Chris Cutforth's Blog

Ready for a holiday  I’ve not been feeling great this week - s everal reasons I think.  First, I’m tired - ready for a holiday after a busy and at times stressful period since Christmas. Second, I’ve been marking students' work which often effects my mood - I've written about this before, only this time I’ve found myself questioning my teaching abilities which is rather unsettling. Third, the weather - it’s been such a long winter and according to the latest forecast, we're not done yet. And finally, it’s a part of my personality to experience mood swings, even depression, from time to time.  At least one in four people will experience mental health problems during their lifetime.  My symptoms include l oss of confidence, negative thoughts, broken sleep patterns - classic symptoms I guess. They feel really significant to me but I suspect are much less obvious to others, except to those who know me well. I’m  comfortable sharing these things - indeed I believe I have

Learning from life, death and funny people I will remember this past week as one in which we said farewell to some great and funny people. First, Professor Stephen Hawking whose work has transformed our understanding of the universe and our place within it. This is one of his most famous quotes which I love:   "One of the greatest revelations of the space age has been the perspective it has given us humans on ourselves. When we see the earth from space we see ourselves as a whole. We see the unity not the divisions - it is such a simple image with a compelling message: one planet, one human race.  We are here together and need to live together with tolerance and respect - we must become global citizens. I have been enormously privileged through my work to contribute to our understanding of the universe, but it would be an empty universe indeed if it were not for the people I love and the people who love me. We are time travellers together journeying together into the f

Running and doing good After another busy week and my regular late Friday afternoon visit to the Norfolk Arms, I must have slept like a baby because I awoke at 6am on Saturday morning with the radio still on, to be greeted by an interesting discussion on the role of farmers in preserving wildlife and the environment, followed by an equally engaging piece on the challenges posed by human migration. I’m much more interested in these ‘big issues’ now than I was in the past - older and wiser I guess, less concerned about personal success and status, more bothered about the state of the world when my time is up and I’m finally pushing up the daisies. It took an extra dose of will power to drag myself out of bed this morning - but with the Beast from the East finally departed it was time to take one more step closer to the magic 100. Hillsborough was my chosen destination this weekend - having not run much lately I fancied one of the flatter courses. Whilst walking to the st