Saved from bike emergency

My bike saddle had been a bit loose for quite a while. I probably should have done something about that! But I never did. It didn't seem to affect anything, really. But it later turned out to be a portent for worse.

I was just biking home and not got very far when I took a low curb. I heard a bit of a sound and I felt something happen, and within a few meters I realised what it was. There was something with the saddle! It was still fixed to my bike, but it could freely rotate, in several directions. And that means you couldn't sit on it. If you put your weight on it, it would just pivot and you would slide off. A bike you can’t sit on is not a very good bike!

I quickly consider my options. Did I have any way of fixing that saddle myself? No. Was there anyone around who could? Yes! There is a Halfords in Bangor, and I'm sure they can fix saddles to bicycles. And they would be open until 8 pm. It wasn't particularly nearby, but I figured I could get there. Most of the way it's quite steep anyway, and then it isn't particularly onerous to have to stand on the pedals. So that's what I did. It was about 3 km.

I took the bike in, waited my turn, and I explained the problem. The man dealing with my query said that the whole bolt had sheared off, and it would either need drilling out, or I needed a new seat post. Well, new seat post, please! 

In Halfords

That was easily sorted. And while we were waiting for the computer to deal with its side of the transaction we made some small talk. Where did I need to go? What route would I take? The man turned out to be quite an avid cyclist, but he was entirely unfamiliar with the route between Halfords and Bethesda. Maybe he'll one day bike it! It's quite pretty.

With a bit of a delay and a bit of a detour I was on my way. It felt good to have a functioning bicycle underneath my bum again! And this has taught me to pay attention to anything being not entirely as it should be with my bike. Things can get uncomfortable quite quickly! And this time I got away with it, but I could imagine situations in which I would have to leave the bike altogether, be it at location or at Halfords, and find myself a bus somewhere!

Visit by an old friend

Somewhere in the mid-nineties I moved to shared student accommodation. One of the people there was Frank, a geology graduate with a passion for palaeontology. We got along well. But student accommodation has high turnover, and we both moved on from there. But we connected on Facebook so we were still in each other’s perimeter. 

This January suddenly I got a message from him. He and his wife would go on holiday to Wales in july! Would I be around? Could we meet up? And I thought it would be a great idea! And he turned out to have rented a cottage in nearby Tregarth. The day after he arrived I biked up.

It was so good to see him! Except for the grey hair he had changed a bit. And he said the same held for me. We estimated we hadn't seen each other for 20 years, but we couldn't really remember at what occasion we had last met. And it was lovely to meet his wife. And we didn't waste much time; soon we were sitting in the garden with beer and wine and snacks. And we talked through what they were going to do the coming days. Their first day had been spent wisely at South Stack.

View from Frank and Ilja’s cottage’s garden 

They had plenty of plans, and the thought was that one day I would team up with them, and that would be a Dinorwic trip. So that was decided! But we had plenty more to discuss. I left when it got dark, as I realised I had left my bicycle light at home. That tends to happen in late summer! I'm not used to needing them.

Our Dinorwic trip would take place on Sunday. Late morning they came to pick me up. So we got in the car, and I suggested we drive the touristic route to Llanberis. I directed them to the side entrance of the quarry, above the bus stop. I knew we didn't really want start exploring the quarry from there, but it is such a beautiful route to get there! And the views are amazing. Frank and Ilja agreed. 

From there we drove to the slate museum. We decided to first to do the quarry and then the museum. So we started walking up the zigzags. Frank really wanted to see the Anglesey Barracks, and that could be arranged.

Triple quarry selfie

From there we took the incline up to the viewpoint, and then we aimed for the hidden waterfall. But it was a day in the weekend in summer and the weather was fine, so plenty of people wanting the same thing. Quite different from the previous time I had been there! Then we had to place to ourselves.

View over the quarry

The famous waterfall

Ilja didn't fancy the route to there, so she waited for us. Frank thought it had been well worth going to have a look with the two of us. And it is really a beautiful place!

When we had done that we headed back to the museum. I directed them to the quarryman’s cottages, and after that we did the workshops. There was even a live blacksmith there! And then it was time to head to my place and drink beer in the garden.

I first showed them my house and my cat, of course. They liked both! And they understood why I'm so happy with my garden. Ilja is really into birds, and she was impressed that as soon as we walked into the garden, the dippers gave acte de présence. And a bit later there was commotion on the river; two female mergansers of some description (either common or red-breasted; I think the red breasts are a male thing) were zipping around. I had only seen them once before, but I had had no clue what they were!

Frank admiring simulated metal casting

When they left we decided we shouldn't leave it decades to see each other again. Frank was really keen on a house swap from time to time. But if I am in the Netherlands, it makes a lot more sense to be based at my mother’s. But I'll keep it in mind! And I can also just visit. And maybe they will come back here as well. They were having a whale of a time in Wales! So hopefully we will sort of pick up from where we had left off, in the 90s…

Supplementary Assessment Week(s)

If students have either not been able to do an assessment during the academic year, or they haven't passed enough modules to proceed to the next year or graduate (but not by too much), they get a chance in July remediate that. Students that have missed an assessment for unavoidable reasons like health issues just get another chance, and get the full mark for their work. Students who have failed a module in such a way they can’t progress get offered an alternative assessment; this replaces all the assessments of the module, but the mark is capped. So in summer we were expected to get all these first sits and supplementary assessments ready on our module websites. There were so many this year!

