Weeknotes #124: from sea-lion noises to Korean feasts

Endured illness but engaged with new ideas and social moments

Week commencing Monday, 2 June 2025

A handmade 'BUGHOTEL' sign in bright orange letters on a turquoise background, marking a bee habitat constructed along The Beeline Way between New Malden and Raynes Park. The insect hotel, designed to provide nesting sites for carpenter and leafcutter bees, sits amongst lush garden vegetation with brick residential buildings visible in the background. A small decorative figure stands guard behind the colourful sign, whilst the surrounding area features typical urban garden elements, including stacked pallets and thriving plant life.
The Bughotel: Buzzing B&B on The Beeline Way

Quantified Self

  • This week: Stand 1/7; Exercise 1/7 and Move 1/7. (14%). Morning walks: 0/5, Office days 0/5. Total steps: 22,888

Life

  • I felt awful all week: a relentless cough combined with a lingering cold really knocked me about. There were moments when I wondered if I’d ever sound normal again. The combination of the cough and whatever cold-like illness I caught at the end of last week was very unpleasant. At times, the cough was continual, loud and distressing. I can’t imagine what the neighbours thought. My Quantified Self numbers (above) speak for themselves.
  • I avoided the office for fear of being sent home, but also because I didn’t want to be that person coughing through every meeting.
  • Related, it was disappointing to miss Tai Chi and a Breland concert I’d been looking forward to. I guess guilt and illness make for a heavy combination. I kept wondering if I was being overly cautious or simply sensible.
  • The online Volunteering Forum on Tuesday was well run and very engaging. I am glad there are some new ideas in the programme, even if everybody’s favourite part, the summer scheme, has been closed. I can listen while muted, and the cough disturbs nobody. And, unlike work calls, this was a camera-off event so nobody saw me go red every time I coughed.
  • Midweek, The New European rebranded as The New World: “We’re not rebranding because Brexit’s over – we’re rebranding because Brexit was just the beginning”.
  • Saturday was the first day I ventured out this week — lovely Korean meal with friends. I managed to get through the early evening dinner without excessive coughing.
  • Related, on the walk back along The Beeline Way between New Malden and Raynes Park, I noticed The Bug Hotel, designed to provide nesting sites for carpenter and leafcutter bees. Nice.
  • I walked to and from Wimbledon on Sunday, still sounding like a sea lion on occasion. The fresh air helped clear my head, even if my throat wasn’t quite ready to join the conversation.
  • Last week, I sent an application for something. No idea if it was the right move or just a hopeful stab in the dark. Sometimes you have to throw your hat in the ring and see what happens. Cryptic.

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