Naked Picnics

Doggo seems to have a bit of an upset stomach so L cooks him white rice which is apparently a good cure. He’ll be hoping that he doesn’t recover too quickly, he’s quite partial to the odd rice dish and it must make a nice change from his usual munchies.

Nottingham City council bans naked picnics on Wollaton Park, at least my naturists. 

 

Can’t help feeling the council have missed a fund raising trick there.

Its Daughter’s 21st birthday today so we head up to Sheffield to help her celebrate. We visit the Lescar for probably the last time and because I have a £5 voucher. We sit outside so that the dogs have plenty to bark at. She fills us in on her various jobs, interviews for jobs and how her revision on dinosaurs is going.

(Wednesday 25th June)

Unfulfilled Promise

L still seems enamoured by Sunday’s bike ride and is even suggesting books about cyclists now.

Tonight at 5pm its England v Costa Rica in the World Cup. Some would say a bit of a meaningless fixture because it is and subsequent hardly anybody is bothering to watch it except me. It’s a 0-0 draw but not as bad as everyone says. I think England show promise but then I’m used to watching unfulfilled promise at Derby County.

(Tuesday 24^th June)

The Manchester Box

This week’s shopping list includes the words ‘something for the Manchester box’. Yes we’re taking donations for the food parcel that will hopefully accompany Daughter to Manchester Uni in September.

The spy book ‘Red Sparrow’ is now infiltrating the dinner table. Tonight it’s Beef Stew Dijonnaise, one of the recipes that end every chapter.

I would say that’s very eclectic of the chef but I’m not supposed to use that word, as it’s apparently not complimentary.

(Monday 23^rd June)

Great Nottinghamshire Bike Ride

Today it’s the Great Nottinghamshire Bike Ride and I pedal off at just after 6:30am to head for the start of my 100 miler. L will follow on the 50 a little later.

I queue up at the start on the Victoria Embankment and I’m away at 7:35 in glorious sunshine. So different to the wet conditions of last year. It’s a popular ride and it’s no problem finding a large group to tag along with. This enables me to bomb along and bypass the first three feed stations, which are mainly for the shorter routes anyway. I finally stop at Car Colston after 41 miles purely because I have run out of fluid although most of the group I’m with carry on. They’re hardy souls or perhaps it’s because they’re carrying two drinks bottles each to my one. They probably won’t stop until the first of the free feed stations at Norwell after 62 miles. All the feeds on the shorter rides charge but as I found out Hi-Five energy drink and gels are free even here. It’s took me only 2:06 to get here, so I’m flying.

The organisers should be commended for taking notice of people's opinions last year. Well I assume it was everyone’s opinions and not just mine. As well as the free Hi-Five and the two free feeds on the 100, as we head out on the extra loop of the 100 we find mile markers out on the full course as well as on the 50. They are nowhere near accurate, some are over two miles out, but at least they’re there.

With my group having headed off to Norwell without me, I get down on the aerobars and time trial my way there. When I arrive having taken 3:18 to do 62 miles, well up even on my Outlaw Half pace, it is to find the most awesome cake selection. I text L to tell her but she just reckons I’m trying to tempt her over to the deep dark side of 100 mile cycling. Well I reckon this lot is well worth the 15 or so mile detour off her route, particularly with the cups of tea thrown in.

I make the last stop at Wellow at 75 miles in 4:03, traditionally the best but now, after Cake City Norwell, it’s a bit of an anticlimax. I still grab a sandwich, another tea and a slice of cake.

I set off on the last bit. It’s all downhill from her apparently but they always say that and they’re always lying. Problem is I’m now so full of cake I can hardly pedal.

L texts to say she’s finished the 50 and has set a PB by 51 minutes and says ‘Bring it on’. Blimey, she cheerful.

As I get to the end, I find that somehow the organisers have also solved the problem that is Adbolton Lane. They’ve filled the potholes in, not with tarmac but with grit yet it’s still a vast improvement.

I complete the 103 miles (?) in 5:41, that’s my first time under 6 hours having pretty much raced the whole distance. Very pleased with that.