Really close to the time, the university also decided that this year it shouldn't be a supplementary assessment week, but the period of two weeks. So we changed our assessments accordingly.

That period has now ended. So what is the teaching burden? Well! It is quite a mixed bag. The good and the bad news is that not all students who were eligible to do assessments did it. I had more students who hadn't than students who had. And students not taking this opportunity doesn't have to be a bad thing; some may get the chance to do an assessment in several modules, and might just choose strategically which module they tackle. And that might not be mine. But there are undoubtedly students among them who didn't submit who now won't be able to progress, and that is sad.

There was also a bit more confusion then I had anticipated! I had several assessments by students who weren't eligible to do them in the first place. All these folders on our module websites specifically state that only those who have been personally contacted to say they are eligible to do them should do them. But not everybody paid attention to that, obviously. And there were some assessments to that were in the wrong folder. And there were students who were eligible but whom we hadn't been told about.

One thing that affects me is that there were several students eligible to submit their dissertation as a first sit. And then the idea is that I don't have to mark them; all dissertations have a dedicated first and second marker. The problem is, though, that we only get a week to mark this work, and a lot of people are on holiday in this time of year. So now I have been running around looking for people who might be willing to step in. I myself will do a fair few. But given that they are all double marked, I can't, by definition, do all this work!

On my module website

There is even a sort of supplementary supplementary assessment week, for students who don't come through this. That is in August. And the academic staff is getting cranky, because that sort of implies that we can't go on holiday during SAW and SAW2 (in case there are questions) nor in the weeks afterwards, as that is when we have to mark this work. Clearly, not everyone is sticking to this. But it is a concern. We need to be able to switch off a little bit in summer. And this steadily growing burden of additional assessing is not helping with that!

First club run: around the lake

After Having been accepted in a running club, the Eryri Harriers, it took a few days for that to have a practical implication. The first Thursday training was the very day after I became a member, and not only wasn’t I mentally prepared; it also seemed a bit much between the race on Wednesday and my imminent race on Sunday. That Monday there was a training, but I was at the book launch. So it was the Thursday after that I felt I could make my debut. 

On Thursdays, the Eryri Harriers do hill training. My favourite! Uphill, anyway. So I was keen. Although the Facebook page said, the day beforehand, that this week it would only be a loop around Llyn Padarn (where I had had my post-finish dip the Sunday before). But one of my colleagues, who lives in that neck of the woods, reassured me they would probably not skirt the shoreline, but come up the fairly steep road towards Deiniolen, which I had never run before, but had biked several times (here and here). I know it gives you a workout!

I changed in my office and drove to Llanberis. I parked in the parking lot that had been given in the announcement. There was no one else there! But maybe I was just a bit early. I quickly walked to the other parking lot there, but didn't see anything obvious, so I went back. And then I noticed a man in running gear approaching me. He gestured at me: are you here for running? So I gesture back that I was, and I joined him to go indeed back to the other parking lot. Why don't they just give the name of that parking lot in the announcement? But at least I now was where I should have been. And the man had been the one who had sent out the announcement.

I chatted a bit to the other runners there. And then my colleague Chris appeared. He's the only one that I know! Although I recognised a few faces from races.

Chris confirmed that if they tell you to gather it 18:15, the run probably won't start until 18:30. Good to know! And in the end, we finally set off. We went clockwise around the lake, so first on the path to the parking lot used by lots of swimmers, and then over the bicycle path to the end of the lake, and then up the infamously steep road. Now and then the front runners stopped to wait for the stragglers. And I had a bit of a chat with whoever happened to be nearby.

On the bicycle path

A lot of people were talking about a big race that coming Saturday. Everyone asked if I was registered on it. I wasn't! It was mountain running and that’s not my thing. 

I also noticed some people speaking Dutch. There turned out to be two Dutch sisters in the group. One lived here in Wales, and the other one was visiting. It was nice to meet them!

Until the highest point in this run, we had been on asphalt, but then there was a bit of distance on small paths, pretty much all the way back to the quarry hospital. And from there it was only a small distance back. In total we had done 8.6 km. It has been good!

I joined some runners in their stretches, but lamented the fact that stretching makes you stationary, and that gives biting insects a chance. So I was glad when we were done. And then I got back to the car, got home, and got a shower. My first club outing! I hope many will follow!Having been accepted in a running club, the Having been accepted in a running club, the

Next small step in making the house sustainable

Two years ago, I had solar panels put on the roof, and a few infrared panels put in some rooms. Solar panels were a no-brainer. Infrared panels seemed a good idea too, but I wanted to try it out first before I would deck out the entire house with them. If I would have still have had money left after that exercise, I would have bought myself a battery to go with it. But I didn't.

It is now two years later, and my finances have recovered. I figured it might be time to have the rest of the rooms also festooned with infrared panels. So I phoned the company that had done the previous work. And a man came over to talk about it.

We went from room to room to see what the requirements were, and whether there would be any challenges in installing. In the living room and landing, I am quite specific about the looks of the room. I don't want them to look too modern. In the kitchen it doesn't matter too much that there are big modern panels on the ceiling, and that there is cabling associated with them. But in the living room I want it to be discreet! And one thing I really wanted was panels that fit between the Victorian ceiling beams. Neil, the representative of the company, said that that wouldn't be a problem.

Living room ceiling beams already compromised by modern technology 

We also discussed batteries. He said that the Tesla Powerwall 3 was about to come out. He just said that that was unquestionably the best thing out there. Hopefully, they would become available in autumn. And we discussed where it would go.

