Chocolate Is Not The Answer

L is stressed and apparently chocolate is the only answer. Chocolate is not the answer and I’m sure she knows it. I tell her to take her stress out on the pool later.

Finally, our ‘we turn them around in a week’ Russian Visas arrive, three weeks after we applied for them but at least we have them now. So they're letting us in. My Mum won't be happy about that, she’s sure we’re going to get kidnapped whilst we’re there. She might be right. If she’s is, I’ll be expecting a refund on the Visas, they were bloody expensive.

Up at Ponds Forge I swim 1500m which is a decent workout despite a tight calf and cramp... 

We meet Daughter afterwards. She is stressing about her master’s application. A stress shared is a stress doubled as they say but I think it was a productive discussion. She works well under stress... I think. 

(Tuesday 21^st January)

Many Moons Ago

To say that our Visa applications for our trip to Russia for the Sochi Olympics are proving a headache would be an understatement. They want full education details since school, details of your last three employers, even though I haven’t moved jobs in 18 years. Along with details of your parents and in L’s case of her ex-husband, who she divorced approximately 100 years ago. Bizarre. It’s enough to put you off going and I guess it normally does but are they likely to turn anyone down for the Olympics? Doubt it, as long as we don’t mention that bank job we did.

We also need new photos for it and L goes out to get hers in the howling gale that seems to have been forever and that has prevented me cycling at all over Christmas. Her photos will therefore be a bit windswept but I’m all for that.

We've had the usual debate about where to spend New Year’s Eve which we usually spend having a meal with my parents. After a few failed enquiries we settle on a place in Sandiacre that we went to many moons ago when Daughter had a thing about one of her infant school teachers. Yes it was a while ago. It’s had two name changes since then and has now metamorphasised from a Chinese into a Thai or should I say upgraded.

We go there via the Horse and Jockey in Stapleford. I head there straight from work and meet L there. It is packed. After probably too many pints but not actually an outstanding one, we wobble up the road to the Thai Legend where we meet my parents.

After an excellent meal, more beer/wine and a complementary liquor coffee we wobble out again, flag down one of the rare buses and head home to see in midnight with the dogs and a Sandemans port.

(Tuesday 31^st December)