2021 – Close to You…
After the lockdowns and restrictions of 2020, we all hoped for a much brighter 2021. I wonder if we got what we wished for..?
Read More »2021 – Close to You…After the lockdowns and restrictions of 2020, we all hoped for a much brighter 2021. I wonder if we got what we wished for..?
Read More »2021 – Close to You…The Duke of Edingburgh Award Scheme have launched their Virtual Adventure to raise funds which will support young people by walking the entire coastline of… Read More »The DofE Virtual Adventure…
The COVID-19 lockdown is steadily easing and though times are still difficult, signs of relief are abound.
Read More »Volcanic or Tectonic…What a year 2019 was, or wasn’t. The first time I missed a Scottish winter for 20 years, a trip to Africa cancelled at the last minute, a climb in India scrapped because of lack of interest and a cycling trip to SE Asia cancelled because of injury. For some just that would be disastrous enough, but all those setbacks paled into insignificance on March 20th as, out of the blue, I lost my Dad. The literary world is strewn with poetry, prose and paragraph about death, but no words can describe the feelings of loss I had and still have. I’m happy that he left us peacefully, with his loving family around him. He felt no pain or suffering and I thank God for that. Only the night before, he’d been on top form, laughing and joking with me at a Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme Presentation. It was a striking lesson in living every day of your life to the fullest of your abilities.
Read More »2019 – Exemplo DucemusAn article I wrote for Blacks about my years of experience with the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme… “Get away from the norm, think differently… Read More »The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award: Expedition Inspiration
The end of 2017 is upon us, and it’s easy to look back and think that not much exciting happened. It was just another year, like the one before and like the one to come. Thankfully I write diaries and looking back, 2017 has certainly been packed with life experiences.
I’m not a man to sit about, so during 2016 I travelled to South Africa, Greenland, Iceland, Italy, Denmark, Germany, Greece and Spain. I took part in the ICEMAN Polar Race, walked the Otter Trail, spoke on two cruises and held down a full-time job. Phew..! I’m sure I slept at some point…
Read More »2016 – A Year For Time, Travel and Tingling Fingers…
My first connection with the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme was in the early 1990’s, when I was a young engineer at East Midlands Electricity. They were a major sponsor back then and had purchased a number large of box trailers, filled with expedition equipment. I ferried them around schools, helped set up a DofE group at the office and volunteered where I could. Those days seem long gone as corporate takeovers scrapped sponsorship and abandoned the award.Read More »The Duke of Edinburgh Award – Diamonds, Diving and Derbyshire…
20 years ago today, mountaineering lost one of its greats. Alison Hargreaves had summited Mt. Everest unaided and without oxygen, and was hoping to repeat this huge achievement on both K2 and Kanchenjunga. During the evening of 13th August 1995, a violent storm hit the summit of K2, killing Hargreaves and five others. Though never formally identified, she lies there to this day, buried under snow and ice. A few items of equipment were found, but nothing more. It is a tragic story, which has caused controversy to this day. That, however is for someone else to discuss…
After a week of scorching July sunshine, I hoped for something a little cooler to wild camp the Cumbria Way. Working with facial skin grafts in the blazing sun is always a challenge…
It is with great sadness that the recent heat has taken the lives of two soldiers in the Brecon Beacons this past weekend. I walked past many of them as I climbed Pen-y-fan in 30C last Saturday and commented at the time on how hard they were working. If only I knew…