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Skinning
Sometimes, riding bikes is not a good idea. There, I said it. I know this may come as a shock to a number of people, but ski’s have their place in life, and I took this last weekend as an opportunity to do as the locals, and skin up (and ski down) a couple of […]
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Settling In
So what’s Austria like? Its about time for my first Innsbruck update. I’m sitting here looking up at the mountains, drinking a cup of tea. The same thing I’ve done almost every day for the last three years. Different mountain range, though, and very different perspective of life on this continent. I’ve been here in […]
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Time and place
I’m not so keen on the idea of luck. I think good things happen to good people through some kind of sharing scheme; rewards in return for other good things, or a little extra incentive to make good on your own responsibilities to look after people. I’ve been collecting the good deeds of others over […]
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Page numbers
Humanities graduates, so goes the scathing scientific viewpoint, hate the classification of persona’s into theories, facts and numbers. Yet it has been those more trained in the arts than sciences, that have given most weight to the lovely analogy of the book of life. The chronologue of ones life, neatly compartmentalised into chapters, each […]
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Touristing at home
Theres no better occasion to tourist at home than when you’re showing someone all the things that you grew up taking for granted. A fresh set of eyes opens your mind up to the family and familiar things that should be looked at a little closer. Although more recently going home to Devon has always been for […]
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Christa Came to England
London, England. There’s a light flurry of snow on the motorway, and taillights are flashing in front of me as nervous drivers negotiate the increasing volume of traffic that appears in the shadow of the great city. I’m following road signs, an old fashioned and unpopular way to navigate in the age of mobile information, […]
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Back at it
I’m back to riding a lot after the Christmas break, and it feels great! My experimentation with the cyclocross season ended well, and I’m hooked for life on that sport. It left me confused on fitness and motivation levels though. By the beginning of December I’d lost the sharp speed I needed for cross season, […]
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Travel itinerary
Every so often, I find myself deep inside a map. I’ll be splayed across the floor with the map pulled out in front of me, dreaming of the places I need to go. Google maps is no better; I search the name of a town, and five minutes later I’m on the other side of […]
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Year in review
My twenty-third to twenty-fourth year on the planet. Here’s the review you’ve all no one has waited for! My year in racing This was the first year in which I really dedicated myself to training. Since finishing as a runner, I haven’t had a coach, and never followed a training plan from start to finish. It has […]
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A walk in December
The 27th of December is a forgotten day. It sits nestled between Christmas and Hogmanay with nothing of its own to celebrate. Boxing day is marked with a family celebration of token exercise; a sedate and relaxed walk across the beach. But this day is quiet and anonymous. The perfect day for a walk. Combe […]