Three blocks of time

I used to sum up my life by saying I spent my time at work, walking the dogs and playing golf. Now that work is behind me, training for Kilimanjaro has replaced that time slot. I don't hike as much as I worked but the training is defo using a lot of my energy reserves.

Highlights of the past three weeks include two hikes at Cavehill, a loop hike that takes 1.5 hours per lap. It's not a patch on what I'll be doing each day in Kili, but it's a shorter drive than the Mournes. After the hike I visit Belfast Castle for lunch.

Other highlights. September 19 was Culture Night. I got a kick out of this Titanic dog.

I also visited the Titanic pall during a culture night concert at St. Anne's. I find it very moving.

A closeup of the needlework:

After buzzing around the Cathedral Quarter I went to a swing dance, where I got to see some old dance buddies and even got in a dance.

The night before culture night I saw a National Theatre broadcast of Inter Alia with Rosamund Pike. A powerful exploration of the toxic environments in which sexual crimes are committed and prosecuted. More recently I saw the movie Battle After Battle, which is a bit close to the bone with the Army and National Guard being let loose in American cities.

I was a model in a fashion show at the golf club – that was fun. My friend Patricia on the left filming me. We sent four films to mom to watch on her new cellphone.

I saw Romesh Ranganathan and Tom Davis record their podcast at the Grand Opera House. That was entertaining. I applied for my visa to visit Tanzania. I'm beginning the scavenger hunt for all the stuff I'll need for the trip.

As Elvis Costello would say, it's been a good year for the roses. So I've enjoyed bringing them indoors.

Of course there has been a lot of golf, but that will soon be over for the year, and the course is no longer qualifying for handicap purposes. 2025 was a good year for me. After two years of rapid declines in my handicap (falling though 40s and 30s) I ended 2022 at 29.7, then dropped slightly to 27.3 in 2023. In 2024 I went up to 28.4. So I was on a plateau and not happy about it.

I finished this year at 22.3. Much happier. In 2023 I had one round of under 100. In 2024 I had no sub-100 rounds. This year I've had five. My putting is better and my tee shots are longer. The bits in between still need work. LOL. My coach says I should be in the teens, but that will take more focus on chipping.

Three weeks ending 5 Oct