Blogging Update

How to say update in different ways.

Dear Reader.

It's been a while since I wrote a proper blog and a few things have happened. No doubt you may have seen some of my Facebook updates, the latest part of Doctor Who - Virus in Time and my archery news.

Well archery is certainly taking up a good part of my weekends now, which is no bad thing. I have said so many times now just how good it is, the fun, the excitement, the shooting and the club.
Recently the number of competitions has increased both home and away for this indoor season. I have been able to post new personnal best in the Portsmouth round of 538 out of 600.

Considering I have been shooting for just over a year now I do feel really pleased with my progress. Of course dear reader I want more, which is not bad. You can just go and shoot for pleasure if you want. Not many sports let you enjoy the pure pleasure of the sport. Take football for example. You cant just kick a ball into a goal all the time, it becomes pointless. Likewise for chess (ok not a physical sport) you have to play against someone or something.

Archery you can just stand and shoot for your own enjoyment. But then if you do will you end up competing. And is that just what you end up doing in life? Boy theres a deep thought.

Well back to the plot as they say.

As you may or may not have noticed I won my first medal. And I mean won. Along with Veronique from the archery club we won the Open Pairs competition at Warwick Archers. Now that for me was a real milestone. Also I was 4th in a Warwick round and 6th in a Portsmouth postal shoot.

The past few days I have made a few changes. One of the advantages of TVA club are the coaches. They do help when you ask. George has been helping me now move forward again. Over the past few days he has changed my stance, anchor position and helped with my new finger tab.

Results. Well you always go a step back before going two forward. I took part in the latest postal shoot and did not expect to be above 500 to be honest. Well I surprised myself. 518 out of 600.  Now thats not bad for all the changes. So thanks to George I can settle into my 'new' style and see what happens.

What else has been going on.

A wonderful visit to Earle the restaurant and a good meal well recommended. Also we got a evening (Sunday that was) at a Hilton hotel in Chester. A suite no less, including a revolving television. A very relaxing weekend.

So what next for my Doctor Who story. Well part 5 is due out very soon (editor take note). And then I will have to work out parts 6 and 7. (Editor beware).

Ok so is this enough of an update. Well I hope so dear reader. Too much and I may overwhelm you. Too little and its like eating a slice of cheesecake on a diet. You just want more.

So this cheesecake slice is done.

'May your arrows find gold' Or if no arrows 'May the wind be at our backs.' 

New Year New Post - Well almost

Greetings my dear readers.

What does Happy New Year really mean? Is it wishing the Year to be new and happy, who knows.

Well dear readers as you have seen the first three parts of my Doctor Who story have been posted on my blog. It is something I have wanted to do for quite some time now. There are a few more parts to go yet and I must thank my editor for all the pain (well not really pain).

And of course you dear readers for reading it. I am not sure how many people actually do what they dream of or even see the results. These days the internet allows for dreams to be created and realised however odd they might seem.

The Doctor Who story is very much something that has been running inside my mind for many years (over 15 it seems) and now is being 'published'.

More of that in this Happy New Year.

Archery update - My first indoor competition external as well. The first weekend of January, Saturday was a practice in very cold conditions. I had purchased some thermals over Christmas very handy and useful. Shooting at 25 yards rather than the normal 20, felt good. Could not wait to get the bow back in hand and feel the arrows fly.

Sunday was the day of the competition and the team had to be at the place by 9.30am. So an unearthly start at 6.30am - yes Sunday morning - in the dark and the cold. And the snow. It was a little surreal getting up that early and seeing the Moon but all in a good cause.

The place itself was we thought going to be cold. And how wrong we all were, they had full hall length heaters. The actual shoot was very good, scored 474 out of 600 at 25 yards. Overall I came 21st out of 31. Now considering that I have just completed 1 year I feel I have made great progress.

I really am enjoying archery, its more than a sport now to me, it has a power, a passion, an enjoyment and something I can see me doing for years to come.

And in the next couple of weeks I have 3 more comp's all indoor so I will post more results in the future blogs. I do recommend that people find that sport or hobby that gives them the escape they need and gives them a sense of who they are inside.

Ok well my first 2010 blog done and updates to my dear readers.

I guess I ought to have some sort of strap-line (a writers thing) at the end of my blogs so here goes.

'May your arrows find gold'  

Not Blogged in ages - blog

Updates in my world blog.

Well I have been missing from the blog front for a while now. Nothing to write, the dear reader might ask.

Not really just lazy and an annoying game on a certain web site which drives you mad once you start to play it.

So whats been happening since the Scottish adventure.

Archery of course. That is fast becoming (if not already) something I have really got into and has got under my skin just a touch. I am sure I have said it before but who cares if you repeat a line or two.

Recently I decided to change how I approached archery in order to over come a couple of issues. Basically on Friday night I would just shoot, no scoring, but just relaxing after the week and trying out a few technical things.

Saturday I would shoot a round, which for indoors is mainly a Portsmouth round. This was to see how well I could improve my overall scoring. Plus it helped me concentrate and gave me targets to aim for (all puns intended).

