Rad Power Bikes £50 Discount with This Radvocate Referral Link 

Since publishing my Rad Power Bikes referral link post last month, I’ve taken my RadRunner Plus off road a couple of times. It handled the trails well, considerably better than I expected actually, and enabled me the chance to access a few wooded spots for some quiet reflection while communing with nature over lunch.

Walking to these places would have taken too long. Relying on public transport would have only got me half the way there. Driving would have taken about as long or longer than cycling, and I still would have had to figure out where to park – taking even more precious minutes away from my free time.

Buying this e-bike was one of the smartest investments I ever made!

Unlock £50 Savings When You Buy Your First Rad Power Bike

If you’re considering buying an e-bike, I highly recommend Rad Power Bikes. When making your purchase be sure to cut and paste this referral link for a £50 discount off your purchase:

http://rwrd.io/puihn0y?c

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Starting to Envision the Rest of the Year | 2023 Resolution

It’s been about a month since I checked in with this series, a mostly fun and fairly active few weeks with plenty of blogging. As I said in my last 2023 Resolution post, ‘I’ve got my mojo back.’

I think that still holds true.

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Five Good Things | #5GoodThings

1. Rode my bike a lot this weekend;
2. Saw some great art at some local galleries;
3. Work schedule has been reasonable for weeks;
4. Making my own smoothies for breakfast; and
5. New outdoor furniture my partner bought for our deck.

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Kitchen Update with Salter Olea 

Just about the same time as some renovation work was being completed on my kitchen, an email landed in my inbox with the subject line “Refresh your kitchen with Salter Olea.”

Serendipitous? Possibly. Certainly worth a click.

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Deeney’s Cafe at the William Morris Gallery (All Consumed)

Neil Davey and Chris Osburn have a fortifying Scottish breakfast at Deeney’s Cafe at the William Morris Gallery in Walthamstow.

After scarfing down the cafe’s famous Hamish MacBeth toastie (haggis, bacon, Cheddar, rocket, caramelised onions and mustard), they chew even more fat, mostly raving about great meals they’ve enjoyed recently. Chris shares a few of his favourite bakeries to visit while riding his bike around East London while Neil gives some recommendations for finding iconic road food in Louisiana as well as a couple of excellent places to eat in Texas. They both agree one San Antonio eatery in particular is an ideal stop for its renowned brisket tacos. 

Listen now:

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Unlock £50 Savings When You Buy Your First Rad Power Bike 

Ever since I started riding my Rad Power Bike, one thing has been clear. People want to know where I got it and how they can get their own. Usually, they don’t even ask if I like it. They just assume that I do. It might be the happy look I have on my face when riding this electric bicycle that gives away my satisfaction and love for it.

If you’re considering buying an e-bike, I highly recommend Rad Power Bikes. When you buy follow this referral link for a £50 discount off your purchase:

http://rwrd.io/puihn0y?c


I own Rad Power Bike’s RadRunner Plus. I’ve had it for about two and a half years. This premium utility electric bike has greatly improved my life. 

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Arcade Food Hall (All Consumed)

Neil Davey and Chris Osburn catch up over some burgers and chat about what’s impressed them the most since their last episode.

Listen in on their recommendations for food, drink, art, and film in London, as well as a couple of tips on what to see and where to eat in Leicester and an account on Neil’s recent visit to the number one gastropub in the UK.

Listen now:

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Progress | 2023 Resolution

After a couple of especially busy weeks, I find myself with some unexpected free time on a Sunday morning. I reckon this is as good a time as any to pause and reflect and write another post for my 2023 Resolution series.

Halfway through May, I marvel how the year is almost halfway over. Time flies when you’re having fun? I suppose so. But in addition to fun, I’ve dealt with a few struggles and challenges over the past few months. Despite the hiccups and hardships, I’m pleased to report that at this actual moment right now everything is hunky dory.

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Five Good Things | #5GoodThings

1. Feeling good about my blogging and podcasting activity;
2. Bagels; 
3. Catching up with old friends; 
4. The Muppets Mayhem; and
5. Riding my bike.

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Orange Buffalo (All Consumed)

Finally a new episode after nearly a year. Was it worth the wait? Hosts Neil Davey and Chris Osburn reckon so.

