Thursday 14 April 2011

Update time

I have scrounged some wifi off my french teacher so you can have a massive update of my week off and this week in a oner to wade through!! You lucky, lucky folk.... he he he



I didn't achieve as much as I wanted to on the house in my week off but I have done a LOT! I suppose it is human nature always to be optimistic and to fondly imagine how much work can be packed into a week but you’d have thought that I would have learned by now!



I had initially budgeted for 2 weeks’ work on the house anyway but, due to being thwarted back in March, this had to be crammed into this one week in April and I’m afraid that 2 weeks do not fit into 1, however hard you try! So, something has had to give and it is not going to be me. I reckon I'll end up taking another week's leave at the beginning to May to finish off.



Rich and I have decided that, in order to preserve our sanity and energy, we will back out of the Three Peaks Challenge this year. We are not, with his minor foot injury, moving out of his flat, us moving house and my getting and keeping my old house ready for sale (not to mention the showing it etc etc), going to be able to fit in enough training and we do NOT want to let our team down by slowing them down or, even worse, collect sponsorship pledges and then not perform. Better to pull out now with 3 months to go when nothing is booked that can’t be cancelled than at the last minute.



I know it was the right decision because I felt a huge flood of relief having made it but it’s still sad as we were enjoying what training we had done and were looking forward to it.



Having realised that I was not going to finish the house stuff this time, I only did Saturday morning and a few hours on Sunday in order to have a bit of a rest before getting back to work. I have still got several evenings' and weekends' worth of work to put in which is dispiriting to be honest.



Rich and I did a couple of hours work on our new garden on Saturday. God, that was knackering - all we managed was to clear and sweep the pathways, steps and patio and it took us ages! And we filled 4 bin bags with rubbish. That leaves the back yard which is like something out of Shameless with rubble sacks, rusting fridges etc etc (but can't be seen); the side garden which is just a mass of weeds/brambles and the front likewise. I will post pics so you can get a sense of the task ahead of us! I suppose any place which has had a tenant on the verge of financial meltdown in for a decade, then been unoccupied for ages and then had the builders in is going to be unkempt! At least the house is perfect though. The weather was gorgeous though wasn’t it?? So lovely for early April.



I still managed 11 holes of golf on Sunday afternoon so the weekend was not a total bust. I have started playing golf with one of Rich’s work colleagues who is a member at my club which is great as we’ve both been struggling for partners on a Sunday. Me because most of the lady members play on a Wednesday not a Sunday and him because he is only a 6 day member so can’t play in men’s weekend comps on Saturday mornings. So it’s great to be able to enter the comps (albeit playing them on a Sunday) and get more money’s worth out of my annual subscription. Rich plays in comps at his club on a Sunday morning during the summer so it would be annoying not being able to play myself while he is out and about. Nigel is chuffed too and he’s a good golfer so I hope I’ll pick up some tips and start to improve rather than just treading water.



In fact, as I think on, I did loads on Sunday. I picked Rich up from his golf club after my round where he had had several ciders and was decidedly merry! Then we took the dogs for a walk/stumble. Rich in his "adventurous" state decided to find out about that cave I mentioned a few weeks ago. I had said something about wondering whether anyone ever went in it when walking on the other side of the village and seeing the entrance to it from across the gorge. Well, now that we live where the cave is and walk in that field we decided to investigate. This involved crawling through a sheep gate in the wall onto the cliff side above the road. (High up above the road so no-one would be able to see us.) Then wandering (carefully) around the grassy, rocky cliffside looking for the cave entrance. We eventually got our bearings and found it and I have to say that it was pretty impressive. I imagine cavers might use it as an entrance to a limestone system as one passageway seemed to head into the hillside. We, obviously, did not venture too far though! Still it was nice to have an adventure and the dogs love snuffling around in unexplored spots!



Then on Sunday evening, I left Rich glued to the final round of the Masters (genuinely exciting this year I think) and headed out to the Finals night of the pub quiz league. My team was in the Plate Final (like the Europa Cup to the Champions League, the second one down). And we aced it (to use an old schoolgirl phrase I remember fondly)! We won by 68 points to 49 (the teams in the Cup Final next door only managed 55 to 53 so the night was ours!). We also won the cup for the highest score in the league all season - 71! So, what I'm saying is that we were proper clever clogs and felt very bouncy and pleased with ourselves. I'm sad that the quiz league is over for another summer though - I do like a bit of beer and intellectual stimulation of a Sunday evening!! Will have to go to the "normal" quiz and slum it now!! Tee hee



Monday night was dancing as usual. Oooooh, it's getting really good. I know that's because we're spending ages doing the waltz which is our favourite but even so.... Monday was more practise of the new steps, a little addition to the spin turn where the chaps get to be all manly and kind of raise us up; tips about floorcraft and turning etc and just general improvements to our holds and footwork. It's beginning to look like proper dancing. I feel as though I'm adjusting my feet to his so that we're properly toe to toe and he is leading more confidently which means I can be more elegant and get more rise and fall and stuff like that. Just lovely. Oh, and a spin added to the end of the jive and a new little section to the tango where you do that fast, dramatic turn and walk to the side, cheek to cheek with your hands pointing out....a very strange dance the tango......



Tuesday night was a couple of hours scrubbing at the old house. I was dreading the thought - it's really not what you want to do after work and cooking supper is it? Heading up to your old house and cleaning?? In the end it was good though - I took advantage of phone signal to speak to my father while I was cleaning. With my mum's Alzheimers, he misses chatting with someone who can remember what he's just said sometimes so we had a really good natter for well over an hour. He is beginning to understand why I left my marriage and beginning to believe that I'm happier now so our conversations are less fraught and more fun than they were a few months ago. I'm glad now that I didn't push him to move faster than he felt comfortable with.



Wednesday, a blessed night in at home!! Yay! A couple of drinks early doors in the local and then a double bill of Waking the Dead - it surely can't be the last ever??! I've only just discovered it! Booooo.... So nice to have a night in.



And then today - french.



Erm, have you noticed something missing??? Exercise perhaps?? Yes - my guilty secret is that, in the last 3, maybe 4 weeks I've hardly done anything. Personal training on a Thursday is a "non-negotiable" (as Mrs L used to say) and then lots of dog walks and golf but no gym, no cycling, no swimming and no runs. Hmmmmm. I read about Peridot cycling and walking; LoveCat doing unspeakable stuff in the gym and playing badders etc etc and I think - what have you done recently Lesley?? What? Now we have actually moved and are no longer hauling things around every weekend this must change!! So - I pledge to do some form of exercise tomorrow (Friday) - either a swim at lunchtime or a run in the evening. I pledge it - ya-hear!!?

3 comments:

Seren said...

Ah, this is the trouble with you super fit people. Personally, a vigorous bout of cleaning and moving would more than count as exercise for me!

And I have to say, reading about your exploits ALMOST tempts me to take up golf...

Sx

Claire said...

You are doing lots of exercise! Just not what you are classing as exercise. Besides you sound happy and that's a very good thing. x

Peridot said...

I agree with Seren and Claire - sounds to me like you're doing masses of exercise!

Px