The Who, The What, The Where, The Why and The When.
The Man
I/C Stupid ideas. Old enough to know better, young enough to still feel invincible, stupid enough to keep on trying the same thing again and again. Cyclist, Gardener, Runner, Hiker, Cook, Woodworker, Engineer, Jack of all trades and master of none, Anti social old git and all round miserable bugger.
The Emma
I/C Mocking. Everyone needs an Emma. Holder of bits of wood that are too long to saw on your own, Puller of things that need pulling, Pusher of things that need pushing, Bringer of beers, Collector of creatures, Maker of meatballs, but best of all always there with a brew on and a smile when you come home wet and cold.
The Boy
No one needs a Captain caveman look-a-like any more, so it's a good job the Boy (also known as Tristan) has come in from the wilderness of his teenage years, had a haircut and turned into a smart, intelligent, well planted and all round good egg.
The Schnizzle
Unable to sit still for more than 5 minutes, over the last few years I've run 25 marathons and ultra marathons (as of April 2021 and continuing to try to do one a month), more ½ marathons than I can count, including a stint from Jan to June 2019 where I ran at least a half marathon distance or more every week (although injury put pay to this run so maybe it wasn't such a good idea after all).
I've cycled, (self supported and camping most nights) from home to Lands End, up to John O Groats and back again (2000+ miles) along with numerous individual shorter rides, including Audax rides of up to 600KM.
I've walked (self supported and wild camping) the South Downs Way, Staunton Way, Hangers Way, Test Way, Oxdrove Way, and numerous other days and weekends out.
I've worked my way through numerous DIY projects, from simple decorating to complete kitchen removal and replacement. I've grown a large percentage of our fruit and vegetables on my allotment that I've taken from an overgrown bit of jungle to a piece of heaven and I've done a few other odds and ends along the way.
The Plan
To keep on doing more of the same, fitting as much as possible into every day and getting out and seeing as much of our beautiful country as I can.
The Projects
I like to have a project on the go, I find my brain seems happier when it got something to think about and I like the challenge. I've gone into more details in the "Projects" section, but there's a little taster below to get you started;
The Allotment
This was an overgrown mess when I first took it on in the summer of 2013 and has taken a considerable amount of work to get it to the state it is in now. Like everyone we still buy tomatoes and peppers etc in the winter but I try to be as self sufficient as possible and you cant beat the taste of freshly picked fruit and veg or the satisfaction that comes from sitting down after a long day to a plate of home grown food.
The Allotment is still very much an ongoing project with the winter of 2019/20 being used to build a fruit cage over the entire plot in a bid to stop those pesky pigeons from eating my tea.
I like to have a project on the go, I find my brain seems happier when it got something to think about and I like the challenge. I've gone into more details in the "Projects" section, but there's a little taster below to get you started;
The Allotment
This was an overgrown mess when I first took it on in the summer of 2013 and has taken a considerable amount of work to get it to the state it is in now. Like everyone we still buy tomatoes and peppers etc in the winter but I try to be as self sufficient as possible and you cant beat the taste of freshly picked fruit and veg or the satisfaction that comes from sitting down after a long day to a plate of home grown food.
The Allotment is still very much an ongoing project with the winter of 2019/20 being used to build a fruit cage over the entire plot in a bid to stop those pesky pigeons from eating my tea.
The Van
From unloved panel van to fully functioning and equipped camper van over the winter of 2018/19. This started off as a bright idea to A) Increase my range a bit and open up running and cycling in new places and B) Increase the amount of time I could spend out in the great outdoors, coming back to a cold and wet tent in February isn't exactly appealing but a snug little camper van, that's a different matter.
Doing the job over the winter wasn't exactly ideal, especially as I haven't got any indoor space big enough to work on big bits, so I found myself cutting insulation in the snow, wrestling 8x4 sheets of plywood in the pouring rain and trying to paint when the wind was strong enough to blow the paint off the brush before you could get it on the wood. All good character building stuff that adds to the sense of satisfaction!
From unloved panel van to fully functioning and equipped camper van over the winter of 2018/19. This started off as a bright idea to A) Increase my range a bit and open up running and cycling in new places and B) Increase the amount of time I could spend out in the great outdoors, coming back to a cold and wet tent in February isn't exactly appealing but a snug little camper van, that's a different matter.
Doing the job over the winter wasn't exactly ideal, especially as I haven't got any indoor space big enough to work on big bits, so I found myself cutting insulation in the snow, wrestling 8x4 sheets of plywood in the pouring rain and trying to paint when the wind was strong enough to blow the paint off the brush before you could get it on the wood. All good character building stuff that adds to the sense of satisfaction!
The Workshop
Every man needs a shed, the bigger the better and in lieu of a big one, multiple sheds will do. As everyone knows “He who dies with the most tools wins” and I'm going to need somewhere to hide when I'm too old and broken to go running. My workshop is far from ideal, it's far to small to do any meaningful work and its too cold in the winter, but it does allow me to take on pretty much any job. I just need to put a bit more thought into how I'm going to do it than I would with loads of space.
Every man needs a shed, the bigger the better and in lieu of a big one, multiple sheds will do. As everyone knows “He who dies with the most tools wins” and I'm going to need somewhere to hide when I'm too old and broken to go running. My workshop is far from ideal, it's far to small to do any meaningful work and its too cold in the winter, but it does allow me to take on pretty much any job. I just need to put a bit more thought into how I'm going to do it than I would with loads of space.