The Oddity

There’s a match tonight, so I’m in the car again but not in the gym. I shall let my ageing body have a day off.

L is still miffed that they are closing a lane at John Carroll pool, presumably to save money on lifeguards. However according to the HSE’s website, it appears that they are under no obligation to have anyone present all. It will be up to the council’s own H&S policy, which presumably they will have tied themselves in knots with.

While I am out tonight, the oddity that is Chicken Shepherds Pie is being served at home by special request. Meanwhile I’ll be on the microwave meals at my Mum's. L and Daughter will have earned their oddity after a night of flat hunting, unpleasant flats that is that are not as at all as advertised. The hunt goes on.

Derby meanwhile draw 1-1 with Preston. 

(Tuesday 7^th March)

The Light Of Day

I am down in London for work today and we are going on the train. Which is a real novelty for my company. First I have to drive to work where I park before being picked up by my boss who drives the 400 metres or so to the station and then pays to park in their car park. I find that odd but I realise most people wouldn’t.

We are visiting two waste processing plants in London. Oh the high life I lead but I suppose I should be grateful as it’s very rare they let me see the light of day outside the office at all. I am handed a hard hat and a yellow jacket to go with the boots I’ve been told to wear. Health and Safety you know.

The first visit goes well and then we get a lift to the second one where we are served a decent lunch before the second visit which also goes well. So well in fact that we don’t have to wait for the 5pm train and get an earlier one back as my boss had booked an open ticket without realising. Consequently I am actually back in Derby before 5pm.

Whilst I am in London I find out that both L and I have got Great North Run places in the Times ballot. ‘Oh bloody hell’ says L. This wasn’t the plan you see. The plan was that if both of us entered the ballot we’d have double the chance of getting a place. Then if L had got one and I hadn’t she’d have gifted it to me.

She says she might have to go for a run tonight. Yes, lots of races to train for now.

(Tuesday 10^th January)

John Player Fire

Back to work after the Easter break. L manages her morning swim but opts out of her planned run in Derby tonight, although she’ll still be socialising. I wonder if the pool tasted of washing up liquid like she’s claimed everything else has for the past week?

Worryingly she says having to use the steps to get out of the pool, so not 100% yet then.

At least the pool as John Carroll is open, which considering its close proximity to the recent fire at the student flats in what was once the John Player factory is a minor miracle in the Health and Safety age. I do find it hard to believe in this day and age that a building can burn so quickly. I though these places all had sprinkler systems and fire doors etc.

It may postpone L’s move over to that area for work though. 

(Tuesday 7^th April)

Who Needs Duct Tape?

The bed does arrive, as planned, at 7am which disrupts our usual early regime.

Yesterday it was Sugar Daddies, today it’s 50 Shades, as the Nottingham Post attempts to keep up with the Daily Mail (aka the BBC).

I'm surprised B&Q are not taking rope and duct tape totally off the shelves on Health and Safety grounds. Personally I’ve just had an extra-long curtain pole and some hoover bags delivered to work. The possibilities are endless. Who needs duct tape?

I go to dog training tonight rather than tomorrow because the potential for new recruits turning up with fistfuls of tenners is higher this evening. It is my solemn duty to collect money from these women and then pass it through my own bank account into the club account. It sounds a bit like money laundering and Paypal have actually accused of this due to the amount we’ve passed through them recently.

Meanwhile I have to listen to the big top of the table clash, Derby going head to head with league leaders Bournemouth, on the radio. It ends in a 2-2 draw.

(Tuesday 10^th February)

Swim For All

The story of a dog called Arthur who tacked on to the Swedish team in the 430-mile Adventure Racing World Championship in Ecuador hits the press. It’s refreshing to see that it’s not just Doggo who tries to join in such events. Amazingly the team still finished 12th out of 50 but of course the article doesn’t mention important stuff like that.

Tonight’s dog training was called off yesterday such is the quantity of rain we’ve had, so I head off for a swim instead.

Tonight’s ‘Swim for All’ session is a more inclusive than Wednesdays. I share one of the two lanes with a young lady who is most certainly a Russian honey trap agent, either that or I have read one too many spy novels. I concede that she might not even be Russian, as I’m not great with foreign languages. She could be Croatian or Polish or something. She might not even be a spy I suppose.

She powers me on to 38 rapid lengths until a chap gets in our lane and starts floating on his back in the centre of it. This is where you expect the pool attendants to spring to life and fish him out with a big net but they don’t. I’m surprised because he is endangering not on his own Health & Safety but that of my Russian friend and I as well.

Dominika aborts and moves into the other lane. I swim around him to hurriedly complete my 50.

The coffee machine still isn’t working.

(Monday 24^th November)

Sort Of Works

Another bike ride today and then tennis. For which they won’t hire us a court unless we book the floodlights as well... health and safety....

Sadly we get thrown off at 8pm by the next people on but we try to complete our match on another court which doesn’t have lights. Instead we use the glow from the ones on the next court. It sort of works but not that well.

L runs to meet us and the boys, who are enjoying their weekly pub trip, at the Victoria. Last week’s tram works nightmare is not repeated and it doesn’t take us half an hour to travel the two miles this time.

(Thursday 11^th September)

Away With The Elves

The guy who runs the campsite recommends we move our tent. Apparently the cones that appear to be scattered randomly everywhere in fact indicate the safe camping area when we are less likely to get a tree blown down on top of us in the coming gale or rather they did, until the wind moved them. Health and Safety... pffff.

We move. At least we’re not feeling so Billy no mates now as a few other tents have pitched up near us.

The gale arrives, or rather the rain arrives, in time for the race at midday. We both don Santa hats, something I’ve not done for a run before. L says I look more like an elf. Cheers. I wonder if all us elves have to run in a group together..

The race is under new management this year and they have dedicated the race as a ‘testimonial’ to the guy who used to organise it. We see him running the fun run before the main race, which is a relief. We don’t want it to turn into a ‘memorial’ just yet.

The only change in organisation that I can see is that the 10k is marked in miles this year. Pffff. Sacrilege.

I take the event very slowly and the knee is fine, on the flat bits and even the uphills but I have to crawl down some of the downhills. Funny thing is, I’d always had this run down as pretty flat in an undulating sort of way. Funny how your perception can change when injured.

The result is my slowest ever 10k... 54:34. As L would say shoot me now or lead me to the Old Peculiar.

Instead we have a swift one in the New Dungeon Ghyll before heading back to the tent for mulled wine and to think of creative ways to kill time before heading to the Old Dungeon Ghyll for tea and a few evening ales. The mulled wine is nicely aged, it says drink within six months but must be two years old. Seems fine to us.

(Saturday 14^th December)