AWKWARDLY SOCIAL

oneliness is a significant and often overlooked challenge in today's society. Many individuals find themselves increasingly isolated, with social interaction primarily occurring through digital devices. While technology offers connectivity, it can't fully replicate the richness of face-to-face human interaction.

However, real-world engagement is essential for our well-being. The disconnect from genuine human contact can leave many feeling ill-equipped to navigate social situations and cope with the demands of interpersonal relationships.

2310.22 TIME FOR JUMPERS

It's been unseasonably warm this season which is currently in the process of change. Weather isn't always a cyclist's friend, the cold and wet together with wind and ice sometimes make the rides dangerous or just plain unpleasant. As I write this Storm Babet is battering the country (it's safe to say I didn't cycle to work today - Friday).

2212.03 FREEZIN

This winter is going to be hard. Perhaps the hardest I've experienced since I was a child. Already it's cold but it's going to get colder. This post however is not about the weather.

2207.18 BYE BYE BORIS

The Prime Minister has finally quit after years of lies and basically taking the piss out of the British people. But I have to talk about night's out, birthday celebrations, bike racing and of course, the weather!

2101.28 GAME CHANGER

Once again I find that I am plodding through this lockdown with very little in the way of direction. Still things move forward and there have been some changes.

2101.17 LOCKDOWN 3.0

I've been mulling over what to put in a new blog post, the first proper one of 2021. What do I say? So we are in lockdown again, number 3. Life is mundane, bed - work - TV - bed. This is life in lockdown. I work in the public sector, a keyworker ...probably.

1911.10 THE GREAT SHEFFIELD FLOOD... AGAIN

The Sheffield Floods of 2007 were supposed to be a once in a lifetime event yet here we are 12 years later. A month's rain fell in a day on already saturated ground on Friday.

1909.27 WRAP UP AND CARRY ON RIDING

Autumn is here, and the nights are drawing in. Soon it will be getting colder and the commute on the bike will become more challenging... but never impossible.

1907.17 WEBCOMIC: HOT

It's been very hot and clammy recently.

1903.05 BREATH OF FREYA

When I initially planned this post I thought that the forecast storm was going to be a lot more than what it was. The reason it got my attention was of course that they had named it after a Norse god and I have been doing quite a bit of reading about Norse mythology recently. Vikings have always interested me since I was a child but over the last few years I've been drawn towards the culture and art of what is one of the most intriguing periods of history.

1902.08 ICE

I don't like winter, I've gradually grown tired of the season as I've gotten older. The cold is uncomfortable and unpredictable, it disrupts and causes chaos.

1810.29 DARKNESS FALLS

It's that time of year, the clocks have just gone back and the nights are getting longer. The temperature is starting to drop and the weather is turning. It's time to get the big coat out.

1808.12 HEATWAVE

If there's one thing most people will remember about 2018 it will be the record breaking heatwave and it would be remiss of me to mention it. I've chosen to use this current hiatus in the soaring temperatures to mention it.

1804.02 IT'S EASTER!

It's that time of year when we celebrate the rebirth, when colour returns to the land and new life starts to appear everywhere. When we crawl out of our holes to embrace the great outdoors - it's Easter.

1803.04 THE BEAST FROM THE EAST

The great Siberian freeze and follow up storm came. The snow was followed by a mighty freeze with a 'feels like' temperature reaching a bone chilling -12°C! The landscape became white and services ground to a halt. The storm became know as "The Beast from the East"

1802.25 ZERO - WILL I EVER BE WARM AGAIN?

Winter is my least favourite season, especially as I get older. All it does is stop me from doing stuff I like to do. If I had my way I think I'd like to hibernate until the spring.

1610.31 GOLDEN BROWN AND ORANGE

It's that time of year again. It's getting darker and colder, the nights are longer and Christmas stuff is in the shops (although it's been in store since August). I do love the colours of the Autumn season although I don't enjoy the change in the weather. I think so far this year we've been lucky and it's been fairly dry round here. I used to love the nights drawing in, I used to think of it as a warm blanket I could wrap myself in. As I get older I think I feel the cold more and the darkness becomes a prison warden that keeps me indoors.

