Jasper – my new hills buddy

Red merle Border Collie

Having decided that our empty nester life was just too easy and restful, we welcomed Jasper the pup to the family in January of this year. Jasper is a Border Collie and those with collies (or know any) will know that you can wave goodbye to a quiet, restful, sofa-based life when they arrive! We’re now mostly past the ‘fluffy … read more >

Goodbye to Brodie

We said goodbye to our lovely Brodie at the end of March. If you have read a couple or more of my posts on this blog you’ll will probably have seen her. Brodie worked her magic from the day we brought her home from the rescue centre, when she was around a year old. A look at her lovely face, … read more >

Peak Bog Persons Christmas Jaunt

Black Hill Peak District Christmas gathering

It being Christmas it was time for what has become The Traditional Peak Bog Persons Christmas Carol Jaunt. We were back to Black Hill Trig Pillar on a misty winter’s night. Each year sees two groups comprising of (a) moors runners (team Peak Bog) and (b) walkers (I was in that group) traversing the moors to meet at a pre … read more >

First-time tips for tackling the great outdoors

Fjordland National Park

I get a lot of approaches from PR and / or Search Engine Optimisation / content agencies, looking to boost traffic to their client’s website with improved search engine visibility. Or to add credence to a new product launch with reviews from outdoorsy folks. Sometimes they’d like a paid article insertion (I don’t do them), or ask me to review … read more >

The dodgy achilles limp-along post..

Warkworth beach boat wreck

A recent ultrasound provided me with a new label to add to the middle-aged collection of ailment badges.

Achilles Tendinopathy.

So that’s what the painful bulge on the back of my ankle was.

The pain is exacerbated by the off-piste moors yomps I love with the dog. And hilly / mountain hikes (I ignored the signs over the last year or more, doh). And the stop: start driving on the M62.

So all the above are being avoided where at all possible.

I don’t miss the M62, I do miss the moors and mountains.

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