Console The Inconsolable

It’s straight back to work on Monday where we both head unshowered because while we were away our brand new boiler failed. The dog sitter is blaming herself but when I get the chaps who installed it out to have a look at it they point to a broken fan. Which they say they can’t fix and we have to place a service call with Baxi. Which we do and they come out to fix it on Tuesday.

Later on Monday, the Lad is at the vets for his booster, which he thoroughly enjoys. He loves meeting people, even vets who about to stick a needle in him. It’s also time to renew his insurance which the insurers won't talk to me about because it’s in L’s name. They refuse to accept that I am called L and I’m non-binary. So I have to get L to give them permission to speak to me.

Keith Flint dies, only days after clocking 21:22 at his local parkrun. If we’re looking for positives in anyone’s death, then that’s not a bad one to go out on.

Tuesday evening brings the match, Derby v Wigan. While I'm at my parent’s house my Mum confesses she’s had another fall. This was a few weeks ago but she has neglected to mention it. That’s where I got that trait from. I leave her with a box of Polish chocolates, I’ve got a nice big block for us.

It’s so thick it’s unbreakable and has to be attacked with a huge chopping knife.

On Wednesday I’m back on the bike which gets very wet on the way home, it’s dog training in the evening and Magenta Devine joins Keith Flint in the past tense. They're dropping like flies.

Thursday sees L kick off a new dog walking regime. She is going to take the Lad out for a pre-walk, so that hopefully he’ll learn to walk better on the lead and it will add a bit extra to his day, while I attempt to console the inconsolable MD while also trying to have a shower at the same time. Then I will take them for their usual park session.

I spend the day up at a meeting in Chesterfield but I’m back in the office in time to do my now usual run home although it’s not exactly perfect running weather. It's very windy and rain is forecast. I could defer it to tomorrow but the forecast looks just as bad tomorrow and colder.

L says she’s happy to pick me up somewhere provided she still makes her tennis. That is if she’s able to drive after her PT session, she claims to have crawled from the last one. I manage my run, without incident.

(Thursday 7^th March)

New Year Round Up

I’m also at work on the Thursday and in the evening we have the annual squash club meal, which is again held at Chakh Le India on Trent Bridge. For some reason the menu doesn’t seem adventurous as it did last year. Well, I assume they’ve changed it. The food is again good but because of the unexciting menu, not spectacular.

Then on Friday we head up to the Lakes. We have a cottage booked in Staveley, somewhere we’ve always wanted to stay, on a late deal. Finding it is the first problem. It’s dark, the directions aren’t great and there’s an inch of snow on the ground. After trying to break in to several properties we finally find the right one.

We have a great first night in the Hawkshead Brewery, where we’ve never been able to manage a session before due to having to drive, with the dogs at our feet. Things start to go a bit wrong on the Saturday. First we head up to Keswick parkrun which goes ok until I badly twist my ankle on a rock and have to hobble over half the distance much to MD’s frustration. He was running with me.

Then Doggo has a funny turn and passes out on the pavement outside the cottage, I have to carry him inside thinking that this is surely the end. Then to add to our woes MD starts vomiting everywhere.

Doggo then seems to quickly recover but we don’t know whether this is just temporary and this, along with MD’s illness, somewhat ruins our Saturday night out.

We had booked a table at the Eagle & Child, which is always hard to get into and they also have Snecklifter on the bar but we are so worried about both dogs that we end up driving the very short distance there so that we can have the unwell pair close to us in the car.

The stress destroys my appetite but enhances L’s. Must be a girl thing. To be honest we also realise that the menu isn’t that great at Eagle & Child anyway, not sure we’ll be back. It does mean there are some leftovers to tempt the dogs to eat and that does work.

Sunday is New Year’s Eve and both dogs have recovered a bit more. We take them on the park in Kendal and go buy L a new walking jacket from Ambleside. I even manage to eat a full meal when we have Sunday lunch in the Watermill at Ings, then we go back to the Hawkshead Brewery for the evening.

It’s £3 to get in which is reasonable, this I assume pays for the disco which we escape from by going upstairs. We have been brave enough to leave the dogs back at the cottage, in the car parked outside, although this is still only a short stroll away.

It’s still a slightly subdued evening and we don’t stay until midnight but I’m not sure we would have done anyway. As is tradition we spend it with Jools Holland on the TV and with the dogs.

Monday we head back down the M6 as I want to be back for the New Year’s Day match but first we stop off near Wigan so that L can do a parkrun and which has a convenient 10:30 start. Sadly after my mishap in Keswick I’m unable to join her.

(Monday 1^st January)

The Perfect Hangover Cure

The perfect hangover cure. Rain, winds and ball chucking on the park. Some may disagree.

Then there’s the New Year’s Day football and Derby lose. How dare they?

Wigan actually totally muscled them off the park. Oh well, you can’t win them all. First defeat in nine.

(Wednesday 1^st January)