Tag Archives: Trail

Motivational Monday: iWalk 3.41 miles👨🏻‍🦯

Today’s Pond Photo…

Detailed: A wide black and white photograph showing a clearing leading to a quiet, reflective pond. The water is framed by a dense tree line in the background and thick wild shrubs on both sides, set under an overcast, hazy sky.

Hi Friends.

The trail this morning was drizzly, grey and super muggy, the sort of weather where you don’t quite know whether you’re getting wet from the rain or simply sweating because the air feels like it’s wearing a thick blanket…Still, out i went, because sometimes the best thing you can do is put your shoes on and get moving regardless of what the weather is doing.

Being out there, hearing the rain and feeling the damp trail beneath my feet was actually rather peaceful. I think the black and white suits the mood perfectly because it strips everything back a little, rather like an acoustic guitar when you take away all the effects and just hear the wood and strings. Of course, it’s not just Sarah who gets to see the finished images, it’s you guys too, and knowing that you can see what I’ve captured and hearing you describe the photos to me is fantastic. I guess that’s our version of sharing the view!

Detailed: A black and white photograph of a dirt trail bending sharply to the left as it passes through a thick forest. Tall birch trees stand on the right, and dense foliage lines both sides of the shaded pathway.

“Arancini” 😋

On Friday, we headed off to Guildford on a little adventure of our own. We were trying to find G Live without simply relying on somebody else to get us there, because we’re looking at possibly visiting the venue for some music shows in the future. It was actually quite satisfying working it all out and finding our way there ourselves. And, as if that wasn’t enough of a successful expedition, we also found one of our favourite places for arancini!

Detailed: A rustic wooden tabletop set with two white cups of flat white coffee with foam art, paired with two small plates holding round, fried arancini, forks, and white napkins.

Now, regular readers may have noticed that I am not exactly the world’s greatest food photographer. In fact, my usual photographic process goes something like this: eat food, think “Blimey, that was good”, finish food, then remember that I probably should have taken a photo to show everyone what I was eating. This time, however, I actually remembered…Look at me, getting all professional and everything!

“Don’t look back in anger”

The photo above is of my Noel Gallagher Signature Riviera electric guitar, and after watching the film on Saturday I think I’m going to have to riff out a few Oasis songs on it, lol! We headed to the cinema to watch Don’t Look Back in Anger, the new Oasis film. Now, obviously, when you go to see an Oasis film you expect plenty of rock ‘n’ roll, and there was plenty of that! But one of the things that pleasantly surprised us was the unexpected appearance of something rather different: preaching about forgiveness and redemption. There was a preacher talking about forgiveness, and somehow it fitted the story of Liam and Noel Gallagher remarkably well. After years of arguments, falling-outs and all the baggage that comes with being brothers in one of the biggest rock bands in the world, the idea of forgiveness suddenly felt like much more than just a religious message dropped into a music film. It became part of the bigger story. And then, of course, the guitars kicked in again, because this is Oasis after all! It was a surprisingly moving combination: forgiveness, redemption, family, music and the reminder that sometimes relationships can survive things that seem impossible to repair.

motivational Quote…

And perhaps that is a pretty good thought to take into a Monday. Life isn’t always neat and tidy. Sometimes it’s a drizzly trail, sometimes it’s getting slightly lost while trying to find a venue, sometimes it’s discovering that you’ve eaten the food before remembering to photograph it, and sometimes it’s sitting in a cinema expecting nothing more than a few hours of Oasis and unexpectedly being reminded about forgiveness. We don’t always get to choose the weather, the circumstances or the things that happen around us, but we can choose how we respond to them. We can keep walking when the trail is miserable, keep exploring when we’re not quite sure where we’re going, appreciate the little pleasures when they come along, and perhaps most importantly, choose forgiveness when holding on to something would be easier. Redemption is a powerful thing. So, whatever your Monday looks like, keep moving forward, keep looking for the good stuff, and don’t be afraid to put down some of the baggage you’re carrying. You might just find that the road ahead feels a little lighter. 😀

Let’s ‘FitBlitz’ 2026 Together! 💪🏼

Motivational Meatball Monday: iWalk 3.41 miles 😋👨🏻‍🦯

The Pond…

A tranquil, calm pond surrounded by dense green trees under an overcast, light blue sky. Lush vegetation and reeds frame the foreground near the water's edge.

