Author Archives: Toby White

About Toby White

I'm a doer!

Ich bin ein Berliner!

Leave a Reply
Brandenburger Tor, Berlin

Brandenburger Tor, Berlin

Albeit slightly delayed, I wanted to write about my recent travels to Berlin for a friend’s Stag!  I write this as I longily look back to the Indian Summer we had in early September, where the temperatures hit the 30s (C) for a long weekend. Probably not the best combination when planning on drinking copious amounts of beer!

This was my first trip abroad this year, and only extended break from work following a week away in Norfolk.

We set off early on the Friday morning. I was lucky to get a lift so was able to relax a little to the airport. We missed the junction to Stansted off the M11, so not a good start.. but we made it with plenty of time to spare.

We got our bags dropped and through security, where we could relax a little.

This was my first trip to Berlin, and although I am half German, hadn’t made it there yet. I have family near Dusseldorf and in Hamburg.

Following delays getting through airport security on the German side (lots of jokes relating to German efficiency) we managed to get an Uber and get to our AirBnb. At this point we were fairly ravished, so headed out to find food and beer! We managed to find the German equivalent of Weatherspoons so got stuck in for lunch.

Next, our plans were to see some history, before we drank too much. We hopped on the U-Bahn and checked out Brandenburger Tor, the Rathouse, and the Wall. The weather was beautiful whilst we walked round taking in the sights.

We returned in the evening for a traditional beer hall event, with music and lots of steins. We bumped into lots of friendly people and all had a good laugh.

The next day was a rather slow start, but we had a beer bike booked so needed to get ready and into town. We managed to split off and get some breakfast and headed to our location. The idea was to eat something to line our stomachs. The weather was going to be hot and we were all dreading a beer bike in the heat. I remembered sun cream and wore my hat constantly. That and my forward thinking bringing electrolyte powder with me (saved me).  It’s also true that a lot of local UK beers have impurities which tend to cause a fuzzy head the next day. The heat and lots of walking kept us drinking lots of water too anyway.

We had a great time, with many additional breaks added in. These were definitely needed as the weather was very hot and we were out in the middle of the day.

We got some good recommendations of places to go and visit and stopped off at a nice river side location called “Holzmarkt” lots of pop-up bars and restaurants. We got really good homemade pizza! I was equally surprised how many places still didn’t take card (compared with Hamburg where everywhere takes it, certainly since Covid).

This is getting quite lengthy now, so keep an eye out for part 2!

An Inspirational Journey

Leave a Reply

I’ve been quiet on here. I’ve been busy. We’re currenly in the process of selling our house and that’s a whole different level of stress… I don’t tend to deal too well with matters out of my control. Most of the factors there including Estate Agents, Solicitors, and other 3rd parties are out of our control.

I came across a recent video posted by Moog from Mighty Car Mods on their second YouTube channel covering his journey to compete in a CrossFit competition, having never done any serious exercise for decades (he’s now in his mid 40s). It’s a great documentary film, and should inspire many to get up and experience the outdoors.

I’ve exercised on/off for many years as it’s a good way to destress, and the exercise I do at home (5BX variation) is something that can be done anywhere, at no cost, without a massive amount of time required on a daily basis.

Following my cancer diagnosis and treatment 3 yrs ago, I needed to learn to walk again, but it was the determination (and requirement) to exercise and get strong again kept me going and focused.  I still needed to seek therapy following that exerience, but the exercise and determination to get back doing the hobbies I enjoyed previously kept me on the straight and narrow.

I should add that it was MCM that led me down the slippery slope to turbocharge my MX5, before it was really popular here in the UK. I’ve still got that car, and following 8 months of chemo, all I wanted to do was to get that completed and running properly, which I now have. It kept me driven.

Enjoy the film, and thanks Moog.

End of year wrap!

Leave a Reply

I can’t believe another year has flown by… it always seems to surprise me. Most of this year was consumed with my parent’s house-move. They’ve moved to Norfolk after 30+ years of living in Shillington, Herts. That was also my childhood home so it was a little strange knowing that I wouldn’t be going back there for Christmas. Nevertheless, the new home is rather lovely and not disappointing at all. There’s more room, and garages that can be used for cars rather than storage, so that is something I can aspire to have in the future too!

Christmas time this year was a much happier time for me. I think I am finally returning to “normal” following two years of life-changing events and mental as well as physical recovery of both.

I would highly recommend anyone who has been impacted by any terrible events in their life to seek out some unbiased counselling. I used The Wellbeing Therapy Centre who have locations around the country.  I spent a year focusing heavily on my physcical wellbeing and recovery but then rushed back into work and every-day life. With hindsight I would have (should have) taken a period of time to “reset” before going into things gung-ho!

The next thing I can suggest from experience is to find a new job if you’re unhappy. A lot of people say that a job is only a job, but when you’re spending 40 hrs a week on that job, it’s a little bit more than that. If you’re not happy, brush up your CV, and get on the job boards. Don’t let your mental health suffer as a result.

I’ve been in a new job now for over 10 months and it was hands down the best decision I’ve made in the last few years. I’m still working from home, and I wouldn’t change that for the world now. I have time to do my exercises before starting work daily and have more time to appreciate how lucky I am to be here and still writing this post.

I got my work to add to their employee rewards site, the option to donate to the Bone Cancer Research Trust, and I try and chuck some money that way as often as I can.

One of the other big achievements for me on a personal level this year was getting reacquainted with an old friend. We hadn’t seen each other in around 5 years and got back in touch at the start of the year. Good friends are hard to find so it’s worth keeping the ones you have close.

Wishing everyone the best for 2023!