Marbles moved from pocket to pocket

small glass bowl with beautiful iridescent blue glass marbles in it - how Julie counts her step "repeats" — *^{small glass bowl with beautiful iridescent blue glass marbles in it – how Julie counts her step “repeats”}*

How do you count flights when there are so many steps…?

#smilingontheinside – Monday 30 June 2025

Keeping track of a few flights of steps is easy… but remembering where I’m up to when I’ve climbed hundreds and hundreds of steps is a bit more challenging.

To start with, I just kept repeating the flight number I was on as I ascended “one… one… one… one… one”, “two… two… two… two…”, “three… three… three…”

Knowing where I was, what I’d done, and what I still had left to do, was simple.

But when I got to about five or six repeats, I found myself stopping to count the ‘peaks’ on my Sports Tracker app … surely there was an easier way…?

Sports Tracker App showing elevation as Julie ascends / descends flights of stairs — *_{Sports Tracker App – showing ascents and descents}*

Of course, like any good tool, it only works when you use it! These beautiful blue marbles have been a great dust-collector for decades. I can’t remember exactly when I first bought them. They’ve moved from address to address with me. They collect dust, look shabby and are high-maintenance to keep looking beautifully shiny.

Last week – my first week using marbles to count my repeats – I thought I’d use them by counting after each full ascend/descend; move them from one pocket to another. But then I forgot a few times and had to transfer a couple over from pocket to pocket at once.

So I decided to count when I got to the top of each flight – while I was walking out to Beerescourt Road – catching my breath before I headed back down again.

Most times I remembered!

This week I’m carrying ten marbles with me. If my week goes to plan, I’ll have transferred 30 marbles from one pocket to another.

Today I climbed 840 steps #smilingontheinside #selfpromisekept

Two More Sleeps To Go

Alan’s due home Wednesday – if everything goes to plan – it has only once so far on his Tonga Tours. I’m hopeful!

Before I left for my steps this morning, I confirmed that our motorhome would be ready to collect on Wednesday morning, en route to the airport. #smilingontheinside

The phone call came in just as I was starting my second flight of steps. Zion Motorhomes was incredibly helpful. I told them I’d collect the van from them on my way to the airport – parking it on the road outside their service centre, for one of us to drive home after Alan had landed.

They offered to see whether there was an alternative to leaving it parked on the road. I told them we couldn’t guarantee Alan’s flight would be on time, let alone how long it’d take him to clear immigration and customs. If all the stars aligned, then Zion would still be open and what they were suggesting would work … but if not, then we’d be late and they would be closed.