Reflections On The A To Z Challenge 2022

I'll just say it up top... this was my best A to Z Challenge yet and it was for one simple reason; I had a plan for the whole series of posts which took so much pressure off.

The other thing that made this a lot more fun than previous years was that I had all my posts scheduled to post well ahead of time. In fact the closest I ever got to being close to the actual posting date was with Y & Z both of which were completed just two days before posting.

Now I'm not renowned for being the most organized person on the planet but having a clear plan & schedule really helped me and I would heartily recommend it to anyone else participating in the A2Z Challenge.

The Futility Of War

This is one of the best books I have ever read, and on the subject of WWI it simply is the best I've ever read!

Arthur Gould Lee wrote the book based on letters he sent to his wife Gwyneth Ann, and diary entries he wrote whilst stationed in France in 1917 serving as a fighter pilot with the Royal Flying Corps (R.F.C.).

Subsequent to the war he was able to add in previously classified information and together this gives the book an amazingly in depth but humane account of what it was like to be on active service at that time.

Reopening Homework Club

This is a post that is far too long overdue (thanks for nothing Covid!) but is exciting nonetheless.

At The Gathering we had to close our Homework Club down back in March 2020 as the initial lockdown began, and due to a number of issues we have only just been in a position in which we could set about reopening it whilst also doing our best to ensure that the children attending are as safe as possible.

Z Is For Omega

So here it is... the end.

Well done to all the A2Zers who made it this far.

Ω (Omega) is the last letter of the Greek alphabet, so there's no cheating going on here.

I have used Ω previously in 2012 & 2013.

Memory Lane

In the midst of doing some admin and a few other bits this morning I also ventured down memory lane to the late 80s & early 90s with these two gems from my favourite record shop Kandi Records.

I've been after Paul Simon's The Rhythm Of The Saints on vinyl for ages, it seems to be quite hard to find and the only previous copy I had seen was missing its original inner sleeve. I'm quite particular like that!

The wait was worth it because the album did not disappoint and it's just as good as I remember it being back in the day. 

Y Is For Youth

I'm really happy that my sons learnt to box in their youth, I wish I had.

If nothing else, learning to box ensures that they'll never be physically bullied, but what really warms my heart about them learning is the fact that it changed them both for the better. 

Make Way For The Little Guys

This was such a cute moment at The Gathering's weekly Soup Kitchen this evening, and somehow it just captures the heart and essence of it too.

At The Gathering we happily serve all comers regardless of their size, stature or status, we're not swayed by whether folk walked, just got out of a car or maybe got a ride to get there.

We serve everyone with the same level of grace & dignity and are as generous as we can be until the soup runs out.

X Is For eXercise

I love exercise!

There, I said it. 

No I'm not mad (at least I don't think I am), but I do enjoy the rush of endorphins from a good session, they're a great fix and one that I'm in no hurry to give up on.

W Is For Women's Boxing

I'm a big fan of women's boxing. 

As a sport it is about as old as men's boxing but it has been derided, ridiculed, marginalised, mocked and banned in most countries for far too long. The boom in the sport as we know it today really began in the 1990s in the USA as women were becoming more prominent in other sports such as baseball and basketball. It's quite difficult to find any serious reportage of women's boxing prior to this because it just wasn't taken seriously and was often a sideshow at traveling circuses or conducted in less than salubrious venues.

Chew On That

Further to my post on Saturday: There's A Mouse In My Kitchen, What Am I Gonna Do about our mouse problem at The Gathering, I had some more steel plates cut to size and finished the job off by screwing them on to the store room door.

I've now placed steel plates along the length of the door and made sure they're as tight to the floor as possible.

On the corners I've bent two separate plates to fit with a flap sticking out to prevent any attempts at limbo by the mice.

I think I can say with confidence that I've won the battle here, and if they do chew through they probably deserve to be there.

V Is For Vasiliy Lomachenko

Having posted about being a southpaw yesterday, today I'm posting about one of my all time favourite fighters, who also happens to be a southpaw (but the similarity ends there!).

Vasily Lomachenko (Loma) is a double Olympic champion and three-weight world champion who has been described as the best pound for pound boxer of all time, and I'm not in a position to argue with that. I love the guy!