Neil said he’d price up the lot for me and send the information through. And he did. And then I realised that altogether, this was a bit more expensive than I could afford in one go. And even though my initial thought was to have the infrared panels installed, and the battery had been an afterthought, it would actually make sense to do the battery first. If you do that, you can use a lot more of the energy you generate for yourself, and that brings down your energy costs. That then makes you recover financially a bit quicker, which means you can get the infrared panels sooner than otherwise. So I phoned him.

Long story short: I have now told Neil to put my name down for a Tesla Powerwall 3. I haven't yet sorted out the paperwork or the deposit, but that should not be that much work, and then I can wait for this next step in trying to make my house more sustainable. And the infrared panels can wait for a bit. My trusted old boiler is still functioning. I know it is burning fossil fuels, but well, one can’t magic money to solve all that sort of problems in one go…

Second book launch

Only two years ago, I attended my first book launch. Peredur, the linguist who I have been practicing Welsh with, has his second book out. Of course I wanted to be there when it was launched!

The timing was a bit unfortunate; that day, it would initially be dry, but in the late afternoon it would start raining. There was an actual weather warning for rain out, so it was probably going to be unpleasant. If it were not for the book launch, I would have gone home fairly early to avoid that.

They came, and I biked to Main Arts in the rain. I quickly went inside. There already were drinks there, and some people. I had a wine and a chat. And when the opportunity arose, I bought the book, and asked Peredur to sign it. 

At some point it started. We were in a huge room! I sat down third row. Nice balance between elbowing myself front row, and showing disinterest by sitting in the rear. 

The interviewer this time was a fellow author: Bethan Gwanas. I must admit I haven't read anything by her yet. And she had a completely different style from Aled Hughes, a radio presenter, who did it last time. To be honest, I preferred Bethan! She was very unfiltered. And she was a bit of a fan girl. That must have been good for Peredur’s ego. 

Bethan Gwanas and Peredur

She asked things such as how he has got the idea for his books. And he told her it had all started with a short story he had written for an online Eisteddfod during lockdown. And then it had snowballed from there.

She also asked about the two books hang together, and it seems that they are related but that you can read them entirely independently. I will find out myself!

He had different chapters with different protagonists in the first book, and now he did again. Some of them even the same ones. And he spoke of difficulties with these different voices. One of them, for instance, is from South Wales, so he had to mimic a South Welsh way of speaking. That sort of thing can go wrong! She also asked him to read a fragment from that, so we could find out how good his South Walian pronunciation really is.

There is also one chapter that is written in the second person, rather than the rest of both books, which is in third person. And they discussed a bit what the significance thereof was. And why the protagonist of this chapter has such a name. Peredur confessed he had just wanted to avoid that anyone with the same name, even if it was entirely by coincidence, would have an issue with that.

This chapter also seems to be in the most formal Welsh. After all the colloquial speech of the other protagonist (he read out another fragment; yes one of them is indeed very colloquial) that stands out. And Peredur confessed to have been a bit self-conscious; he wanted a chapter in which he proved he could really also write "proper " Welsh.

In the end, Peredur thanked everyone in the room, because he said he couldn't have done this without the support from the publisher, his friends, family, and colleagues. So he dedicated the book to us. But he reminded us that we still would have to pay for our own copy.

With that it was coming close to an end. He invited us to stay a bit longer, as we hadn't finished the Prosecco yet. And I walked out of the room, back to the drinks area. And when I saw daylight again, I realised it wasn't raining. And that made me decide to just go. I had already had two glasses of wine before the event; drinking any more would probably be a bad idea anyway. And I had already chatted to the people there. So I skedaddled!

I'll start this book as soon as I have finished my current one. Stay tuned for a review!

The swift saga continues

I left the story with the microphone pack Velcro’d to the swift box precariously leaning over. Did it fall? Was it rescued?

It was rescued! I got an email from one of the swift researcher that she had come and retrieved the box. It had been just in time, she said. And the problem had been that the box was sliding out of its Velcro. The Velcro itself was holding up well! But if it is not glued to whatever it is holding up properly, that's not much solace. So they were going to use some better glue in the future.

Something that was less positive that that same day, I had spotted a chick that had fallen out of the nest. Or being pushed out. No idea! But either way; it had given up the ghost. That was sad.

Rest in peace little swift

A week or two later the researchers were back, again with their long bamboo poles. They said they this time had a smaller battery pack, and better glue. So they had again the difficult task of somehow sticking it to the Velcro on a different nest box. They managed! So the research will now continue.

They also told me that it is not unusual for swift chicks to end up out of the nest. If the parents are a bit optimistic and have three chicks, but there aren't enough bugs around to feed all of them, the runt of the litter just gets sacrificed. This summer hadn't felt particularly low on bugs to me, but it might have been different for the swifts. 

Spot the tiny battery pack

With the new battery pack in position, I am back on monitoring duties. I do think I can keep reporting back that everything is okay a bit longer this time. I'm sure they have good glue this time, and that pack looked very light. Let's hope they get some good research data in!

Snowdonia trail 10k: silver!

When I realised I had come 4th last year, in spite of biking to the start, and stopping along the way for pictures, I was keen to register again and improve on my performance. And the first part was easily sorted. Would the second work out as well? Especially since my knee issues in May? I had faith. After my visit to the physiotherapist I had run the distance several times without issues. 

