Reflections on January 2026: Wet Weather, Work Woes, and Hammock Tweaks

Spoon and her first vinyl

January has been and gone—and, as expected, February has rolled in. I’m not sure if it’s a sign of getting older, but that month flew by alarmingly fast. So far, 2026 has been chaotic in almost every way.

Work has been particularly challenging. Last year’s key phrase was “unprecedented.” This year, it seems to have been replaced by “business as usual.” Many friends and colleagues have said they’re unhappy—mostly in the context of work. I’ve already heard about three dismissals this year (two within my own patch), and that’s not counting redeployments and a whole host of HR issues. It feels like everyone, everywhere, is struggling with something.

My outdoor adventures have taken a bit of a knock too. I’d planned a few tandem rides with my blind cycling buddy, Roger, but the weather put a stop to that—two cancellations in a row. Staying safe is always better than being sorry, but it’s still frustrating.

The endless wet weather also scuppered a group campout, which means my new hammock remains untested. Poo and pants! I don’t think I’ve managed a wild camp yet this year.

I did, however, learn something useful that might help me—and maybe others—get a better hammock setup when I finally get out there. Historically, I’ve been attaching my Structural Ridge Line (SRL) to the carabiners on my Alpkit Mora hammock. But that’s a no‑go. Here’s why: an SRL works best when it’s connected directly to the hammock’s continuous loops. That keeps the geometry consistent every time you hang it. Clipping to the carabiners changes the effective length each time you adjust the suspension, altering the sag and messing with comfort. Attaching to the loops also keeps everything soft‑to‑soft—avoiding metal wear, shock loading, and twisting—and ensures the ridgeline manages only the hammock’s shape, not the suspension forces. The result: a safer, sturdier, and far more predictable setup, especially when you’re tired or pitching in the dark.

Similarly, my Alpkit Mora underquilt—attached via two straps at each end—will perform better if both straps are clipped to the same continuous loop. Doing so keeps the quilt centred, evenly tensioned, and aligned with the hammock’s shape. When straps are split between the loop and carabiner, the mismatched angles can cause twisting, uneven tension, and cold spots. Keeping everything on that single soft loop should give a warmer, tighter, and more reliable setup.

ParkRuns haven’t gone to plan either. I’ve only done one so far—two were cancelled because of bad weather, and I lost my mojo a couple of times, too.

Cycling’s been a bit better. I’ve managed a few outdoor rides—one ended in a fall, another in a soaking! Zwift has been my saviour though, and I’ve completed four stages of the Tour de Zwift 2026 so far.

Father John, Aye (eye)

Family-wise, things are mostly good. My nephew Jack turned 30 recently—I can’t actually remember the last time I saw him, but it must be at least 15 years ago. My dad has just had one cataract removed, with the second operation pending. Meanwhile, my eldest is about to turn 13. Oh man—more crazy times ahead for sure!

I’m hoping February brings a few more adventures. For now, I’ll finish by sharing my latest vinyl additions. The most recent—and my favourite—is Silent Alarm Remixed by Bloc Party. Spoon received her first record too: Hatful of Hollow by The Smiths, which also happened to be the first Smiths CD I ever bought. The other two records were The Eight Legged Groove Machine by The Wonder Stuff and Blue Moon Safari by Vegyn.

Hopefully my next post will shout out more about adventure and less about vinyl...

From Cake-Thief Canines to Tour de Zwift

Hello bloggers!

A quick look at the calendar tells me it’s 20 January 2026 and I’ve neglected this blog since the year began. That’s mostly because there hasn’t been an awful lot to rattle on about, and I haven’t really been on any adventures yet either.

A quick scroll through my phone shows I’ve only taken a handful of pictures this year, so I’ll share them here to give me at least something to talk about. Pictures always make a blog post look brighter, don’t they?

The first picture I snapped was on 1 January and shows a silly‑looking me and Ernie the dog. He’s already been a bad boy this year: he ate Moo’s birthday cake, which resulted in an expensive trip to the vet. This might be the last picture you see of him…

Next up is our new log burner. This fire is awesome and keeps us toasty warm, and I’m expecting a new handle sometime soon – upgrading from silver to black.

The next photo is a postcard tucked inside a vinyl I ordered. I very much liked early Lemonheads in my youth, and I don’t mind indulging now and then.

Then there are a few shots of Moo in the Dragon Woods. I’ve walked there a few times this year with both Moo and Ernie. On some occasions we’ve seen deer, and lots of them. I’m hoping to wild camp there on Friday; the weather isn’t looking great, so I just hope my friends don’t bail. I’ll be using a new hammock - the Warbonnet XL Traveller that I’ve recently ordered. It’s an 11' hammock, better suited to a person of my height than my previous 10' Alpkit Mora. According to AI, I’ve graduated to the “pro” league of hammock camping. Hmm, we’ll see.

The picture at the top of the post is Bart depicting Eddie in a Piece of Mind‑style pose. I prefer Iron Maiden to The Simpsons, but whatever – it’s a cool, almost random image. It sums up the chaotic nature of this blog, yes?

Next, we have Moo again: first demonstrating her head sword‑balancing skills and then celebrating her birthday. She’s still younger than me, and more menace!

