Tag: reflection

Sharing 2012 adventure memories

23 November 2024

Over the last few days I've been sharing some details of a 2012 solo trek to Northern Sweden. Starting from Abisko in the arctic circle, (68°21'N), I followed the Kungsleden south over 11 days, covering approximately 100km through:• Abisko '†’ Nissunjåkka (4km)” Abiskojaure '†’ Unna Allakas'›° Alesjaure (via snow pass)—» Tjäktja '†’ NallostuganŒ² Return via […]

Learning scrambling and hillwalking with student hikers

13 November 2024

I learnt about scrambling and hillwalking with a student hiking club – we were a super diverse bunch, very supportive. I was definitely the slowest person every time we went walking that first year. When I got into climbing, I wondered what else was out there. I tried a well-known club's new members meet in […]

Being a parent and founder of two sports clubs

30 October 2024

Being a parent and being the chair & founder of two sports clubs simultaneously is not something I'd recommend. Running a sports club is often as intense as running a small business. When I found out I was going to be a dad, stepping down was something I really didn't want to do. We'd come […]

The not-obvious things about child-raising

27 October 2024

One potentially not-obvious thing about child-raising is that you may spend lots of time with your child and not your partner, and vice-versa. This is because even with childcare support, there will be times when you want your little angel out of your hair, and your partner will take them from you. I'm super lucky […]

The tricky parts of parenting – being a good neighbour

20 October 2024

One thing that can be tricky about parenting is being able to give your other parent some time off so they can keep you sane and have the ability to take over from you, when you need support. We've found my sort-of-converted campervan is helpful for this, and James has spent much time hanging out […]

Armchair anthropology – why do people do what they do?

19 October 2024

Any armchair anthropologists in the room? Sociologists? Why do cavers have such niche games to play outside of caving? I know the cheap answer is "cavers are weird" and the "clever but doesn't stand up to scrutiny" answer is "they're training for caves" – but I'm genuinely interested. Do other sports have memorable cultural games? […]

How difficult rock climbing is with a child

17 October 2024

One thing that wasn't obvious to me is how difficult rock climbing is with a baby. It's so tricky. Don't get me wrong – it's *possible*, and here's how you do it: you use up some of your childfree time – probably by one partner staying at home you arrive and climb whilst your baby […]

Sometimes the best solutions feel like yours

15 October 2024

Sometimes, the best solutions are the ones that feel like you wouldn't like them. Case in point: playgroups. After dipping my toe in with a dad group, I decided to brave a local stay-and-play with James. Spoiler alert: it wasn't nearly as uncomfortable as I'd built it up to be in my head. So we […]

Research on parenting and making choices that work

12 October 2024

I believe there is research that generally summarises that the more positive relationships your child has with different adults when they're youngish, the better experience they have of life. Eg if they know they can trust lots of people, then they're generally better around everyone because they spend less time being worried, and more time […]

Feeling miserable from lack of outdoor time

11 October 2024

At one point in Jan, I realised I was feeling miserable from not having much to look forward to whilst feeling geographically isolated. Fortunately the wonderful @Natasha was working round the corner, so we went for a very very very muddy walk in her lunchbreak wearing footwear that started the walk light coloured and ended […]

The rough truths of parenting and child-free time

8 October 2024

One of the rough truths of parenting is that child-free time is probably very precious, and child-ful time is probably very plentiful. This affects what you can do and what you prioritise dramatically. Pre-baby for example, evenings are very empty (or full of exciting things). Post-baby, evenings are full of meals and bedtime, with a […]

Being with friends makes things feel better

5 October 2024

One of the things that can make things feel better is being around other people who have been through the same things, or are going through the same things. Throwback to a day out in a part of the world I don't usually visit, visiting some swings, a very friendly booze shop, and a spoons. […]