Mark @mark@beech.org.uk

Today #parkrun returns to England, I've woke up far to early but I'm too excited to get back to sleep.

I got my free associate membership of the OpenStreetMap Foundation today.

Given that The Blood Donor episode of Hancock's Half Hour is almost 24 years older than me she might have had a point.

I was getting a blood test earlier, and the nurse was explaining that they needed to take more that usual.

Being the witty and original person that I am I exclaimed "that's very nearly a armful!"

Her response was that I'm too young to know that.

I retired from competitive politics at the end of 2019, but since about last March I've been getting regular phone calls every month or so from different people (none of whom I think ever voted for me) questioning my resolve to stay retired.

Eleven years ago today I contested my first election, and gained 30 votes!

Since then I've stood a few more times, and picked up an additional 3,900 votes.

Never did win a seat though.

I got into an impromptu race earlier with another runner who just happened to be heading the same direction as me.

I lost the race because he was a good eight seconds a minute faster than me.

There is no moral to this story, I just want to see who I can annoy by using *seconds per minute* as a measurement.

There are 69 cities in the UK, and in the before time I've drank in about 50 of them; now I'm trying to think of a more wholesome challenge to take part in once we are safe to travel again.

I've just accidentally purchased a #pinephone!

Just found a couple of stations calling CQ on 60m #FT4 - it uses the same frequency as #FT8 and it did take me 30 seconds or so to work out why they were so short on the waterfall and switch modes.

Today I completed #beyondexams #becs #HG2 "Log contacts with amateur radio stations in three of the ‘home’ countries" all on 60m FT8

First I worked a GI station, followed by a G4 and G0, and then an MM0 and a GM0.

About 24 hours since being enrolled on the #beyondexams program I've completed my first activity #HG4 "Log fifty contacts using digital data modes on any band."

Entirely on #FT8 as I've done many times before, but mostly using 30 and 60 meters which are new bands to me.

I suspect this may have been one of the easier tasks.

Earlier today I discovered the RSGB's Beyond Exams Club Scheme (https://rsgb.org/main/beyond-exams-building-experience/club-scheme/) that lists 23 activities to encourage being more active in amateur radio.

I have already completed 3 of them this year, and in the absence of parkrun, I might try seeing how many more I can accomplish this year. Some of them should be relativity simple, others like writing usable software less so, but lets see if I can complete 10 of them.

#rsgb #beyondexams

I entered my first ham radio contest today (RSGB Hope FT4), considering I only have 20 and 40 meters, and only 5 watts, and a washing line in place of an antenna I'm quite pleased I even managed 6 contacts, at one point I thought I had stalled at three.

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic... but 5Watts into a literal washing line making it 1,600+ miles did impress me. #ham #qrp #ft8

Just worked R5DT in European Russia (Gridsquare #KO94) on 40m using #FT8 #ham #cloudlog.

@tony if you are still looking to join a running club for parkrunning might I suggest this one ...
https://www.parkrun.com/results/consolidatedclub/?clubNum=30568&eventdate=2020-03-14

Yesterday I ran my fastest half-marathon in over three years, also my second half-marathon in over three years.

Today I entered my 2nd race of the year, so unless the fates have other plans, on Saturday I'll be racing 4.37 times further than I did back in January.

Today I calculated that is I run just under 10K every day for the rest of the year my kilometrage for the year would be 2020!

Fortunately I work in miles not kilometers so I'm not tempted to attempt such a stunt - although an average of 4.083 miles each day would see me reach 2020 kiloyards in 2020.