The turning of the leaves at Centertainment 

It's Halloween tonight and it's our busy time at work. So I'm stuck here whilst Morticia deals with the 'trick or treat'ers.

Rags has done a great job with the pumpkins this year. I remember when I was a kid pumpkins were rare (I don't think I'd ever seen one), we used to make our Jack O'Lanterns out of turnips.

1609.16 OVER 40s CHECKUP

I was rudely awoken this morning at 5:20 by a violent thunderstorm. I had to come downstairs to let Angel the cat in, she was grateful and I headed back to bed. The weird thing was that as well as the thunder, lightning and heavy rain there was also traffic outside which was unusually heavy for the time of day. Had the storm awoken these people so they'd decided to go to work early? The storm dissipated and so did the traffic but with an alarm set for 6:10 not much more sleep was available.

So today was the day I went for my "over 40s check up". I've been a little apprehensive about it mainly because of my family history. The males in my paternal line all have cardiovascular health issues. My uncle was only a couple of years older than I am now when he died suddenly of a heart attack.

The check-up was pretty basic, performed by a Healthcare Assistant called Joanne. Height, weight, blood pressure and blood tests. Add the lifestyle questions to which I pretty much passed and it was over pretty quickly. I fell below the threshold to be tested for diabetes but since I have a family history she's going to test for it anyway.

So now I wait to see if the bloods reveal any problems, apparently no news is good news so if I hear nothing I'm clear.

Morticia had the same check up directly after me but hers isn't as straightforward as her chronic illness causes other lifestyle issues.

The weather looks like it's going to dry up before I cycle to work. However with all the surface water it looks like I'm still going to get a bit wet!

1608.26 ARE WE GOING TO SCARBOROUGH FAIR...?

We did, yesterday...

Scarborough is approximately 2 hours drive away so an early start was called for. Having a teenage daughter means that early starts aren't always achieved. Not a problem getting her out of bed (like her older sister), it was a getting the right outfit and makeup right. We were 45 minutes late setting off.

Before we set off we checked the weather with this guy... 

He said it was going to be overcast and warm in the afternoon (with some showers in the morning). This is Owain Wyn Evans, the camp Welshman who presents Yorkshire weather on the BBC.

The drive northeast was uneventful and we arrived at Scarborough Fair without incident. 

Scarborough Fair is a collection of vintage (mostly steam driven) fairground rides and Victorian attractions and well as a number of vintage vehicles. They are all housed in 2 large hanger style buildings located between Scarborough and Filey.

The price is a little expensive but we had a discount coupon (£3 off) and the proceeds go towards preserving the collection, the staff there are all volunteers. The great thing about the collection is that a number of the rides are available to ride on (for the price of a £1 token). We rode the Merry-go-round, Caterpillar, a Ghost Train and I had 2 goes on the Dodgems (they let you bump unlike the 'health and safety' obsessed Dodgems I've experienced recently).

We were there a few hours before heading into Scarborough. We walked along the front when the heavens opened. Hoping for a passing shower we ducked into an amusement arcade to wait it out.

It didn't stop. Well done Mr Evans, you were way off on this one. 

We decided to get some tea at one of the fish and chip restaurants that we (Morticia and me) visited last year.

The rain continued and as the visitors started to leave the shops began to close early. We waited for the traffic to subside before heading home ourselves.

1601.17 FINALLY SNOW

After predictions and forecasts the snow made an appearance last night. I was out enjoying a 'date night' with Morticia whilst Rags was at a sleep over when it started to really come down. Social media was buzzing with pictures of snow covered streets and whinges about getting about.

It lasted just a few hours really. It started to thaw today and is just about gone.

The obligatory snow covered street picture