Kim

I often mention my walks here. This time between jobs has not been great for a formal exercise routine but the decorating and the required trips to pick up supplies has meant that I have done quite well.  I use an app called HealthFit to summarise a lot of my exercise that is tracked by phone because I like the way it aggregates the numbers.  The feature that attracted me to the app was the heatmap function where all of my walking exercises are combined on a map to show where I have walked and how often I take the routes.  That has proved an incentive to walk down streets I have not yet covered so that I get to see more of my locality. 

It also has a feature called Explorer Squares. The concept is that the map is divided in to a grid based around the standard OpenStreetMap map tile 256x256px image at a zoom level of 14. If the app detects that some part of my exercise has entered one of the squares it gets recorded. The challenge is to create a bigger square of consecutive smaller squares. For months the maximum size I have is a 4x4 square but there is only two outlying squares near Mitcham Common preventing me from getting the 5x5 and I was determined to complete it before I start the new job.

Just before Noon I got off a tram at Beddington Lane and walked to Mictham Common and onwards to Mitchm for about an hour - and about 5.6km - crossing into 3 new tiles along the way. Not all the 3 were needed but, as I was walking, I was monitoring the map closely to make sure that I walked in the right place. And, eventually, I did it.  I completed it just in time. I got to Mitcham with the intention of walking all the way home but the rain started so I hopped on a 200 bus.  It was only after boarding that I realised I was talking the full route of the 200 from Mitcham to Raynes Park and we weaved our way through parts of south London I hadn’t seen before.

One of the reasons I delayed the start of my new job to mid-week this week was because, for some months, we’ve had tickets to Kim Willde’s concert at The London Palladium.  She released Pop Don't Stop, a greatest hits compilation, last year and I think this is the tour the coincides with that album. I can’t quite remember if this is one of those COVID-postponed concerts or not. Anyway we spent the evening watching a fantastically fun concert with some new material, a special appearance by Junior Giscombe (best known for 1982’s ‘Mama Used to Say’),  and all the big hits. ‘View From a Bridge’, ‘Chequered Love’ and ‘You Keep Me Hangin' On’ closed the main part of the set but we all knew what the big encore song would be. After ‘Pop Don't Stop’ and ‘You Came’ she finished the show with ‘Kids in America’. The crowd had been wildly enthusiastic for most of the night but I think this might have tipped some people over the edge.  Another brilliant evening.