leyton.org » Diary

Edinburgh parkrun launch, and a new PB

Richard — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:17:56 +0000

I took part in the inaugural Edinburgh parkrun on Saturday, an event that was special in very many ways. The weather was absolutely perfect, the course was beautifully flat, it was exceptionally well organised, there was a huge turnout, I got a new 5k PB, and – best of all – it really felt like [...]

Ben Venue Hill Race

Richard — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 12:40:50 +0000

When I joined my running club, Bella, I was keen to try different types of running event. Largely that meant different distances, and a spot of cross country and trail running. But hill running just wasn’t something I’d thought I’d find myself including. Hill runners, to me, seemed one stop short of ultra-marathoners, and to [...]

The SNP’s bizarre objections

Richard — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 17:57:45 +0000

The SNP are currently making lots of noise about the leadership debate, even now threatening (sorry, “not ruling out”), legal action to block the broadcast. It’s bizarre that a party that seeks an independent Scotland should be interested in taking part in a debate between the three possible candidates for the UK prime minister, or feel that [...]

Never Eat Shredded Wheat

Richard — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 19:12:02 +0000

Or… ‘Naughty Elephants Squirt Water’ I’m sure everybody has childhood mantras mnemonics and rhymes they used (or had used on them) to remember key pieces of information. Others that spring easily to mind as I type are “Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vein” for the colours of the rainbow, and, strangely, BODMAS (Brackets (of) Division, Multiplication, [...]

Farewell then, Scrapheap Challenge

Richard — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 18:47:16 +0000

Scrapheap Challenge has been a programme I’ve always enjoyed, for it’s sheer technical and engineering interest, the enthusiastic engineers, eccentrics, the mad challenges and excellent production values and presenters. It ticked so many boxes: Great family entertainment, a good dollop of education, the thrill of a challenge and lots of humour. But after ten years, it [...]

Flat demolition

Richard — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 11:42:33 +0000

This morning, I was umm-ing and ahh-ing about bothering to go watch the demolition of some high(ish)-rise flats just around the corner from me. I had a grand prix to watch, a few techie things to do, and coffee just brewed. But figured I’d never actually seen something blown up, so popped around the corner [...]

Bank holidays in Scotland

Richard — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 08:55:17 +0000

I’ve a love/hate relationship with bank holidays in Scotland. Simply put, they’re just a bit different from England: An extra one on the 2nd January is well known. There’s also something different with the August bank holiday. It’s at the start of August, not the end. There was some half-baked November holiday for St Andrews day, [...]