Toxic Tea

This morning I take my bike into Derby Bike Works for a service as I’ve been struggling with it slipping out of gear. It’s ages since it’s had any TLC, so it’s probably due. L has to stand in and do the dogs this morning. This gives her chance to get back to lead training the Lad, which she said she’d crack over Christmas.... Unfortunately only old age got the other two dogs to walk on the lead.

It’s only after walking the dogs that she tells me she’s struggling with the symptoms of Toxic Tea Syndrome. This is how she dismissed the fact she’s ill and blamed the ‘free’ tea at Rough Trade yesterday. I’m not sure about that. She makes it to work but is then quickly sent home. It’s amazing she managed to walk the dogs at all this morning. 

When I am back at Rough Trade this evening she advises me to keep off the tea. That was never a likely option.

When the Twilight Sad came on the scene their gigs were an unrelenting sea of guitar noise, feedback and pounding drums all played so loud that it pinned you to the back wall of whatever venue you happened to be in. Amongst it all though they also had a ear for a great melody and they also had James Graham’s amazing voice.

Over the years, and through their four albums and numerous EPs, they have mellowed. Their sound is less aggressive, they use a lot of synthesizers now, and their demeanour less, well ‘sad’ although still decidedly dark. Yet despite this even moderate mainstream success still eludes them.

Now we have album number five ‘It Won/t Be Like This All the Time’ which not only eschews an apostrophe but also a launch tour that includes the full band. Instead we have a few ‘stripped back’ acoustic dates chucked in free with the album purchase which involves only James Graham and guitarist Andy MacFarlane. 

Although the guys have set up an amplifier they ask if it’s ok if they do it without which is about as stripped back as you can get. That’s fine by us and it’s a fair assumption there’s going to be no one pinned to the back wall tonight. In fact, who’d have though ten years ago that you’d be able to stand right in front of the band without feeling your ears bleed.

It’s also a bonus to be able to make out every word of the songs and get a better sense of why Graham immerses himself so much into them.

They play ten songs tonight, five of which come from the new album which they have worked on with the Cure’s Robert Smith although that probably isn't too obvious acoustically. This includes the amazing ‘VTr’ which is as good a tune as anyone will produce this year.

Amongst the new songs are ‘Nobody Wants to Be Here and Nobody Wants to Leave’ from album three, ‘The Room’ from album two and one they claim not to have rehearsed ‘Mapped by What Surrounded Them’ from album one.

To close we are treated to non-album single ‘The Wrong Car’ and the song they all know as ‘Rabbit’ or rather ‘And She Would Darken the Memory’. Sadly some of the audience sing along with every word which for a acoustic show is a bit of a downer because Graham can’t drown them out but it’s kind of sweet I suppose.

In fact the whole thing is rather sweet, which I never thought I’d say about the Sad but it's also totally excellent at the same time. Now please get your ****es back down here with the rest of the band pronto.

(Monday 21^st January)

They Are Keeping The Patient In Overnight

This morning I take my bike in for repair and for a service. I decide to give Park Bikeworks in Derby yet another go as it’s under yet another different owner. The building itself is now run by Huub, so hopefully some of that professionalism will rub off.

This does mean I need to leave earlier in order to still get to work in decent time, so I am out of the house at 6:50am. It all goes rather well, with being earlier the roads were a bit quieter, although it’s very cold. Yet despite the cars being iced over the roads were fine.

The general diagnosis isn’t good and they tell me they are keeping the patient in overnight, in fact probably until Wednesday as they need to order some parts. That’s what they said last time when they end up holding it hostage for ten days. So on the bus tonight.

(Friday 20^th January)

Research Purposes

I take my best bike to work as the other one is ill. Very nice it was too although it did start raining just as I got into the last mile. Everything seems to be working fine on the bike after its service last week, so now I’m all set for Sunday’s Sportive.

L reports that the Canning Circus Christmas tree is now up. Oh no.

L suggests a Caribbean meal tonight and asks how I’m fixed because she wants me concoct one. I’ll give it a go.