This time I drove to Llanberis. I parked on the outskirts of town, where the swimmers go. I fancied a dip after the race! 

I already had my race number, so after a last convenience break I was ready for the start. And it was sunny! I had made sure I had my sunglasses on me. What a difference with the race only four days ago. 

I ambitiously started at the front. That way you can see how many women there are in front of you. Before we were out of town, the tally had gone up to 1. A very fast-looking woman came storming past. I didn’t think I would see her again! Except from quite a distance, from the back. 

I happily trudged up the road to the youth hostel (where the last Tuesday Evening race had been held), and beyond. The field wasn't shifting much. I could see the first woman vanished in the distance, and not much else was happening. And I made sure to keep my speed up when I reached the gravel road that goes gently downhill.

On the gravel road

At the turn where the route goes onto a grassy path I was careful, but it had been a dry day. I could still keep up some good speed, as slippery levels were modest. Then on the other side there is some uphill work that was tiring, but it is my strength.

On the grassy path, with the same red-shirted man behind me 

The path gets you back on the asphalt road that leads you back into town. That is very steep downhill in places! Inevitably, some people overtook me. But crucially, no women. And I was still feeling strong when I passed between the lakes and headed for the zigzags. I know that is my territory!

The field was quite spread out, so I had them for myself. Later on I overtook some blokes on a later uphill bit. One of them remarked it I had quite some engine on me. I told him he would come thundering past me on the way down.

Inevitably, the downhill arrived, and indeed, that very bloke came thundering past. And a few more. But, crucially, still no women! This was looking good. I had faith I could actually bag myself a silver medal this time.

I made sure go quite fast on the asphalt bit in the vicinity of the quarry hospital. If any women would be approaching me, they would have done it on the downhill part just before that. I couldn't see or hear any, but sometimes people can seem to come out of nowhere. But when I had the finish in sight I looked over my shoulder. Nobody! So I knew I would be silver. I was really proud!

Getting to the finish, knowing I have silver

Post-finish-selfie

I was taking a finish selfie when I heard the announcer say the third woman had now crossed the finish. She must have been quite close behind me! So I waited for her and gave her a hug. And then the fourth woman came in. More hugs! Quite sweaty ones.

Together we went to where you could pick up your mug, your coaster, and some food stuff. I was quite attracted to the bananas and chocolate they had there! I stayed clear of the drink, because I knew I had a litre of water in my bag, and a big sachet of isotonic drink. I would head for that. I verified that the medal ceremony would be at 12:30 (I had finished close to 10:30), and then biked back to my car. It was time for a dip in the lake!

Right next to me, a couple was trying to convince their rather cute dog to go for a swim. And there were some swans making an appearance. I didn't stay long; the only thing I wanted to do was freshen up. That is quite quickly done! Then I dried off, changed, had my isotonic drink (this was a bit old, so some of it had turned into a chewy sweet), had coffee and a sandwich, and then went into town. My sandals were at the end of their lifespan, and I knew there were outdoor sport venues in town. Maybe one of them could sell me a new pair? And the second shop indeed could. Success! And with my new acquisition in the bag I went back to the event terrain, as the medal ceremony was not that far away.

Elegant residents

And a less elegant one. I had just taken off my socks, shoes and top and had decided I was ready

When I was there I spotted familiar face: my colleague Chris, whom I had failed to give a redundant registration I had been alerted to at the end of the previous race. We couldn't change the details this close to the event, and he obviously couldn't race with a chip belonging to a female, even if he would have been happy to race under someone else's name. He is an Eryri Harrier, and was there to cheer on one of our PhD students, who is as well. But she was doing the marathon. She was not expected any time soon! So I found Chris willing to attend the medal ceremony for the 10k and half marathon. I had a supporter! That was nice. I often have Marjan, but she was travelling that day, and couldn't be there.

I won a slate plaque, a sun hat, and some socks. The socks were a bit on the big side, but they might just about to be small enough for me. And otherwise I can give them to Kate.

Pic by Chris

After the ceremony, Chris decided to go into town for a bit, and I went back to my car. Time to go home and bask in my victory there. 

There I found out that the winning lady, who hadn't attended the ceremony, had come about five minutes before me. She really was very fast! And I was impressed to see the bronze lady was in her 60s. Of the top 10 women, half were over 40! That's not bad. Among the top 10 men, only one was. But the fastest man had been 6:20 faster than the fastest woman!

The rest of the day I was quite tired. Not surprising! And well worth it. Onwards to the next race! 

Another book: Memorial

After having read a lot of books that I had borrowed or received as a present, and re-reading Un Nos Ola Leuad, I was going to read a novel I had bought for myself for the first time in a long while. I had bought it quite a while ago, after I had read the review in the newspaper. It sounded interesting! I had never heard of the writer, but I decided to take a chance.

What attracted me in this book was that it dealt with a relationship, but seen from the separate perspectives of the two people in it. And I was interested to see their different perspectives on similar events. People can sometimes have such a different view on the same thing! I had already enjoyed that to a modest extent in Blasu, where two children of the protagonist have a completely different view on her..

So how was it? I must admit I was a bit disappointed! For two reasons. The first one was that there was less reflecting on the same things from the two people in the relationship. They do a lot of reflecting on things that concern only them and not their partner, such as family relationships. So you don't get the two contrasting perspectives.

