Week commencing Monday, 25 August 2025
Quantified Self
- This week: Stand 7/7; Exercise 6/7; Move 6/7 (90%). Morning walks: 0/3 (days in the office don’t count). Office days: 1/4. Total steps: 42,163
Life
- Bank Holiday Monday brought beautiful weather. I’ve never seen the Ryde beaches so busy.
- T and guests arrived by 11:30, and the women were in the sea before 12:30. We went for a quick snack at lunch. They were fine in the flat all week.
- On Monday afternoon, we left them in the flat and headed towards London. The 2:45 pm FastCat crossing was a bit bumpy, but it didn’t stop the scramble for the sundeck. We had too many bags, so we enjoyed the front indoor window seats instead.
- The return to the Island on Friday evening faced more travel delays. Not trains this time — Wight Ryder I was taken out of service just as we were about to board, and Wight Ryder II was brought in to replace it 20 minutes later.
- Trains weren’t going to let the ferry take this week’s delay crown. On Monday, split tickets saved us money on the return journey, but then we missed our connection, and I wished we hadn’t tried to save a few pounds. Early on Sunday morning, my Avanti service left Euston 20 minutes late when it should have been rushing me towards Shrewsbury, and later in the day my London Northwestern service was cancelled due to staff shortages. I log these now so that one day I’ll be able to say, “it got better”.
- Sunday lunch was excellent in Shrewsbury, and later we had coffee outside a hotel bar that we all thought used to be a fitness club.
Media
- At last: Despite common assumptions, travelling by bus, subway, or train is far safer than driving.
- Oh, some of the characters in the Thursday Murder Club are exactly as I imagined when reading — some not. I wonder why elements from other books are revealed this early. I quite enjoyed it. Celia Imrie is wonderful. The retirement home seems over the top.
- Radio 2 Remembers Steve Wright featured more lovely reminiscences on what would have been his 70th birthday.
- How to Be in Love: Rylan spoke to Reverend Richard Coles about how his life, and his faith, have shaped his understanding of love.
- Iain Dale All Talk: LBC presenter Iain Dale talks to former Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon about her new book. I found it very interesting.