If it is broke, then do try to fix it

A wee update from me to you, my loyal and appreciated paying subscribers.

In its natural habitat: off-trail and surrounded by tinder-dry gorse

Kia ora, team of paying subscribers! It’s been a while. The vibrant sight of the kōwhai in flower is starting to colonise street corners and the weather guy on the tellybox keeps talking about ‘meteorological spring’, leading me to assume it’s also nearly real spring. I’m sorry I haven’t written sooner, you loyal lot.

We’ve currently got a small slice of dread/apprehension in our household, as one of us (not me) is hitting the big 3-0 in about seven weeks’ time. Conversations about this upcoming birthday repeatedly bring the reaction of a fearful sigh. What then follows is a recycled version of my same advice: focus on making the final months of your 20s the absolute best; ensure that, when you look back, you can hand-on-heart proclaim “I had the best 20s I possibly could”. It’s obvious advice, nothing prolific, but isn’t it also guidance we should apply to all of life, regardless of an arbitrary decade change?

After exhausting my written self on the Fiji series, I turned my attention back to YouTube to continue the content quest there for a little while. I’ve also been doing all manner of other silly things.

For instance, last week, I lay on the living room rug, having just completed a workout, and dropped my phone on my top lip. Yeah, the ACC Classic - my first time there. Fortunately it healed up all by itself. Recommend: ice or not doing this in the first place.

Phone-to-lip collision damage. Image size reduced in case you’re reading this email while still waking up

Last month, I cannibalised a pair of Tevas (not mine, I got them for $2 from a local charity shop’s throwaway pile) to fix my otherwise unscathed, but long-serving, Palladium waterproof boots. I cut little patches from the Teva soles and used Shoe Goo (vegan!) to fix them over the holes in the boot soles. Simple, but it’s worked a treat. My trusty old kicks have been given a new lease on life.

Unrelated to the worn soles, I also walked my pins a very long way in a day in July. I clocked 46 kilometres. While it’s no ultra distance, I did this with no training, by just stepping out the front door. It was a fun experiment. The wind was thumping, trashing any hope of decent audio on the video, but you can watch my slow decline in confusion, imbalance and fatigue here:

(I really should have given you, the paying ticket holders, first views on my recent videos. I mean, they’re no Nolans, but it’s still the least I could do. Promise I’ll try harder to reward your support in the future!)

On top of all that, there’s been a failed attempt to summit Nelson’s Saddle Hill (top photo), I made a second batch of my future-famous avocado doughnuts (recipe, anyone?) and Zoe had her drone delivered from home, so we used the test flight day as an excuse to break out the raft and get a winter paddle in. Cue onslaught of quality photos that I can’t claim the credit for!

Man and boat, near Rough Island, Tasman. Credit: Zoe Cui

Nelson life is getting paused later this week, as I’m heading to Europe (okay, okay, I’m going to the UK, but saying ‘Europe’ sounds about 10,000 times fancier) for all of September. It’s my first visit since 2019. I’ve heard it’s changed a lot. Expect updates.

Until then, enjoy the last of the Antipodean winter, stay safe and keep outdoors!