Hi Friends.

I think Monday gets a bad rap…The weekend is over, the alarm goes off, and suddenly we’re expected to be productive, motivated and disciplined again. So I reckon we need something a little more exciting to get the week started.

Enter… Motivational Meatball Monday!

Today’s trail was nice and empty with not many people at all to smash into…I mean to say ‘Morning’ and be cheerful, lol! 😀 And after the nice trail, I think I’ve earned some motivational meatballs. Tonight’s dinner comes courtesy of one of my SimplyCook recipes: Hot Cajun Meatballs.

Regular readers might already recognise the SimplyCook name because it has made a rather unexpected appearance on this blog before. In fact, one of their recipes was the inspiration for my song “Sarah’s Tamil Chicken”…Yes, really! 😲

Somewhere between a recipe box and a chicken dinner, a song happened. That’s the slightly strange world of my blog.

Tonight we’re going in a rather different direction, though. No Tamil curry this time. We’re heading over to Louisiana (hey that’s near Florida, lol) with Hot Cajun Meatballs. This dish brings together beef meatballs, Cajun seasoning, peppers, tomatoes and a fiery hot pepper sauce, served over rice. The SimplyCook Cajun seasoning contains 14 different ingredients, including paprika, coriander, garlic and celery salt, so there’s plenty going on flavour-wise. Best of all, SimplyCook puts the calories at approximately 650 calories per portion when serving two…Well a few more as I always have to add baby chestnut mushrooms! 💪🏼

That’s what I like about meals like this. Eating with fitness and weight loss in mind doesn’t have to mean eating bland chicken breast and steamed broccoli until you lose the will to live. You can also choose to have a meal that’s going to blow your head off, lol. Or food that is still proper tasty! Whilst you’re still making sensible choices obviously. 🤣

The Monday motivation

“Taylor’s Turbo Turn” Audio GPS Marker…

A winding dirt path curving through a dense forest lined with lush green foliage, tall trees, and patches of brownish-orange ferns along the ground.

For me, staying on track isn’t about being perfect. It’s about making enough good choices, often enough, that they eventually add up. Today that meant getting back out onto the trail and completing a lap. And tonight it means sitting down to a meal that sounds indulgent but can still fit into the bigger picture. A tasty meal doesn’t have to derail your progress. Neither does enjoying your food. In fact, I think enjoying what you eat makes it much easier to stick with a healthier lifestyle for the long haul.

So today I’m celebrating a little bit of trail progress with a little bit of Cajun heat. One lap. One tasty dinner. One Monday that’s gone rather better than expected…Because apparently motivation comes in meatball form. And if that’s not a reason to look forward to Monday, I’m not sure what is!

motivational Quote…

“Progress isn’t always about going further. Sometimes it’s simply about finding your way back to where you thought you couldn’t go.”

Let’s ‘FitBlitz’ 2026 Together! 💪🏼

Motivational Monday: iWalk 3.46 miles 🙏👨🏻‍🦯

The Pond Panorama…

Water & Lighting: Bright, intense sunlight glares off the body of water, creating a strong white reflection across the center of the pond. The water appears calm, with subtle green surface vegetation or algae patches near the edges.

Surrounding Foliage: Lush leafy trees flank both sides of the frame, framing the water. A soft reddish-orange foliage bush sits at the lower-left foreground, while dense green canopies block out much of the sky.

Path & Terrain: A gravel or dirt walking path runs along the right side of the pond, bordered by low shrubs and overhanging branches, curving slightly out of view.

Hi Friends.

There were no dramas on this morning’s walk, and that’s exactly what i want. After some of the hotter weather we’ve had recently, it was lovely to get out early while the temperature was much cooler. The difference was noticeable, and it made the walk feel far more comfortable from the start.