Chris is glad to chat about a few recent trips he’s taken while Neil just seems content to enjoy some spring weather. Both are giddy with gourmand glee about the reopening of one of their favourite London street food operators and to chew the fat about all sorts of other great stuff consumed in one way or another over the past month or so.

Listen now:

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Bilbao City Break

Last month, I took a quick solo city break in Bilbao – the largest city in the Basque Country and an excellent destination for great food and amazing art. I’d been to Bilbao a couple of times before and fully expect to go back there at least a couple of times again. It’s one of my favourite cities, mostly for the food and art but also for the dynamic street life.

If you enjoy traveling on your own and love urban culture, I can’t recommend a visit here highly enough. I can give a few good reasons for such a strong endorsement though.

So here’s some highlights from my trip for you to consider when planning your own getaway.

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Index | Tracking the Lion Man

Seeing the Lion Man of Hohlenstein-Stadel at Museum Ulm was a thrill. The journey to Ulm made the experience all the more worthwhile.

I reckon the Lion Man is a must-see for anybody keen to experience an overwhelming sense of wonder and fascination. If you can manage to take a gander at it, consider a trip to Ulm. You won’t be disappointed.

But don’t take my word for it. 

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Results | 2023 Resolution

Hello. It’s been a few weeks since I last logged in to write something for my 2023 Resolution series. I’m not too concerned about the lapse though, because I am actually keeping my resolution, to start blogging regularly again.

A third of the way through the year, I’m seeing real results and making good steady progress. I’m plugging away at writing on a nearly daily basis, and I’m publishing new posts fairly regularly about a variety of topics – with a list of more things I plan to write about in the coming weeks. I’m writing considerably more than I would I would have thought I would be at this stage. 

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Ulm | Tracking the Lion Man

Continuing on from Baden-Baden, the next stop on my trail was Ulm, Germany – home of the Löwenmensch (Lion Man) of Hohlenstein-Stadel, the reason for my trip.

Located roughly halfway between Stuttgart and Munich, this small city in the state Baden-Württemberg sits along the Danube River with the state of Bavaria on the other side. 

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Infographic | Don’t Let Concern Turn for the Worse

I’m not quite sure how I came up with the idea for this infographic. It just sort of showed up in my mind one morning. But once it was there, I felt compelled to make the graphic and share it. I do know the inspiration for it and for whom I made it: a few dear friends I sincerely hope can use it to cope better with stress and anxiety. I reckon all of us (most certainly me included) could do with some help with stress and anxiety from time to time.

Maybe it will come in handy for you too?

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Baden-Baden | Tracking the Lion Man

Back on the track of the Lion Man

From Basel, the next stop on the tour was the historic spa town of Baden-Baden, Germany.

Generally speaking, travelling from Basel to Baden-Baden should have been a piece of cake (black forest gateau if you don’t mind please). However, the ticketed date coincided with a day of national rail strikes, and the Basel to Baden-Baden service was cancelled. Long story short, and luckily enough, my Airbnb host had ample free time and enough entrepreneurial spirit to offer to drive for what I thought was a very reasonable price (especially with such little notice and me with so few affordable options). The rail journey would have taken around an hour and a half; door-to-door service with the Airbnb host was about two hours. I travelled by train a few times after that with no industrial action or any other issues affecting my trip.

Once in Baden-Baden, it was time to relax. And this lovely little city was an ideal setting for just that. Since the days of the Roman Empire folks have been enjoying the geothermal wonders of Baden-Baden. Indeed its name actually translates from German to English as “Baths Baths”. 

So, when in Rome …

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Five Good Things | #5GoodThings

1. Cat;
2. Bed; 
3. Breeze; 
4. Birdsong; and
5. Coffee.

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Basel | Tracking the Lion Man

Welcome back to Tracking the Lion Man, a series of posts about my trip to Switzerland and Germany en route to the city of Ulm to view the Löwenmensch (Lion Man) of Hohlenstein-Stadel – a prehistoric sculpture carved out of mammoth tusk.

As mentioned in my introduction to this series, logistics, budget, and a bit of preference gave the Swiss city of Basel an edge when deciding where to commence my trip.

Over the past decade, I’ve visited Basel a few times. Having only ever gone there for work, without deciding venture there independent of obligation, I learned to love it without having developed a strong impression of it beforehand. So I was happy to go back there again. This time with no agenda other than for a couple of days of fun. Similarly, I was glad to be able to show Basel to my partner travelling with me.