A bigger reason was that it was all about a relationship, but I really struggled to spot any affection. I was wondering a bit if it really wasn't there, or whether how it is expressed is cultural to such an extent I just didn't recognise it. I'm convinced that at least some of it was the former. The two men involved are not very inclined to communicate with each other, they both cheat, they consider breaking up, and the words they use about their interactions are cold and carnal. That was not what I had been hoping for.

There was one additional thing: the suspension of disbelief. The story is that a young Black American has moved in with a young Japanese American. The Japanese guy's parents both moved to America as adults, and have also since moved back. Independently of each other; they are not together anymore. And then at some point the mother lets the son, Mike, know that the father has cancer and doesn't have long to live. Mike then tells his mum she should come over to stay with him, as she might want to not think about the situation. However; pretty much while she is in the air on her way to him, he decides that he wants to go and visit his dad, with whom he has lost contact. That seems implausible. Maybe I just don't know what strange contradictory urges the imminent death of a parent can bring out people, but I thought it was weird. Would you really go to Japan if your mother has just travelled halfway around the world on your invitation? But if you really feel like this is the last chance you have to reconcile with your dad, maybe you do.

In the book, anyway, Mike totally does go to Japan. Pretty much as soon as his mother arrives. And that leaves his mother staying with his boyfriend Ben. They have never met before. And Mike ends up working in the grotty-sounding diner his father runs in Osaka.

You do get a lot of interaction in the book between Mike and his mum, and Ben and Mike’s mum. That was quite interesting.

In the end, Mike decides that, after having come back to the US after his dad’s death, he has to go back to Osaka to run the diner for a while. Ben decides to stay in the US. The men seem to have decided that means breaking up, but Mike's mother thinks otherwise. You don't find out what the final decision is. I think that is an elegant ending.

In the end I am glad I read it, although I wish there had been more relationship in the book, but obviously, you only know what's in a book when you read it. And my next book is already on the go: I am going back to non-fiction. Stay tuned!

Pentir fun run

When I visited the Eryri Harriers Facebook page, why I called the advertisement for a race. It was really soon, and not very far away! I decided to register for it. It was a short 4.5 kilometre race on the Wednesday night in Pentir. That is not very far from my commute. So after thinking logistics a bit, I decided I would indeed just bike to work with my running kit in an extra pannier bag, and on the way back just ride to registration, run the race, get back onto my bike, and get home. Sounded like a good day!

I changed in my office, and decided to just write in in my running kit with a running jacket. I had a rain jacket with me as well, but I figured that would be too hot. It was raining, though, but I was quite resigned to that.

Biking to Pentir went well, and because I was on bike I could park right at registration. I got my race number and my chip (in this race, these were two different things), had last sip of water (even though it came for free out of the sky), and then ditched the jacket and went to the start. This was several hundred meters away.

There was the usual faffing by the start, but in the end the organiser got everyone's attention. He told us about that the road wasn't closed, and that on a wet day like this, the off-road parts of the route would be slippery. And he told us that someone had parked their car in front of the finish, so they would move it a little bit, and we would have to run around the nose of the car. And I asked the runner next to me that it was clear where the finish was, but where was the start? And that was when the organiser said ‘on your marks, get, set, go!’ That told me that wherever it was we were standing then, was actually the start. Oh well. We were off!

We started on the road, but after not which time we turned off into a field. That was quite grassy and quite firm. Into a bottleneck: There was a kissing gate that couldn't deal with the influx of runners. But it helps spread out the field. And this was the only kissing that heads queue for awhile. With the others, there were never more than two people in front of you, and they all were quite quick getting through.

Near the start

I recognised the area from when it was lockdown! Then I had extensively explored all the public footpaths in the area, so I had done all of these as well. It was a beautiful route. And some of it indeed was muddy and slippery. I was careful on those bits!

The way back had some paths that were too narrow to overtake people, so then I had a bit of a breather. But then we came back into the grassy field, and I overtook the lady in front of me. And when I got back on the road I saw one man in front of me I wanted to overtake as well. I did! And then I finished. I had no idea how much time it had taken me, but I was happy with my performance. I had given it some welly.

Almost back at the road

At the finish that was water and cake. I didn't need any encouragement! I picked a lovely piece and ate that, while chatting to other finishers.

Post-finish cake! 

One lady approached me to ask if maybe I wanted to do the trail 10k on Sunday. I told her I was already registered. That was a bit of a pity, as one of her friends was registered, but couldn't run, and was hoping to find someone to transfer her registration to. I wasn't it! But I said I could ask around. But then we needed to be able to get in touch with each other for that to work. My hands and my phone were too wet to exchange details that way, but I asked if a policeman who was keeping an eye on things if he happened to have a pen on him, and he did. I had the lady write her name and phone number on my race number, and said I would be in touch.

Then I decided had lingered enough. I went back to registration. The organiser had said that there would be no prize ceremony for reasons of the weather, so he said that there would be a monitor with results at registration, and if you saw you had won a prize you could just pick it up. So I had a look! And I saw I had come first in my category. That was good enough for a prize. And they just randomly allocated the prizes. I was happy to see mine was a box of jelly babies. Firstly, these are good running food; secondly, there were also several bottles on the table, and I didn't fancy having to bike these home. So this was a good result! I got back into my wet jacket and was off.

I had to bike back on a relatively large road, as there were no alternatives that wouldn’t add significantly to my travel time, but I still only was on that road for a few minutes before I could turn off onto a smaller road. When I got home I was quite drenched! I was glad to peel off my soaking kit and have a shower. And it had to be a rigourous one; it took some force to remove all the mud from my legs.

