Archive for the ‘Life’ Category

Swillington Wilds is a new open water swim and sauna venue in South East Leeds.

You need a membership to swim there. The lake is around 200 metres long and maybe 30 metres wide, so you’re never too far from the bank. They have a changing area and toilets on site. It is muddy underfoot so you don’t have to worry about stepping on stones, though not everyone might like the squelch.

It doesn’t have the same safety culture as the Blue Lagoon. They have someone watching with a throwable flotation device, but they don’t have any paddle boards out on the water or rescue craft. But if you’re a wild swimmer, you’re probably used to jumping in a lake by yourself, and the setup is similar to the open water sessions at Leeds Dock.

Death doesn’t come for Chuck Norris. Chuck Norris tells the Grim Reaper when it’s time.

We’ve added some mint and Venla potted her first plant.

One of the reasons I’ve been so busy, and yet somehow not feeling like I’m doing anything, is we’ve been dealing with a lot of domestic issues recently. A leaking roof, broken washing machine, and blocked drains. But most worryingly, our kitchen floor dropped 20mm and we are still waiting in the investigation to find out what has happened. It only happened on one side of the kitchen, so all of the tiles have now splintered down the middle.

We recently attended by Dr. Tom Nicholson on The Science of AuDHD. It was organised by Seed Talks and took place at The Wardrobe. It was a fun evening. Nicholson is a engaging and lively speaker with lived experience of AuDHD and be brought a lot of passion and energy to his presentation. It looked at the diagnostic criteria for autism and ADHD, woven with with personal stories and the implications of us missing neurodivergence in children. There was a little bit on AuDHD, but no discussion of the science, which would have been a nice addition. But well worth attending.

We’ve been trying to add a bit of greenery to the house and this is phase one. Bamboo over to the right with a camellia sitting in front. Then a collection of ferns and heuchera on the left. I was keen to use evergreen plants for year-round lovely views.

It’s been at least 12 years, and possibly as many as 17 years, since we threw a housewarming. They used to be raucous affairs. Now they’re very grown up, the alcohol has been swapped for canapés, but the conversation is just as top-tier as ever.

We recently moved house. Wouldn’t recommend it.

A day out at a service station? What a great idea. Skelton Lakes offers a track around the lakes and you get to see plenty of birds. But it is muddy, though. The most muddy you can be without officially being a bog, I think. Might have ben a better idea to take the tarmac path over to the canal. Lesson learnt. The service station offers toilets, food, and three hours of free parking.

I rented a van last week and when I turned up, they said the van I had booked has just been written off and would I please take an EV van with an automatic gearbox. It was a fun drive. I did briefly drive an automatic in Iceland and it is easier. And it felt like a quiet ride that still had plenty of power. I didn’t have to mess around charging it, so I didn’t get the full experience, but it seems like a good way to go. Range was 180 miles on a full charge.