Sunday I would review what I had done shot Saturday and see what changes to make for the next week.

Simple really, almost one might say a training plan. Others have also joined me in this plan which is good and has made the club step up a little I feel.

The club TVA - Trent Valley Archers - really has made archery for me. It is relaxing, fun, enjoyable and most of all friendly. And they do encourage what I am doing.

So dear reader (like old Terry of the radio I have one maybe two) you may ask, what have you been scoring. Well over the past 8 weeks I have scored from 495 up to a new PB of 530 - this out of 600. Now considering April of this year I posted my last indoor score of 475 shows that I am improving.

Archery is a sport. Feeling the bow in your hand, pulling that string before settling on the gold. The beauty of seeing the arrow fly towards the target. I have said it before in other blogs.

It is becoming very rewarding for me to see how well I can do this. Yes I still have the odd blue and loose release, but that's becoming fewer each time.

Very soon we will take part in the first indoor competition and I am feeling very good about it. After that I want to do a competition elsewhere. I want to improve and know I will.

What else has happened. Well I have changed jobs and its better for me. Its still in the same place and in IT.

Also soon I will be getting a new telescope. That means cloudy skies, rain in the evening and wind like conditions over the next few months. I am sure I will start a telescope blog along with the archery blog.

OK that wraps up the past few weeks. A trip is planned down to the South visiting friends and a new dog.

Blogs away.

An reworked blog

This blog is a bit of a cheat, plus I see that I have reached double figures in blogging.

In case I don't blog for a while, but Scotland might give me good reasons too, I thought I would blog an old short jlog as I call them. I wrote a couple of these, I like the style and I like sharp punch (if its there). So enjoy the read and comment away.

Good Cop, Bad Cop on a boarder crossing

By

Mark O’Donnell

Thursday 14th June 2007

I hate flying. Not a correct statement, but a statement all the less. What I hate is the trapped boredom. Fixed in place, stuck, no computer, no remote, and no freedom.

Ok so it gets you there quickly, fine. Then you land, then you grab your bags, then you stand in queue. Then you meet customs.

8 hours of flying followed by 10 minutes of grilling if your lucky. Only if.

The green card, your one and only chance to impress that customs officer. And of course you always find the good cop, bad cop next to each other.

First time, forgot to sign the back of the card. Well very sorry says I. The blank reply. ‘You wont give an apology. You will correct it. Go back over there.” He pointed back to beyond the line.

The thought crossed my mind we would have to go back to Manchester. A quick fix, signed and dated, then look for the good cop.

Thank whatever god of travel you like, but good cop was right next to bad. A smile, at last, “Welcome to the USA.” Or welcome back for some. Finally allowed to step past that line, only to meet the next pair.

Customs round two. Bags down, coats off, jumper off, shoes off and still I ended up bleeping. It’s the belt. Back you go belt off try again. Almost stripped but finally allowed to step past that line. But no, this time the good cop pulls us over. From my bag they produce two water bottles.

What deadly danger did this Manchester airport water pose this great country? Cute they maybe, but travel any further. No chance.

So finally, well for this airport any ways, we stepped past that line, that magical myth and onwards into well just onwards really.

Good cop, bad cop on a boarder crossing. You truly can’t beat them.

Bank Holidays

Blogs can sometimes be like a bank holiday. They appear at the same time each year (almost the same bar one which is a pain due to various things I wont go into), they can appear to be long, they often have new 'something or others' but mostly end up repeating themselves.

This blog was started on bank holiday Monday in August while watching Ironman. So to catch up with what I have been up to.

Archery plays a big part of my weekends now, it is so calming, annoying, delightful and amazing when I do shoot, and certainly very good for me. Its almost an art when you draw the bow, when you actually pull that string back and feel the power building up. You have to hold that raw power for that moment, when the arrow strains to be let loose. Your fingers feel the string that point at which you let it slip through. Then the arrow flies. In seconds you hear the hit.

I have had ups and downs like everyone does and I have to remember that it has not been a year since I started. The club is excellent, very helpful people and perfect for me. The outdoor season is almost finished and now I will concentrate on of course indoor season.

What else since the last blog. Well the Doctor Who story is still under revision which is annoying as I really want to finish it. Problem is no book is never really finished so the true authors say. For me it's not just a matter of completing the book it's a matter of pride, knowing I can write.

Also I need to sort out my poems and put a few new ones on the web site along with some new photos. I may do that after my Scotland expedition, particularly after the steam train.

Cricket. How wonderful. The ashes back again and England did play well for once. Trott could be a new find and lets hope a long term batsman.

Soon the new rugby union season starts and this year I will be able to watch some of the matches as I have sky sports.

Guess that wraps it for this blog and the rain keeps coming. Roll on Scotland.

Archery dramatics for the weekend

Another weekend and some very interesting events.

Amateur dramatics on a Saturday night. What does amateur mean? Well considering that Sir Patrick Moore considers himself an amateur is odd. He is one of the most knowledgeable people in Astronomy. So what does amateur really mean.

