Donate to Sharon Cathcart who is fundraising for Blood Cancer UK

Today marks the end of the My Peak Challenge Move For More Challenge, and I’m delighted to say that I completed all 30 days. Over the course of September, I logged **1,654 minutes of movement** — an average of a little over 55 minutes a day — and earned my 30-day streak badge. The challenge was simple: move for 23 minutes every day. What counted as movement was deliberately broad, which made it possible to fit the challenge into real life rather than having to rearrange real life around the challenge. Some days involved walking. Some involved my iGallop. There was even a day that included several hours of sword work and walking. The important thing was to keep moving. And I did. I’m especially pleased that the challenge also gave me an opportunity to raise money for Blood Cancer UK. Thanks to the people who supported me, I finished with £113 raised toward their work funding blood cancer research and supporting people affected by blood cancer. I’m enormously grateful to everyone who donated or encouraged me along the way. One thing I’ve learned from challenges like this is that consistency matters far more to me than chasing some arbitrary idea of athletic perfection. I’m not interested in punishing myself for what my body can’t do. I’m interested in finding out what it can do — and then, perhaps, asking it for just a little more. So naturally, I’m not stopping here. Tomorrow is October 1, and I’ll be starting my next challenge: Walk the World. This one is distance-based rather than measured in minutes, and I’ve set myself a goal of 30 kilometres over the course of the month. Like Move For More, this challenge also benefits Blood Cancer UK. It’s enough to give me something to work toward without turning movement into a chore. And if I happen to walk farther than 30 kilometres? Well. Fine. For tonight, though, I’m going to enjoy that badge. Thirty days. 1,654 minutes. £113 raised. Challenge complete. ### Share this: * Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook * Share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky * Share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon * Share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads * Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn * Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email * Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest * Print (Opens in new window) Print * Like Loading... ### _Related_

Three weeks into My Peak Challenge’s Move for More challenge, I’ve logged 1,147 minutes of movement. That works out to an average of about 55 minutes a day—more than twice my original goal of 23 minutes a day. And perhaps more importantly, I’ve earned my Movement Streak badge. I’ve been deliberately flexible about what “movement” means. There has been walking, of course, but also time on my iGallop, resistance-band work, and even a sword-fighting class. I’m not training for a race, and I have no intention of becoming a gym rat. I’m trying to build strength and stamina, feel better in my body, and make movement a regular part of my life. One of the things that has surprised me is that the scale hasn’t really changed—but I have. My core feels stronger. My stamina is improving. And I’m discovering that I actually enjoy moving when it isn’t being presented as punishment, competition, or something I’m supposed to endure because somebody else thinks I should. Today provided a particularly good test of that. My ancient HealthRider treadmill finally decided that 21 days into a movement challenge was the ideal moment to go to Valhalla. The material beneath the walking belt began disintegrating, and after decades of service (including years spent folded up in a garage and, at one point, serving as a canine treadmill when a friend taught one of our dogs to run on it like Astro from _The Jetsons_), I have declared it honorably dead. For a little while, I was annoyed enough to start shopping for its replacement. Then I realized something: I don’t actually have to replace it. I can walk outside. I can walk at the mall when the weather is uncooperative. I have resistance bands, yoga mats, my iGallop, and plenty of MPC workouts I can do at home. I may eventually decide that I want another treadmill, an exercise bike, or something else entirely. But I don’t have to decide that today. So instead of my planned treadmill workout, I climbed onto my ridiculous mechanical pony and did two iGallop sessions. Combined with the movement I’d already done earlier, I finished the day at about an hour. The treadmill died. The habit didn’t. And I think that may be one of the most useful things I’ve learned in these first 21 days. ### Share this: * Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook * Share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky * Share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon * Share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads * Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn * Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email * Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest * Print (Opens in new window) Print * Like Loading... ### _Related_

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill that would ban other states from deploying National Guard troops in California without permission.

Macbeth by A.J. Hartley My rating: 5 of 5 stars I came back from Stratford-upon-Avon last year completely obsessed with _Macbeth_ retellings, and this is one of the best I’ve read so far. An excellent amalgamation of actual history, Shakespeare’s work, and authorial imagination, we get a look at 11th C. Scotland via the more familiar vehicle of the “Scottish Play.” The reality of Macbeth and Gruoch (called Skena in this book) is interesting in and of itself, and is explored lightly in the authors’ notes at the end of the tale. But the story itself flows along the lines of the play, both literally and figuratively, to give us a look at medieval Scotland that lovers of Shakespeare and historical fiction alike are sure to enjoy. View all my reviews ### Share this: * Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook * Share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky * Share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon * Share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads * Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn * Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email * Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest * Print (Opens in new window) Print * Like Loading... ### _Related_

It was the most sycophantic of times.