Training‑wise, I’m following an AI‑developed plan created by Co‑Pilot. I’ve sacked Claude for giving me naff advice. At the moment, my focus is to complete all stages of the Tour de Zwift, ticking off the short, medium and long distances for each stage. I’m in week 3 of 6 and so far, so good.

I’ve only been outdoors on the bike twice. The first trip was just to the bike shop and back. I cycled there on a 48 x 18 fixie and rolled out on a 48 x 20 freewheel. I’ve got a flip‑flop hub, so it’s the best of both worlds. The second trip – and I did just that – I fell off while cycling with the Phantom (this is becoming a theme) and then took medicine in the Lark (this had better not become a theme). Happy birthday, Phantom – we drank to that!

ParkRun at Arrow Valley was cancelled for the first two weeks of the year due to ice, so my first ParkRun of 2026 was at Warwick Racecourse last Saturday. I guessed it would take me 25 minutes, and my official time was 24:59. I also guessed there would be 600 participants; there were 606. Friends have asked me to pick their lottery numbers. I came in 166th place, for those that might be curious. Flairio was going to run with me but felt sick. Not too sick for a 'Spoons breakfast afterwards though – bonus!

I’ll end this post with the most recent photo on my phone: Ernie, the bad boy. I’m sure he’ll be better behaved from here on in…

Adventure awaits!

Happy New Year 2026!

Happy New Year to all those that read my blog! I hope 2025 treated you well. I hope that 2026 blows your socks off!

It's actually the 2 Jan 2026 as I write this post and I figured I'd review my goals of yesteryear. I had wanted to complete a 'Rat Race' and I'm pleased to say this was achieved. Mr Orange and I completed this 100-mile coast to coast adventure in the Scottish Highlands which incorporated running, trekking, cycling and kayaking. This was awesome and a great way to celebrate our 50ths!

Breakfast on Marcher Castles Way adventure

Didn't cycle the Cantii Way. However, Jamie and I cycled similar events including our rendition of the Marcher Castles Way. We had a lovely trip that incorporated a section in Rhayader with the mountains on fire, this was a spectacle that will sit in my headspace for a while.

Grwyne Fawr Bothy

Lluest Cum Bach Bothy

Managed to sleep in a bothy. Not once, but twice. Phantom and I have spent a night in the UK's smallest bothy, and we met the knowledgeable Goblin King on our second bothy visit. Would like to continue bothy visiting and would love it if my other mates could join too - especially Mr O as he inspired me in the first place and gave me a book about bothy.

Did not complete my A-Z of ParkRun, but came close and only have the letter Z remaining. I ran my most ParkRuns ever in a year in 2025, completing 32 in all. I ran these mostly solo, however SJ, Spoon, The Phantom, Cass, Dan, the Jannaway's and even Flairio joined me for some! I also beat my 2024 fastest time (25:21) with a 2025 fastest time of 23:06. My PB remains 21:39 which I doubt I will beat this year.

Ran a total of 544k in 2025 that beat 2024's effort of 286k. My best year was 2016 (Iron Man year) where I totted up 1,204k. I wonder what I will cover this year.

I didn't cycle an audax 200k or over, though did cycle shorter distances. Cycled a total of 4,804k in 2025 which beat 2024's distance of 4,398k. My average yearly distance (since I kept records) is 7,926 so didn't do great here. In 2013 (LEL year) I managed to cycle 12,498k!

Last thing on 2025's plan was to drink some of the Phantom's nettle tea. This didn't happen. I'll try improved motivation tactics this year! Hmm.

So, what are my plans and goals for this year? Well, they're quite simple really. I just want to love and support my family, work hard (yeah yeah) and cycle, run and wild camp. I have some cycling events that I've entered and asked AI to help me prepare.

My training plan actually started on the day of my last post - 29 December 2025 to be precise. It was easy creating a training plan, I just told some random AI machine that I plan to cycle the Snowdrop Audax in February, the Dirty Reiver not long after and the Solstice Sprint in June and hey presto, it created an action plan for me to follow with options for a shorter or longer week depending on hours I have to spare. Perhaps the plan is a bit optimistic, first suggestion was for me to complete a 90-minute Zwift session targeting my threshold sweet spot. I completed a shorter version, 50 minutes but had to stop twice to get my breath back, lower my heart rate and try to compose myself. Not a good start to a training plan. I weighed myself afterwards and it was clear that I put on a couple of kg during the festive period - sure this hasn’t helped either.

Following couple of cycles were much improved. I cycled a robo-pacer session on Zwift, following Maria who doesn't kick out huge watts - this was much easier. The second ride was on my fixie where I conducted a test. Basically, I was just checking if the current 48 x 18 teeth gearing suited me well. AI suggested I find a flat 30k stretch, cycle same, and feedback my time, distance, elevation, feel and it would work out my RPM's, likely watts etc. The results stated that 48 x 18 'is a great fast endurance' gear for me. It also suggested I swap to a 20t rear cog if I want to be kinder to my knees and cycle hilly routes. I'm going to follow this advice and replace my redundant 18t free wheel with a 20t cog and use same should I start commuting to work again.

Tonight, I have a planned Zwift session. Saturday will hopefully see my first ParkRun of 2026. After that, well, I guess we'll all have to wait and see. I'm sure adventure awaits.