June's Jottings

My Attempts to Keep Fit

January 22, 2023January 22, 2023 June L

Anyone who knows me knows that exercise and I haven’t ever really got on. Ever since infant school it has meant running about, doing things that give you pain (I’m thinking the rope burn from sliding down the ropes too fast), fear (in my case of heights from the top of the ‘apparatus’), and discomfort (hockey and lacrosse in the pouring rain or sleet). I was in one school hockey team – quite an achievement for me – but never made the lacrosse one; probably because my aim was to run away from the ball that was hurling itself at me through space at great speed, instead of catching it in my stick net thing. I hated swimming, and I just wasn’t ever a runner. Ever.

However, since then I have made an effort to join gyms and keep fit. As a nursing student, I went to weekly step aerobic classes but gave up after a few months as I didn’t have any co-ordination. Stepping on and off the step was easy, but start throwing in arm movements…… completely lost me. Then, due to most of my 20s either fighting illness or expecting my children (the first baby we lost early on, sadly), my exercise was minimal.

Over the past few years, I came to like the two gyms I have been a member of. During my nursing days, they were a godsend after all the stress of a normal day. On days off, I’d be at the gym for 6.30am so that I could have it to myself before the ‘rugby boys’ came in and posed, looking at themselves in the mirror whilst pretending to lift weights. I loved exercise so much that, for several years, I took part in several charity fundraiser events: a couple of sponsored cycles for Marie Curie Cancer Care, and several years of Cancer Research’s ‘Race For Life’ – strictly the 5km run only for me. 10km was just a bit too much. Often some of my friends would join me, and once or twice my daughter, and we would have a fun time punishing ourselves whilst raising cash in order for other people to have the happy ending to their cancer diagnosis as I have had. I think, in total, I’ve raised about £5,000 for these charities – not a huge amount, but money which I hope has been used to help these people.

Then, about 3 years ago, whilst out running, I injured myself which put pay to my running days. I was quite sad about this as I loved going out with my daughter and the area where we live is an ideal outdoor gym – especially in the early mornings.

Other than walking/hiking – which I do a lot of around here, in a town surrounded by hills – and cycling, which I’m not a great fan of (because the roads are busy) – I needed another form of cardio exercise. After trying Clubbercise once (really not for me, even with the whole waving lightsticks thing), I took up rowing at my local gym. Finally, a low impact sport which I really enjoyed. And I’ve done it ever since. The local gym only has two ergo machines (rowing machines) and I was getting grumpy at having to tire myself out on the treadmill or bikes while waiting for countless other people to finish on one or other of the ergos before I could put in my daily 10km stint…….so we ended up buying our own. Now I have no excuse to shirk trying to keep fit. If I do, it sits there and makes me feel guilty.

I have been a bit lax recently with my rowing though. Tutoring every evening, as well as thesis-writing, and doing the house up for selling has taken every spare minute of my time. However, I signed up for DoddieAid and am trying to make up my walking miles with some rowing ones too. It’s not one of my beloved cancer charities this time, but the cause is equally as important; someone we knew locally passed away a couple of years ago with MND. It is a dreadful illness. So, although my effort for Team Edinburgh is pretty meagre, I’m doing my tiny bit to help. (Team Edinburgh isn’t doing great in the Inter-District league…..come on, folks!).

I went a bit OTT with my rowing today, especially after not having done it much over the past couple of months. It also didn’t help that I hit the wrong Spotify playlist on my phone and so I ended up trying to keep a steady 25spm whilst high energy tunes were bursting out of my earbuds. Not recommended. I’m going to be hurting tomorrow……..

Cross-stitch projects

My latest cross-stitch project

January 21, 2023 June L

Anyone who knows me, knows I loooooove spending any free time I have sewing cross-stitch pictures for ourselves or family members. I’m a bit of a solitary soul preferring to engage in arty, crafty things (when I’m not reading) to going out and socialising. I like being an introvert!

I think, ever since I took this hobby up in 1998, I have produced about 20 fairly large pictures, most of which take years to finish. We have now run out of wall space in our house, as my previous projects adorn every one where there isn’t a bookcase! It’s a very therapeutic hobby – as well as the picture I am forming, I sew my memories into each project too. From landscapes I completed whilst on maternity leave with each of my children, a sampler for HM the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012, when I was on strict bedrest for 6 weeks following major surgery, to more recent pictures which are associated with memories of hot summer days, sitting outside in my garden with my sewing and unwinding from thesis-writing. I like making things which, when I am gone, have longevity and show that I have existed. Time spent online on social media, etc. doesn’t do that for me.

Below is my most recent project. My Dad was well known in his school for his cricketing abilities when he was young, and – when I saw this picture – I knew I had to do it for him. It took about a year to finish – quite long for this size of project but there were long spells after Mum’s passing when I didn’t feel like doing anything: sewing, reading…..anything. I eventually pushed myself to finish it so that I could give it to Dad for Christmas.

I have obviously edited his name and school out of this photo (for privacy) but I obtained a copy of Wisden which I knew contained his name and details (from the 1950s, thank you eBay!) and added them under the picture to make it a little more personal. My husband has learned the skills of mounting and framing, so he did that job for me.

Needless to say, Dad loves it. He has it on the wall of his living room and often tells me that he looks at it and remembers his cricketing days. Which was totally my aim! The picture also has an air of Suffolk about it, where my Dad was born and grew up, which makes it even better.

I have so many projects lined up – now I just have to choose the next one! I will post pictures of some of the other pictures I have done in due course.

