Not Winning At Bingo Again

This morning L does the Beeston parkrun and manages it without ice skates. I’m not sure I could have done. Not that I can ice skate either. I drop her off and watch them start before I head off to the Aston on Trent village walk. L’s parkrun is on but all her Pilates classes are cancelled presumably do to the gorgeous seasonal weather. Why am I not surprised that the council has cancelled something indoors when everything outdoors is going ahead.

There is actually quite a lot of snow around and even on the main roads. The A52 is only clear in one lane. The village walk is another ‘tradition’, more for its opportunity to meet people who I haven’t seen since the previous year’s one than for the actual walk itself and its accompanying bingo game which is quite tedious.

L opts out and I don’t blame her but I get to touch base with an old school friend and more importantly his new dog. Our pair both participate and Doggo skips around the whole 4.4 miles, which I think he later regrets. It's all very pleasant in the sun and the snow. It’s so alpine it makes you want to get your skis out.

Naturally I don’t win anything at the bingo. I have done this walk most years for the last forty years and probably won something twice.

We meet my parents and my brother before heading off to the Dog and Duck for lunch. I have a Snecklifter and a sandwich that is bigger than most people’s meals.

In the evening, L and I head down to Canning Circus for a few beers, in the Falcon, the Borlase and the hand & Heart. 

(Saturday 27^th December)

The Ever Spinning Roulette Wheel

Today is the day we depart for holiday. I have the morning at work, whilst L has the whole day off.

The ever spinning roulette wheel that is the airlines attitude to the additional baggage required by skiers stops this year on the instruction which says that you are recommended to pack your ski boots inside your normal luggage and pay an extra bag charge for skis. So I pay up £136 in extra charges to British Airways for the two of us. Ouch.

The other option is to take our ski boots as hand luggage. This is apparently allowed and incurs no charges whereas if we were to put that bag in the hold, which surely would be better for everyone, it would cost us another £136. Makes sense...

However we play the game we will take the same anyway, it’s just how we distribute it to avoid paying them less.

I head home for lunch where L is tempting me with a just banned bacon sandwich. 

I get home and take the dogs on park, which is their last romp of freedom before they are then dumped in kennels. Once that’s been done, then we’re off to a seedy London hotel for the night, before flying to the Pyrenees on Friday.

(Thursday 7^th March)