Gary Thompson Random Thoughts

I’m going to post updates about what I am doing and my thoughts on software development trends, and insights on leadership, software engineering and taking a break from work. With a focus on my experience of moving to the countryside from a city.

Taking a break from work

Last year, I discussed with the Deliveroo leadership team the possibility of stepping away from my role at Deliveroo. We explored part-time and other options, ultimately deciding that my last day would be 29 April 2025. Working at Deliveroo for five years has been an incredible experience, allowing me to develop my adaptability and resilience in a intense and exciting environment. It was truly an experience I do not regret, but I felt the need to pursue something new and step out of my comfort zone. Therefore, I decided to take a break from work and dedicate myself to activities I had been neglecting.

 What were these things (goals)?

• I’ve done the food delivery, now it’s time to grow that food.  I was fortunate to move to Norfolk in 2021 with 3 acres of land. I wanted to find out how self-sufficient I could become.  In theory the first easy step is to grow vegetables and fruit. I already had some success with potatoes and am fortunate to have an orchard.  Write a blog or book. This article is the start of this goal.  I’ll post more each month.
• Brew my own beer. Lucky me, the village has the Grain Brewery as my local tap house and brewery.  I meant to start something in March, aim is to now do this in April (assuming I have time, as it’s seed sowing time).
• Be musical.  Learn to play the piano or guitar.  Anyone that knows me will realize this is very ambition. I have no musical talent, so this will certainly challenge me.
• Develop myself. While at Deliveroo I worked with some very talented data science, AI and software engineers and I missed being hands on. So, I am going to go back to doing some self-studying.
• Arts and crafts. The last time I did more than a quick sketch was 35 years ago. I plan to take up art as a hobby and learn to use water, acrylic and oil paints (I’ve already started with a local art group).  This is my mindfulness and relaxation goal
  

How am I achieving this?

I’ve saved enough to take a year off, and that is what I will do.

 What have I done in February and March.

I was fortunate to take time off over from in February, March and April.  I have been really surprised by how busy I became.  My family thought I would get bored after a month!

• February. I began clearing the hedges in a paddock. The brambles were tough and scratchy, and their growth was deeper than I had expected. I cleared about 5 to 10 meters of depth, covering approximately 500 square meters. I then started demolishing some of the old sheds that were falling down.  Then built new ones. Another post will follow on how I went about building a bespoke shed and what I learnt. Applying software delivery techniques when building something (success and failures).
• March.  Preparing the land for vegetables.  Pointing a fireplace, building gates and painting a bath, yes, you read that correctly, I painted a bath, gold!  I’ll do another post on each of these topics.

 Mindfulness….. One thing I realised over the past few months is that I spend more time listening and watching.  I listen to and watch wildlife more. Spring is a great time for this. I’m also fortunate to have deer living in the woodlands by my house,  waking to look out of the window at deer, rabbits, pheasants walking across the fields is a wonderful experience.  You don’t have to live in the country, or give up work, to experience this, just take a holiday in the UK.  Where I live there are lots of farms that have shepherds huts (Friends Farm,  Choo Choo Moo) and Airbnb homes (Tranquil Cottage, Sunset Barn, The Dove Inn).  The Grain Brewery is open Friday and Saturday until 7pm and the bar in Alburgh (Village Hall) is open every Friday until late ( I do some shifts behind the bar).

What am I looking forward to in April.

Working on the vegetable garden and doing some focused study time. I should have really been dedicating one day a week to study and writing blogs. This just didn’t happen.