Monday
It's the Easter Holidays, so no work for us teachers!
Today's exercise was a 17 mile bike ride in the sunshine down through Lowsonford and back. There was a bit of a chilly wind so I wrapped up warm. It didn't take long to realise that this was a huge mistake. I was sweating in my tights and winter gloves while the only other cyclist I saw was out and about in a short sleeved jersey and shorts. Anyway, I pressed hard on the pedals and actually managed to get a series of trophies on Strava on my way back home, even though I have ridden up through Lowsonford 70 times!
Back at home, my perfect wife told me I didn't have to cook so I watched cricket with a beer instead!
Cycling, no junkfood, 3 beers
Tuesday
Today was a busy day. Lucy had to take a family member to hospital for some results so I decided to make myself useful and get our new back gate ready for hanging. This gate was made as part of a project by our construction students at college. The students had done a great job of knocking together a heavy, sturdy gate but had neglected to finish the job properly. As such, it had rough and sharp edges with potential splinters everywhere. They had also done a rather slap-dash job of painting it!
Happily, it was a sunny day so Monty and I headed out to start sanding the gate down while getting some vitamin D. I was sanding it down by hand and it quickly became apparent that I would be out here for hours... Thank goodness for neighbours! Dave next door let me borrow two power sanders - an orbital sander and a palm sander. With these two tools, I had the gate ready to paint in just 90 minutes.
I painted one side and then read some Preacher comics in the sunshine while I waited for it to dry. Then I did the same for the other side. It was so warm that I had to fetch a cap to protect my head!
I did some more weight training tonight. Afterwards, I decided that I deserved a few beer, so I drank four!
Weight lifting, no junkfood, beers
Wednesday
Another weight lifting session followed by lots of work on my eBay account. I cooked a stir fry for the family. I went to bed early to read. I also measured my blood pressure (something I try to do once per month): 119/72 with a resting heart rate of 48.
Weight training, no junkfood, no alcohol
Thursday
I collected Lily at 1pm and we headed off to Shirley for some charity shop shopping! I bought an Andrew Flintoff autobiography, a shirt for work, some ceramic wall planters for Lucy, a copy of Catcher in the Rye for Lily, and two Terry Pratchett books! (After borrowing 4 Discworld books from a friend, I have decided to collect the whole series for myself - they are fascinating stories that make me laugh out loud. Sort of Monty Python in a fantasy setting.) Lily bought herself a cardigan - she assures me that they are fashionable at the moment...
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Lily got bored afther a little while, so I cut the shopping short and headed back home. Lily, Martha and I sat in the front room while Lily showed us her Switch game My Time at Portia. When Mouse finished work, the girls headed off to dinner and then to the cinema to watch Dungeons and Dragons.
I did some weight training before dinner.
Due to a lack of communication, I stayed up until after midnight becasue I thought I might have to take Lily home. Turns out that I didn't...
Weight training, no junkfood, no alcohol
Friday
Sunshine!
I tied on my running shoes and headed out with Iron Maiden, Beastie Boys and Weezer playing in my earphones. I set my fastest 10K time this year: 62 minutes and 30 seconds (yes, still painfully slow for most runners!)
After a shower and some food, it was time to get back to the gate:
I had to take the handles and hinges off the old gate and transfer them to the new one. This involved a lot of careful guess work with the tape measure!
When Martha and I finally got the new gate up on the hinges (she is strong!) we found that it wouldn't quite fit. I borrowed a sander from Luke and began to coax the gate into a shape that would fit. 2 hours later, I was losing the light so I packed my tools away. As I was walking through the garage, almost on impulse, I grabbed a beer from the booze shelf. I ended up having a bit of a party for one, staying up too late, and having a lovely time watching The Walking Dead!
10K run, no junkfood, 4 beers.
Saturday
A terrible night's sleep and then a bit of a sore head. By 9, I was on the bike heading down to B&Q to get a bolt for the new gate. A little later, I was out in the sunshine fitting the new gate with two bolts and handles. I had managed to sand it down enough for it to fit properly. I gave it some more paint and then, once it was dry, put it into place. By now, the hangover was long forgotten.
After lunch, I walked the dogs in the sunshine and then headed off to the dojo. Sensei Ronnie went through Hangestsu with myself and two other black belts. It was great to get some almost one-to-one training! After this, we did some basics work while Sensei Ronnie oversaw a grading with a group of youngsters. I had the great honour of handing out the belts to the students who had passed.
Back at home, Lucy had a list of job for me so I could help her get ready for the party tomorrow. I ended up ironing tablecloths while watching cricket!
Karate, no junkfood, no alcohol
Sunday
Up at 7 to get ready for cycling. Paul arrived at 9 followed by James and then Jonnie. We set off into a cold but bright morning, following our Full Purity route south at a relaxed pace. There was plenty of time for chatting as the day gradually warmed and the sky turned blue. Despite his recent injury, Paul is still incredibly fit and made short work of The Average Destroyer, even managing to climb it in the big ring while the rest of us struggled behind in our smallest gears. As the cakestop became nearer, James and I discussed that the ride was going to end too soon. We were having such a nice time in the sunshine with mates that we didn't want it to end! We easily convinced Jonnie to extend the route to include a High Cross return adding on another few miles.
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