Month End – April accomplishments

Every accomplishment starts with a decision to try

– unknown

In amongst the daily grind we must not forget about our own personal accomplishments. So as I speedily arrive to the end of this month, what have I been up to?

Note: today’s post has superseded my weekly Friday one (what did I learn this week), this will be back! 

Mum’s a ‘Super Solid’ person

OK so my accomplishment here is that I swam the fastest, got to island first, kept my head down for 9 months or so and was lucky enough to have me mum.  40 days ago mum started prayers at home for the well-being of everyone in the face of this pandemic. Over the weekend all the family connected online as mum finished off the last few stanzas. At the end she told us a story which exemplified power of prayers – the kids and adults alike, we loved this part. Mum’s super solid because she always finds a way to connect everyone, and it’s something she wants to do throughout the year now.

BETA reader feedback complete

As of last week all the feedback that I had received from my lovely BETA readers has now now been reflected into the next draft. It took time and I recently wrote a post about the whole process. Next step is re-structure some of the chapters, a few more tweaks and by end of May I will have it all wrapped up. Then off to a professional editor and traditional publishing houses.

Time to paint

After spending one sunny day mowing the lawn, trimming the edges, pulling out weeds and pruning a small tree, I felt compelled to paint. Shops being closed, online DIY ordering meant sitting in a virtual queue. I opted for a total change of colour, got some grey and went about painting the back garden gate. Next year I’ll invest in a sander to further smooth out that wood…..

….oh I also painted the other side too…

 

Blogging Community marches on – Jugalbandi

Our esteem site creater, mentor and motivator Saumya Agrawal kicked off an enterprising writing idea called Jugalbandi. I was fortunate enough to contribute a chapter and the story is taking an interesting twist with each writer who pens their words. Come join the community, and catch up on all the chapters so far….

My first 50 mile bike ride this year, but it was eerie

There is always a risk when cycling alongside road traffic, even more so if you are in London. But with lockdown, traffic (both car and people) has been minimal. So last Sunday a friend and myself rode from home (Kent) to Greenwich Park in London.
Greenwich is a beautiful place, and the parks offer silence against the often noisy backdrop. This was our 2nd visit within a 3 week period but we decided to try out the Thames Path route. Mostly flat with some twists, turns and bumpy surfaces, it was a real treat to ride alongside the Thames River. Leaving home at 7am we anticipated it would be quiet, however that was not the case. As we got closer to London, the route was swamped with morning runners, other cyclists and parents out with kids. There was a lot of weaving to be mastered. By the time we reached Greenwich, the sun was shinning and the views were stunning. However it was eerie because the shops were closed, and this once bustling place was like a whisper. What got me more was people walking away as you approached, but I understand that.
On the positive side, by the time we reached back home, with very sore bottoms, we had rode 51 miles. 5 hours on the saddle came at a cost….ouch! Some pics from my trip.

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Thames Barrier (left) and Cutty Sark, Greenwich (right)

How has your month been? Have you been able to tick off something on your list?