I felt fortunate on this morning’s run. I’d left my hat behind. I normally take it to shield my head from the heat of the sun. As I drove to where I run, the clouds started drifting over. Although it was hot, humid hot, I was blessed with the shade of the sun while I was completing the next stage of the Watch to 5K.
This has been the wettest summer that I have experienced here on Maui. Last week had made me think that the rain was over and that we were dropping into a drier month or so. This weekend would suggest otherwise.
However, even this has to be said with some context. We live in one of the wetter parts of the island. Though summers can be dry here, if there is going to be a lot of rain, likely as not it will be in this north east corner. Not that I am complaining though. Parts of Maui are a dust bowl at the moment, with very little rainfall. For a small island, the micro climates are many. Occasionally the island is socked in with a rain cloud hanging over the whole landmass, but more often than not it is just one or two of those micro climates, ours being one of them.
I appreciate the rain for the variance in weather, for the lushness it brings to our lived environment, the food that we can grow, the abundance of water (a hosepipe ban can be in effect elsewhere while we are watering the garden), and dare I say it in this age - the added protection from wildfires.
So I sit outside, undercover, writing this this evening, another scrawl passing through. The sound of water trickling down the down pipes, the wind bringing a chill to the air, and gratitude in my heart for the rain.
A midweek stop during this last week. I’d grabbed a snack and so stopped to eat it at Ho’okipa Beach Park, to take in this view, and unwind before heading home - asking myself “why don’t you do this more often?”
Morning skies.
I’m growing some micro greens for salads, specifically coriander micro greens. I’m growing them from seed. I still get so much joy from seeing the young shoots lifting up through the soil for the first time. No matter how many times I see a seed sprout, it makes me so happy to see the young shoots.
Being a sucker for new texts and note taking apps I am testing out Quick Note Taking - Type, the app’s website here but available from the Mac App Store. I like what I am seeing so far. Quickly call up the note screen when you need it, type in what you want and then move on. A quick brain dump, date and time stamped, and then back to what you were doing. Access your notes from any text editor. I’ve only just installed it, and I’ll see how my usage goes over the next few days, but I can see a place for it.
🛌 I had a bad night’s sleep last night. First I couldn’t get to sleep, then I had a few hours of fitful sleep, and finally I slept for a couple of hours and ended up oversleeping. Now I feel as though I am playing catch up and the day has hardly started.
Something went wrong this morning. It is almost 11:00am and the bed still isn’t made.
Trying to fix the WiFi connection on my mother’s iPad from 7,100 miles away (11,400 km for those who have sensibly, IMO, made the metric shift) is a part of the reason that the bed is still unmade.
Kudos though to mum. I led her through the stages for forgetting the WiFi network that she was connected to and then reconnecting to it (that was after starting and restarting both the iPad and WiFi). All done over the phone and at the end of what had been a busy day for her. And Bingo, she was back online. 🎉
She is a 90 year old tech wiz!
🤫 Sitting quietly. Reflecting.
This morning I headed out on the second run of the Watch to 5K program. I chose the same route that I did for last week’s run, a path that runs along the edge of the Kahului airport here on Maui. The weather was beginning to heat up, but I find it a pleasant path - not too busy, good views of the island, and the smell of the ocean nearby. Like my first run, I stuck to the emphasis of focusing on running and not racing. Watching my pace. After all I am training.
Interestingly on this second attempt at the Watch to 5K I am noticing more people who are out running and more importantly not trying to break records. Just setting steady paces that work for them.
By picking the route that I have I am meeting more runners which I am thinking is good for me. I can use their example to influence my own pace. Let’s just hope that I don’t meet many pro-runners!
An afternoon rainbow from a week ago. Its posting got forgotten in a software hiccup. 🌈
Tasty artwork.
Currently reading: The Story Handbook by Helen Whybrow 📚
Sprouting again. It feels rewarding to see the seeds grow.
☕ Yesterday was a five coffee day. I am already on my third coffee today, and it is not midday yet. Two is normally where I stop, apart from every now and again. A new pattern? What’s up? 🤷🏼♂️
I’m finding Logger for Shortcuts an indispensable tool for developing Apple Shortcuts. Available MacOS and iOS means that I can text Shortcuts regardless of which device I am using. I can track what is going on as Shortcuts run and don’t have to temporarily break Shortcuts to display a value.
Highly recommended.
Shadows in the night.
Well yesterday I restarted my attempt at completing the Watch to 5K program that for me came to a complete standstill four months ago. I did go for a run while we were in Portugal. At the time I thought that that would be my Watch to 5K restart. No such luck. One run and that was it.
So yesterday morning I went out with the intention of restarting the program. I decided that I would start from the beginning as opposed to trying to pick some appropriate spot mid-program. It felt cleaner to do so and would give me some perspective as I progressed through the program’s stages. This time I also want to be more conscious of how I am running. By that I mean that it became apparent to me, with the help of online feedback from Rex, that I was running too fast for training. I was essentially racing against myself. That eventually tired me out and put me off completing the program. Yesterday, I ran more consciously, with the intended emphasis on running and not racing.
I’ll see where this leads, and continue to map my progress here online. Accountability helps me.
☕ Oh dear. It’s a three coffee morning.
I received this electronic sticker by email today. My first vote in a US Presidential Election since becoming a US citizen in 2022. The Hawaii Primaries.
