Douglas Ireland

from the dial-up days

“If I had understood the situation a bit better I should probably have joined the Anarchists.”

— George Orwell

“It takes much longer to get up north, the slow way.”

— Ian Dury

“The internet could be a very positive step… Changes and progress very rarely are gifts from above. They come out of struggles from below.”

— Noam Chomsky

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writing

  • Running, Stopping, and Starting Again.

    I’ve completed the Couch to 5K programme twice before. It’s not magic, but it works. Each time I finished, I felt quietly pleased with myself. I’d reached a point where running 5 kilometres in around half an hour was comfortable. Not easy, exactly, but doable. I enjoyed it, too. Or at least, I enjoyed the

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  • The Nap That Ate the Evening

    We had a plan. Gym bags by the door. Water bottles filled. The noble intention of movement pencilled in for after work. But then the sofa looked inviting. And the thought of a “quick refreshing nap” crept in like a cunning little idea. Just twenty minutes, we said. Just a recharge. Nothing serious. Two hours

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  • Like Shit Off a Shovel

    I first got online in 1994. Back then, just saying that felt futuristic. Most people I knew didn’t have the internet at all. You had to dial in, literally. That high-pitched screech of a modem connecting was the sound of something new. We called it the information superhighway, and it really did feel like that,

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  • Moved a Bit, Felt Better

    Bank holiday Monday. No rush, no pressure. Just the quiet decision to go back to the gym for the first time in a while. I’ve been out of action since a herniated disc left me in hospital for four nights. It’s been a slow recovery, and today felt like the right time to move again.

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  • Showing Up

    Later today, I’m going back to the gym for the first time in a while. I had a torn disc in my back and ended up in hospital for four nights. It was incredibly painful, and recovery has been slow. Painkillers helped, but rest was the real work. I’ve missed movement. Not in a dramatic

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  • Back on My Feet, Thanks to Stephanie

    It’s taken a while, but I’m starting to feel like I’m coming back to myself again after the back injury. What made the biggest difference wasn’t the painkillers or the rest. It was a 1-to-1 yoga session with Stephanie. Being in pain for that long messes with your head. It wasn’t just the physical discomfort,

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  • Latte Not Hate

    Supporting decency, one overpriced coffee at a time. With @loveyogacrew.

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  • Why I’m Here (and Not There)

    There was a time when the internet felt quieter and friendlier. Before social media, before the constant noise, there were just websites and blogs. You’d find someone’s corner of the internet, read what they were thinking, maybe send them an email. It felt more human. And it felt like enough. These days it’s different. Social

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  • Seeing Clearly in a World That Doesn’t Want You To

    Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about truth. Not in a grand, abstract way. Just… what’s real, and how hard it is to hold onto when everything around you feels chaotic. Every day there’s more noise. Politicians saying things that aren’t true. News headlines designed to provoke rather than inform. People doubling down on ideas

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  • Vegan leek and potato soup

    I made vegan leek and potato soup today. It was very nice. The leeks, potatoes and chives were grown in my back garden. I used this recipe from BBC Good Food but made some substitutions. I didn’t have bullion powder, whatever that is. I used an Aldi vegetable stock cube. I used normal vegetable oil for the

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