August Catch-up!

Hey folks, this is just a quick update on all things Rain & Wild / me, Laurie!

First things first, I want to say a massive thank-you to everyone who supported my birthday run fundraiser for the Miraclehill Animal Sanctuary. We hit the target and raised 600 euro for them. If you weren't aware, I ran 32k on my 32nd birthday this month, and you guys bowled me over with the support and love (and cakes, both real and virtual!).

So that was awesome.

It was also DIFFICULT and cemented my belief, that although I was 3/4 of the way to a full marathon, I think I'd have easier built a trebuchet and catapulted myself that last 10k than run it.

There's a video of that journey on my Insta if you want to see the mental and physical deterioration involved. It's funny though, I think running a long event might be a little like childbirth, because I no longer can recall the exact agony of that last 5k, and am indeed looking forward to next month's half marathon. This is despite peddling wildly back on my training with a newfound "sure it'll be grand" attitude. It will, won't it??

Something else new I've been doing, after 3 years of swearing up and down "this is the year" ~ your gal is finally learning to swim. Twice weekly I am now donning the ugliest silicon hat and prescription goggles, in order to just about hold my own against the 7 year old in the next lane. 

It has been humbling. To be fair, most activities I do humble me greatly. I'm a slow runner, a bang average weight lifter, and a semi-OK hiker (if you don't count navigation skills). 

But you guys...this is possibly the most fun I've had all year. It's become a little bit of an obsession even. I swim in my dreams (for some reason, not IN a body, but an overhead view, like I'm a drone). When I'm out for a walk, I'm listening to swimming podcasts or mentally practicing a stroke. Fun fact - your brain literally cannot tell the difference between mentally doing something and actually doing it.

It's like a cheat code to learning. I read a book that delves into this recently - The Brain that Changes Itself. Psychology and the brain has always been a deep fascination of mine, and another major reason I am forever learning or trying new things -- it's like supercharging your brain by making new neural networks and building a cognitive reserve.

I have one copy of that delicious Alzheimer's gene (APOE e4) so you can bet your bottom dollar I'm doing everything I possibly can to dodge dementia. Now, I've also got 2 copies of the 'Usain Bolt' muscle fibre gene, which is frankly hilarious if you ever saw me on a track. I'm like one of those racehorses that has all the genetic potential but none of the talent (or will) and ends up being an expensive pasture puff. 

But all this to say, if you want to get better at something, the best advice I can give you is, first of all, get comfortable with the discomfort of being a beginner and looking hella stupid. It's the hardest step, I promise. 

Secondly, get into your head and start mentally rehearsing your new subject. Finally, once you think you've got a good grasp on it, try teaching it to someone else. You'll find the gaps in your knowledge pretty damn quick. As Einstein famously said; "if you can't explain it to a 6 year old, you don't understand it yourself"

Spittin' straight facts, if I do say so myself.

NOW.

If you're wondering what's happening in candle-making land, I'll tell you the joyous news that this Halloween, I will be participating in the Púca festival over in Trim! I was massively on the fence about applying because trading at Púca requires a full week of recovery after, it's that hectic. 

So at the moment I'm starting to build up my stock for that. I'm also testing a new, larger amber jar which is just a bit special. I'm planning to launch that as soon as possible once I've ironed out the testing.

I might ask you guys for some input on the development too. Like how do we feel about candle lids? Are we pro boxes or anti?? I'm leaning, currently, towards no lid. But only because lids sort of annoy me as a candle consumer.

I get that it looks neater, but where do I put the lid when I'm lighting the candle? Which random drawer must I shove it into, only for it to get swallowed by a black hole and later be re-born for some fathomless reason under my couch??

So I'm thinking I may need to box this candle...

In other market news, today I received confirmation I got into the Oldbridge House Christmas festival, woohoo! That's on the 29th and 30th of November, which for someone like me who has no concept of time AT ALL feels a thousand miles away. 

Something to panic about after Púca, indeed. I can only panic work on one project at a time. 

In Book Land, my current read is Midnight in Chernobyl, which is by the same author as Challenger, Adam Higginbotham. Challenger was one of the best books I have EVER READ. PERIOD. Go and read it. MiC is just as technical, and for me it's a bit tougher of a read because I have to semi-understand nuclear physics, or at least dumb it down into my version of nuclear physics (radiation = bad).

I also watched season 2 of The Sandman. So good. Cannot cope with the ending so I'm going to pretend it never happened. Do you ever get so involved with a show that you have to mentally rewrite the tragic parts so you don't crash out over it?? Just me? 

And finally, on to the topic you have all been waiting for: the CHICKENS

PHOEBE got a new hormone implant this month and the vet called her fat (in more technical terms). SEVEN POUNDS. She has since lost a bit thankfully as she is no longer trying to lay an egg and eating for 2. She is also moulting so I have had to indulge her with a few choice grapes to lift her spirits, and mine. I hate seeing them all mopey and looking at their feathers coming out in tufts!

EEVI is still a skinny little turd who has created new holes in the grass aplenty. Every so often I allow the chooks free range in the front garden, supervised, and you can depend on Eevi making a sprint for the front gate. The call of the tarmac road is strong with this one. It's pretty amazing how little survival instinct she has for some things yet GOD FORBID I get the sweeping brush out, could as well be setting off an air-raid siren and carpet bombing the place with the reaction it brings. 

ELSI is still a precious little angel who I have trained to tap a mug in order to get crackers. Why did I train her to do this? Call it curiosity, but I wanted to see how quickly I could link two things in her brain (action/reward). Turns out, it took maybe 10 minutes. Eevi got it also, but it took her a lot longer to grasp. Phoebe simply could not compute this task, it was an error 404. So now I'm like, what else can I train these chickens to do?? They already have better recall than a dog. 

In any case, they've done a stellar job in training me to give them treats at every opportunity.

Well played, chickens, well played...