After a bit of investigation we decide to order a Caribbean takeaway instead, purely for research purposes you understand. So that I can see what I’m trying to concoct but then the takeaway closes before I can actually click the 'checkout' button. So we order an Indian instead which isn’t something we need to research but what the hell.

(Friday 18^th October)

New Training Regime

L starts a new training regime this morning and goes for an early run. A case of getting back into the saddle as far as running is concerned. As for actually getting in the saddle, she hasn’t done much of that as regards her new bike. I must get her out for a spin.

We have tentatively pencilled a sportive in for a week on Sunday, so with that in mind I take my best bike in for a service. The gears aren’t totally right on it and it’s beyond my tweaking skills to rectify.

In the evening L goes up to Sheffield for a bit of a song and dance of a film courtesy of the Proclaimers with Daughter. Yes, Sunshine on Leith. We dog train where there isn’t much singing and dancing; only yapping.

(Monday 7^th October)

We've Been Around

Four days in a row on the bike and a dodgy thigh for my troubles but at least the calf is fine.

Shock number one. L enters the Great Nottinghamshire Bike Ride. She says she’d rather do that the Grimsthorpe Half Marathon that is on the same day. Hang on, rewind. She’d rather do the cycle... did I hear that right? I best get her bike serviced then.

Shock number two. British Gas ring and say they’re coming tomorrow, to fit the long promised filter. Result. A result for perseverance after taking the intransigent position of demanding a Saturday appointment after they'd already wasted two days of L’s time this year.

Of course there's no guarantee that it will happen, we’ll believe it when we see it. Their record isn’t good and if they do turn up, will they bring the part? Well, they’ve got less than twenty four hours to lose it.

For our cosy Friday night in, I turn up sweaty from my cycle while L turns up sweaty from her run and we put the delightful Rammstein on the TV whilst I cook. Romance eh? I tell L to shout me if anything bursts into flames. That’s on the TV, not on the stove.

Then we dig out some old photos and reminisce on past skiing holidays, going back first to 1999, when we were all a touch younger. Daughter was just five! It’s an interesting reminiscence night over a bottle of wine. Although it should probably have been over a wheat beer and a Jagertee.

‘We've been around’ L says. Quite.

(Friday 23rd March)

There's Always Something

It’s the delayed Edwinstowe Christmas 10k this morning with no doubt the expected red t-shirt to be presented at the finish. My preparation hasn’t been great and that’s the understatement of the year, even if 2011 is only nine days old. I’ve not done enough training due to the weather, the fact I’ve developed a sore throat and because my bike has been in for a service. My diet has been crap, causing a mouth full of ulcers, ulcers which have made fuelling up for this race difficult. Then to cap it all a restless night due to the dogs having a restless night. The fault, I think, of a couple of foxes screeching loudly intermittently through the earlier part of the night. I don’t wish to begrudge Mr Fox bringing home a young vixen after a night out on Wollaton Park but could he at least keep it to himself.

But anyway, back to the race. As I was, sort of, ill, I took it steady with full body cover so as to not get cold. Embarrassingly steady as it turned out, doing a 4:45 for the first km was positively upsetting. Things improved slightly from there onwards but not by much and to be honest I couldn’t have gone much faster even if I’d wanted to.

So basically I power walk (without the power) around the course, which is still a little icy. There were still a few piles of snow around. So I can see why it was cancelled back in December and even today they had to reroute it away from the Major Oak where it was sheet ice in places. The fact it’s still quite cold is good as it made the course firm underfoot, otherwise it could have been really muddy.

So a time of 47 something, which I would have assumed would have put me near the back but oddly doesn’t. L rubs it in by bragging about her time, which was eight minutes quicker than last time she ran this race two years ago. I blame her personal trainer, although she’s still behind me.

Home for the hot bath that I’m more than ready for, so too the wine we hit later.

On the positive side, the exercise seems to have blown the worst of the illness out of my body. So that’s good. Instead I now have a really painful knee. There’s always something.

(Sunday 9th January)