Chris Worfolk's Blog

None of This Is True i a novel by Lisa Jewell.

It was recommended to me by an algorithm, I think, based on reading a few murder mysteries. It’s more of a psychological thriller and I started it a month or two ago but had to put it down because the material: grooming, domestic abuse, incest, eating disorders and more, was just too depressing when I wasn’t feeling great.

I’ve finished the book off now and it’s a gripping read. But it doesn’t have a happy ending so the sadness hangs around, too.

I spent November writing my second novel as part of NaNoWriMo 2023. The good news is: I made it!

I aimed for 2,000 words most days so I finished with a couple of days to spare.

I managed to get every badge but one. Alas, to hit the final badge you have to stay ahead of par every day (1,667 words) and due to a slow start and faster finish I didn’t quite make that. But it is also a complete set.

Lots of fun and lovely to meet other people at the weekly local writing meetups. I am also looking forward to waking up tomorrow and not having to write anything, though! It’s nice to have the pressure off.

Last weekend we headed over to Andrew’s place where he was hosting a Thanksgiving party. There was much food. It was all delicious. And NFL. Would attend again.

Donegal Table: Delicious Everyday Cooking is a cookbook by Brian McDermott. I cannot recommend it enough. It’s down to earth and the food is delicious. I tend to measure cookbooks but how often I reuse them. River Cottage is at the top, Mary Berry is close behind and others rank somewhere below that. Donegal Table isn’t quite River Cottage, but it’s not far off, either. I’ll be using some of these recipes again and again.

My photos don’t do it justice. But here they are anyway.

Surf and turf sliders.

Eggy bread with bacon.

Mammy’s Irish stew.

Sausage and pasta bake.

Honey roasted vegetables.

Lemon and black pepper chicken.

About five months ago I decided to motiate myself by underaking a virtual run around Transylvania. I figured it would take me about three months based on running 30k or so a week. Then I got ill in September and October and it ended up taking more like five. But I’ve finally crossed the finish line!

More parkrun touristing this week. I felt pretty ill on the morning but I forced myself to go anyway and once I got there I felt okay. Better than okay as it turns out: I went out taking it easy and backing off when I was really hurting and yet I managed to run my fastest parkrun of the year. Not bad for November.

23:46

The course was a brand new course due to building work so there is a chance it was a little short. But I’m taking it as a good sign that I’m on the road back to my old self.

The park itself is very pretty. It’s urban and under the flight path but the forst on the grass and the duck pond in the centre were beautiful.

Last night was Patrick Kielty’s first Late Late Toy Show. He can clearly interact well with children. That’s not how it is supposed to be.

I’ve been really down recently and I needed something to pick me out of it so I decided, on 31 October, that I would do NaNoWriMo: the national novel writing month challenge where you have to try and write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days.

I did it in 2015 which produced my first novel Summer on the Horizon. I’m on track to finish this one, too, which is a fantasy adventure set on the Luas.

What has really made this year special is that we have been having a Sunday meetup where other people doing the challenge come together. We do 30 minutes of socialising then 30 minutes of writing and repeat all of that to make a two-hour session. It has been a lovely opportunity to meet new people, encourage each other and have some nice cake.

Today, Holbeck College is proudly launching our fourth diploma path: Life Coaching.

Our pathways allow students to combine courses they are studying, and a final exam, to achieve a more in-depth qualification. In our new pathway, students will study a range of approaches to life coaching, deep dive into positive psychology coaching and motivational interviewing, consider ethical issues and understand the behaviours and attitudes of high achievers.

Learn more about it on the Holbeck College website.

Hartstown is on the outside of Blanchardstown and has a small parkrun in the community park that is also alive with football on Saturday mornings. The parkrun is easy enough: two laps and very flat but it is just running around a field. Luckily, I was there on their 9th birthday and scored two pieces of delicious homemade lemon drizzle cake.