No Races

L has no races this weekend. Naturally, injured old men have no races either. I offer to dash her to a parkrun but as its 8.20, we’re still in bed, and these thing start at 9am she declines. That’s a good call unless you’re her training schedule.

It also means I have to go throw something on the park.

After a rare defeat last week, Derby are back to their best demolishing Brighton with three goals inside the first 19 minutes. We like playing Brighton, last year Derby beat them four times.

We head down to Caning Circus later and divide our time between the Falcon, on the Tuck naturally and the Borlase.

(Saturday 6^th December)

It’s Hell Out There

I'm at work today but I think I’m one of the few. At least it’s easy getting to work as there is little traffic on the roads. As I pass Sainsburys I see why, they’re all in their car park. Unfortunately I intend to visit there later.

Getting there at lunchtime is difficult. In fact it’s hell out there. I sit for ages in a traffic queue which I thought may well have lead all the way to Sainsbury’s itself but in the end turned out to be for Costco. Not sure what’s going on there.

Once I got to Sainsbury’s the shop was fine, not as busy as last week and no checkout queues but then I couldn’t get out of their car park. I would say it’s the worst designed supermarket car park on the planet but unfortunately most are like this. They have their petrol station at the one and only entrance to their car park which means the petrol queue always creates a traffic jam for the shop. Very silly.

After work I head to my parents to do a last minute present exchange with my brother on neutral ground. He likes all his family to have their presents to open on Christmas Day whereas we're not so bothered and like to spread them over the week or so when we see the people we are exchanging gifts with.

When I get home, we open the polypin of Tuck...

(Monday 23^rd December)

Hidden Qualities

L and I are both a bit hung over after our session on the Tuck last night, not that we were particularly outlandish on it. Clearly it has hidden qualities that we need to keep an eye on.  

L is now indulging of a different sort, in the ‘Twelve Swims Of Christmas’. I think I’ll steer well clear of that one.

The results from the Coalville 10k are a very poor show. There’s a list of numbers and times on their website but no names. As I said the other day it was a race done very much on the cheap.

In the evening L goes for a Christmas curry with her running partners. I go for my usual dogging session, where my mistake it taking the dog. MD has a total off night.

(Monday 2^nd December)

A Quiet Revolution

I limp the boys around park, trying to kick their footballs with my good leg without standing on the bad one. Not easy. The calf tightness has eased but my knee is terrible.

L and I get back into the quiet revolution at home. Basically L paints while I chuck things away. I take a load of old CD racks to the tip in readiness for the one big new one I’ve purchased. The spare room looks almost empty now.

We head into Nottingham in the evening and first to the Falcon Inn on Canning Circus, a long standing real ale pub that’s never really been much good for any length of time. Once a Shipstones house, it’s had a variety of owners and a variety of business plans since. None of which have worked.

The one business plan that they hadn't tried was the entitled simply ‘sell good beer’. Enter Hucknall’s Lincoln Green Brewery, who have only been brewing since May 2012, and Adrian Draper, licensee at Fellows Morton & Clayton.

The result is eight ales across the bar and a packed pub. We somehow find a seat and settle in for a session on the jewel of their crown, Lincoln Green’s own Tuck. This is a 4.7% Porter and it’s awesome. Suddenly Nottingham has its own Old Peculiar.

We were originally on our way to the Peacock for some of the aforementioned but honestly this is better. Three pints later we do eventually leave for the Peacock, just for a point of comparison you understand.

We’ll be back soon though; Lincoln Green’s website says that they have two 5.5% ales coming up next. A butterscotch flavoured dark ale and a Christmas cake flavoured winter special.

When we do get to the Peacock the actual Old Peculiar isn’t as good at all, mainly because it’s a bit ‘old’ tonight. We should have stayed put.

We round the evening off with a curry at the Noor.

(Saturday 16^th November)