Well to me it means just people who are not paid for what they enjoy. So watching my sister enjoy her first performance was quite something. "Sailor Beware" is an old play set around the 50's.

My sister played the comic part but very straight which as people may or may not understand is very difficult. To have comic timing whilst not laughing is not easy. I was I admit impressed by how well such people put on such a play without all the dramatics around them. Simple, easy, no problems great fun.

My sister did a great job, in my humble view.

So amateur dramatics , people doing what they love for no pay, just like many others, and some do it very well.

Well what did I do this weekend. Three days of archery. A little bit of searching for replacement items like a new digital phone (not replacing my iPhone nothing could). The old land line phone had many issues not least I could not hear many people, which could be a blessing.

As for my archery, each session was indoors which at this time of year I was hoping for more sun or at least less rain. However indoors gave me the opportunity to concentrate on my technique, letting the archery flow. Its more than just a physical element of the sport its in the mind as well. And is it a sport? Not to me. It was a military weapon, a way of hunting, a desire to ensure countries could keep themselves safe, defend whatever. At Agincourt it was deadly. Very deadly.

Now it does something for me. It relaxes, focuses, gets me to exercise and most all is fun.

Archery is much more than just how to draw a bow, what poundage you need, the draw length. Its seeing that string drawn, feeling the power in the bow, looking at the one spot on the target, waiting that one moment longer.

Then the power, all transferred back to the bow, the arrow in flight, the moment when its there then hitting the target. Seconds.

So did I enjoy my weekend. Of course. It was pleasurable relaxing enjoyable and fun. I feel a poem coming on.

Now for the week ahead, the normal mixture of meetings, managing and with a fair wind completion of a few tasks.

So another blog or diary ends. What with twitter, Face book, myspace, yahoo etc I am glad I express myself so deeply in each.

A Grand Life

I am sure famous people have sat where I am sitting now and done the same thing. Drink coffee, look at the sea and write. So here I am in The Grand hotel Brighton doing the same. But how many of the more famous would then have blogged it. And is blogging it a proper term.

Certainly these days people would and do blog but from The Grand hotel? I could almost picture them writing away as waiters passed. Indeed I feel surrounded by waiters rather than writers right now. The happy sounds of jazz sort of old style played by modern people echo around the place.

The only thing missing right now is a good old fashioned arm chair and a cloud of dense smoke. Well one I can live without.

So here I am sipping coffee writing, sort of and keeping an eye on the cricket, sort of. Its summer of course and for once its fine here. The cricket score comes via the iPhone so that's certainly out of character for the writers of the past. But I guess well in character for the likes of me. Blogging in the new age. Yet still sometimes I end up putting pen to paper and I mean a real pen, before re-typing into a blog or journal for anyone to read.

So what does that make me? Old new school, new old school or something else. One thing for certain, its not easy to write in this chair. Maybe they wrote at the bar, who knows. I wonder if its time to start another age or trend. Maybe now I could be a silicon blogger or is that too trendy.

Still for me, this is a small wander into what must of been a Grand life.

(First written at the Grand Hotel 15th June 2009)

Late night posts

Wondering what makes a blog these days since we now have twitter and facebook amongst other things. People have so many places to leave their mark or make a comment or just rant.

So many people now are authors without knowing it, poets without feeling it and journalists without a newspaper.

People use blogs for almost anything now, to rant on a football match, comment on a new film that raises its own issues and just to tell anyone who cares to listen just how they are.

And who gets to say whats in a blog or what can be written about.

Well that's just down to whoever writes it, however they write it. Problem is many will put their soul on the line (or blog) and then hope. Some use this as a way to start a debate they might not wanted to start. Others just ramble from time to time, I know I do. Its a way to empty my thoughts, make me see something, sometimes stop me from writing rubbish.

Still a blog is a web log so they say - which is odd as a log of the web is not what I write. I don't write a log of my web work else that would be very annoying. Went to the BBC, surfed the Apple site, listened to The Navy Lark while surfing the BBC site again etc.

So a post late night as you can see. Maybe this makes sense, maybe it don't.

Late night posts are they worth it?

iPhone posts

Current Location:

United Kingdom, England, Staffordshire

Well trying a post from the iPhone while watching F1.
Wonderful win for Button again he is reborn for sure. It shows that Button has always been a good driver now we all see it.
Well short post see how this goes.

First Blog

Ok so the web site has been re-designed, or more importantly I picked another theme from iWeb. Very simple, very easy. So my first blog entry. What to say what to put. It could almost be as bad as twitter but you have more characters and maybe less bad than FB. How many places can one keep writing the same old same stuff or do you just write it once and then point every one to here?
I dont know and I suspect many will have different answers. So what is a blog? Its short for web log or should that be short its self for Captains log? Now is that in internet terms a clog? Or should I write these as Captain’s log.
I will from time to time add more into the short stories bits but they in turn could be blogs or even clogs.
Maybe I will start a campaign for clogs.

Anyway first whatever done