The weather hadn't been ideal, but it had been really nice to just do a little race in the middle of my commute! And get an ego boost and jelly babies to top that off. And it was a nice preparation for the upcoming race that Sunday! I hope that will be even better…

New vet

My cat really hates going to the vet! And that's the only place I take her. I think she just really really hates being transported anywhere in her travelling basket. She does sometimes try to slink away from the vet, but what she really really doesn't like is being put in the basket, and then the journey there.

I had just kept her registered at the vets she already had been registered at when she was with Guy and Kate. But that is in Caernarfon, 11 miles away, and there is a vet a lot closer by: only 2.5 miles. I had decided a while ago I should transfer her, but I hadn't gotten around to it. But now I decided I should get my act together and do it.

When I was at it anyway, I also completed the transfer of her chip to my details. I hadn't quite managed that the previous time! And I also made sure her chip details agreed with her insurance details.

The vet said that they wanted to see her for a general health check. She was also due her worm medication. So they booked her in.

She wasn't suspecting anything, so it was fairly easy to put her in the basket. And then the usual heartbreaking scenes developed! She was meowing pitifully in the back of the car, but this time, she only had to be in it for a very short time!

Her least favourite location 

When we got there there was a complication; it turned out that the person I had phoned had accidentally booked her into a different branch of the same veterinary practice. And the location was just what I had come for! But they were flexible about it, and said that they would sort of squeeze me in. And I only had to wait 20 minutes for that. And given that the travel basket wasn’t moving anymore, the cat was quite happy. She didn't care there occasionally were big dogs in the waiting room; she just settled in her basket and was even purring quietly.

When it was our turn the vet weighed her, and even though she looks slim, I found out she is practically 5 kg at the moment! That's quite a lot. But otherwise the vet decided she was healthy. And she (the cat, that is) was also quite cooperative.

At the desk I picked up her wormer, and then we were good to go. Only 2.5 miles to get home! This really was an improvement! And if I ever need to pick up medication for her, I can just do it on bicycle. It's not that far off my route to work. Another advantage. I think this was a good move!

Joining a running club

I'm not quite sure when the idea was planted in my brain. I love running! I have been doing it for well over 10 years. And there are other people who love it too. Is it perhaps a good idea to join a club?

I do know that I was considering it when I was doing the Tuesday evening series. There were always Eryri Harriers, and they were always very kind and welcoming. They organise these events, as well. And that would be the club I would join. I live in their territory, and they seem a good bunch. They also do any type of running, which is nice.

One day I decided to go for it, and I contacted their membership secretary. A short while later I had a response, and I paid my fees. I was a member! I also joined their Facebook groups.

I didn't immediately do anything with that membership. The next thing I did with running was run a race, but I had registered as an unaffiliated runner, and I didn't have club kit yet, so there wasn't anything different yet. I did chat to some other Harriers. Thursday Hill training came up! And I really liked the sound of that. But that race was on the Wednesday, the day after cave rescue training, and I wanted to have a normal evening for a change. So that week I didn't go. I also know about Monday training, but I think that's on the athletic track, and that attracts me less. I might show up anyway! To get a bit of club spirit.

This might be a big change in my running career! I am curious to see how it pans out…

This should be my racing outfit soon! 

Search practice, with technology

Immediately after the graduation ceremony, there was a cave rescue training. That was quite the transition! I drove home, went to the loo, fed the cat, changed out of my dress and into quick-dry trousers, and left again. I would eat dinner at the car park. I had packed sandwiches. 

We would do a surface search training this time. Our mapping expert had made a map with pretty much all (potential) underground venues on it, and the idea was that we would practice using that. He had instructed us to all upload GaiaGPS on our phones, and had sent us a file with all venues in one part of the woods where we would meet. 

When we got there, Ed the mapping expert first talk a bit through the software. Then he subdivided us into three teams, and gave each team a piece of paper with coordinates on, and a radio. And with the help of GaiaGPS we were expected to go to the coordinates, and report back via radio.

We did that, and from these coordinates he sent us to the first mine entrance he wanted us to check. It was very easy to navigate to it! We reported on its details, which I suspect he has by now added to the map. And then he sent us to a few more locations.

I imagine he must have kept a very cool head! All three teams were really frequently reporting back to him. He must have somehow made notes of what we all told him, kept track of where everyone was on the map, and had ideas of where else to send us. And we also sometimes told him we had spotted potential entrances that were not on the map, or if we thought a feature on the map had been misidentified.

Working with the map software went fine, radio communications went fine, it wasn't raining, and the midges were annoying but not too bad. So I think it went really well! And at some point we were all sent back to the parking lot.

In the debrief we discussed things such as what you can and cannot do when you don't have internet signal, the pros and cons of having all the information on our phones, how to combine the software with paper maps if needs be, how long a mobile phone battery last while running the mapping software, and things like that. Very useful if you ask me!

Then people started dispersing. I took the opportunity of giving my helmet with light to Miles, as there was an issue with the cabling or connectors. This had happened during the previous exercise. The light itself was still working, but that is not much use if it struggles to connect to the battery! And Miles is a champion electrician.

