Category: Mike

A little video I made about – and featuring – my favourite comic books when I was a youngster. So if you’re into comics, give it a watch and see if we have any faves in common

I was delighted today to finally receive my Irish passport. It marks the end of a two-year process (and not a cheap one, either), but it’s all been worth it. I shall raise a Guinness or two tonight to celebrate. Sláinte!

Just in case you’re a friend, family member, or listener who’s a friend of mine on Facebook and may be wondering if I’ve unfriended you because my personal profile has disappeared from your news feed, I haven’t. I’ve just deactivated my profile. Facebook can be a big distraction from work (as we all know), as well as an all-too-easy (lazy) alternative to doing something constructive when you get some downtime. So I just turned it off.

However, I will continue to moderate and maintain my Facebook group, Mike Bennett Author page, and Underwood and Flinch pages, from my Mike Bennett Author profile. So I’m still there, just not via my personal profile, at least for now. I’m sure I’ll be back at a later date 🙂

Pauline and I went for a swim yesterday. I was massively reluctant to go. There was a freezing wind coming out of the east; the sea temperature is 8.5°C; there were waves that made swimming hopeless; the tide was out so we had to walk for ages till we got anywhere deep, BUT, as always, once you’re in, it’s lovely.

There’s a short YouTube video here: https://youtu.be/gakoOWvyX7w

Since last October I’ve been going sea swimming. I wasn’t keen at first, but my wife started going last summer and was forever singing its praises, so I figured I’d give it a go. At first, it was (predictably) hard to take. I could only stay in for about three minutes before I came scurrying out, desperate to get towelled off and into some warm clothes. However, I persevered, and now I’m a fully-fledged convert. We go in around four times a week, and on the days we don’t, it’s cold showers or cold baths, just so we don’t get lax when it comes to going into the cold.

Here’s a video of me going in for a dip this January: https://youtu.be/3mCoqc7CNHw

And speaking of going into the cold, my newfound interest in sea swimming led me down a YouTube rabbit hole that led me to one Wim Hof. Maybe you’ve heard of him. I won’t spend ages writing all about him here, but in a nutshell, he’s a guy who strongly advocates regular exposure to cold as a health benefit. He’s a fascinating character, and can count me as one of his many fans. I’m currently reading his book, The Wim Hof Method. I recommend it. You don’t need to have a sea on hand to do his thing, a cold shower a day will do the trick just as well. Give it a go. You’ll like it … eventually 😁