Literature, Quotations

Literary Quotation of the Week – #1

January 21, 2023 June L

‘”One hears such stories about onesself”, said Creosote, affecting not to have heard. “So tiresome. As if wealth mattered. True riches lie in the treasure houses of literature”‘ (Terry Pratchett: Sourcery)

Anthony Powell, PhD

PhD update

January 20, 2023January 20, 2023 June L

It’s been a hot minute since I last updated the world on my ever-so-slow PhD progress (if anybody is bursting to know). Yes, I’m still at it but the finish line is just about in sight now. Working towards this degree part-time is tough. Six years seems to be forevvvvvver especially when, like me, you’ve had to take two Interruptions from Study that collectively total over a year (first of all because my Mum was struggling with the immediate effects of treatment after her shock advanced cancer diagnosis – an illness which also coincided with my Mother-in-law also falling very ill and recovering at 6 weekly intervals. Then the last one was when I realised my Mum only had a few weeks left, and the surprise death of my Mother-in-law. So last year was a bit tricky!). Although it has been amazing seeing most of my full-time cohort graduate with their degrees, I can’t but help being a wee bit jealous as I scratch my head and stare at random paragraphs wishing that they would write themselves.

However, I soldier on. Two chapters done, one to go. And of course, I leave the hardest one until last; thank you, 2017 June. It is really rewarding though, and I am loving finding new things about Anthony Powell’s places in Dance that haven’t been studied before. He is really a brilliant author.

Last summer I also loved presenting some of my research at the Anthony Powell Society conference – my paper appeared to be very popular which was just the encouragement I needed on return from leave following my Mum’s death. The Anthony Powell Society have been (and still are) an extremely knowledgeable group of people and I am indebted to them for their help on various aspects of my research. I’m doing this thesis for them as well as my beloved Mum (who made me promise not to quit it), my family, and my supervisor.

So, I’ll keep trudging on toward that submission date (hopefully early 2024 at the latest). My supervisor has been the best – so patient with bumbling old me as well as being incredibly supportive and encouraging. Couldn’t ask for better. My thesis acknowledgements are almost going to be as long as my introduction! Almost there, me. Almost there.

Back to the research……..

General

The ‘hood: My reflections on our 23 years in Peebles, Scottish Borders.

January 19, 2023August 18, 2023 June L

After living in the green and rolling Scottish Borders for the past 23 years, we are looking at moving back to the city again in a few months’ time. Our wee town has served us well: when we first moved here the High Street had a wider range of shops than it does now, and there were no traffic lights at all in the town. You could go for a walk along the roadside and only have 2 -3 cars pass you. We loved seeing the hills out of both the back and front windows, and – through the front windows – the odd hot air balloon would take off from the fields behind our culdesac. We could sit out in the back garden and hear sheep on the near hills, and the leaves of the many trees rustling in the wind and very rarely heard the wail of sirens.

The town has since changed a lot – but then it would in 23 years. Now the High Street has a narrower range of shops (some of which are good, but most I don’t frequent as they don’t have exactly what I’m looking for), and the town has 3 sets of traffic lights (2 sets within 50yrds of each other) in order to allow pedestrians to cross between the steadily increasing flow of traffic. The hot-air balloon field is now a new housing estate, and the sheep are no longer on the hillsides (nor most of the trees – some of which were lopped when a house was built on the hillside). Wailing sirens of ambulances and police cars are almost a daily occurrence now, although fortunately usually not more than once or twice a day. And the town population has increased as Peebles lies within commuting range of Edinburgh and Galashiels.

However, that said, it is still a lovely place to live – very safe (on the whole) – and a good base for those of the mountain biking or horse riding crowd. [Disclaimer: I am not being paid by, or representing Peebles Tourist Board from here on. I’m just posting some of my wee photo memories for me to look back on and enjoy, and anyone else who might be remotely interested in knowing more about the wee town we have called home].

Over our 2 decades here, we have loved rambling up all the hills that surround the town, many times……

I think this will take more than 39 steps to finish.

……..and strolling down to Manor Valley, where the Old Manor Brig (built in 1702) stands. Funny to think that this old structure pre-dates the two Jacobite Rebellions.

We have also loved our walks along the banks of the River Tweed….

……. and alongside the local castle:

Peebles is also a very literary town. William and Robert Chambers (who were eminent publishers – think Chambers Dictionary) and whom Chambers Street in Edinburgh is named after, lived here, and the Chambers’ grave is in the local cemetery:

Outside the Chambers Institute on Peebles High Street

Peebles was also a place where the author John Buchan spent some time. His house (Bank House) still stands, and there is a museum dedicated to him on the High Street.

And, of course, you’re not far away from Sir Walter Scott’s house in Abbotsford, near Melrose, (one of my favourite places).

What else………ooo yes. Peebles also has the Cross Kirk, which has associations with St Nicholas (aka Father Christmas): see https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/cross-kirk-peebles/history/

Although I’ve been a member of a couple of gyms during my time here, nothing beats this one………

My gym – even better when the park is deserted, like it is here.

So, we have some nice memories of this town. It seems a shame to leave. However, for many reasons including my wish to be nearer to my almost 90-year-old Dad, to be closer to the Uni for my work and OH’s too, and to be generally closer to everything again, it needs done. Since the kids have left home for work and study, we don’t need our 5 bedroom house any more and, besides, it feels odd here without them. Like something is missing. It’s amazing just how much things like that can change a place. Plus, it’s quite easy to feel lonely here – I’ve not been included in any friendship ‘groups’, which can kinda get you down a bit, especially in a small town where everybody almost knows each other (or are related to each other). So, new adventures are on the horizon. We can always come back here for a day trip.

Onwards and upwards…….