The last thing I did was discuss with Ed details of one feature we were convinced had been misidentified. And then it was time for me to head home as well. Time to wash the combine sweat of an academic gown in a glamorous hall, and of a cave rescue jacket in a slightly muggy woodland off me. I'm glad we had this practice, as I do sometimes veer in the direction of troglodytism…

Several of the venues we checked out

Summer graduation 2024

It was time for digging out a smart outfit! Graduation was imminent. I decided on a dress and black boots. The gown providers had a black gown with gold lapels (if that’s what you call them in a gown) for me. And I went to the council chamber to await lining up in the cortège. It was busy there! 

When we got to the podium I was wondering if we would even have enough seats. I ended up on fourth row, and half of the row was unusable as the chairs were touching the chairs in front! No space for legs. But we all fit. I didn’t have a very good view, though. 

My view during the ceremony 

About half the students in the ceremony were from our School. I knew so many! It was good to see them all robed up, being congratulated by the VC. 

When we were done there was the obligatory group picture in the courtyard. (Sometimes I don’t get to see that picture. You would think it’s little effort to plonk it on Facebook!) And then we could pick out individuals and congratulate them. Students you have supervised in their final project, or personal tutees, tend to be the ones you want to see most. 

Happy picture with Dei, new BSc Lewis, new MSc Finley, and me

Staff pic

After a while we all went to the other courtyard, where all the parents and other associates were. It was nice to meet parents, and be able to congratulate them with their offspring. And there were some pics taken. But after a while I figured it was time to hand the robe back and head for the reception. So I did! 

There were more people to congratulate there. I also expected Finley, my master student, to show up with entourage. But that didn’t happen! And I had to go. Different duties were calling. So that was it for this summer! I hope we’ll see some of our graduates again! 

Summer work

The last thing I mentioned about work was the big wave of academic integrity cases that came just before the big marking deadline. So what happened next? No work? Well, less than average obviously, with me swanning off to Finland, and then taking a day off for the occasion of my dad’s visit. But the work doesn’t stop!

Three big things that happen in this period are Supplementary Assessment Week, Quality Assurance, and getting the module websites for next year ready. The first is a period (this year suddenly extended by a second week) in which students who have either not done assessments for reasons of illness and suchlike, or students who have not passed the year but could redeem that, can do assessments. If that goes well, they can still pass the year. If that is their final year, though, they will only get their graduation ceremony in winter. 

This year there were more of these assessments than ever before. Something is not going quite right! We might need to try to find out why this is. But we all had to set up these assessments for all our modules; sometimes a first sit for each separate assessment, and then an additional assessment for students trying to redeem the entire module. And then we have to mark it all. 

Quality Assurance involves evaluating all your modules, evaluating how the changes implemented last year have panned out, addressing all the feedback the students have given on it, and detailing what changes will be made for the new year. The deadline for making substantial changes, though, has already passed. 

The module websites are delivered to us as an empty template from a central source, and then we have to populate them. Some of that is just a question of copying information over from last year. A lot of it, as well, has to be custom-made. An overview of what happens when might have to be adjusted to the new timetable. Sometimes you have to re-record your lectures. If you have new or change assessments, these have to be put on there. Et cetera!

The new template has pretty pictures!

There's more going on, of course; I myself have been quite busy with updating the School EDIS induction information, and have been trying to organise a new procedure for the induction. New employees should be given information by their line manager, the head of the technical staff, and me as the equality, diversity, inclusivity and sustainability (that last term was added recently) lead of the School. Suddenly I wasn't being informed anymore of new arrivals, and I have been running around trying to find out why, and what now. And then there are always smaller things happening.

There is obviously still a lot to do, but at least in summer, it doesn't really matter when you do it. Not very many things are timetabled. So you can organise other things, such as sustainability surveys of your house, and organise work around that. I enjoy that!

Will I reach new academic year without too much stress? We'll see! I have a few time-consuming tasks on my hand, and I have one module I really need to think about how to do things in practice. Stay tuned!

Slate Trail maintenance

I hadn't seen Kate for a while, what with all my recent travelling. So when she was available on the Saturday after my dad's visit, I was glad. She suggested we walk part of the Slate Trail. We had, of course, already done the entire thing, but she had recently become one of the volunteers who maintains it, or rather, a dedicated part of it. So we were going to walk that!

The forecast was rain all morning, then a nice afternoon, and then rain again in the late afternoon. So I got to her place at around lunchtime. And we decided to have lunch first.

After lunch we set off, and parked in the valley of Afon Cynfal. Bryn was keen to get started! Unfortunately, he was also very keen to eat as much sheep poo as he could. And human poo as well, unfortunately. Kate had to keep a close eye on him.

Near the start

She also kept a close eye on the route. She photographed all the way markers. Were they in good condition? If they weren't, she would be the person to replace them. And on a stretch that I remembered as being really awful with regard to the bracken, she cut some down. The dog noticed and started helping. He ate any inconvenient grass that got in the way!

Later in a field with high grass he had an absolute whale over time. Most of the time he is just trotting along, or focused on any sheep poo he can eat, but here he was so busy running around like a headless chicken he didn't seem to think of anything else. It was very cute.

We also got to a bit of an ambivalent crossing over a fence. The signage seemed to direct you to an uncomfortable crossing with barbed wire, while 2 m away, but a bit hidden, was a better crossing without. Kate added a way marker, and chopped down some of the bracken that obscured the view.

When we were near the hillfort we had a little snack break. That bit of the route is also very beautiful! All the way until you have to be on asphalt for a while, on road to the Manod Quarry. And in order to get there, you have to lift the dog over a stile. He can do ladder stiles on his own, and some other stiles, but this one had too much of a step over a wire fence. He is 35 kg but we did it. 