Back in 2014, writing about my first visit to Basel, I said that “for a compact destination that’s big on culture, I reckon Basel should be one of your top choices. I was really impressed with just about everything saw and experienced there and would relish any chance to go again.” I’ll stand by that statement nine years later after multiple returns.

Here are a few highlights from my recent time there.

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Back | 2023 Resolution

Hey folks. I’m back after a few weeks hiatus from my 2023 Resolution.

For part of that time off, I was traveling. Pertaining to my resolution to start blogging regularly again, my trip served to whet my appetite to continue blogging, reminded me why I used to get so much pleasure of doing it regularly, and even rekindled my love of travel writing.

Have a scroll through the blog and you’ll see I recently started a series called Tracking the Lion Man. It’s about my trip. New ‘Lion Man’ posts should follow soon. I hope you enjoying reading about my experiences.

My break from blogging allowed me a chance to consider how well I’ve done keeping my resolution. Having several days ‘off’ to think about the key takeaways that I listed in my last post proved useful. 

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Tracking the Lion Man

I’ve just returned home from a week away in Switzerland and Germany. The reason for the trip was to have an in-person look at the Löwenmensch (Lion Man) of Hohlenstein-Stadel – a prehistoric footlong sculpture carved out of mammoth tusk on display in the city of Ulm not far from the cave where it was discovered in the southern German state of Baden-Württemberg.

A lovely destination in it’s own right but one without an international airport, Ulm is not a straightforward destination to reach from London. So getting there required a bit of added planning. As far as I could tell, the most logical routes from London seemed to be flying to Memmingen, Stuttgart, Munich, Nuremberg, Zurich or Basel and then catching a train or hiring a car to drive to Ulm.

When considering options for getting there, one route stood out more than others: fly to Basel and then travel by train to checkout at least a couple of other places along the way to Ulm.

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Recap and Break | 2023 Resolution

Eleven posts in as many weeks with a couple of busy weeks ahead, I thought now would be a good time to pause my 2023 Resolution series and take stock of what I’ve shared thus far.

I’m pretty happy with what I’ve written here and how I’m managed to keep my resolution. Going back over the previous posts, it’s interesting to see how I seem to be giving myself advice that not only applies to my goal to start blogging regularly again but also to attempting to tackle any objective.

So, here’s a recap of this series with a key takeaway from each post alongside a link to each post. I hope you find some value in the ideas expressed and can use them to help accomplish whatever your goals might be.

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Five Good Things | #5GoodThings

1. Spring weather;
2. Crossing things off my to-do list; 
3. Nice bike ride; 
4.  Partner home from work early; and
5. Finding a chance to do one of these posts!

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No | 2023 Resolution

Hey! I’m actually having fun working on my 2023 Resolution, and I hope you folks are enjoying reading about my attempts to keep my resolution to start blogging regularly after a long hiatus.

For me, it’s interesting to observe how new ideas emerge from old ones. Maybe for the first time ever as a writer, I feel like I’m putting significant thought into how that process occurs. It seems clear that as I publish more posts in this series I become more aware of how ideas emerge and enter into my writing process. That’s fascinating to see and nice to acknowledge. More so, I’m sticking to my commitment to blog more regularly fairly well, and I’m glad about that. So, all in all, this exercise has been a largely positive experience for me.

But now I’m going to go negative. 

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3 Birthday Ideas to Help Celebrate a Loved One’s 50th Birthday

It can be easy to feel a bit underwhelmed by our birthdays as we get older. After all, they come around every year don’t they? However, there are certain birthdays that carry far more gravitas, serving as milestones that are to be celebrated with friends and family. 

Is there any birthday more momentous than a 50th? It marks half a century on earth, a remarkable achievement whichever way you look at it. A 50th birthday calls for a proper celebration, a simple birthday card and cake isn’t going to cut the mustard. We’ve put together three fantastic ideas to help celebrate a loved one’s 50th birthday in style.

Read on to check them out. 

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Wearing the World’s First 100% Recyclable Shoes – Zebra Oasis

New premium shoe brand Zebra Oasis sent me a pair of shoes to review. ZO claims these kicks are the world’s first fully recyclable shoes. Nice. Made of hemp, merino wool, bamboo and cotton, they look pretty snazzy too. Double nice! But how do they feel to wear?