The 100 mile ride has again proved to be pretty fantastic. The only improvements you could possibly now make are to introduce chip timing and bike numbers rather than body numbers. Only about half the 100 field wore their numbers on the front, as this is so impractical and it must drive the photographers’ nuts.

Nottingham already has the best triathlons in the country (Outlaw/Outlaw Half), now I think we have the best Sportive. I wonder if the organisers could sort the Half Marathon out for us to complete the set.

Back in the event village Castle Rock have a bar in what looks like an old burger van. With the dogs (hopefully) being entertained at home by Daughter we have a couple of Saddle Sores. Only 3.4% but not bad.

Later, after dispatching Daughter to Sheffield by train we head for a few pints at the Horse and Jockey in Stapleford before visiting the Cinnamon Indian. The Cinnamon is ok but nothing special.

(Sunday 22^nd June)

Belly Flops

We’re at a dog show at Catton today. Our first run is a good one from MD but he belly flops a pole, so 5 faults. Then we have a big long wait before he has three runs back to back straight after lunch. There are no clears among them but only one shocker, which is progress. Then even Doggo gets eliminated by going in the wrong end of the tunnel, I didn’t see that one coming.

Daughter is working again, another trial shift back in Nottingham at Ruddington, so she stays overnight with us.

She always say that MD doesn’t recognise her when she comes home which isn’t true of course but we tell him to make an effort tonight. Actually I think he over does it, so I hope she noticed.

We stay in tonight, stay AF and munch on the pasta. It’s the Great Nottinghamshire Bike Ride tomorrow. 

(Saturday 21^st June)

You Can't Rely On Italy

You just can’t rely on the Italians. They lose to Costa Rica and England are out of the World Cup. It just won’t be the same not seeing them scrape through in the last game.

Daughter continues her UK interview tour, visiting Manchester today which is relevant because it is where she hopes to do her Masters degree.

I get home with instructions to shove L out the door to do a run before doing anything to tempt her not to. As if I would. I duly give the required shove before opening the bottles of Leffe in readiness for her return.

(Friday 20^th June)

Favourite Dinosaur?

I have to cancel squash again because apparently there’s a football game on tonight.

Daughter is in town for a brace of interviews where she is asked such searching questions as what is her favourite Dinosaur. These things are important. I think she said she preferred the flappy one, like I do, but couldn’t put her finger on the name - Pterodactyl.

She meets up with L and they go to the cinema to see Maleficent. I think they’re both attempting to avoid the match.

This time the media picks the team after the manager failed to get a result against Italy despite a fine performance. The result is exactly the same but without the fine performance perhaps they should leave the manager to it next time.

(Thursday 19^th June)

Spoil Sport

I was running a bit late this morning, so had to really power it after somebody honey trapped me earlier.

L meanwhile is racing Russian dissidents and CIA agents in the pool. Probably. It's quite exciting when we decide to mix and match our audiobooks.

In the evening, I get home to find that L has finally entered into the World Cup spirit and has put a goal net up for the boys and I in the garden. Then I remember that she asked me to bring the net curtains in off the line before I start kicking footballs with the dogs. Damn. Spoil sport.

(Wednesday 18^th June)

Lumbered

I’m on the bike today, L’s in the pool. We’re both ahead of schedule and I end up at work well early and L gets in a full 40 lengths. I fear we must have missed something off our schedules this morning.

L is also home early but that is to meet the four hundredth plumber (slight exaggeration) who will attempt to fix our leaky bathroom toilet. The by-product of L being home is a lot of ball chucking for MD. Who is well tired and rubbish at training.

I am lumbered with a load of paperwork from the old club secretary, most of which may well be going in the recycling.

(Tuesday 17^th June)

On The Lively Front

Tonight’s committee meeting is sure to be a lively one with our show coming up in just over a month and finances apparently running out.

L is running in Derby this evening. So I take the boys off with me and drop them off with my Dad, so that they can exercise him.

L suggests that if I escape early and fancy a pint, we could meet up. That’s a very nice thought but an unrealistic one. The meeting overruns and doesn’t disappoint on the lively front either, only one person stormed out though. 

(Monday 16^th June)