictions.

Closed! 

You can imagine that this caused quite some upset. This bridge is in heavy use! In this season, not so much by tourists, but by loads of commuters and the likes. They now have to all go over the other bridge, with predictable traffic jams as a result. Many of my colleagues are not happy. Who is also not happy is everyone who is trading on the Menai Bridge High Street. If everyone comes over the other bridge, they pass the town by quite a margin.

We of ocean sciences have to travel between Bangor and Mair Bridge a lot. Quite a lot of my colleagues do that by car. That now takes forever! It is a big detour, and you have to sit in a queue for a while. I think they would benefit of having a bicycle in their office, like I do, so they can drive to work from however far away they live, and then use that bike if they need to go lecture on main campus. While you're on the bridge you have to walk, but as soon as you are off it you can jump onto the bike and be a lot quicker than when you walk the whole way.

Since all this happened, it has been announced that soon, the bridge will reopen in a one-lane configuration during the day. That will help a lot. It all sounds very disorganised, though. If the bridge reopens, does that mean it is safe for traffic to go across? Then why close it in the first place? Or is it not, and they are just keeping their fingers crossed all will be well? A strange situation! But it looks like this bridge will not celebrate its birthday in style. And I will walk across it a lot in the coming months. But I do hope that in the long run, it will be fit for another 200 years. It is a beautiful bridge, and being one of the first suspension bridges in the UK, also of historic significance!

Bangor 10k 2025

The Bangor 10k is where I set my personal best on that distance. It is also my successful race of those that are still run. It is not unusual for races to immediately discontinue when I win something better than a bronze medal, like the SSitWR and the Pwllheli 10k, but not this one. In 2023, I had a bronze medal, and in 2024, I managed silver. So for me, the pressure was on. This was the race where I had to perform!

Traditionally, the Bangor 10k and half marathon are run on the same day, with the same start time. The 10k runners just turn around earlier.

The weekend in which they was scheduled was a bit blustery. That Friday, I left work early in order to not have to face wind gusts of 60 mph. I think I failed. But I got home safely. That Saturday there should have been the Llandudno triathlon, but it was cancelled because of the weather. On Sunday, the 10k would be run. The weather should have improved by then.

On Saturday, there was a message from the organisation. The half marathon was cancelled! They mentioned that the route was not in a fit state for a race, due to storm Amy. I first thought that would mean the half marathon runners wouldn't be there. That gives the 10k runners more space. But then I realised that all half marathon runners we are now welcome to run the 10k instead. And that meant: a lot more competition!

Good news was that Kate said she was going to come to cheer me on. That sounded lovely. She didn't want to travel up together, though; she had the dog to deal with, and wasn't sure she would make it on time. So I figured I might as well bike in. I would also get to see the state of the bicycle path beyond the turning around point for the 10k that way.

I did get to see it. And I did understand they hadn't managed to clear the path! There were two sizable trees lying flat over the path. I could still get past; with the first three I could lift my bike over one trunk and slide it underneath another. With the other three I had to go over altogether. It was okay!

Quite some work to clear this up! 

And then there’s this one too

I got there in good time, and got my race number. I also found fellow track runner Elfyn, who had mentioned he was running it too. He asked if I would pace it! I said yes. I had paced him the previous week... I also saw fellow Harrier Mary. I could give her a medal she had won in the Caernarfon half marathon, but had already gone home by the time the presentation took place.

I also went to the loo. To my surprise, there was no queue! What sort of miracle is that? And I did a little warmup. Then I took off all the clothes I didn't want to run in and headed for the start. Richie was there too. The previous race he had beaten me! Would I manage to beat him this time?

Start pic

I started close to the front, and saw that there were loads of women in front of me. That's what you get when the half marathon joins! We ran down the high street, and headed for the pier. This time, we didn't run all the way to the end. Was that a weather precaution? The further out into the Strait you run, the more exposed you are. But a turning around point means you get to see who is in front of you. And I thought there were some 10 or 11 women ahead of me. That's what you get when the half marathon runners join!

I had intended to run the first part at speeds of 4:15-4:20 mins per km, but I was going slower than that. Oh well. I wasn't going to get a podium position anyway. And when we came off the main road to get onto the bike path, I saw Kate! She was screaming her lungs out. That was fab. And she also made sure to scream from the bridge.

I was slowly gaining on the people in front of me. I was glad to see that I was picking off a few women on the bicycle path. And then the turning around point came. Five women in front of me! Indeed, no chance of a podium position. But a clear potential for a category win. Let's just chase that!

I did pick off one of these women. The rest looked way too far ahead. And when we had to make a little loop for reasons of road safety by Maesgeirchen, I saw that the woman I had overtaken was a safe distance behind me. I could cruise to the finish now. No changes in position expected from here on.

I did cruise to the finish. I got a fist bump from the photographer, who is associated with the club. Then I done around to cheer on some people behind me, like the next lady. And I was there to congratulate Richie who came in not far behind me. I had beaten him again!

Crossing the finish line 

Then I went to collect my medal and race T-shirt, and drink my recovery shake. I also put a jacket on. I knew I would get cold in just a vest. And I went back to the finish to cheer some other people on, and I saw Mary. When she went off to put on an extra layer I got a message from Kate, and found her by a café. With Bryn! I hadn't realised she would bring him. It was really good to see him. He thought so too.

We had a chat with Mary, and random passers by, and the father of an under-18 Harrier who had been super fast (he often joins the Thursday sessions, and has recently also been attending Track Tuesday). He had also been super fast in Tattenhall. But, unlike his dad, he was not in socialising mood.

Then it was time for the presentation. We stood a bit back from the crowd because it otherwise would have been a bit too much for the dog. But we cheered for everyone. And I indeed had a category win! The guy from Run Wales said he was getting used to having to hang a medal around my neck in the ceremony. It's nice if that is a standard thing. I also remember a Cybi Strider remark during the presentation of the Caernarfon half marathon 'now we come to the bit where we watch Margot get medals' and I thought that was both funny and flattering. Mary had heard some students chattering that they head recognised me, and thought I was really fast. Ego boost!

When the presentation was over I went to get my bike. The plan was that Kate and I would go for coffee and cake somewhere. And for reasons of noise venue and dog-friendliness we chose the Blas Lon Las cafe (at Moel y Ci farm). And that worked out perfectly! Because my bike was in the back, Bryn had to sit in the footwell of the car on the way there. He was being very cute there. And enjoyed licking the sweat from my legs. And the cake in the cafe was nice. A good day!

No more legs to lick, so time to snooze

Kate brought me home. There I found out I had done it in 43:27; my second fastest time ever; 6 seconds faster than I had done it in 2023. And 50 second slower than in 2024. Fine with me! And I was indeed 5th. And I couldn't resist checking if that would have been different if the half marathon had gone ahead; yes it would! Two of the women faster than me (including the winner) had been registered on the half marathon. So if they could have run that distance I would have come third. And the women who would have got gold and silver were so fast that even if I would have run my 2024 time, I still would have been only third. They did it in 40:42 and 41:31, respectively. I'll never manage such times!