The road to Manod

Kate & Bryn framed by mining relics

When you reach the end of the quarry road you're back on an old and pretty tramway. That's lovely again! After descending into Cwm Penmachno we had to walk on the road for about half a mile, and then we were back on paths through fields. And we found out comfortable time was up. The rain predicted for the late afternoon was making its appearance! That was a bit sub-ideal. But not the end of the world.

Bryn & Cwm Penmachno 

It is a fair distance on a gravel road, and then a short stretch on asphalt, and then you are back in the village. We weren't even that wet, but we were still wet enough to want to change into dry socks, shoes and trousers. Which we did! Festooned with a cup of tea.

It was already dinner time, and I was hungry, but I first brought Kate back to her car, which was still towering over Afon Cynfal. And then I drove home, to quickly dive into the fridge.

It has been a pleasant afternoon! And I could imagine that looking after a stretch of Slate Trail is quite nice. Maybe I should check if they need more volunteers. It comes through my village as well, after all!

End of the cake competition

It was a long time after the semifinals! I suppose the two final bakers may have been on fieldwork a lot this spring and summer. But finally, the final came. It was a battle between lemon meringue pie and cinnamon buns. We would combine this with the end-of-academic year social. 

When it is the final it is followed by the award ceremony, so we have to hurry up with the voting. And the final is busier than normal. That means everybody knows there is a limited cake, limited time, and a lot of people! So everyone goes early. Everyone, except one of the bakers. He had reached the final being late, and totally losing his anonymity carrying in his creation. And he did it again! There were a lot of expectant eyes on him when he walked in…

There was a sizable queue. I was in it on time! I could try both entries. And they both were very good. But I was even more taken by the cinnamon buns than by the lemon meringue pie. So that was what I voted for. 

Just after 11 we were called in. The head of school would announce the winner. And it was my esteemed colleague Craig, with the cinnamon buns. Master of baking, but not at all master of doing it anonymously. And now he will get to decide what charity the proceeds of the cake competition go to. Unfortunately, he will also have to organise the whole thing next year! I am already contemplating recipes to try out then…

Craig (on the right) being congratulated by the head of school

Election results

I didn't want to count my chickens before they were hatched. All the polls suggested a big Labour win, but the polls aren't always right. I decided I would only get cheerful, or otherwise, when the results were in.

I woke up on the day after the elections at about 6 am. The cat was running through the bedroom, meowing. Maybe she was excited about the elections as well. I decided I might as well decide the day had started, and I switched on the radio. And the massive Labour win had indeed materialised! And no Tory seats at all in all of Wales! What a lovely way to wake up. 

From the BBC website 

I also checked the results for my own constituency. It was a new constituency; we had been Arfon, with a Plaid Cymru MP, but now we were Bangor Aberconwy, which includes places like Conwy and Llandudno, so was much more wealthy and English. When the constituency lines were redrawn by the Tories, they had probably figured that that would be enough to swing that entire constituency to Tory. But were they right? 

You couldn't expect the radio to give the results for every constituency, so I checked that online. We were Labour! I was a bit surprised; I had only seen placards for Plaid Cymru, and not really bothered with checking the predictions. Where I had seen my placards are not the most densely populated parts of the constituency. So it hadn't been representative. But I am happy with a Labour MP. Let's hope she does well!

My constituency indicated by the arrow

It was quite satisfying to follow the news that day. Lots of big names in the Conservative Party had lost their seats. The liberal democrats had bounced back. And the Greens had more MPs than ever before! And Reform had fortunately not done all too well.

It was a good way to wake up! And a good way to end the week. And I hope the next five years will be quite satisfying. Labour has been deeply disappointing during the campaign (although you could ask: what campaign?) but the proof of the pudding is, obviously, in the eating. So we'll see! At least I couldn't have hoped for better election results!

Neuadd Ogwen finished and tried out

Finally, the concert venue next door had soundproof doors! And it didn't waste any time; the very same week they were going to try them out. They had organised an evening with several DJs, and I was sure that their brief had been to just make a lot of noise. Dilwyn, the manager, had told me about this, and said he was going to be running around the building measuring sound levels to see how good these doors really were. And so it happened!

Doors in position, and pebbledash too

I was home late that day, as I had met my Welsh tutor in the pub. So by the time I got home, the party had already started. And I was glad to hear the sound being very muffled! That's how I like it.

Later there was a knock on the door; as expected, it was Dilwyn with his measuring equipment. I invited him in. I was quite pleased with the doors, but he wasn't yet! It was still louder than the wanted it to be. He said that the doors had gaps. One thing he had noticed but that there is a light coming past the doors in the porch. That shouldn't happen! And what I hadn't spotted yet was that the doors in the very back of the venue hadn't been fully installed yet. The builders would have to come back to finish them. If you put your ear to the door pane, you could hear the noise. So that really still needed to be improved on!

It is true you could still hear the music inside my house, but with it being that muffled I was not worried at all I wouldn't be able to sleep through it. And I indeed slept like a log. The one thing I am still nervous about is the artists unloading after the gig. That is obviously something they do outside, right underneath my bedroom window! Soundproof doors don't do much if you're outside of them. But I didn't notice anything.

There will soon be some concerts; in the next two weeks both Arrested Development and Huey Morgan are due to play. By that time, hopefully the installation of the doors will really be finished. And then I can judge the final product. But I have faith!