Gum on My Shoe

“Po-ta-toes,” said Sam. “The Gaffer’s delight, and rare good ballast for an empty belly. But you won’t find any, so you needn’t look.” — J.R.R. Tolkien, “The Two Towers” ( The Lord of the Rings ) Thursday April 17, 2025 was a big day for me. I took myself on an adventure. It wasn’t a big adventure. Just a day out at the coast. But it was the first time I’d taken myself out for the day in almost a year. Last time it was a trip into the city to see an exhibition of paintings by the renowned English landscape painter J. M. W. Turner. There was no aim or goal this time beyond a sense of curiosity. How would it feel to be out of my usual environment after so long? I’d chosen a day when the weather promised to be dry and bright, but beyond that I had only the loosest of plans. I’d catch the Metro train to Tynemouth, walk to the sea front, then head north. Maybe I’d walk on the beach. Maybe I’d paddle. There were any number of cafes, coffee shops, and pubs I might stop at for some...

Dear Fran. This photograph, Looking Out , is by Norwegian photographer Vidar Nordli-Mathisen. The moment I saw it, I knew I wanted to share it with you and explore its relevance to our lives and friendship. You’ve always been a traveller at heart. A gypsy, as you expressed it once, contrasting your wanderlust with my nature as a stay-at-home, rocking chair loving, “comfort creature traveling vicariously.” I’ve loved being your virtual travel buddy. We’ve seen some places together, haven’t we! From that perspective, you’re the woman standing on the lake shore, pack on your back, about to head off on your latest adventure. I’m watching from inside the house, experiencing the world though your eyes and your words. The scene is Hovden in Norway. We’ve never been there, but you stopped briefly in Stavanger and Bergen on your way home from travelling around Europe in the summer of 2013. The lake and mountains remind me of that trip, especially Germany and Austria. Those three months ...

Just being willing to go into yourself is brave. Actually making the steps is a hero’s journey. — Fran Houston This post was inspired by a t-shirt I received as a Christmas gift. It’s a white “Redbox” design shirt by American outdoor products company The North Face . I recognised the brand but I’ve never owned anything by TNF before. Neither can I recall owning a white shirt of any kind since the days wearing a collar and tie was de rigueur for anyone working in the civil service. These days, I wear t-shirts pretty much every day of the year no matter the weather and regardless of sartorial convention. I have a burgeoning collection. Until a couple of years ago, most were mental health related in one way or another. As I’ve written previously, wearing t-shirts is not enough , but it can be great conversation starter and I’m proud to support the work of mental health organisations and initiatives including Time to Change, Mind, Bipolar UK, and Stigma Fighters. In 2023 I made ...

This post was inspired by a recent conversation with Fran. It happened a few days before she set off on a weekend trip with folk from MOAC (Maine Outdoor Adventure Club). Fran had attended several of their events in the past but this was to be her first trip away with the group. She was feeling a little anxious. I reminded her it's natural to have some anxiety when you're about to do something different. How the anxiety is a strategy your mind and body employ to protect you, perhaps as a result of past dissapointments. If you worry about something in advance and what you are worried about happens, you're prepared. You get to say, "See — I knew it." If what you were worried about doesn't happen, you get to feel relieved and pleasantly surprised. It's not a particularly healthy way of approaching things and it burns a lot of emotional energy, but it's understandable and far more common than we imagine. I reassured her that it was okay to feel what sh...