Happily Ever After
Life in The Rural Retreat with a beautiful wife, two cats, garden wildlife, a camera, a computer – and increasing amounts about running
Earlier posts can be found on Adventures of a Lone Bass Player, where this blog began life. Recent entries can be found here.
A Chat With The Old Folks
by Russell Turner - 10:33 on 25 September 2026
The London Marathon is a long way away – seven months to be precise – but so is my fundraising target: £2,500 seems very ambitious at the moment. The first £1,000 must be in by January, which is much more achievable thanks to a generous Chatterbox contribution. However, since then the total hasn’t moved.
That’s why I had great hopes for my Road to London talk yesterday – the first of what I hope will be many to local groups, ending with praise, applause and generous sponsorship. The lucky audience were residents of Eilean Dubh Care Home in Fortrose, which I had a relationship with through Chatterbox.
I arrived early to get my Mac linked up to the projector in the cinema room, dismayed by how few chairs there were in it. This was explained when the audience members shuffled in or arrived in wheelchairs. I’d wondered about the large empty space in the room. The talk went well, raising laughs where I’d hoped and a few “Ooohs” where I hadn’t expected. My modest finish times are more impressive to non-runners. I’d brought along my London medals to show, so the talk concluded with home staff taking pics of residents with medals around their necks, after which we retired to the main sitting area for tea and cake.
Sadly, despite the praise and applause there was no income on the day. Around 20 people watched the AV talk (half the total number of residents – I’d grossly overestimated how many people live there) none of whom appeared to carry smartphones to make instant online donations (no surprise) or purses. Such is life. I was advised to tag the home in a Facebook post and include the giving link, which I’ve done, so something might come of it in the next day or two.
The silver lining was that I got to practise my talk, which I’ll be able to refine for next time, assuming there is one; I’ve had a couple of expressions of interest but no other bookings yet.
In the meantime, running goes on at modest pace and distance ahead of the Kielder 10k next weekend. With luck the weather will be better than that forecast for the Loch Ness Marathon this weekend. I’d be doing the Ness 10k if City Limits wasn’t playing in Applecross on Saturday. I’d planned to take my running gear so I could enjoy a scenic Applecross run on Sunday morning (we’re staying the night) but the forecast heavy rain means athletic pursuits are unlikely.
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