I covered 3.46 miles in an hour, keeping a steady pace throughout. There was also around 230 feet of elevation gain, so it wasn’t completely flat sailing. The effort felt moderate and controlled, which is exactly what I was looking for. But as always, the numbers aren’t really the point…The point is that I got out there! 💪🏼

“Karen’s Kaleidoscope” Panorama…

Pathway: A wide, smooth dirt/gravel trail extends from the lower-left foreground and curves gently toward the background through the forest.

Trees & Canopy: Thin, multi-stemmed deciduous trees and saplings cluster along the edge of the path. A taller, thicker tree trunk stands prominently near the inner curve of the trail. The overhead canopy is dense with vibrant green leaves, filtering soft daylight.

Forest Floor: The ground on either side of the path is covered with dry fallen leaves, underbrush, and small scattered plants.

I kept moving, enjoyed the morning and took the time to actually look around me. I stopped to take a couple of panoramas too. The first was taken straight into the morning sun, which gave it a very different feel, and the second captured a view of “Karen’s Kaleidoscope”…We had a nice lunch with her yesterday, so I had to stop and take of photo! 😀It’s easy to think that progress only counts when we’re going faster, going further or achieving something spectacular.

motivational Quote…

“Don’t measure your progress only by how far you’ve travelled. Sometimes the greatest victory is simply choosing to keep moving.”

Let’s ‘FitBlitz’ 2026 Together! 💪🏼

Support Blind Steve in the Diabetes UK – One Million Step Challenge! 

“Diabetes is relentless and simply never stops…But neither do I!” – Blind Steve 💪🏼 

Hi iChristian Family!!

The blindman is off the sidelines again…And while God gives me the strength in my legs…i’ll use them for doing crazy fundraising challenges to help others! I really didn’t want to fill this blog with annoying fundraising asks, as my last fundraiser ‘Trail Marathon‘ was only in April 2022…But you know me…And when i stumbled across this ‘One Million Step Challenge’ and found it was for Diabetes UK i just had to do something! 

For the last 18 years since meeting my ‘T1D Warrior Wife Sarah’, i’ve always wanted to be a ‘Sarah’s Walking Warrior’ and raise money for Diabetes…So here is the 4th ‘Blind Steve’ fundraising challenge…💪🏼 

Quick Link to my fundraising page: https://step.diabetes.org.uk/fundraising/steve270

Below is the story taken from my fundraising page…

Support Blind Steve in the Diabetes UK – One Million Step Challenge

Diabetes is relentless and simply never stops…But neither do I!

For the last 18 years i’ve seen first hand how my lovely wife Sarah battles, struggles and copes with her ‘brittle Type 1’ diabetes. She’s such a warrior and is truly my inspiration on perseverance, determination and drive to keep fighting. 

So last week, when I heard of the ‘One Million Step Challenge’  i had to sign up straight away. I’ve always wanted to fundraise for Diabetes UK and show Sarah how much it means to me too, and this is my chance! 

I realise this challenge has already started (running from 1st July to 30th September 2022). Requiring participants to walk a million steps over those three months. My cunning plan is to start the challenge on Monday 1st August and try and walk the one million steps in two months instead! This works out at over 16,000 steps each day, for the 61 days, without a rest

Type 1 diabetes never gives Sarah a rest, so I don’t want to have one either during my fundraising challenge…The nature reserve trail is going to get a pounding again, lol! 🤣 

Quick Factoid…

Did you know someone is diagnosed with diabetes every two minutes? As many as 4.8 million people are living with diabetes in the UK right now.

So if you’re feeling inspired…Please hit the donate button and support my stepping challenge. Every step and every donation counts. Join me and let’s help everybody living with diabetes. For all the mums, dads, wives, husbands, sisters, brothers, sons, daughters, grandparents, and best friends, creating a world where diabetes can do no harm.

Let’s get this party started!! 🎉 As 1 Million steps is around 500 miles, i’ve already donated 5p per mile (£25.00)…It’s going to be a really tough challenge and it’s the furthest i”ve ever walked…But i’ve got to do the steps now!!

Every penny given will go towards Diabetes UK care and support services, advice and guidance, and pioneering research. Together, we’re changing the world for people with diabetes.

Thank you so much, Steve! ❤️