Plastic Drawers

I’m back on the bike today and it’s incredibly hard work. I’ve no idea why. I even had yesterday off or perhaps that’s the problem. Days off can’t be good for you.

Then it’s dogging over at Hilton. On the way we pick up three sets of plastic drawers for Daughter. That is drawers as in furniture for her flat, not the other variety.

At the pub afterwards the Wainwrights is back. Whilst it’s good to have it back... its good to have the option of avoiding it as they also have Bradfield Farmers Brown Cow. 

(Wednesday 5^th April)

Time To Pretend

L has day off, does the gym and some shopping. After an attempted but aborted run on the dreadmill, it seems the injury is obviously still feeling a bit too ‘fine’.

Now that she’s back home comes the problem of trying to persuade MD to pretend that she’s not there. Apparently, it's not working. 

Recording of the new series of Later With Jools Holland starts on the 11^th April, so we bang in an application for tickets. It's a ballot and I’m usually hopeless at ballots, unless it comes to winning free places in triathlons, so I don’t hold out much hope. The recordings are also in Maidstone, so it will require some holiday to go.

Our lodger also has the day off today as she heads up to Manchester to say some goodbyes and to get reading for the big move tomorrow. So, we have the house to ourselves tonight. Party time!

(Friday 17^th March)

Short Skirt Weather

We are off for a short break in the Lakes this evening. L has the whole day off and uses the time to get a haircut, which is always a sad occasion, before finishing packing the car which I had started earlier.

Then after checking whether I have any last requests on the packing front, I do but apparently it’s not short skirt weather, she heads off to pick me up from work. She may not have packed for the eventuality of  short skirt weather but I think she’s covered every other possible eventuality as the car is practically listing to one side. I joke, of course. It's just the book pile.

We are staying in a cottage in Chapel Stile for the first time in quite a while. Yes, we not camping.Quite a few people are struggling to get their heads round this such is our reputation.

We get there in enough time to have a few beers in the Wainwrights Inn and I finally get to add Jennings' Sneck Lifter to my list.

(Friday 13^th January)

Let's Pretend

Back on the bike again, after yesterday's distraction, and again it’s cold but pleasant.

L has a day off but attempts to spoil it by taking the boys on the park. Then I’m sure she’ll prevent them spending their usual day lazing in bed by forcing them to fetch balls in the garden.

It’s a bit damp and miserable on the way home, so L schedules a nice hot soak for my return. Just hope she’s got the wine open as well. Tonight maybe we’ll pretend we don't have nagging collies with footballs.

(Friday 5^th December)

An Integral Part Of Training

L takes a day off and the dogs take on the task of entertaining her. Although this will mean sitting with the door open and chucking balls all day but at least she won’t get bored.

She takes to the task like the professional she is and soon proclaims that ‘if that dog (MD) can still walk tonight I'll eat my trainers’.

I cycle for the fourth time this week, which is very satisfying even if everything aches now especially my legs. Sadly legs are such an integral part of my training.

I saw the girl racer again and had her on the hill out of Borrowash. It was over so quickly she probably didn’t know what had hit her. I did sort of apologise, with a polite nod, when she caught me up as I stopped at the lights before I (attempted to) speeded away again.

L has been looking into ‘good quality carbs’ and has come to the conclusion we ought to have brown rice or bulgur wheat more often and drop the processed pasta.

I get home and MD is still in the garden waiting for his ball to be chucked. So trainers for tea then, with brown rice or bulgur wheat?

(Friday 2^nd May)

The Dark Side Awaits

I cycle to work today, which feels amazingly easy. That’s what three days off does for you.

Lunchtime is spent in the pub, again battling to get them to serve us in under an hour, despite there being only one group in front of us. No wonder it’s never busy at lunchtime, lunch simply isn’t possible.

Tonight we play our first game of squash for months, after a summer flirtation with tennis. It doesn’t go well for me, not that that was unexpected. At least we both turned up with the correct racquet and balls.

Later we take a knife, a screwdriver and a pair of pliers to L’s brand new pretty blue cycling shoes. Well they were pretty blue until I skewered my finger with the screwdriver and dripped blood on them.

All this was necessary in order to install her cleats. No going back now, the dark side awaits.

(Thursday 3^rd October)

Continuing To Train, Sort Of

L has a day off, I think she’s just dodging work but it may be to get ready for the holiday by baking raspberry buns and to become a redhead again. I hope the colouring doesn’t run in Loch Lomond or in the Scottish mist.

I continue to sort of train, sort of. I bike to work and then swim. At least that’s my two swim sessions a month done already. I also manage to get a bike locker this week. Two of the four are broken and the other week the other two were full. Instead I had to lock my bike to L’s with my padlock, which is all I usually bring with me. This time I bring a full lock and chain but don’t need it as a locker is free, which is lucky as L isn’t there.

(Wednesday 14^th August)

Powers Of Persuasion

L has a day off and visits her parents in Derby. She picks up some new tyres on her way home. Now all she needs to do is to sweet talk someone into fitting them for her. I’ll look forward to experiencing her powers of persuasion. In fact she insists on some instruction, not a problem. Always happy to show a girl the ropes.

Clearly she has no intention of me not doing so, as along with the boys she meet me off the bus from work.

After some tyre changing instruction, we stay in and prepare for Saturday's sportive. I just hope we’re made a good job of her tyres.

(Friday 9^th August)

Getting Fitter...

L is shattered and so am I, so we must getting fitter then...

I take a day off cycling but not for that reason. I drive in so that I can collect the wetsuit that has been delivered to work.

When I try it on at home, it’s more like a straitjacket than a wetsuit or perhaps that’s just how you wear them. When I show it to L she agrees it’s perhaps a bit on the tight side, so I go straight back to the computer to order a bigger one.

Finally we get restarted on the squash. I did half expect another cancellation from my opponent due to the likely high temperature and humidity on the unventilated courts but no we go ahead and play. We couldn’t have got outdoors for tennis anyway as the Nottingham Open (or whatever it’s called now) is on at the moment.

In the end it’s not even that hot and humid on court, well no worse than in winter when they’ve got the heating on full blast. Perhaps we're just now conditioned for all weathers.

L suggests we skip food and pretend its Friday. She says it feels like we never see each other. Well that’s because we’re too busy trying to get fit so that we can keep up with each other. 

Calling today Friday also presents the problem of what do we then call tomorrow? 

(Thursday 6^th June)

A Quite Word

L has a day off and sort of regrets it. Well she regrets changing the boys’ routine. I can hear MD having a quite word as I walk down the street to get the bus, telling her what a terrible dog owner she is and pointing out that he is now running late as regards his busy schedule of a morning walk and breakfast.

We have a works night out this evening but before that I sit in the Flowerpot supping a rather nice Porter waiting for my colleagues to turn up. Then after probably a few too many beers it’s off for a meal at Ask Italian, which is a national chain. Personally I’d have rather supported one of the independent Italian restaurants in the area but I don’t pick the venues.

It was surprisingly quiet for a Friday night, which is perhaps bad news for them. We had some excellent wine, it was expensive but work was paying. The food was distinctly average with a kind of a heated up look to it, which was probably because they were trying to serve all twelve of us at once. It did the job of soaking up the alcohol though.

(Friday 17^th May)