You’re never too old to learn new things but you might not always be successful. I wanted to try surfing. I tried surfing. I learned that before I try surfing again I need to work in my upper body strength and flexibility. On the other hand, I also learned that, uncomfortable as they are to put on, wetsuits really do keep you warm in the water.
Don’t go to Margate for a long weekend on a Monday or Tuesday. Margate is a weekend place that does most of its business from Wednesday to Sunday. Monday and Tuesday are their “weekend” days and lots of places are closed in those days.
There is still a steel industry in Sheffield. In 1910* the Sheffield steel industry produced 2.2m tonnes of steel employing 46,000 people. In 2010* it produced 2.3m tones with just 750 people. (*Dates may not be exact, this is what I recall from the Kelham Island Museum, well worth a visit if you’re in Sheffield.)
The shortest distance between two points may look like a path, but it may not actually be a path. People make paths based on where they want to go. If you follow their path you may find yourself scrambling down a cliff or wading through a stream. I hope you have appropriate footwear on!
I really don’t miss having regular broadcast TV access. Having stayed in hotels for a few nights and been able to watch “regular” TV, I realised how much rubbish programming there is out there. And how you can flick through channel after channel and find nothing worth watching. And God bless the mute button so I can tune out the advertising!
I really like West German pottery from the 60s and 70s. When did I become the sort of person who likes visiting antique shops on holiday? Probably when I became the same kind of person who likes the idea of a hiking holiday. But what’s not to like about West German pottery? The colours and the shapes are amazing.
Uphills never look as steep from a distance as they do when you’re hiking them. When you look at a hill you climbed yesterday, and you recall the aching slog or step on step it took to get up there, the hill never looks as high as you feel sore, some miracle of distance makes the height seem less impressive
Always check you have the right chargers with you before you go away on a trip. You don’t want to spend a morning of your holiday walking in heavy rain to the out of town shopping centre to buy a replacement charger.
Tales from Tobhamhor 