Anti-war and anti-Trump protests were expected near the Trump International Golf Links ⁠in Doonbeg, Ireland, where the leader will attend the Irish Open golf tournament.

Last September, I participated in My Peak Challenge‘s annual Munro Challenge, setting myself a goal of walking 250,000 steps during the month. I didn’t quite get there; my final total was 157,647 steps. But that was still 157,647 steps I might not otherwise have taken, and along the way I raised £89 for Blood Cancer UK. So, naturally, I’m doing it again. This year, though, the challenge looks a little different. Inspired by the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, the annual Munro Challenge has become **Move For More**. Rather than focusing exclusively on steps, Peakers around the world are challenging ourselves to complete at least **23 minutes of movement every day throughout September**. And movement means exactly that: movement. It can be walking or running. Swimming or cycling. Dancing, yoga, stretching, weight training — whatever works for you and the body you happen to inhabit. For me, that last part matters. I’m 62. I have some physical limitations that mean there are things I simply can’t (or shouldn’t) do, and I’ve learned that trying to pretend otherwise is an excellent way to wind up hurting myself. My goal isn’t to turn myself into an athlete in 30 days. It’s to keep moving, build my stamina, and become a little stronger and more capable of doing the things I actually want to do. And nine days into the challenge, I’ve discovered that my 23 minutes can take some rather unexpected forms. I’ve gone for walks. I’ve ridden my iGallop exercise machine. I’ve practiced attacks and defenses with my bokken. I’ve counted other physical activity when that was what my body and my day allowed. And then there was Sunday. Yes, that is me with actor Adrian Paul, best known as Duncan MacLeod in _Highlander_. At 62 years old, I have apparently decided that what my fitness routine was missing was swordplay. I attended Adrian’s Sword Experience in Pleasanton, California, where an hour of learning attacks, defenses, footwork, and sword handling took care of my 23 minutes several times over. It was tremendous fun — and also a useful reminder that movement doesn’t have to look like “exercise” to count. That’s one of the things I’m enjoying most about Move For More. Some days I can do much more than 23 minutes. Other days I may need to piece those minutes together or choose something gentler. The challenge isn’t about pushing myself to exhaustion or competing with what someone else can do. It’s about finding a way to move today — and then coming back and doing it again tomorrow. There’s another reason I’m doing this. As I did last year, I’m raising money for **Blood Cancer UK** , which funds research, provides support for people living with blood cancer, and works to raise awareness. I’m participating in memory of a beloved former colleague whom we lost to multiple myeloma. So while the challenge gives me a very good reason to get off my backside every day, there’s something much larger behind those 23 minutes. I’ve set myself a fundraising goal of **£100**. As I write this, I’ve raised £26, which means I’ve still got some ground to cover. If you’d like to help, you can donate through my Move For More fundraising page: Click to Donate Any amount helps. Truly. And if donating isn’t in the cards right now, that’s okay, too. Cheer me on. Ask me whether I’ve done my 23 minutes. Or perhaps take 23 minutes yourself and do something that gets you moving in whatever way works for you. We’ve still got most of September ahead of us. As for me, I’ll keep walking, riding, rehearsing, swinging a sword around when circumstances permit, and finding ways to put those 23 minutes on the board. One day at a time. One move at a time. And, occasionally, one sword at a time. ### Share this: * Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook * Share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky * Share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon * Share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads * Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn * Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email * Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest * Print (Opens in new window) Print * Like Loading... ### _Related_

Be Your Own Bestie: A No-Nonsense Guide to Changing the Way You Treat Yourself by Misha Brown My rating: 5 of 5 stars I follow Misha Brown on social media and was thrilled for him when this book deal was announced. As you might expect, this is an excellent self-help and mental health book with a clever, sassy, and good-humored authorial voice. I have been on my own journey for a while, so some of the exercises he suggests are things I had already done. The underlying theme is that we all tend to be far more harsh with ourselves than we would be with our best friend, and Brown’s goal here is to reverse that. Finding ways to treat ourselves with greater care isn’t some woo-woo New Age concept; it’s a serious mental health aid that can help as part of an overall program of self-care and improvement. Highly recommended. View all my reviews ### Share this: * Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook * Share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky * Share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon * Share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads * Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn * Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email * Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest * Print (Opens in new window) Print * Like Loading... ### _Related_

The White House website has unveiled Arcade, a collection of five low-resolution video games that promote different aspects of President Donald Trump’s agenda.

