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A quick Google search reveals that approximately 100,000 people have signed up to Country Walking magazines walk 1000 miles in 2026 challenge. Of course many of those will have registered in and around the New Year period with the aim of getting fitter or having a goal to complete for the year. As we approach the end of March (effectively a quarter in) this is when the going can get tough for the challenge and motivation can dip. I have… Read
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My immediate reaction to this prompt was ‘I can’t actually remember ever receiving one’. Disappointing. So, a little more consideration was required. The obvious starting point being what kind of things have I been doing with my time that might cause people to compliment me? Over the years I have played a lot of football and taken part in a lot of runs, all at a distinctly average standard. Other than the very occasional ‘good goal’ or ‘well run…..for you’… Read
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Twenty years ago Richard Dawkins published a book called ‘The God Delusion’. It basically argued that natural selection explains life’s complexity better than a designer while the existence of God is a scientific hypothesis that can be tested and is highly improbable. Whether you agree with Dawkins or not if you’ve spent your life living in Western society chances are you’ve seen the role of religion gradually eroded and the explanations of science gaining more credence. If that is true… Read
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As I approach my sixties I realise that many cliches apply to this prompt. There are three I would highlight particularly. The first of these is ‘you can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs’. I’ve failed more than my fair share of academic exams and experienced career rejections but it’s impossible for anyone to further their aims without at least some negative consequences along the way. The second one (that I believe is often attributed to Winston Churchill) is ‘when… Read
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Immediately after academia and then for over thirty years I was employed by the same organisation in a variety of office based roles. I really enjoyed it but as with all good things it came to an end just over five years ago via a compulsory redundancy when the company started struggling financially for a number of years. Despite the length of service and my pleasure in the roles I held surprisingly this wasn’t a phase of life that was… Read
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I think most people when posed this question (me included), turn their minds initially to gifts they have received with their roots in a monetary value. Those physical gifts that are received and unwrapped at Christmas and birthday times. Or surprise meals to celebrate something that a kind family member or acquaintance has booked. On deeper reflection though perhaps that isn’t the case. The saying ‘the best things in life are free’ may well apply to gifts too. Or at… Read
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The answer is of course yes. If you’ve been driving for a few years it must be all but nigh on impossible not to have strayed above the speed limit a few times without realising. Similarly the odd amber light must have been skipped along with occasional parking violations. The instructions and timings for parking in the United Kingdom are often confusing and seem to result in a number of cases making court and consequently the media. My friend managed… Read
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This is certainly a daily prompt that I had never previously considered! For those of us that have had and are still living ‘ordinary’ lives (what that may be, is another question), the possibility that anyone else would be interested in what has happened along the way seems exceptionally remote. As I approach my sixties I imagine that like most people I have experienced many of the highs and lows of human existence on this planet that are nigh on… Read
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My dream home seems another simple enough prompt. Most people will mention lots of space, luxury, gadgets and a great view or two. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. As you get older though you start to appreciate that perhaps these things aren’t the most important components of a dream home at all. The pleasure they bring being outweighed by constant cleaning, repairs and trying to stay up to date with the latest ‘must have’ technology. Even the great… Read
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A seemingly very simple question but in my case it could easily be ‘explain nuclear physics’. I love ALL things chocolate or indeed sugar related. Choose your favourite child would be another angle to it. I’ve had a sweet tooth all my life and discovered as you got older it starts catching up with you. Not just the obvious things like dentists being cross and gaining weight. Unseen aspects that unless you get a blood test remain undiagnosed such as… Read
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Big Dave 