Kind: Notes

I'm on the map! No matter what else my mother and I achieve this week, my name will forever be recorded as the unlocker of the Loughrea graticule in Ireland: https://geohashing.site/geohashing/Ireland

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Abstract map of the Republic of Ireland, represented as coloured graticules (square degrees of latitude and longitude) and highlighted based on whether they have seen successful geohashing expeditions. The Dublin, Carlow and Waterford graticules were so-'unlocked' by 'JRK', and the Loughrea graticule was unlocked by Dan Q, which is further highlighted by a 'celebrating face' emoji.

Off to Ireland to hunt for geohashpoints. Wish us luck!

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Dan and his mother standing in an Oxford street, carrying luggage.

When my mother proposed that we take a holiday together somewhere, and that I could choose the destination, I started by looking at the Geohashing Expeditions Map.

Where, I wondered, could I find a cluster of mostly-land graticules ("square" degree of latitude and longitude) in which nobody had ever logged a successful expedition?

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Somewhat recognisable map of Western Europe, broken up into square degrees of latitude Ave longitude and colour coded based on the number of geohashing expeditions recorded for each. Four contiguous squares on the West coast of Ireland are marked and annotated by hand with the word 'Target!'

I've been geohashing for ten years now and I've never yet scored a "Graticule Unlocked" achievement for being the first to reach any hashpoint in a given graticule.

Over the next week, if the fluctuations of the Dow Jones and the variable Irish weather allow, I'll be changing that.

On the way to school this morning, the 10-year-old lagged behind to build a small snowman.

On the way back, the dog saw the snowman, which wasn't there when she'd passed earlier. She wanted to make it clear that she Did. Not. Trust. it. She stood back and growled at it for a while, and then, eventually, was persuaded to come closer.

Leaning as far as her little legs could manage, she stretched to carefully sniff it while keeping her distance. She still wasn't entirely happy and ran most of the way to the end of the path to get away from the mysterious cold heap.

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A champagne-coloured French Bulldog wearing a teal jumper leans hard to sniff at (while avoiding getting too close to) a small snowman about the same size as her, on a footpath mostly covered with snow (except for a patch from which the snowman's materials were clearly extracted).

(This same dog earlier this year spent quarter of an hour barking at our wheelbarrow when, unusually, it was left in the middle of the lawn, rather than beside the shed. She doesn't like change!)

Snuffles in the Snow. This morning's freak snowfall in Oxfordshire is a source of some confusion on this pupper's morning walk.

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A champagne coloured French Bulldog wearing a teal jumper stands at the edge of a snow-covered field.

I was sceptical when the forecast said there'd be sleet and snow this morning, but sure enough, it's just barely beginning to settle on the skylight of my attic bathroom. 🫢

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Photo from the inside of a skylight, showing icy snow and a fallen brown leaf stuck to the other side. A reflection of a small bathroom sink can just be made out.

Waiting patiently at the school gates on a distinctly Autumnal morning, our pupper's squat stature means she's about knee-deep in the season's golden leaves.

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A champagne-coloured French Bulldog stands patiently alongside a post to which her lead is tied. With her short stature she's about knee-deep in Autumn leaf litter.

Future Arimaa grand masters at practice, this Sunday morning boardgaming session.

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In a cluttered dining room, two children play Arimaa, a chess-like board game.

In spite of their signage, Costa weren't happy to take my old jockstrap for recycling.

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Sign made from a clipboard, in a coffee shop, reading "All cups welcome. We'll recycle any cup, from anywhere. Just hand to one of our team."

After a morning of optimising a nonprofit's reverse proxy configuration, I feel like I've earned my lunch! Four cheese, mushroom and jalapeño quesapizzas, mmm...

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Gas stovetop.a frying pan contains a tortilla wrap topped with tomato sauce, cheese, mushrooms, and jalapeños. Beside its a plate containing a completed quesapizza: two crispy tortilla wraps sandwiching their contents.