Calico Theatre Company invites you to join us this fall on our mission to raise funds and awareness for local artists, allies, and advocates in the Disability…

Shevolved: A True Hollywood Survivor Story by Kristen Elizabeth My rating: 5 of 5 stars Until Sam Heughan started talking about circumstances on the _Outlander_ set that resulted in him demanding an intimacy coordinator on set, I had no idea that this field existed. I had been away from acting myself for quite some time then, and ICs were definitely not a part of the theatre community at the time. So, I decided to learn more about it. I’ve taken one course (so far) and, obviously, read this book. Kristen Elizabeth’s memoir of how she ultimately started her Film Intimacy Professionals organization begins with being an exploited young actor who began her career as an exotic dancer. After some horrific experiences that are detailed unapologetically in the book, Kristin starts thinking in terms of “what would I do differently in this situation” and unwittingly becomes one of the progenitors of the IC movement. This book deals with trauma, assault, and more … and ultimately comes out the other side having provided an outstanding examination of why ICs are so important. Highly recommended. View all my reviews ### Share this: * Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook * Share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky * Share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon * Share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads * Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn * Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email * Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest * Print (Opens in new window) Print * Like Loading... ### _Related_

Hey MAGA, a quick word.

I absolutely loved this woman. She came from absolutely nothing and put her considerable talent into doing good in the world. She helped fund one of the first COVID vaccines. She started the Imagination Library, so that no child would grow up without books. She created Dollywood so that there would be good jobs for the people of the mountain town where she was born. This was her very first performance of a song that always makes me cry. As a kid who grew up poor, I could relate. ### Share this: * Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook * Share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky * Share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon * Share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads * Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn * Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email * Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest * Print (Opens in new window) Print * Like Loading... ### _Related_

WHEN Jack Thorne’s drama Adolescence hit our screens last year all hell broke loose.

Wild horses couldn't keep President Donald Trump away from the chance of making a kill, according to a new report.Under his administration, thousands of wild horses have been rounded up with helicopters, packed into metal trailers, trucked hundreds of miles, and sold off to be slaughtered, the New Y...

Giselle, an original musical by Starhouse Theatre Collective

Hi, everyone. I know it’s been a while since I wrote anything about my authorial process. I decided to revisit my 2014 Regency short, _Clytie’s Caller_, because I wanted to update the cover. I also updated the interior, and the new edition will be out later this month. It took a while for me to settle on a new design. I considered three before deciding on this one. I’m very pleased with it, and look forward to finalizing the work. ### Share this: * Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook * Share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky * Share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon * Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest * Share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr * Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn * Share on Telegram (Opens in new window) Telegram * Share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp * Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit * Share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads * Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email * Print (Opens in new window) Print * Like Loading... ### _Related_

Come see me play Maisry in Starhouse Theatre Collective’s original adaptation of Adolphe Adame’s classic ballet! ### Share this: * Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook * Share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky * Share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon * Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest * Share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr * Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn * Share on Telegram (Opens in new window) Telegram * Share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp * Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit * Share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads * Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email * Print (Opens in new window) Print * Like Loading... ### _Related_

As Gianni Infantino's plan to sell off stakes in FIFA competitions sparks outrage, Graeme McGarry speaks to an expert who fears no one can stop…