Here’s what the brand says are the key features of these shoes, followed by my thoughts about these features and what it’s like to try them out.

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Overcoming Inertia  | 2023 Resolution

Welcome back to my 2023 Resolution series.

Since my last post, I’ve been thinking a lot about inertia, how it stands in the way of me writing regularly and how I can move past it. I’ve come up with some ideas for dealing with inertia so that I can ‘click over’ and get on with my writing (or whatever else I might want to do).

Surely, I’m not the only person ever affected by inertia.  So, I hope my ideas can help other folks as well. Have a look at these five ways to deal with inertia and see what you think.

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Five Recommendations for Excellent Chinese Food in London

I haven’t written about any restaurant visits in a looooong time. Inspired by a few recent dining experiences, though, I reckon I’ve got some recommendations worth sharing.

Not only have I not written about restaurants in a while, I haven’t spent anywhere near as much time socialising in writerly foodie circles as I used to. So excuse me if I’m out of the loop or stating something that to many already seems obvious or even passé, but I can’t help but wonder if London is going through some sort of Chinese food renaissance.

It seems to me there’s a greater number of eateries offering Chinese fare across London than, say, five years ago. More so, the quality of food seems considerably higher. More even, the variety of regional and ethnic cuisines available around town is broader and more expertly presented. Further, a number of old guard Chinese restaurants appear to be upping their game or finally receiving some hard earned recognition.

Here’s a list of five places serving Chinese food where I’ve had especially yummy meals in the past couple of months. 

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Inertia  | 2023 Resolution

And more time lapses between these posts

But it’s not necessarily because of lack of initiative. My job is getting in the way a bit, and my work schedule is tighter and busier than it was at the start of the year. And even if you can’t see the written evidence here on the blog, that doesn’t mean I’m not doing ‘behind the scenes’ things to ensure I’ll have interesting stuff to write about in the future. I’m doing my best to remain committed but also being adaptive and flexible to the realities of life.

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Good | 2023 Resolution

Uh oh! It’s been well past a week and I’ve yet to publish anything new in this series, or anything else for that matter. No big deal, really, but I have noticed motivation and dedication continuing to slide since my last post.

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Rigamarole | 2023 Resolution

Through the ‘resolution’ writing process that I kicked off last month, I realised that I already have strategies for embracing serendipity and appreciating the good in my life. I recalled how I once applied those strategies to writing. I’m glad I remembered these ‘tricks’ and that I’m applying them to both my current writing and other life in general.

But I can feel the motivation flagging. 2023 is now routine and much of my time is spent dealing with the same sort of rigamarole as before. Blogging is just another item on my to-do list. Writing with regularity is a task. 

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Five Good Things | #5GoodThings

1. Shri Lakshmi Foods in Walthamstow; 
2. Another sunny day with some free time to ride my bike; 
3. Checking off a few long lingering items from my to-do list; 
4.  Chess.com; and
5. Being generally content with my work schedule.

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Five Good Things | #5GoodThings

1. Discovering the work of Dr Barbara Fredrickson; 
2. Coffee; 
3. Under the Banner of Heaven TV series; 
4.  Playing around with ChatGPT; and
5. Riding my bike.

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Acknowledging What’s Good | 2023 Resolution

My previous post in this 2023 Resolution series was about how I ought to try incorporating serendipity into my writing process. As I wrote the post, I realised I had already developed a way of incorporating serendipity into my writing, but just hadn’t applied it to my writing process.

Five Good Things is a blog series that I started back in the spring of 2020, when the reality of the Covid-18 pandemic hit and I began settling into the “new normal” of life under lockdown. 

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Five Good Things | #5GoodThings

1. Fire of Love documentary;
2. Food shopping at Borough Market on my way home from work;
3. Playing chess;
4. Being in a warm home on a cold day;
5. Having enough food in the cupboards and fridge so I have options for my dinner.

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Five Good Things | #5GoodThings

1. Having a chance to make a nice breakfast for myself;
2. Planning trips and dreaming about fun stuff ahead;
3. Sasquatch Chronicles podcast;
4. Feeling like I’m doing a decent job keeping up with my schedule and to-do list;
5. Getting back into the habit of doing these Five Good Things lists on my blog.

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