Always A Pleasant Surprise

There is a girl sat in my car when I get to it after work on Monday, always a pleasant surprise, and a studious one with a book too. Not that we’re on snogging terms because she says she’s ill.

After giving L a lift home the boys and I go training, which has been moved from Tuesday this week.

L doesn’t improve on Tuesday and cancels her PT but we do manage a family walk on the park. If the opportunity presents itself, we can all chase the deer together.

With my lovely Iphone SE refusing to charge I take it into the O2 shop who are incredibly unsympathetic and accuse me of deliberately breaking it. They offer to send it away for analysis for a fee and depending on the findings will then fix it for an even bigger fee. To show they are not totally unsympathetic they offer to see if they have an old Nokia at the bottom of a drawer somewhere to lend me. Alternatively they can sell me a new phone.

Forced over a barrel, I buy an Iphone 6s, the most pocket friendly model that Apple still do. It’s flimsy and cheap looking unlike my SE.

On Wednesday I’m out with my old school chums. We have a few beers in the Alexandra and the Brunswick as usual but the Brunswick turn us down for food. Their one chef can’t cope with the number of orders. They have been pedalling this excuse for about five years now and it’s why we stopped going for lunch there. You’d think they’d get them a helper; they’d certainly make the money back. We have a very average meal at Antibos instead.

Afterwards I miss the Red Arrow and have to slow bus it back on the i4.

On Thursday, I manage to cycle while L’s health is described as ‘alright’ which means, of course, that things are pretty bad although she does still manage her tennis.

(Thursday 18^th April)

A Bit Of Lashing

On Tuesday I am dispatched by work to what turns out to be a torturous project meeting in Birmingham bookended by two torturous slow crawls through the traffic at either end. Which, of course, is always the way these days.

I am home in time to dogging however, our second batch in two days. Monday's ended with us meeting L from Derby where she’d been out on the lash. Well, on the lash-lite anyway.

Wednesday is my turn for a bit of lashing in Derby, as I head to the Alexandra and then the Brunswick after work. Again it’s a lite-ish session, L and I can do the heavy stuff together at the weekend.

L and Daughter meanwhile go for a zigzag with the boys. Strapping a dog to Daughter is fast becoming the only way to slow Daughter down on a run. She is getting quicker all the time and has now even enlisted a personal trainer.

I manage to bike on Thursday and L has her tennis in the evening. After which we hot foot it to the Beer Festival. As her tennis doesn’t finish until 9pm I pre-booked a taxi to get us there as quickly as possible. Naturally we didn’t expect a pre-booked taxi to turn up fifteen minutes late.

The beer festival this year is at the Ice Stadium while the Castle is renovated. They have received a lot of grief for this mainly because it’s indoors. Personally an outdoor festival in a drafty marquee in the middle of October was never a pulling point for me but each to their own.

This year I’m warm, there’s plenty of seating and lots of space. They have created a few outdoor areas to keep the doubters happy but there really was no need. Indoors is fine. I felt that the festival had almost come home, the old festivals used to be indoors at the Victoria Leisure Centre in Sneinton and I haven’t had such a good time at the beer festival since the last one of those. Long may it continue.

We have some great, and largely local, beer from Thornbridge, Lincoln Green, Lenton Lane, Lines, Navigation and Blue Monkey. Ah yes, Blue Monkey. They supply the beers of the night in Chimperial Stout at 8.5% and their birthday celebration beer Woody Bourbon at 6.7%

Shock news. On Friday I go to the gym after work.

(Friday 19^th October)

These Things Should Not Be Sent To Tempt Us

If it’s not the weather, it’s the traffic. Today it was horrendous and I was on the bike. It’s never a good sign when you see the Red Arrow on the back roads. It’s a really bad sign when you overtake it, I assume the A52 must be blocked or something.

L is at Derby Arena gym tonight taking them up on their five day free pass and is being induced tonight. Also for free.

I’m dogging and we meet up afterwards in the Alexandra in Derby where they have a rather tasty Amber Ales Porter. These things should not be sent to tempt us mid-week.

(Wednesday 25^nd November)

Naughty But Nice

I’m still tapering of course. L is very clear that the only injury that will be countenanced pre Vitruvian is shoving Doggo's tongue down his throat if he doesn’t stop licking everything that does or doesn’t move.

Meanwhile L’s on her travels, off to Leamington to see Son. There are loads of Reading Festival folk on her train which I think makes my hip festival girl feel she’s missing out. I think we might have to do Glastonbury again... If we do, I will start the campaign for Ride a bit earlier.

At home, we have a man painting our bottoms black. They are slowly putting the finishing touches to our new rendering.

After work I meet L off her train at Derby station and we head to the Alexandra for a few very naughty but nice beers. We discover Buttermuch is on, so it turns into more than just a naughty few and I've already had a pub lunch.

(Thursday 27^th August)