If you’ve recently watched National Geographic’s _Pompeii: Out of Time_ , you probably came away with the same feeling I always do after visiting Pompeii—there is always another story waiting beneath the ash. One of the people featured in the documentary is **Julia Felix** , a woman whose name has survived for nearly two thousand years. That, in itself, is remarkable. The surviving evidence from the Roman world tells us far more about men than it does about women. We know the names of emperors, generals, politicians, and wealthy patrons. Women certainly shaped their families, communities, and businesses, but their stories are often quieter in the historical record. In Pompeii, only a handful emerge clearly enough for us to glimpse them as individuals. Julia Felix is one of those women. Another is Eumachia, whose magnificent building still dominates Pompeii’s Forum as a testament to her prominence. Julia Felix’s legacy is different but no less compelling. After the devastating earthquake of A.D. 62, she adapted her family’s villa to changing circumstances, leasing portions of the property and demonstrating remarkable resilience and business acumen. Through inscriptions, architecture, and archaeology, we can begin to piece together her story—but only in glimpses. Those glimpses were exactly what drew me to Julia Felix while I was writing _Pompeii Fire_. Several years ago, I wrote an article exploring what historians and archaeologists know about Julia Felix from the surviving evidence. If you’d like to delve more deeply into the historical woman herself, you can read it here: **→J Is for Julia Felix** But Julia Felix’s story didn’t end with history books. When I began writing _Pompeii Fire_ , I wanted my characters to inhabit a real Pompeian world rather than a generic version of ancient Rome. That meant placing them on actual streets, among real neighbors, and inside buildings whose walls have stood silently beneath volcanic ash for almost two millennia. So my heroine, **Drusilla** , comes to live in the villa of Julia Felix, where her fictional story unfolds alongside the very real history archaeologists continue to uncover. Archaeology tells us where Julia Felix lived. It tells us what she owned. It tells us something about how she rebuilt her life after disaster. But it cannot tell us who shared meals in her dining room, whose footsteps echoed through her gardens, what friendships were forged beneath her roof, or how the people around her loved, laughed, argued, hoped, and feared. **That’s where historical fiction begins.** One of the great joys of writing _Pompeii Fire_ was realizing that I didn’t have to invent Pompeii—I simply had to listen to it. Archaeology gave me the streets, the buildings, the artwork, and the people whose names have survived. My job was to imagine the lives that connected them. Every major location Drusilla visits in _Pompeii Fire_ is a place that archaeologists have uncovered and that visitors can still explore today. ## If You Enjoyed _Pompeii: Out of Time_ , You’ll Also Visit… ### The Villa of Julia Felix The home of one of Pompeii’s most fascinating women—and the place where Drusilla begins her new life. ### ### The Forum The bustling civic and commercial heart of Pompeii, where politics, religion, commerce, and everyday life intersected. ### ### The Temple of Isis One of Pompeii’s best-preserved temples, dedicated to an Egyptian goddess whose worship had spread throughout the Roman world. It offers a fascinating glimpse into the city’s cosmopolitan religious life. ### ### ### The Stabian Baths Far more than a place to bathe, the baths served as social hubs where Romans relaxed, exercised, discussed business, and caught up on the latest news. ### ### The Amphitheater and the Quadriporticus The arena where crowds gathered for spectacles and the adjacent training grounds where gladiators prepared for combat. Together, they reveal both the excitement and the brutality of Roman entertainment. (All photos by the author except the Villa of Julia Felix, which is shared via Wikimedia Commons) * * * The people of Pompeii were far more than victims of a famous eruption. They were merchants and artisans, priests and physicians, enslaved people and freedmen, children and grandparents, neighbors and friends. They lived full, complicated lives until one extraordinary day transformed them into history. If _Pompeii: Out of Time_ left you wishing you could spend a little longer walking Pompeii’s streets, I hope you’ll consider another journey there through _Pompeii Fire_. The documentary brings the archaeology vividly to life. My novel asks a different question: **What might it have been like to call Julia Felix’s villa home?** I’ve been fascinated by Pompeii for decades, and every new archaeological discovery reminds me that there are still stories waiting beneath the ash. If this documentary rekindled your own fascination with the city, I hope you’ll enjoy spending a little more time there with Drusilla, Julia Felix, and the people of _Pompeii Fire_. Have you watched _Pompeii: Out of Time_? I’d love to hear which part of Pompeii’s story fascinated you most. Click Here to Buy Pompeii Fire ### Share this: * Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook * Share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky * Share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon * Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest * Share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr * Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn * Share on Telegram (Opens in new window) Telegram * Share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp * Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit * Share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads * Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email * Print (Opens in new window) Print * Like Loading... ### _Related_

Calico Theatre Company Logo by Chloe Angst Hi, everyone. I’m delighted to announce that I’ve been cast in the Calico Theatre Company‘s Fall Spooktacular Showcase. Our first rehearsal is tonight. I’ll be performing one of Lady M’s monologues from _Macbeth_. The showcase has both a virtual and an in-person option for attendance. I do hope you’ll come to check out the talent! ### Share this: * Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook * Share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky * Share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon * Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest * Share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr * Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn * Share on Telegram (Opens in new window) Telegram * Share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp * Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit * Share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads * Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email * Print (Opens in new window) Print * Like Loading... ### _Related_